by RA. Gil
Valeriana was only about to have her first month of stay in Valemnia. It was unbelievable to think that time flew by so fast. She had been undergoing training eighteen hours every day and even during weekends, she was expected to make progress in her studies.
Since she was not really good at memorizing the names and different terms, seeing as they had hard and weird words, she needed to put in more effort than usual.
Though it was obvious that she was bad at something at first, she improved fast. This might be because of Corvan helping her. She would admit that she was an idiot, but not totally. It was nice knowing her hard work was paying off.
“I already showed you the proper stance for this, right? How many times do I have to tell you to balance your weight? Also, fix your arms.” Corvan adjusted her arms to a lower position, as if straightening it. “Your arms are too tensed. You can't be reckless here. The thing most important about archery is accuracy.”
Valeriana dragged the bowstring with an arrow fixed on the spot, pressing it against her cheek. She stepped into the proper position and tried to balance her weight like Corvan said.
She couldn't quite follow what he was saying. She was sleep-deprived and utterly exhausted. She couldn't even bring herself to focus.
“I feel sleepy.” She muttered, seeing her eyes become blurry until black spots covered her vision entirely. Her feet gave in under her, simultaneously, her fingers loosened and the bow and arrow slipped from her grip. She could hear her weapons falling on the grassy terrain as she lost consciousness in an untimely manner.
“Hey! Valeriana!” Corvan's voice rang faintly in the background. A pair of strong arms wound around her back and waist securely, breaking her fall.
“Mmm . . .” She moaned. “The devil has risen from hell.”
Corvan felt his brow twitching at her half-conscious statement. He suddenly wanted to drop her to the ground and let her fall, but that would make him seem like a cruel person.
“Rowe!” He yelled, and the charming chap came rushing forward. Few of the Twelve who were watching had been taken aback by the suddenness of the girl collapsing, but did not make any move to interfere. “Take this girl. She disgusts me.” He lifted her from the ground and threw her into the arms of Rowe, who was barely able to maintain his balance when he caught Valeriana.
Rowe sweated. “She's heavy. How can a person who looks very slim possess such a heavy weight?”
“You never notice. But during lunch break, she eats like a pig.” He stated. “Take her to the infirmary.”
“I'll try my best.” He grunted and adjusted the position of Valeriana whom he held.
Corvan repeated the guttural sound at the back of his throat while frowning at the figure of Valeriana. He felt gravely annoyed. “Seriously,” he brushed back the hair that fell on his face and raked his fingers through its long strands. “Fainting in the middle of training, I'll make sure to work you off to death later.”
It took a few minutes to reach the infirmary, and the pair received stares from the other students along the way. After successfully arriving, Rowe gently set down Valeriana on a bed. He called for the healer and turned in time to see Corvan with his back against the door frame.
“You can relax, Lord Rowe. The girl will be fine.” The healer assured and swept the curtains to get to work.
“What are you doing here, Lord Corvan?” Rowe smiled while asking. “Are you guilty?”
“No, I'm not. She even dares faint when she has a lot to do?”
“She already lost consciousness and that is still what you're thinking? Where is your heart?”
“It's not my fault that she doesn't know anything.”
“And it isn't Valeriana's either.” Rowe pointed out. “You’re pushing her really hard, Lord Corvan. That’s terribly cruel of you.”
The healer then came out while shaking her head. “I'm sorry, boys. She'll need adequate rest for a while.” She said. “She's sleep-deprived, and looking at her condition, she had greatly overworked herself. She's stressed. I think she might've pushed herself too hard. What were you making her do that made her end up like that?” She turned towards the two beside her and quirked a brow.
“Corvam made her study the first seven books of history, the first eight books of demonology, and about five of the books Law. What's more, he made her practice combat archery and her swordsmanship. All in a short span of time.” Rowe narrated.
“You're making me sound like a cruel tyrant.”
“Aren't you?”
The healer laughed, humor riddling her gaze. “I see, I see. That was where all the stress and pressure were coming from. If you want her to continue living, you should go easier on her.”
Not a second later, someone came running through the doors. Startled, everyone looked up to see a flash of midnight blue hair appear and Zion came in, panting.
“Is she alright?” He asked, slightly sweating as he entered.
“Why do you care?” Corvan asked, irritated. “Didn't you want to kill her?”
Zion's eyes went over to the two standing near the bed where Valeriana slept. He flipped back the hair that was matted against his face and grinned at the sight of the two highest rankers who were in the same room as he was. “It's an honor meeting you again, Lord Corvan, and you too, Lord Rowe.”
Rowe frowned at the sight of him. “It's a pleasure.”
Corvan glared at Zion. “Why are you here?”
“Why, I am visiting Valeriana. Isn't that an obvious fact? You should know by now, Lord Corvan.” He told him as if what he was talking about was a very obvious, commonly known matter.
He heard of the rumors about Zion taking a liking to Valeriana and openly showing his affection for her despite being in public, but he was not the type to believe in hearsays.
“You do not have to worry.” He grinned at him almost mockingly. “You see, I have taken interest in this woman through the most unlikely way.”
