Knight (15 page)

Chapter Fourteen ♣ Getting Started

V
aleriana told the healer that she wanted to rest, but no matter how much she tried to fall asleep, her brain just wouldn't comply. She kept on tossing and turning on her bed, for instead of slumber, her mind was somewhere else. She was sure she looked like a mess. Lacking sleep always made her look horrible.

She made a guttural sound in the back of her throat in frustration and sat up. Raking her hands through her hair, she pulled her arm back and stared at the bracelet around her wrist.

A million questions swarmed inside her head and kept sleep at bay. She wouldn't be able to rest soundly if there were a lot of things she needed to know about. She was grateful that she was still alive, but the pressure was just too much.

She stared at the golden band around her wrist, tracing the aesthetic design. There was a repeating illustration of a deer and a creature that somehow looked like a horse galloping in front of a tree with roses blooming from its branches. It was a weird but a beautiful kind of art.

If it wasn't for Seraphina, she would have never come out in one piece.

Her wounds were all healing favorably. There were a few that the healer managed to properly close, leaving a few scars in return.

Three, gentle knocks interrupted her line of thoughts. Valeriana dragged her gaze wearily to its direction as the door opened and she spotted Seraphina. Her cerulean blue eyes peeked into the room curiously, traveling towards Valeriana's. The girl caught her gaze and gave her a weak smile before nodding.

“It's almost time for class.” Seraphina said as she entered, a bundle of clean and bright clothes folded in her arms. “I brought this with me. This will be your uniform. The rest of these are extras. Please use it sparingly.”

She was clad in clothes different from the ones Valeriana last saw her in. This was less formal in comparison to her uniform. Aside from that, nothing changed that much.

“Oh, thanks.” She sighed again. She forgot about the classes.

“Classes are five days a week, and nine hours every day—starting from eight in the morning up to five in the afternoon.”

“I . . . understand.” She hesitantly answered. “How's Courtney doing?”

Seraphina placed the clothes on Valeriana's bed and took a seat herself. “Well, considering what happened a while ago, she is still under confinement. She's fine. But she needs time to recuperate mentally.” She said.

“I see.” Valeriana whispered, her thoughts forming a ridiculous idea. “Is there any chance I can . . . visit her?” She asked, giving the lady knight a look as her voice trailed off.

Seraphina stared into her eyes before shaking her head. “I do not think it's a good idea to do that right now.”

“Okay, but I just wanted to . . .” She swallowed dryly. “Apologize, I guess.”

“Let Courtney come to you. I'm sure sooner or later you'll see each other.” She said. “But she's leaving by the end of the day.”

Valeriana perked up at the information. “What? Why?”

“The suspension.”

“The—oh.” She stopped.

“So how's your foot?” Seraphina inquired, changing the topic.

“The healer's amazing.” She cheered and held out her foot, wiggling it.

Seraphina laughed. “I see that you're doing fine.”

Valeriana's mood suddenly faltered. She slouched and sighed for the hundredth time that day.

“That's the third sigh I heard from you. Is there anything weighing your mind?”

“I guess.” She said. “It's just . . . everything feels so surreal.”

Seraphina's brows puckered on her forehead. “I don't blame you. It must feel weird—being suddenly dragged out of your world.”

“It does.”

“You were quite impressive.” She commented, smiling warmly at Valeriana.

 
At least one person is kind.
“
Thanks.”

“I don't know how you were able to do that. But, even if it's the least of everyone's expectations, Lord Aeron praised your swordsmanship.” She said, making Valeriana a bit uncomfortable to discuss the subject.

“R-really? That's good news, isn't it?”

She nodded. “I do so, too. Praise you, that is.” The lady paused and allowed her gaze to linger on Valeriana's face. “I assume this is very hard for you to consider. But, you don't have to worry. Judging from the look on your face, you weren't able to rest at all, were you?” She chuckled.

Valeriana did feel weary. “Not really. I wasn't able to sleep a wink. Maybe I'm too restless from being exposed to all the sudden changes. Thank you for saving me that time, by the way.”

“You’re more than welcome.”

“I'm really curious though. Does Courtney hate humans or something?”

Seraphina looked hesitant to tell. “I don't think I have any right to say anything regarding that matter.”

“Ah, it's alright.” Valeriana smiled.

She saw the saddened expression on Seraphina's face and instantly felt concerned. Considering how much Seraphina had done for her, she couldn't help but want to help her as well. Maybe she should start here.

“I'm sorry.” She said. “It must be hard being one, then? A Celeste? What's it like?” She decided to change the topic, feeling uncomfortable herself.

She smiled. “Being a Celeste isn't easy. You have so much responsibility weighing down your shoulders and suffocating restraints that you feel almost uncomfortable to move. By doing your job, you must also watch your image and project confidence with what you do. Otherwise, people subjected to your responsibility would be hesitant to follow your lead.”

By the way she put it, it really must be tough. However, Seraphina had that look in her eyes. It was the look of someone who enjoyed doing her work. “So it isn't only about slaying demons?”

Seraphina shook her head. “There's so much more.”

“Seriously? Isn't that like . . . really, seriously hard?”

