Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Chapter 142

The palace was quiet as the festival eve settled over the city like a held breath. The last of the servants had retired to their quarters, the guards had taken their posts, and the corridors were empty save for the occasional flicker of torchlight. In her private chambers, Nyra lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

She couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly since the confrontation in the luncheon hall. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Soren’s face the fury in his golden eyes, the cold disdain in his voice, the way he had looked at her like she was something to be crushed beneath his heel.

You’re torturing yourself, Luna said softly.

I know.

Then stop. Rest. Tomorrow will be hard enough without you being exhausted.

I can’t rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I see the way he looked at me. The way he touched me. Her voice caught. He tried to kill me, Luna. The man I love tried to kill me.

That wasn’t Soren. That was a version of him twisted by Selene’s lies. The real Soren is still in there, fighting to get out.

What if he’s not? What if the Soren I knew is gone forever?

Luna was silent for a moment. Then we grieve him. And we move on. But we don’t give up. Not yet.

Nyra sighed and sat up. The moonlight streamed through her window, silver and serene. She rose and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, then slipped out of her room.

The garden was beautiful at night—the flowers closed, the paths empty, the fountain whispering softly in the darkness. Nyra found a stone bench near the old oak tree and sat down, tilting her head back to look at the stars.

The moon is full, she observed. It’s beautiful. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Moon Goddess is watching over us, Luna said. She hasn’t abandoned you, Nyra. Even when everything feels hopeless.

Nyra didn’t answer. She just sat there, staring at the stars, letting the silence wash over her.

Soren couldn’t sleep.

The bed was too soft. The room was too quiet. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face—the silver eyes blazing with defiance, the lips swollen from Corvin’s kiss, the way she had looked at him when she called him a jerk and an idiot.

Why can’t I stop thinking about her? he thought.

Because she matters to you, Kael replied. Even if you can’t remember why.

She’s a murderer. Selene said—

Forget what Selene said. What do you feel?

Soren didn’t have an answer. What did he feel? Anger. Confusion. Frustration. And underneath it all, something else. Something that felt almost like... longing.

He threw off the covers and rose from the bed. Perhaps a walk would clear his head.

The corridors were empty as he made his way through the palace. His feet carried him toward the garden—the same garden where he had first grabbed Nyra by the throat, where everything had gone wrong.

And there she was.

She sat on a stone bench near the old oak tree, her shawl wrapped around her shoulders, her face tilted toward the sky. The moonlight caught her hair, turning it silver despite the dye that darkened it. She looked peaceful. Fragile. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

Soren stopped at the edge of the garden, hidden in the shadows. He should leave. He should turn around and go back to his room and forget he had ever seen her.

But he couldn’t move.

Go to her, Kael urged. Talk to her.

What would I say?

Anything. Just start with the truth.

Soren hesitated. Then, slowly, he stepped out of the shadows.

Nyra heard him approach. She turned, and her silver eyes widened with surprise. "You."

"Me." He stopped a few feet away, his hands at his sides. "Couldn’t sleep?"

"Something like that." She wrapped the shawl tighter around herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked first."

Soren almost smiled. Almost. "I couldn’t sleep either."

An awkward silence fell between them. Nyra turned back to the stars. Soren stood there, uncertain what to do with his hands, his body, his thoughts.

"Why did you say it?" he asked finally.

"Say what?"

"That Corvin is your boyfriend. That you’re dating him."

Nyra’s jaw tightened. "Because you asked. Because you demanded proof. Because I wanted to see your reaction."

"And what did you expect my reaction to be?"

"I don’t know." She looked at him, her silver eyes piercing. "Maybe I hoped you would remember. Maybe I hoped you would feel something."

The words hung in the air between them. Soren felt that familiar pressure building behind his eyes—the headache that always accompanied the fragments of memory he couldn’t grasp.

"I don’t know what I feel," he admitted. "I don’t understand why you affect me so much. Selene says you’re a murderer. That you killed your brother. That you tried to kill me. And I believe her. I should believe her. But when I look at you—" He stopped, struggling for words. "When I look at you, something doesn’t add up."

