Chapter 73: Under the Stars
The Sterling estate shrank behind them.
Holden and Lyra walked in silence through the winding streets that led to the academy district. The noble houses here were spaced far apart, separated by manicured gardens and iron gates.
Nobody followed them.
The chaos of the banquet had been too shocking for anyone to organize a pursuit. Or maybe Vespera’s badge had done its job.
Lyra’s hand was still in his. Her grip hadn’t loosened since they’d left the ballroom.
They turned a corner and entered a small park. Willow trees lined a winding path that followed a narrow stream. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting silver patterns on the grass. A stone bench was near the water’s edge, half-hidden by overgrown bushes.
Holden led her to it.
They sat down. The bench was cool through their clothes. The stream murmured softly nearby. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called out.
The adrenaline was fading now. The cold focus that had gotten Holden through the chaos of the banquet was draining out of him, leaving him feeling exposed and incredibly worn out.
Lyra stared at him.
Her makeup was smudged. Tears had left tracks down her cheeks. The elegant hairstyle was coming loose, strands of dark hair falling around her face. She looked nothing like the perfect noble daughter from the ballroom.
She looked real.
"You crashed a royal engagement banquet," she said quietly. "In front of a hundred nobles. You exposed Oscar’s crimes, destroyed his cultivation, and walked out holding my hand." She paused. "Do you understand what you’ve done?"
Holden leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Probably started a political war with House Thorne."
"Yes. You probably did."
"Vespera’s going to have opinions about that."
He stared at the stream. The moonlight made the water look like liquid silver.
"Why?" Lyra asked. "Why did you come?"
Holden was quiet for a long moment.
Then he dropped the act.
All of it. The jokes, the cleverness, and the habit of acting like he didn’t care simply disappeared. He let his defensive walls fall, revealing the exhausted boy underneath, quietly staring at his hands.
"I’m good at fighting monsters, Lyra," he said. His voice came out rough. Nothing like his normal tone. "I’m terrible at this."
"At what?"
"At caring about people. At saying the right thing. At not being an idiot."
He turned to look at her. In the moonlight, his expression was open in a way she’d never seen before.
"When you told me about the marriage, I knew you wanted me to fight for you. I knew it. And I just... I used logic as a shield. I told myself it wasn’t my world, that I’d put Maeve in danger, that noble politics were above my pay grade." He shook his head slowly. "But the truth was I was scared."
"Scared?"
"Of wanting something I couldn’t protect. Of caring about someone and then watching it blow up because I wasn’t strong enough or smart enough to keep them safe." He looked down at his hands again. "So I pushed you away before you could leave first. I thought that was the best way to survive. But that plan doesn’t make sense when you actually want the person to stay."
Lyra didn’t respond right away.
She reached over and gently took his hand. Her fingers slid between his, intertwining slowly. Her touch was warm against his skin.
"You are a terrible liar, Holden Voss."
He let out a breath that was almost a laugh.
"I’m not lying."
"I know you’re not. That’s why I’m so annoyed." She moved a bit closer to him on the bench. "For weeks, you acted like a robot and hid all your feelings. And then you walk into a noble banquet and paralyze a sadistic prince in front of a hundred witnesses."
"That was anger, not romance."
"It was both." She squeezed his hand. "You can’t tell me you didn’t care. Nobody crashes a royal event over someone they don’t care about. Paralyzing Oscar is a pretty good way to say ’I care,’ by the way."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Holden’s mouth. The first real one in days.
"I’m sorry, Lyra."
"I know."
"I should have said it when you asked. I should have told you I didn’t want you to go."
"Yes, you should have."
"I’m an emotional idiot."
"You said that already."
"It bears repeating."
Lyra laughed softly. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her hair brushing against his neck.
Holden stiffened for just a second. Then he relaxed.
They sat like that for a while. The stream murmured. The owl called again.
"How’s Maeve?" Lyra asked eventually.
"Probably waiting up with more research files. She’s the one who found out about Oscar."
"She’s remarkable."
"She really is."
Lyra was quiet for a moment. Then she asked the question Holden had been dreading.
"What about Emric and Renna?"
He sighed. His shoulders dropped.
"I ruined it. They were hurting because you were gone, and instead of being there for them, I let the Twins insult them. Then I used my aura to push the Twins back, which just made everything more complicated. Renna thinks I abandoned Team Soup for the cool senior kids."
"Did you?"
"No. But I didn’t explain that either. I just stood there like an idiot while they walked away."
Lyra lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. Her blue eyes were serious but gentle.
"A true leader fixes his mistakes, Holden. You know that."
"I know."
"So fix them."
He nodded slowly. "First thing in the morning. I’ll find them at the training grounds. I’ll apologize properly. No excuses. Just... actually say the words."
"That sounds like a good plan."
"Probably the first good plan I’ve had in weeks."
Lyra smiled and rested her head back on his shoulder. Her fingers stayed intertwined with his.
The stream kept murmuring. The stars kept burning. And for the first time since Lyra had walked away with that letter in her hands, the weight in Holden’s chest felt a little bit lighter.
"First thing in the morning," he repeated quietly.
"First thing," she agreed.