Knight | Celeste Academy Series BK #1

44th Chapter ♣ The King and I

"Valeriana Kerrigan—the first human to have ever attended academy and joined the Celestial Circle."

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Chapter Forty-Four ♣ The King and I

She rose from the reverent greeting and erected her back, trying to look like a dignified woman.

I'll show that Corvan! She determinedly clenched her fists.

Although she was expecting something grand, he was a much simpler man than she first thought. He was a handsome man in his mid-thirties, human scale. The soft, golden hair on top of his head was brushed back and tied into a low ponytail. His eyes, a mesmerizing gold, looked kind and benevolent.

Valeriana saw Edeltraud bow to the king before he turned and left, closing the door behind him gently. Both of them were silent for a few moments and she caught the man staring at her with wide eyes, looking more shocked than she expected.

Lord Aeron did warn her that she looked a lot like his deceased wife, but she never expected this to happen.

"I'm sorry. May I?"

"Huh? Uh, sure."

Needless to say, she saw tears welling from the man's eyes before he suddenly came forward and embraced her.

Hesitantly, she circled her arms around him too. "Are you alright, sir king sir—uh, er . . . sire?"

He reluctantly pulled away from her. He looked down at her, placing his calloused hands on her shoulders before realizing what he just did. "Oh, please pardon me."

"That's alright," she told him. "I guess."

"Goodness." He breathed. "I can't believe it." He then cleared his throat. "As you may already know, I am—"

"His Royal Majesty, King Laedin von Seigmond de la Rosellevienne, twentieth king of the Valemnia!" She recited, saluting him playfully. "My name is—"

"Valeriana Kerrigan, I am well aware," the king said and laughed. "I've been informed that Lord Aeron and Headmaster Kylon came with you?" He looked around. "I don't see them here at the moment, though. Where are they?"

"They left without saying anything. I was too caught up in my own world to notice." She sighed.

"Well then, I want to welcome you to Valemnia. Please pardon the suddenness of dragging you here. It must've been very hard on you."

"Well . . . I don't want to call it kidnapping but . . ."

His face contorted in concern. "I'm really sorry. I'll try doing something about this situation, should it be repeated in the future. Even so, I do not directly control the affairs of the Celeste Dispatch Division, as that is the job of Lord Aeron."

"That man has a lot of responsibility. It makes me doubt sometimes if he really even does it."

"He's a competent man, Valeriana. His quick wit and wisdom got him where he is now. Though he may not seem like it, he is very dedicated and spares no effort in the name of his work."

"I never knew that."

"Looks can be deceiving, or so many would say." Laedin nodded. "I am taking you were traumatized? Your arrival here didn't have the very best welcome and you were taken here due to a very unfortunate circumstance."

"I've pretty much recovered though . . ."

"You must miss your family?"

"More than anything." She nodded. "But Lord Aeron allowed me to write letters to them, and I received a package from my mother yesterday."