Vespera's cold eyes hadn't left Holden since she'd walked into the throne room.
He could feel her studying him, measuring what she'd just witnessed and trying to reconcile it with everything she knew about him. She was a Rank 4 powerhouse with decades of combat experience. There was no way she believed a Rank 1 student with a defensive necklace had just killed a Rank 4 monster.
But Vespera also knew how to read a room.
The dead Emperor lay on the floor. The Royal Guards were kneeling. Half the throne room had been destroyed, and in the middle of it all stood a sixteen-year-old boy who looked relaxed, leaning against a broken pillar.
"Nice necklace trick, Your Majesty," Holden said, tapping the pendant beneath his shirt. "But my jewelry is better."
Vespera's eyes flicked toward his chest before returning to his face.
Something passed between them.
No words were necessary.
