48th Chapter ♣ Zion's Comfort

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"Corvan is the youngest first-ranker the Twelve ever had."

Chapter Forty- Eight ♣ Zion's Comfort


To think that Courtney von Whatever de la Something was coming back today of all days sent a chill down Valeriana's spine. She left hating Valeriana and there was a big chance she would come back hating Valeriana even more.

Did she really have to face her so soon?

"Whatever. Haters gonna hate," she muttered, quoting a Taylor Swift song.

She felt worried.

Valeriana knew that this was coming sooner or later, but she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to face Courtney and her wrath. Just thinking about what could happen made her want to shiver in fear and cower on a corner somewhere.

But, of course, she wouldn't let this get to her.

Was she overreacting?

She started chewing on her bottom lip. Courtney couldn't be that bad, right?

Still, she never felt so nervous before. As she sank into her usual seat in History class, she thought of the possibilities upon Courtney's return. She knew it was useless to just sit there and worry. She should be preparing herself instead.

"Valeriana!" A joyful voice cut through the air, but the girl remained dazed. "A flower for you!"

It was Zion. He waved a freshly plucked daisy in front of Valeriana's face and she accepted it without a word, still staring into space.

"Hm?" Zion brushed a blue lock that obstructed his vision. "How odd. You're not kicking me? I thought for sure I'll meet your fist."

She didn't answer.

"Valeriana?" He questioned.

Silence.

He breathed heavily. "Does that mean you accept me? Finally?" He said in excitement before smashing the girl into an embrace.

Shocked, Valeriana snapped out of her reverie and found herself caged inside the arms of her former enemy. Realizing it was Zion from the flash of blue she caught from the corner of her eyes, she gritted her teeth. She pulled back her arm, curling her hand into a fist before shoving it straight to Zion's side.

The blue-haired lad grunted and pulled away. "Ow. You broke my ribs," he wheezed out, before a small smile cracked on his lips. "There we go. That's more like it."

"What the hell are you doing?" She growled.

"Well . . ." He grimaced in pain as he hopped away. "I thought . . ." he trailed off.

"Thought what?"

He blew out a sigh and patted the part where she hit him. He made himself comfortable on the seat right next to Valeriana, which Chavi usually took—but she was nowhere to be seen at the moment. He looked at her knowingly, a gaze which she mirrored with sheer irritation.

"You seemed to be not your usual self a while ago. Were you thinking about anything?" he asked.

She looked away and rested her head on her table. "None of your business," she muttered.

"Please don't treat me so coldly," he told her.

She ignored him.

"Right," he muttered. "I know that my actions might've come as a shock to you," he started. "And it might not have been that believable, but trust that I'm serious about everything I say. Believe me, I am not the type to lie about what I feel. I say what comes to mind and that's it."

"Please, Zion." She forced down the urge to throw him out. "Now's not the time for that kind of talk."

"Are you worried about something?" he queried. "Like Courtney's return? She's coming today right?"

At those words, she stiffened.

"You really don't have to worry about someone like her. You defeated her right? That means she's no more than an insect."

"No." She faced him. "That insect almost managed to slice me in half."

"You shouldn't really let these things get to you, Valeriana. Courtney can never best you."

"Don't say things that aren't true just because you think they'll please. They don't help at all," she snapped.

"Do you think I'll say these just to please you?" he said, laughing. "See here, Valeriana. I may be trying to win you over but that doesn't mean I won't be frank. If you're ugly, you're ugly. If you're fat, you're fat. I won't lie. Do you need me to say that you look like you didn't comb your hair this morning?"

With that statement, she reached up to her head and patted the apparently messy hair she was supposed to have. He didn't lie, that's for sure. Her hair was standing up in all directions. She blushed in embarrassment at this.

"And I hope you don't mind me saying that you look adorable as well," he added, the seriousness fading.

Valeriana had to roll her eyes. "Whatever."

"Now, listen to me." He leaned forward and smiled at her. Unlike the other smiles he gave her before, this one seemed genuine and comforting at the same time. "You are not like that girl from before when you just entered the academy. You're the Valeriana Kerrigan now. Fifth-ranking member of the Twelve, hailed as the Roaring Tiger after defeating me. And trust me. No one can easily defeat me in a real battle."

"But—"

He held up a finger and wagged it. "I'm still talking. Courtney may have possessed the position as fifth-ranker, but now it's yours. You took it from her from a real battle."

She waved her hand at him dismissively. "It was just luck."

"There's no luck when it comes to skills and natural talent, Valeriana. You have those yet you deny you do. You're a great swordswoman. The battles you win are a proof of the fact that you are. So stop denying it and be proud. Human or not, you're still the fifth-ranker. You have it because you earned it. Don't let just anyone take that away."

She paused and mulled over his words.

"Think about it. A lot of people are expecting so much from you," he stated. "You're here for their trust and respect. How can you get other people to believe in you when you can't believe in yourself? So accept it already and be confident about it." He grinned at her encouragingly. "There are people who placed their faith in you. Don't let them down. Don't let Courtney drag you down. She's just a small obstacle to your happy ending."

"You believe in happy endings?"

"I didn't," he said, a smile on his lips. "But I do now."

Her hands flew to her chest. She felt the metal between her breasts under her clothes warmed by her skin clinking against the other necklace she wore around her neck. Aside from the bracelet, she wore two necklaces.

One was the key to the tomb of King Friedel—given to her as a symbol of her official inauguration as the fifth-ranking member of the Celestial Circle. She earned it after her near-to-death experience with Zion—through her own blood and sweat. The other was the protection she had so that she could adjust to Valemnia's power pressure.

"You won't let everything you worked hard for go to waste because of one girl, right?"

She shook her head. "No." She then smiled. "Thank you, Zion."

"You can pay me back with a date." He winked.

Her smile faltered and she frowned. "I take it back."

He grimaced. "When are you going to give me a chance?"

"I can't bear to be distracted, Zion," she told him. "I'm not looking for a love life."

"Why so stingy?"

Seraphina walked in through the doors, causing everyone to scramble. Zion dashed to his seat, afraid to be scolded by the lady knight. Valeriana smiled at his reaction and shook her head lightly, chuckling under her breath.

"Oh, Mr. Brunhild." Seraphina raised a brow. "It's a miracle to see you in class this often."

"Well, it's a good miracle." He looked knowingly at Valeriana's direction. The girl merely rolled her eyes as a reply.

The lady knight curiously glanced between the two. "Anyhow, I'm glad you'll be joining us for today. But that doesn't change the fact that you missed the first three weeks of my class, so a punishment is in order."

"What?"

"You're on cleaning duty for just as long as you've missed my class and I don't mean just this room. Three weeks' worth of public service." She looked about the classroom and eyed her snickering students. Zion didn't look pleased at all. "That also applies to everyone in this room."

Everyone stopped and stared at their instructor in shock.

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