The young lord glanced at Valeriana, who slept soundly on the bed where she was put. The blankets covered her to her waist with her one of her arms resting on her stomach and the other resting on her side. Corvan observed her chest heaving rhythmically. She was breathing through her parted lips which were pallid.
He found himself wishing she should just remain that way when she slumbered. That way she wouldn't start talking and irritating him to the extent that he wanted to have her hanged.
The first-ranker frowned. “What way?” He inquired, thinking that this girl was like how they named her to be when she was awake—a roaring tiger.
And quite literally liked to roar in his ears.
“By being defeated.”
Corvan huffed. “Don't you always lose?”
“I only lose to people who are worthy.” Zion remarked confidently. “All the other fights, such as the one I had with you, were something which I lost on purpose. You are not like Valeriana.”
“Do not insult me.” Corvan shot dagger in his direction.
Zion only chuckled. “Touchy as always. But I mean what I said.”
“Why do you think I care?”
“I don’t want anyone unnecessarily making her suffer.” He told him. “So, Lord Corvan, I recommend you do not do this again lest you want your position taken away from you.”
“And who are you to threaten me?”
“Now, that I think about it, it’s unlike you to pay this much attention to someone. Have I found myself a rival?”
“Don’t be mistaken, Zion. Get your facts straight.” He almost growled.
“Hmm.” He laughed. “I hope you don't eat your words someday.”
“Believe me, I won't.” With that, Corvan turned towards the door and left.
Rowe nodded gratefully at the healer and smiled at Zion. “Well, then . . . we'll be taking our leave. Please look after her.”
Chapter Thirty-Four ♣ Concern or Guilt
V
aleriana's eyes fluttered open and light blinded her eyes. She bli
nked rapidly and rubbed them, yawning loudly. She rose from the unfamiliar bed and looked around. This place certainly wasn't her room. She was hoping that somehow the thing about Valemnia and demons was just a dream, but reality was harsh after all.
“Where am I?” She asked. Headache was pounding between her eyes.
“You're already awake?” Olivia, who was sitting on a chair, craned her neck and gave her a smile. “You overworked yourself and fainted.”
“I fainted? Oh, man. Corvan is going to kill me.” She massaged her forehead in irritation and sighed. “This never happened to me before.”
The lady shook her head. “You're too hardworking.”
“Well, I have no choice but to be. I've heard from Chavi that the academy is strict when it comes to their students' performance. If by any chance, I fail, I'll be expelled, and if I'm expelled, I have no choice but to work for the Court Leader.”
“But you're included among the Celestial Twelve, right? That gives you the advantage.”
“I don't plan on taking advantage of my position.” She laughed. “I'm not worthy of it yet, anyway. I just got it with a stroke of luck.”
“I wouldn't say that if I were you.”
Valeriana just smiled.
“Do you feel fine now?” The lady asked.
“Yes, I do. I think it's time for me to go back.”
“Where are you going?”
“To my room.”
“To rest?”
“Uh . . . not exactly.”
The healer shook her head. “Don't try to rush very much. If you continue like that, your body will fall. Try to mind your health, dear. That's a warrior's greatest wealth, you know.”
“I guess I was a bit reckless. But I only have about a week left. Our real lessons would start after that.”
“That's right. The Celeste Academy only uses the first month of the year as an eye-opener for the students. The real challenge will start, like you said, after that.” The healer teasingly remarked.
“Please don't remind me. It delivers more stress!” She wanted to scream out her frustrations, but that would create unnecessary noise, so she buried her face into the pillow and let out a silent scream.
The healer laughed. “It's alright to cry out, you know. I'm willing to listen to your complaints. This would help vent out your frustrations, yes?”
Valeriana almost wanted to cry. “Oh my gosh, you're so kind.” She grunted, tears pooling in her vision. “Why can't everyone else be like you?”
“You can't blame anyone.” She said. “They all carry huge burdens on their shoulders. You should be thankful they even bother paying attention to you. Unlike me, healing is all I do and I'm through.”
“Ugh. You're right. But I gotta say,” Valeriana looked down at the floor and hugged her knees. “This week's kind of been fun.”
“Really?”
“I was always looking for things to do, and now work's been piling up in front of me. I'm the type who wants to go insane trying to do this and that. I just like having a lot of things to do. Since my father died, our life's been really boring. I just want to work to forget about it all. I find happiness in doing things.”
“Alright,” The healer laughed. “Just don't go overboard with everything and get some sleep at least six hours a day.”
“Understood.”
“You don't have to be afraid of not being able to catch up. Believe me, I have an eye for things and I know you can do it.” She winked encouragingly at Valeriana.
“Thank you so much for believing in me.” She smiled.
“No problem. You can come here any time you like when you have problems.”
Valeriana nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”
“Oh, and by the way.” The woman added.
“Yeah?”
“Did you know you have two boys fighting over you?”
Valeriana looked clueless. “What?”
Olivia chuckled. “You had visitors who came a while ago. They were talking about who gets who.” She winked.
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind.” She said. “Go on.”
The girl started to get up. “Thank you very much for everything.” Valeriana bobbed her head swiftly at Olivia before dashing right out of the door.