“You don't have to worry,” Seraphina laughed. “You can always choose to go home after this matter settles. Just prove to them you're a trustworthy person who can keep the ultimate secret.” She carefully elaborated.

“Oh . . . I'll do that!” Valeriana exclaimed cheerfully. “Until then, no matter what happens, I will never back down.”

Seraphina smiled. “Some determination you've got there. But don't you think it's time to get dressed? You're going to be late.”

“Oh, right.” Valeriana stood up and took the clothes in her arms. She walked to the opposite side of the room and slipped out of her clothes. She changed into them excitedly, buttoning the top close. “Uh . . . huh? I don't know how to put this thing on!”

“Here, let me help.” Seraphina walked over to her and fixed the high lapel of her suit, rearranging the cravat chain around her neck.

Once Seraphina had arranged it perfectly, she checked herself out from the reflection on the mirror pinned against the wall of her room. She attentively inspected how it looked on her, and realized the odd similarity of the style of Corvan's uniform with hers.

“This is different from the uniform the other students are wearing.” She observed, looking down at the outfit she was dressed in. It fitted her perfectly and was shockingly easy to move in.

“That's because you are now a member of the Celestial Circle.” Seraphina told her, dusting off the sleeves of her clothes and stepping back.

“What? Isn't Courtney the member of the Celestial Circle?”

“She is, or was, rather. Since you defeated her in a fight, you took her title.”

The news hit her on the face like a slap. “B-but . . . you can't! I—”

“Just accept it, Valeriana. You don't know the privileges of being the fifth-ranker.” She laughed. “This takes me back. This used to be one my positions when I attended the academy.”

“Really? Now this is cool.” Valeriana excitedly stated. “But isn't this unfair for Courtney?”

“It's in the academy's policy and regulations. When a fight is lost and you’re a member of the circle, you give up the position to the person who defeated you.”

Valeriana nodded in reluctance. “I can't believe this is happening,” she muttered. “Ah, but whatever.”

“I really have to apologize to you, Valeriana.” Seraphina straightforwardly admitted, looking at Valeriana with a serious gaze.

Valeriana looked up to meet her eyes. “Why?”

“If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here enduring all of this.”

“Yeah, about that.” She nodded, realizing she still didn't know how she got there in the first place. “It's . . .”

Valeriana was tongue-tied when she attempted to answer. She noticed the remorse and guilt that shone within those blue depths. It made her quite nervous to speak up, knowing that any following words of hers might either hurt or comfort her. Lady Seraphina often put on a hard face, which added a tough atmosphere around her. For her to show such a pitiful expression, it totally ruined her image.

“It's alright, though I'm not sure how I would be able to handle all these.”

After a few minutes of staring into each other's eyes, Valeriana turned and headed for the window. She looked out at the panorama of the extensive lands of the academy before finally managing the words that stood at the tip of her tongue.

“I realized something when I came here . . .” She said. “At first, I didn't really know what to do. I remembered all the things that my father told me. Even though he's a real weirdo, everything he said when he was still alive just made sense. I was able to make use of everything he told me. And if he was still here, I'm probably sure he'll be yelling at me telling me not to ever let all the things bringing me down to get to me. He'll tell me to stay strong.” She remembered the feeling of the pang in her chest when her family was informed of her father's death, but she held it back. The cut was so deep she couldn't forget the way it felt.

“Valeriana . . .” Lady Seraphina reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

“When I was first dragged here, I was seriously so freaked out that I kept thinking of it as a dream. It took a while to realize it was actually true. When Courtney challenged me to a duel, I was already on the verge of running away but. . .” She laughed. “But I remembered my mother and the advices my father gave me when he was still alive. He inserts stuff in my mind to keep me going strong. I figured that he wanted me to keep on moving even when he's gone, and the reason why he specifically did that was so that I can have something I can cling to if I have any problems that I will encounter in the future.” She lifted her chin and flashed Seraphina a heartbreaking smile. “If you killed me back then, I would've had no chance to know what he was talking about.”

“What did he say exactly?”

Valeriana breathed deeply. “Life is a battleground itself. You will constantly fall and scrape your knees—wound yourself. There will be challenges and enemies—at different points, at different places. If you ever die in a battle, make sure you died doing everything you can. Don't let giving up be its cause.”

Seraphina looked at her in disbelief. “I see. Thank you. Those words were beautiful.”

When she opened her mouth to ask why she was suddenly asking such questions, Seraphina sauntered towards door and yanked it open. “Hurry up, it's time to leave. The Headmaster wishes to see you before you go to your first class.”

Valeriana hurriedly put on the pair of boots provided for her ran after Seraphina. Unfortunately, she tripped on something and fell face-first when she walked out of the door. Valeriana shut her eyes close and decided to bear with the pain.

“O-ow.” She pushed herself back up and rubbed her nearly broken nose.

“I still cannot believe someone like her defeated Courtney.” A familiar voice stated from above her. Valeriana lifted her head, her nose clipped between her fingers. Her eyes immediately met a pair of emerald ones and she frowned.

“Can't you at least greet me properly?” She dusted off her clothes and rose to her feet.

Valeriana adjusted the collar around her neck. The clothes felt very foreign. Although it looked nice, this was her first time wearing something like it. She only hoped she would be able to become accustomed to it sometime soon.