Chapter 20: Director

After covering a few small things and eating a few snacks. Valery together with Katerin left Stelle's room, without saying much they parted.

Valery stood there in front of Stelle's door, immersed in her thoughts, her options and her future moves.

A cold wind blew through the hallway, waking Valery from her many thoughts. Valery looked in the direction from which the wind came, as if it were an omen or an answer.

Valery took the path in that direction, if her answer was in that direction she would find out.

The solution of joining Stelle, she did not like. She was not convinced that it was her only option, but she was also aware that it was the only one she knew.

Still it was not a bad option, there was nothing wrong with supporting her friend, but she still resisted the idea of swearing allegiance to her.

Was it her noble pride?

Was she a bad friend?

No, no and no

It was a feeling she had felt but not experienced as much as she did now. Since Stelle's passing, the discomfort she felt has become a little evident, but now it has become so intense that I can't ignore it.

The discomfort in her body was so evident that she could differentiate every part of her body, from her organs, to her bones, to her skin, to her hair.

How could she ignore this feeling?

But she didn't understand it, she didn't know where the discomfort came from, nor did she know what the discomfort represented. It wasn't fear, it wasn't nerves, it wasn't something she had experienced before.

But even so she was aware of her feelings, she knew that this feeling in her being had not reached its peak and that the discomfort came from her or something preventing this feeling from arising or manifesting itself.

Valery passed through several hallways, passed by several students and paid no attention to any of them. Her steps, at a moderate speed, went deeper and deeper into the depths of the academy.

Coming upon some large staircases, she climbed each one. Her footsteps echoed, suddenly descending the stairs.

Antoni appeared in the distance. His indifferent look, without a trace of friendship was on his face. In front of Valery was not Antoni her friend, she was standing in front of the heir of the Russian territory.

Duke Moscow

Valery trembled, she could feel a lot from his strong noble aura, superior to hers. She was so suppressed that she could not even look at him directly in the eyes.

Fear.

Inferiority.

This was disgusting.

But Valery could do nothing more than to bow her head and not move. Because that is his position, a position given by the weak bloodline in his body. A bloodline so far removed from her goddess, the Goddess of the moon.

Antoni passed by her side, did not pay her any attention, did not even raise his eyes to her. It was as if whatever was beside him was too inferior to give him a second's attention.

Valery is a Baroness, the lowest rank among the nobles.

She is not worthy of his words or his regard.

'I understand you, Katerin. But maybe he won't treat you like he treats me, because I've seen his eyes sparkle when he's in front of you' thought Valery.

When Antoni's birds were far enough away, Valery continued his way upstairs.

Arriving at a large wooden door, the doors looked shattered, but still standing, still standing, even with the deep cracks in the wood. As he laid his hand on the door, it felt as firm and strong as if it had been freshly cut.

Knock!

Loud and powerful, the three knocks rang down the stairs, the sound entering Valery's sensitive ears. It stunned her for a moment.

An old, tired and powerful voice came from the other side....

"Come in."

Valery opened the door, the door squeaked as it moved. Opening and closing the door later, Valery stood in a large room, facing her.

A rocking chair was moving, in front of a large window with the doors open. On either side were large libraries, with books of all kinds, old and new, big and small.

On one of the armrests of the rocking chair, a wrinkled hand with long fingernails. A bit of hair could also be seen, it was a strange color that Valery's eyes could barely understand but not describe.

"Ah late" He whispered in a low, quiet voice.

"Come sit next to me" He said in a nervous voice. His tone of voice changed steadily.

It was an abnormal act, but those who had interacted with the director knew that this was a normal part of his attitude. Perhaps it was his age or his own magic.

Something made her voice change, as if she was talking to someone else but at the same time with that person. His voice changed from soft to authoritative, sometimes it was relaxed, sometimes it was solemn.

Yet Valery paid no attention to the different tones of voice.

Valery sat next to him, in a chair next to him, the chair was facing directly to the balcony, because of the position of the seat she could not see the director, only the landscape of the entrance of the academy.

"Director, I..."

"You came to help you with the problem of the conflict between nobles."

Valery was surprised that the headmaster knew why he came, of course it was impossible that he, with his status, did not know about what was going on between the other nobles.

Only Valery was so naive to believe that everything would be all right after the war, yet this was no time for regrets, she was doing her best to make up for lost time.

Not that swearing allegiance to Stelle was a bad thing, but for her it would no longer be friendship but subordination. Besides, the feeling in her being told her that she would rather die than accept that fact.

"But you don't know how I can help you, do you? But I do know how to help you." He said in a calm and soft voice.

Before she could explain how he could help her, Vlaery looked at him again, but she could see nothing. When she opened her eyes again, she shuddered, she remembered nothing, not a single image. That was obvious, since archdukes cannot be seen unless they are allowed to, even with that permission they could be severely harmed.

She had reibited it, and her whole body still ached, and she even felt her body slowly healing. It was actually healing faster.

"Please refrain from seeing me..." the director asked respectfully.

"I understand, sorry. Would you tell me what I can do? What price to pay?" having a solution was something she was happy to do, but it could not be simple.

"I want you to answer me 2 questions."

"Then ask," she said urgently, wanting her troubles to end quickly.

She wanted to be calm but, at that moment, she realized that she didn't want peace at all, she wanted something else.