Knight (39 page)

Valeriana glared at the other rankers. “So is this why you made me your slave? Because you had no one to clean for you?”

“That is one of the reasons.” Charles said, fixing his glasses. “However, we were wondering about how long you'll last so we decided to try you out. It's killing two birds in one stone. Don't you think so, too?”

“You're all horrible!”

Tamara laughed. “Don't be like that, Valeriana. We're forever grateful to you and your kindness.”

“Well,” she crossed her arms stubbornly, frowning. “You better hire another janitor, headmaster, because I am no longer cleaning.” She huffed.

Headmaster Kylon chuckled before reaching out to pat her on the shoulder. “I see. Then, I shall call for a servant soon enough. No need for worries.”

“Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?” The fourth-ranker offered, beckoning for Kylon to settle on one of the open chairs.

Kylon sat with a sigh. “Ah, yes, please.”

“I'll brew it right away.” Charles stood up from his seat and stalked towards the kitchen.

“The polite and courteous one as always.” He muttered.

“What brought you here, headmaster?” Asked Corvan, setting aside the book he was reading and fully turning his attention to his visitor. “Have you got news?”

“Pardon me.” He told them. “Was I interrupting anything before I came? You seemed to have been busy a while ago, so I chose not to bother.”

“You were here before?” Elfre asked in chorus with Aneeka.

“I was.”

“Why didn't you say anything?” Keelan inquired, taking the seat on the loveseat opposite to the headmaster and pulling Valeriana down to sit with him. “We could've prepared these delicious cookies for you.”

“Ha!” Aneeka scoffed. “Like you would even offer anything that can be called food.”

“I'm willing to share!” He protested.

“I'll go prepare the cookies, then.” Valeriana stood up and took a few packets of Oreo from the box before proceeding to the kitchen to get a plate. The girl assumed she could prepare the cookies with the tea, if Charles would accept.

The moment she entered the kitchen area, a fine scent wafted under her nose and she instinctively sniffed. She breathed it in, feeling the calmness set in.

“Do you need anything, Valeriana?” He asked.

“I was just hoping if I can add these cookies to the tea you're preparing?” She suggested.

“Preferably the tea shouldn't be that sweet, then.” He said.

“Cool!” She exclaimed, grabbing a dessert plate from a drawer and putting the cookies on them. She carefully arranged the food artistically, admiring her work which she finished later on. “But I love these best with milk.” She said to no one in particular.

“You should've said that a while ago.”

She turned to Charles with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

It wasn't more than a few moments later that everything was prepared. Charles and Valeriana came out with the treats and the tray of steaming hot tea. They placed the food on the coffee table circled by the seats where everyone sat before taking their place and relaxing next to the others.

“So what did you come here for, Headmaster?” Valeriana took the liberty of asking, since they seemed to have been immersed in a different topic a while ago.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” He said. “I came here to deliver news to you, Valeriana.”

“To me?”

“I heard you were in no good condition a while ago, so I thought this was the best time.”

He poured himself some tea and took a cookie off the plate. He munched on it first and went speechless when the crunch resounded from inside his mouth. Everyone smiled at his reaction, knowing how he felt when the flavor hit his tongue.

“This is surely a strange treat, but delicious nonetheless.” He said, swallowing the whole thing.

“So, you were saying . . . ?” Brindon quipped.

“Oh, right.” He sipped the tea. “This is of utmost importance.”

“Please cut to the chase.” Valeriana told him restlessly.

The headmaster laughed. “Then, no more beating around the bush. You're meeting the king, Valeriana. Tomorrow, to be more precise.”

“THE KING?” Elfre screamed.

Her eyes bulged from their sockets. The others were shocked as well.

“Why?!” She gasped.

“The king is interested in meeting you.” He answered. “You can take it up to Lord Aeron should you have questions.”

“Lord Aeron? Seriously? What's up with that old man?” She growled. “Does he plan on giving me a heart attack?”

“I, myself, do not know what goes inside his head.”

“I do hope this is a good thing.” She muttered. “But the problem is it's not!”

“This is . . . unexpected.” Tamara laughed and doubled over. “Larkov! Valeriana! Meeting the king! This is going to be epic!”

“It's not funny.” She sighed. “This is bound to turn out bad. What got into Lord Aeron in the first place?”

“Can we come, Headmaster?” Tamara inquired.

“I doubt I can allow you to.” He answered. “It'll be embarrassing, not to mention rude, if all of you go with Valeriana, when she's the only one invited.”

“Awww!” Tamara whined.

