And there it was… the truth both of them had been avoiding verbalizing but had become impossible to ignore after witnessing what just occurred.

Luna's expression while dancing had been unmistakable to those who knew what to look for, who understood the subtle language of her unguarded emotions.

It wasn't the neutral expression she usually maintained in public like a carefully worn costume. Not the perfected mask of a reserved noble lady she used as armor against a world that demanded constant performance.

This had been real in ways Luna, or even the two of them, never allowed others to see, a vulnerability that should have been terrifying to show but somehow wasn't when directed at Ren.

Like he was the only thing existing in the hall despite hundreds of spectators. Like the rest of the world, judges evaluating, nobles watching, students whispering… all of it had dissolved until only the two of them remained.

Moving together in perfect harmony that went beyond a simple choreography.

Larissa smiled slightly, but there was something complex layered in the expression that suggested her own internal struggle. "It's normal to be a bit greedy with what you want strongly. I understand that feeling very well myself."

Her own fists clenched subtly in her lap, a small gesture that Liora noticed because she knew her cousin well enough to read the signals most people would miss.

"But according to what your grandmother told us..." Larissa paused, organizing thoughts that needed careful contemplation. "And considering what she and Ren shared about Luna's situation... In the best case scenario, it benefits us more to share the happiness. A war between the three of us is the last thing our city needs when external threats already demand unity."

It was a cold political truth more than an emotional truth, the type of logic nobles learned from a young age about how most times personal desires had to yield to greater needs. How alliances mattered more than individual satisfaction when the stability of hundreds of thousands was at stake.

But knowing something was true didn't make accepting it easy or painless.

Liora nodded slowly with a movement that looked mechanical rather than natural. Her smile remained fixed but something in her eyes hardened slightly, not with resentment toward Luna or Ren but with recognition of what chance she chose to sacrifice.

"You're right," she said finally with a voice that carried both acceptance and suppressed longing. "I "almost" regret it so… What I would have truly regretted indeed was abandoning her, this is even good."

It was just that Luna's chemistry with Ren seemed "a bit stronger" than expected. Like they were falling behind more than anticipated.

Liora sighted. "We are daughters of high-ranking nobles, so we were somewhat prepared to be used as political pawns if necessary for our families sake anyway, right? And with what my grandmother and Ren told us... what Luna has suffered, what she's still facing with her uncles and her mother's heart wearing away... I feel good helping, our poor girl has endured so much..."

She paused, working through emotions that threatened to overwhelm her artificial composure.

"...I suppose giving her a bit of advantage and space makes me feel even better as a person," Liora admitted with honesty. She laughed softly, but there was a note of genuine resignation mixed with the real affection in the sound. "Though it doesn't make the envy disappear completely. It's still there. I'm just... deciding not to act on it."

"Yes… No," Larissa agreed in a low voice that shared understanding. "Envy never truly disappears... We're human in the end, not saints who transcend our base emotions."

Brief silence stretched between them while they continued observing the scene unfolding below. The judges were announcing the scores with ceremonial flair. Perfect in every category. Nobody was surprised but everyone applauded with genuine enthusiasm anyway.

"Yet we can learn to live with those," Larissa finally added with a quiet strength that came from conscious choice rather than easy acceptance. "The envy, the fear of losing what we want... The desire for things to be different. We can feel them and not let ourselves be consumed. Because we are the children of great leaders who are going to govern this city, because Luna matters to us. And if any one of the three of us isn't happy..."

She didn't complete the sentence.

She didn't need to finish it.

Liora understood completely because she felt exactly the same complicated mixture of affection and loss.

Both continued watching while Ren and Luna exited the hall's center, surrounded by congratulations from other students who crowded around to express admiration. The dress continued gleaming under lights that made crystals sparkle with each small movement. Luna kept looking at Ren with that expression making evident how much she'd opened in these recent days.

Recovered from the broken state she'd been in.

More whole than she'd seemed in years.

And if Ren had been the catalyst for that transformation...

Then Liora and Larissa could live with their envy that burned but didn't consume.

Could choose the greater good over personal desires that would bring temporary satisfaction but long-term complications.

Could be happy for or alongside their cousin, depending on future choices, even while wishing some circumstances were different, while imagining alternative realities where they'd been the ones dancing in his arms today.

Because at the end of the day, that's what truly loving someone meant.

Not just in easy moments where getting what you wanted was possible without conflict.

But also in difficult moments where loving someone meant making sacrifices or space for their happiness even when it hurt.

Even when you wanted to be selfish but chose generosity instead.

Even when every instinct screamed to compete but wisdom counseled cooperation.

That was a "love" that went beyond simple desire.

Or so Larissa wanted to believe.

"Love is subjective, but if family love can be taken as an example... you can love your parents equally, and also your children, and often it involves sacrifice, right?"

Or that's what Selphira had told her behind Julius' back…

To strive for a love that accepts sacrifice as a necessary cost rather than resenting the price.

♢♢♢♢

Not far away in another section of the audience, Reed and Fern Patinder watched with expressions that needed no interpretation.

Pure pride radiating from every line of their faces.

Without complications or reservations or the complex emotions nobles navigated. Just parents witnessing their son reach heights they'd never imagined he could achieve when they'd been told his beast was worthless.

"That's our son," Reed murmured, his voice slightly broken with emotion he usually kept controlled but never when it was about his son.

Fern squeezed his hand with a grip that conveyed everything words couldn't express, her own eyes shining with tears she refused to let fall in public where they might be seen as weakness.

Both parents inhaled deeply and held their breath, momentarily incapable of speaking while watching their boy bow to the judges with grace he'd learned somewhere in his impossible journey from "weakest tamer" to someone nobles actually respected.

Their son who'd been mocked and dismissed and told he'd never amount to anything because of the beast he'd bonded with.

Their son who'd proven every doubter catastrophically wrong through sheer determination and refusal to accept limitations others tried to impose.

Selphira, seated near them with Julius at her side, smiled genuinely in ways that went beyond her usual expression. Not her typical smile of a calculating politician managing various factions. This was something warmer and more personal, touched by satisfaction that came from seeing investment pay off in unexpected ways.

Like a grandmother watching her grandchildren reach a potential she'd always known they possessed.

"The boy has come a long way since the first day," Julius commented with approval evident in his usually neutral tone that rarely showed emotion to anyone. "Though I'm not thrilled about that 'player bearing' that he improves daily..."

"Hahaha, stop thinking about Larissa for a moment and look at the positive side," Selphira corrected with amusement that suggested she understood his concern, as she was the same for Liora, but found it somewhat overprotective. Her eyes moved between Ren and Luna with an assessment that went beyond simple observation. "Especially for her. Seeing Luna like this... recovered from where she was barely a week ago when she looked like she was drowning..."

She allowed herself a moment of deep satisfaction that came from her gamble paying off.

Because she'd bet on these children's future. Had entrusted information that technically shouldn't be shared with students still in training. Had put faith in Ren's ability to handle complicated truths without breaking or making catastrophic decisions.

And so far they hadn't disappointed her investment of trust.

In fact, they'd exceeded her expectations in ways that suggested her initial assessment of their potential had been conservative rather than optimistic.

"Do you think they can handle what's coming?" Julius asked in a voice low enough that only Selphira could hear despite sitting in a crowded audience.

She considered the question with seriousness it deserved rather than offering easy reassurance. "Orion isn't going to let this continue without response. The twins won't either. And there are factions that will feel threatened by the alliance forming between these two, by the power they represent together."

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