She managed to catch a swift glance of the time at the infirmary. Apparently, it was already a little past six o'clock. She thought it would help relieve her stress if she listened to music while reading the sixteenth chapter of her history book. Her mother did bother sending her the gadgets she owned, so she should at least use it from time to time.
The human girl managed to finally familiarize herself with the route heading towards the high-class building the Celestial Circle kept to themselves. After almost a month of running around and doing the ridiculous things the circle made her do, she probably could walk her way back with her eyes closed. Of course, with running back and forth to fetch things for them, how could she not already know the way by heart?
Just as she was about to take a right turn, she smacked right into a hard chest which caused her to fall over and land straight on her rear end. She grunted from the pain and looked up, only to see Corvan staring intently at her.
Why was it that she always had to run into Corvan, slam into that ridiculously muscular, hard chest of his, and fall straight on her ass every time? Could it be not Rowe? Keelan? Brindon? Heck. Zion?
She fumed and stuck out her bottom lip in frustration. “Why is it that I have to run into you every damn time since the moment I came here? Are you doing that on purpose or something?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Funny. I thought it was you who had the habit of bumping into me. It's either that, or I would've thought that you liked having to run into my chest.”
“Haha. I'm laughing.” She sarcastically remarked, her face unexpressive.
“Besides, shouldn't you be resting?”
She sighed and stood up. “I'm perfectly fine, mind you.”
“Then why did you faint? The healer said you had greatly overworked yourself, that's why you collapsed.”
“Well, I guess it's my fault for going overboard. I just didn't have time to rest, that's all.” She dusted off her bottom and looked up at the young lord, whose frown seemed to get worse every passing second.
They stared at each other without saying anything for a few moments before Corvan finally decided to break the silence. For some reason . . . Valeriana noticed something strange about him. His frown was . . . different. Seeing that frown of his every time, she was sort of able to identify his frown when he was mad, annoyed, or displeased . . .
What was the difference between them anyway?
“I see. Then blame yourself for your stupidity.” He told her, which made her deadpan.
Was he serious? And she thought he was going to ask her if she was fine. She mentally berated herself for even thinking that way. This was the great Lord Corvan. He would never show his concern for another person other than himself.
“You insensitive jerk!” She stomped her feet in aggravation. “Why do you think I'm even in this situation anyway? If there's anyone to blame, it's you!”
He frowned even more, wrinkling the space between his brows. To her shock, he didn't make any sort of retort that would counter what she said. Instead, he remained quiet.
His silence made her . . . guilty.
“Uh . . . sorry.” She whispered, feeling awkward about his unexpected silence.
“When you get back to the residences, make sure not to do anything strenuous.” He told her before shoving something inside her hands. “Better yet, don't do anything stupid that will make you fall face first on the ground. You shame the Twelve by doing so.”
She raised a brow at him. “Huh?”
After that, he turned his back on her and walked away. Valeriana stared at his retreating form before looking down to see what he gave her. It was a small pouch tied together by a small string. Opening it curiously, she saw herbs.
&n
bsp; She brought it up to her nose and sniffed, catching a whiff of a familiar fragrant aroma. It belonged to that drink that Charles made for her a few weeks ago. If she wasn't mistaken, it was supposed to give her enough energy to move about for a day.
She didn't get it.
Valeriana glanced back up at Corvan as he continued to walk away.
Was he concerned? Or just guilty?
Chapter Thirty-Five ♣ The Package
After that little encounter with Corvan, she decided to head back to the Twelve's residences. She held that little pouch in her hands, but shoved it deep into her pocket to avoid losing it. When she entered the lobby, all eyes were curiously examining her up and down. Perhaps they were unfamiliar with the delicateness of human life? Hashtag weak people. As expected, Tamara was the first to comment.
“Oh, Valeriana! Back so soon?” She guffawed.
“Uh . . . yeah, sorry for fainting earlier.”
“See! See!” Tamara nudged Charles, who was sitting beside her, with her elbow. “She did faint! I won the bet!”
“I don't remember agreeing on a bet with you.” Answered Charles.
“Aw! No need to be shy!” She nudged him again numerous times.
“Will you stop that?!” He exclaimed. “It's seriously annoying!”
Tamara sighed in displeasure. “Anyway,” The third-ranker turned to Valeriana and grinned. “A package arrived for you a while ago.” She jerked her finger towards a brown box settled in the middle of the room. “It looks weird. It's shaped like a crate, but it's not made of wood.”
“Oh my gosh!” She squealed. “It’s here just as promised!”
She rushed towards the box and hugged it affectionately. “Anybody got a knife?” She then pulled back and looked around the room.
Charles fished a sheathed knife from his pocket and tossed it to Valeriana's direction. The girl gave him her thanks before pulling the weapon out of its sheath and slicing through the tapes that held the package together. The other rankers came forward, leaning over Valeriana’s shoulder as she pulled the flaps apart, revealing the contents.
“Mom, you are awesome.” She said in excitement and took out a box of Oreo Double Stuff. This was the only sweets she ever liked. She never really took a liking to other brands of cookies or chocolates, but this one was an exception. “I can't wait to munch on this.”