The headmaster then turned to the human girl. “So, Valeriana, prepare yourself.” He told her. “After classes tomorrow, we will immediately head to the royal palace.”

She jumped out of her seat. “That SOON?”

“Relax, Valeriana.” He chuckled. “But try to get yourself to look presentable before so. Preferably, dress in something formal.”

“Where the heck am I—”

“I can lend you some of my clothes!” Genevieve exclaimed.

“Your clothes probably won't fit her.” Tamara said, knowing Genevieve possessed a smaller frame than Valeriana. “I'll lend you some of mine since we're somewhat the same size, instead.”

Everyone stared at Tamara in shock. Needless to say, the look on the other eleven's faces were filled with astonishment—eyes wide and mouth hanging open. No one could bring themselves to believe that someone like Tamara—with her unfeminine way of behaving and uncouth attitude—would have clothes like dresses and such.

“What?” She raised a brow at them, crossing both her arms and legs. “Just because I'm like this doesn't mean I lack the proper wardrobe for a woman.”

“Are you serious?”

“Even though, I don't like it, my father insists on sending me those stupid things. As if I wear them anyway.”

“Pretty typical of him.” Charles held a look of sadness and another kind of emotion which Valeriana couldn't discern.

Tamara's cheerful face faltered for a mere second before immediately disappearing, as if it never came at all. Valeriana sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere and squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, looking between the two with confusion riddling her eyes. She didn't know what just happened, but she had a feeling they remembered something unpleasant and caused the sudden change in the mood. She had no clue what they were talking about at all, and felt the need to be let out of the dark.

“I don't like wearing those things anyway. They're really hard to move in.” She commented. “You can have them all if you like.”

“Huh? Uh . . . no.” Valeriana shook her head. “Just letting me borrow one is fine.”

“Well, suit yourself. But you're welcome to take away a few if you so wish. I need some space in my wardrobe so I can put in some of my other clothes that I can use.” She said.

“Yeah. Sure. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.”

Tamara shrugged before leaning back on her chair and relaxing, both hands folded against the back of her neck. She yawned loudly and muttered something incoherent before closing her eyes and deciding it would be nice to fall asleep on the sofa in the middle of a conversation with the headmaster.

“Pardon me.” Charles stood up and collected the tray with the tea. “I'll go fetch some more tea.”

“But that one's still full.” Keelan reasoned.

“A cold one will not do.” He argued.

“But that's still warm.”

“It needs more sugar.”

“But the sugar's right here.” Keelan argued again.

“I'll just go get some more. These don't seem sufficient enough.”

He was answered by silence, but all eyes followed him as he disappeared into the kitchen. Valeriana was way more confused than she ever felt her entire life. Something wrong was going on and it was obvious with the way the third and fourth-ranker acted. There was something between the two of them which the girl didn't know.

“Anyhow,” the Headmaster stood up with a deep sigh. “I'll be going now. Tea was great, everyone. I'll see you soon, Valeriana.” He head out towards the door.

As soon as he disappeared, Valeriana eyed the snoring Tamara and knew that she was just acting. Everyone knew she was wide awake and that she was faking her sleep. Still, no one said a thing and remained silent, knowing whatever bothered the both of them was something they shouldn't discuss about with the current situation at hand.

Chapter Thirty-Eight ♣ The Reflection

V
aleriana felt anxious about having to meet Valemnia's current monarch. The whole day, she spent nothing but thinking about what she was supposed to do. Needless to say, she was worrying about trivial, not to mention absurd, matters such as not being liked by the king and being suddenly thrown off into a pit of snakes to die.

Despite of the anxiety for the upcoming
dinner with royalty
, Valeriana also had the event which happened yesterday prodding the corners of her mind. The way Charles and Tamara acted last night was totally out of their character. She wanted to ask the two of them about it, especially Charles, and see if she could get them to talk about it. But, with the current situation at hand, it was impossible.

When the time came that Valeriana needed to get herself prepared, all the girls—including her only girl aide—rushed to her side in order to help. They all looked excited that they rivaled Valeriana's enthusiasm.

Deciding not to question the reason for their behavior, she went silently along with how everything went. It eventually led to the point where she was forced to keep her mouth shut while everyone around her picked what she was supposed to wear and such.

Tamara's room was, as expected, grand. Her bedroom was luxurious and was slightly larger than Valeriana's. She had a round canopy bed dressed in velvet duvet and walls covered in shelves of books that it could rival the library.

Still, it was nothing girly.