Nyra’s heart leaped. "What do you mean?"

"I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. Like I’m missing something important. Like there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s been hidden from me." He pressed his hand to his temple. "It’s driving me mad."

Nyra stood and took a step toward him. "Soren. What if I told you that Selene has been lying to you? That she fabricated the entire story about me being a murderer? That she’s been manipulating you since the moment you woke up?"

"I’d ask why. Why would she do that?"

"Because she wants you. Because she wants to be queen. Because she’s been jealous of me since the day I arrived at the academy." Nyra’s voice was urgent. "She’s using you, Soren. She’s using your memory loss to rewrite history and make herself the center of your world."

Soren stared at her. The headache was building now, sharper than before. Fragments flickered through his mind—silver hair, moonlight eyes, a voice calling his name. But every time he reached for them, they slipped away.

"I don’t know what to believe," he said.

"Then don’t believe anyone. Believe the evidence." Nyra held his gaze. "The investigation is ongoing. Lord Eldritch has already proven the letter was forged. There’s more evidence coming. Evidence that will prove I didn’t kill my brother. Evidence that will expose my uncle as the real murderer. Evidence that will show the realm who I really am."

"And who are you?"

"I’m the woman who loves you." The words came out before she could stop them. "I’m the woman who held you when you fell. Who cried over your body when I thought you were dead. Who has spent every moment since the showcase fighting to clear my name so that I could find my way back to you."

Soren’s breath caught. The headache spiked, then faded. For one dizzying moment, he felt as though he was standing on the edge of something vast and terrifying—a truth that would change everything.

But then the moment passed. The fragments scattered. The void remained.

"I need to go," he said abruptly.

"Soren—"

"I need to think. This is all... too much."

He turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the palace. Nyra watched him go, her heart pounding, tears stinging her eyes.

He’s starting to question, Luna said. That’s a good sign.

Or it’s the beginning of the end.

Nyra sank back onto the bench and stared at the stars, wishing the Moon Goddess would give her a sign.

Selene’s suite was dark, lit only by a single candle.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched in her lap. The conversation with Soren in the garden had left her shaken. Not because of what he had said, but because of what she had seen in his eyes when he looked at Nyra.

Doubt, she thought bitterly. He’s starting to doubt me.

The investigation was gaining ground. Lord Eldritch had already exposed the forged letter. It was only a matter of time before they found more evidence—evidence that could trace the poison back to Varek. And if Varek fell, Selene would fall with him.

She had to act. She had to stop Nyra before the truth came out.

But how? she thought. How do I destroy her without drawing suspicion to myself?

A knock at the door made her jump. She crossed the room and opened it.

Elias stood in the corridor, his dark eyes gleaming. "We need to talk."

"Now? It’s the middle of the night."

"The investigation is moving faster than we anticipated. My father sent word—he wants the girl eliminated before the festival."

Selene’s heart pounded. "Eliminated? As in—"

"As in dead." Elias stepped inside and closed the door. "The trial can’t exonerate her if she’s not alive to be exonerated. The festival is the perfect cover. With so many people in the palace, no one will notice one more body."

Selene stared at him. "You’re talking about murder."

"I’m talking about necessity. The same necessity that drove you to lie to the prince. The same necessity that drove my father to kill his own nephew." Elias’s voice was cold. "You’ve come too far to back down now, Selene. We both have."

Selene was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"What do you need me to do?"

Elias smiled. "I need you to keep the prince distracted. Keep him away from the girl. The rest will be handled."

Selene’s jaw tightened. "Fine. But if this goes wrong—"

"It won’t. Trust me."

He slipped out of the room, leaving Selene alone in the darkness. She stood there for a long time, staring at the closed door.

What have I done? she thought. What have I become?

But it was too late to turn back now. The path was set. And at the end of it, Nyra Astrlyn would be dead.