The Muted Luna’s Revenge Chapter 08

The Muted Luna’s Revenge Chapter 08

By the time winter break approached, a few public performances at the conservatory had begun earning me some attention.

People on Royal Crescent Academy’s forum had started calling me the Moonlit Songbird.

Some said my voice sounded as if the Moon Goddess herself had kissed it.

My mentor even secured a solo concert for me.

After the announcement went public, I never expected the people back in Silverveil Pack to see it too.

Light snow was falling over London that day.

I had just finished rehearsal and stepped out of the conservatory’s recital hall when I saw Selene by the entrance.

She looked far more worn than I remembered.

The moment she saw me, her eyes reddened. She hurried over and caught my hand.

“Maeve… I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I glanced at her hand around mine. I didn’t pull away. I simply waited for her to continue.

“Everything’s fallen apart at home. Lyra… They found out she’d been involved with rogues, and now she’s under investigation for theft.”

“Your mother became so ill she couldn’t get out of bed. She threw out everything Lyra owned and said Lyra was no longer part of the Vale family.”

“For the past six months, she’s looked through your pictures every day. She’s too afraid to contact you, so she keeps asking whether I’ve heard anything.”

“She asks if you’re eating properly and taking care of yourself.”

By the end, Selene’s voice was breaking.

“Maeve, could you go back and see her?”

I listened in silence, then slowly pulled my hand away. “Do you honestly think I would?”

Selene froze, tears still clinging to her lashes.

She had no answer.

She knew me. I didn’t make decisions lightly, but once I did, nothing could change my mind.

After a long silence, she crouched down, covered her face, and sobbed.

“I’m sorry, Maeve. I know nothing I say can fix this… but I regret it so much.”

“When people bullied me, you always put yourself in front of me and took every blow.”

“Then I went and joined the very people who hurt you.”

“I just… wanted someone to need me so badly.”

“Lyra always acted so fragile. I convinced myself she needed protection.”

“I forgot that you were the one who always protected me.”

She lifted her tear-streaked face. “I’m not asking you to forgive me, Maeve. I only hope you have a good life…”

“I could spend the rest of my life trying and never repay what I owe you.”

The words seemed to drain the last of her strength. She turned and staggered away.

Kael had been standing beneath a tree in the distance the entire time.

He didn’t approach or speak.

From that day on, he followed me silently like a shadow.

I couldn’t be bothered to look at him.

At the final performance that week, I finished the last song on my set.

Afterward, he blocked the backstage exit, his eyes red and his voice barely audible. “Maeve… could I…?”

I stopped and answered wearily, “No.”

“Kael, there is no going back for us.”

He said nothing else.

His hands slowly clenched at his sides, then relaxed.

Later, I heard Kael had been a wreck ever since he went home.

The Ashford family stripped him of his responsibilities as heir, and he abandoned his coursework.

The once-promising heir everyone admired had completely spiraled.

The news I received about him came through an anonymous email.

The message was breezy, written in a familiar, gossipy tone.

I skimmed it, deleted it, and blocked the sender.

Then I picked up my sheet music and walked into the practice room.

I felt no curiosity about those people and no pity for them.

My life had found a new direction.

And the people who had hurt me were nothing more than a page I’d already turned.