Shock was an insufficient word when they saw her walk-in closet. Practically, half of the entire room was filled with intricately decorated ball gowns, casual dresses, formal dresses, and others. Her
collection
made all the girls scream when they saw how beautifully made everything was. They felt somewhat sorry they weren't being used.

Valeriana saw a red dress from the corner of her eyes and pulled it out. When she examined how it looked, she saw frills running down from the right. It was laced with ruffles and black trimmings that the crimson color was emphasized even more. Even so, she put it back since it was low-cut, not to mention a bit puffy.

“What kind dress do you think will suit Valeriana?” Genevieve asked, holding a pink, bejeweled gown in her arms.

“Hey, guys! Take it easy! I'm not going to a party or anything.”

They didn't even glance her way.

“I think something with those gold curly things.” Aneeka answered.

“This?” She pulled out an insanely gold dress from top to bottom.

“What? No! That's too much!” Aneeka shook her head furiously at Genevieve's suggestion and pushed the dress back. “I said curly things! Not an overly golden gown! Are you insane?”

“Ah, I see.” She nodded.

“Then why don't you try this one?” Elfre suggested as she pulled out a gown from her side and held it out for them to see.

The gown was sky-blue and, like Aneeka wanted, had small embroideries sewn on the fabric with a golden thread. Those designs were only evident on each side of the dress. The front was decorated with small, glittering jewels arranged to make up shapes. The fabric was made entirely of fine silk which looked undoubtedly smooth to the touch. The simplicity of the dress's design made it look all the more pretty. It was the one that suited the girl the most.

“Elfre!” Genevieve squealed. “You are a genius!”

“So, it's the one?”

“It's the one!”

Quincy had, once again, drawn a bath for Valeriana to take. They readied the gown on Tamara's bed and dragged the girl to the baths to scrub off any dirt that clung to her skin.

The bath and the pampering were a bit too much. Still, this was the first time they would see the human girl dress up in a beautiful gown, so the girls couldn't help but get excited. Despite not being said aloud, Valeriana had the kind of beauty that needed accentuation, meaning she had to dress up properly to make it more evident. However, she was apparently oblivious of her physical qualities and often did not present herself well.

In the room, she was given a proper makeover. Valeriana had no idea what they were doing since her hair was continuously being yanked on. The incessant activity made her unable to focus properly. There was a brush fanning her cheeks on the right or something lining her brows before someone would suddenly pull back her hair, practically breaking off her neck from her shoulders. She began to think the girls had some hidden anger towards her with the way they were acting, although she decided to keep her mouth shut.

When everything was finished, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Her scalp felt numb and her face felt strangely thick. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw a foreign face looking back at her, making her scream in bewilderment.

Seeing the girl staring back at her move the same time she did, she reached a hand out towards her face. “Is this me?”

“You look beautiful.” Gasped Genevieve. “In fact,” she sniffed, tears pooling from her eyes. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

“What? You’re bad!”

Tamara chose the time to come in. “Are you girls done?” She asked in utter boredom.

The third-ranker allowed her eyes to scan the room. When her eyes landed on Valeriana and locked eyes with the latter, her eyes went wide with shock. Placing a hand over her mouth, she slowly approached the girl and circled her, looking her up and down as if she was a specimen she never saw before. Valeriana followed Tamara with her gaze, frowning at the third-ranker as she scrutinized her.

“Holy goddess of fate!” She gasped. “Is that you?”

She frowned, crossed her arms, and started tapping her feet impatiently. “Did I really change that much? I thought dresses and makeup cannot change someone's face.”

“Holy goddess! It
is
you.”

“Thank you so much, captain obvious.”

“Holy goddess!”

“You just said that.” She answered irately.

“Holy goddess!” She repeated.

“I said stop!” She stomped her feet. “If you continue doing that, I'll start getting out of this getup to get you to shut up.”

With this statement, both Aneeka and Genevieve spoke together in unison. “NO!”

Tamara shook her head immediately. “This is just too shocking. Valeriana Kerrigan, you are . . .” She stared up at her face and then paused as a flicker of recognition flashed across her face. “You . . .”

“What?” She inquired in impatience.

“You kinda look like . . .” She trailed off. “Ayslia.”

Genevieve, Aneeka, Elfre and Quincy all scampered and pushed each other away to get a good look at Valeriana's face. The poor girl almost stumbled as they crowded around her, curious like kids who saw something peculiar.

“You're right!” They all said.

“She's a look-alike!”

“She looks like the lady on my jar back home!” Elfre told them.

“Idiot!” Said another voice which she couldn't see who spoke but probably belonged to—Genevieve.

