Page 110 of The Sovereign: Part One
As the minutes passed, conversation faded.Heads turned.One by one, those around them fell still.Roan and Bellam weren’t performing.They weren’t even aware of the attention.Two souls suspended in orbit, blind to everything but each other.
Watching them was both exquisite and excruciating.There was something unspoken in the way Roan looked at her, as if he was trying to show her he could be trusted with something as fragile as forever.Bellam let herself soften in his arms.Just enough.Just for now.The way her fingers curled over his.The way her cheek at times nearly rested against his chest as his chin lightly relaxed against her hair.The way each of them, at different times, closed their eyes for a heartbeat too long.
It was hard to watch, and harder still to look away.Because I saw it then.Written plainly across her face.
Bellam loved him, too.
I stood frozen at the edge of the pavilion, unable to move, barely able to breathe.There would be no happy ending for them, as much as we’d all wish there could be.No matter what path Bellam chose, she’d have to leave something behind.
Without a sound, Maxim appeared behind me, sliding his hand around my waist.He leaned in, his breath grazing the shell of my ear.“There’s no denying it, now.That’s love,” he murmured.
“I suppose it isn’t entirely uncommon to fall into something serious just before Veritas.If anything, it makes sense to want to be certain.”I looked to Maxim.
His mouth pulled into a slight, skeptical curve, the doubt evident in the twitch of his brow.“Just look at them.She’s not preparing for Veritas.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said, eyes still on the two figures swaying beneath the golden lights.“He’s a Vanguard, Maxim.He can’t just walk away like anyone else.There will be deliberations, approvals… the Ethics Council, the Tribitheon, even the Forum will weigh in before they let him speak for himself.He’s an heir to the Vasthane estate.They’ll never let him go.”
Maxim drew me closer, the warmth of his arm warding off the spring night air as he spoke.“Perhaps,” he murmured, “but something tells me Roan isn’t a man who’s steered by protocol.Not when he looks at her like that.”He lifted a single finger from the rim of his leir and pointed.“That isn’t a gaze you argue with.That’s a decision already made.”
The orchestra’s final note lingered in the air, seemingly unwilling to release them.Roan and Bellam remained still at the center of the pavilion, her body still nestled in his arms, their expressions caught somewhere between wonder and reluctance—as if neither dared to break whatever spell the music had cast.
At last, Roan touched his lips to her forehead, then stepped back, his hands lingering on her skin just a moment longer than necessary before he gently guided her to where Maxim and I waited beneath the glow of the garden sconces.The air around us had cooled, scented faintly with night-blooming lilies and the mineral sweetness of the nearby fountain.
“That was beautiful,” I said, carefully masking the emotion in my voice.“And I’m not the only one who thought so.”
Bellam and Roan turned, scanning the gathering beyond the pavilion’s edge.Those who had paused to watch—nearly everyone within view—began to applaud.Not a ripple, but a swelling wave of quiet awe, layered with whispers and the occasional wistful smile.
Yet not all the faces mirrored approval.
From the upper terrace, Lourdes stood motionless, the light from the floating lanterns casting shadows across her features.Her smile never quite reached her eyes.There was a stillness to her, a poised restraint that only someone who knew her well would recognize for what it truly was.
Guarded unease.
She didn’t speak.She didn’t need to.The set of her shoulders said enough.Then she turned, too quickly, and slipped back into the crowd, lost among low laughter and the kind of joy that made heartbreak feel unbearable.Bottom of Form
“Maxim,” Roan said with a wide smile.“I’m glad you’re here.I wanted to speak to you about something… rather delicate.”He lowered his voice, his tone softening as he glanced at Bellam.“I’ve made the decision not to begin my Veritas.”He lifted her hand gently, pressing a brief kiss to her fingers, a gesture far more vulnerable than performative.“I was hoping you’d allow me to ask Isara to connect me with Joss.There are… steps I’ll need to take if I intend to leave Hyperion Proper, and they’ll likely lead to a conclusion that isn’t in my favor.With Bellam’s birthday approaching, we don’t have the luxury of time.If there’s a way for someone in my position to take up residence in The Vale, I need to know what it entails.And I believe Joss may be the only one who can help me.”
Bellam blinked.
“Joss?” I hissed, struggling to keep my voice down.“You’re planning to run off to The Vale together?Are youinsane?You’re a Vanguard!”
“What?” Bellam said, stunned.
“You barely know each other,” I added.“If you’d just—”
“Isara, you’re not listening,” Roan said.“None of it matters.My name, the Vanguard, the Empyrean Crest.I wanther.Bellam is all I care about.”
“Roan…” Bellam breathed, pulling back just slightly, though her hands lingered in his.“I’m not sure I can just leave everything and everyone I’ve ever known behind.Can you?”
“Absolutely,” he said with a small smile, gently pulling her closer.When he registered her expression, his smile fell away, and his brows pulled in.“Bell, I’ve been able to think of nothing else since we met.I’ve tried to ignore it, to explain it away.Every time you tell me how many months you have before your Veritas, I feel this panic deep in my chest.”He dug his knuckles into his sternum, his brows pulling in.
“No.We’re not children,” Bellam whimpered, brushing a stray strand from her face.“We can’t just run away.”
“I know you feel the same.You can’t fake love, not a love like ours,” Roan insisted, voice rough with urgency.He took both of her hands in his.“Wecan’tbe together here.The Vale is our only option.We can build a life there.I’ll take care of you, Bell.I’m not some pampered Vanguard.I’ve spent time there.I know the land, I know the Auren.We’ll—”
She pulled away from him, stepping back.“I don’t know what I feel.I haven’t had enough time to feel it.”
“Why are you trying so hard to fight it?”he asked, his words soaked in frustration.“Sovereign fall in love and live out the rest of their lives as Auren in The Vale all the time.”