“I can't believe it.” Tamara gasped. “You look so similar that I can mistake you for her.”

“Hey, do you think she's the reincarnation of the queen?”

“That's absurd! How did the queen become a human?”

“She isn’t even a Valemnian.” Aneeka added.

“And besides, if she really is a Valemnian, she won't need that thing she wears around her neck.”

“Hey, why don't we try removing it?” Genevieve suggested.

Valeriana blanched. “Don't even freaking dare!” She warned them off to stay away. “Are you guys trying to kill me?”

Genevieve rushed over to Valeriana and started to reach for the necklace of protection. Valeriana tried to get her to stop to no avail. Soon, she was trying to fight all of them off until someone finally opened the door.

“Where's Valeriana?” Corvan's voice echoed from the doorway. “Can you not be faster? Lord Aeron and Headmaster Kylon are waiting for you downstairs.”

“Thank god!”

Using the moment they were distracted, Valeriana bolted to a run and dashed towards Corvan, shutting the door close behind her and dragging the latter downstairs. Once far enough, she slowed down and glanced at the young lord she was towing behind.

Figuring he didn't like being dragged along, she let go of his wrist and apologized. “Sorry. Got caught up in a moment there.”

When he didn't reply, which was entirely unusual, she looked at him and locked gazes with the first-ranker. She saw him staring at her with a look of bewilderment on his face.

“What? Not having one of your smartass replies?”

For the oddest reasons, he suddenly looked away, avoiding eye contact. “Do you prefer that I speak?”

“No. It's just weird for you not to have that attitude of yours. I mean, I was expecting you to say
how dare you drag me
or
you cannot just go off running
or even
why are you not listening to anything I say, you goddamned stupid witch
while you have this look on your face.” She willfully contorted her expression into that of an angered frown which Corvan usually had plastered on his face.

Corvan frowned.

“See? You're making that face again.” She then reached up towards him and started tugging on his cheeks. “Try smiling for once!”

The moment her hands made contact with his skin, Corvan felt like he was electrified. He jumped away from Valeriana in shock, brushing off her arms away from him like he was burned. His heart rate increased, beating as though he ran a marathon. Strangely though, he didn't feel tired at all.

“Huh?” Valeriana tilted her head to the side and stared at Corvan in confusion. “You're really red. I didn't pinch you that hard, did I?”

She then smiled and snapped her fingers as a thought came to mind. “Or are you just embarrassed?” She asked him teasingly, skipping forward and nudging him playfully on the shoulder. “Never had a girl pinch your cheeks before?”

He went even redder and took a long stride forward. “Do not joke around with me. Besides, I did not give you permission to touch me. I did not permit you to act so familiar with me either. So, for once, keep your mouth shut and follow me quietly.”

Valeriana frowned. “Geez. You really are a jerk. And a total liaarrrrr.” She said in a singsong voice. “Corvan is embarrassed. Corvan is embarrassed. Corvan is embarrassed.” She giggled quietly after singing like a child skipping down the street.

“I am not embarrassed! Stop it!” He glowered at her. “I am not embarrassed. A person such as you cannot ever unnerve me.”

“Well, whatever you say.” She answered.

Finally, his heart calmed down. He must say he was quite impressed. The female ranking members of the Twelve managed to bring out the hidden charm that Valeriana had in her. He never even knew the girl had a feminine side.

“Lord Corvan!”

It wasn't until Lord Aeron spoke that the young lord realized they finally arrived at the lounge. Corvan blinked, snapping out of the train of thought he was having. He looked ahead of him and saw the Court Leader grinning. He sat on the sofa with Headmaster Kylon and the male ranking members of the Twelve.

“The look on your face says that you saw a beautiful woman.” He said, laughing jokingly.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Corvan asked, irked. He wondered what kind of face he was making that made what he was thinking so obvious to the person who looked at him? Or was it simply because Lord Aeron was a very perceptive man?

When Valeriana emerged from behind the first-ranker, everyone fell quiet.

Lord Aeron simply grinned at the sight of Valeriana. “I knew it! How lovely you are tonight, Valeriana my dear.”

“I guess I’ll thank you for a change.” Valeriana told him.

“Now, now, don’t be so harsh.”

“Wow! Valeriana! You look beautiful!” Keelan said.

“Words don't do you justice.” Rowe smiled.

“Ah! Valeriana!” Raziel bounded towards her. “You should dress like this more often.”

Valeriana chuckled. “Thank you, everyone.” She answered. “Now that I think about it . . . I'm so nervous!”