What if Corvan is....
Valeriana and the other members of the twelve were lounging on the velvet seats of their meeting room, which is practically the lobby of their dorm.
Silence engulfed them with the exception of Tamara's snoring and, the loud munching sounds Keelan made as he ate oreos.
Truth be told, it was grating on the others' nerves especially Aneeka's, Elfre's and Charles'. The rest were just turning their gaze towards the door every few minutes―Val to be specific.
"Where is that idiot cretin?" she couldn't help but blurt out.
"Lord Corvan should have been here minutes ago. He's never tardy when it came to our meetings, or anything for that matter," Rowe said.
"Yeah, I wonder what's taking him so long," Genevieve agreed, as her twin nodded.
The eleventh ranker tried to speak with his mouth overflowing with oreos, but he didn't get a chance to when something flew past his face.
"Don't you dare talk with your mouth full, you glutton. Just try and I'll toss this couch at you instead," Elfre said from the single couch she was occupying.
"Tch...tch...tch...such violence, little elf," Raziel said, as he examined his beauteous face―as he said it.
A vein was about to pop in the seventh ranker from hearing him call her elf, but Valeriana's words clogged up the words before they could form on the back of her throat.
"Do you think something's happened?" she said. The others detected the slight tinge of worry in her voice and they couldn't help the small smiles that tugged at their lips.
Despite their incessant bickering, they know for a fact that their fifth ranker somehow had a special relationship with Corvan, which they would never have with him.
"He's probably okay. Lord Corvan isn't the first ranker for nothing, Valeriana," Charles said as he cleaned his glasses. All the while, he gave Tamara's very unladylike sleeping form a disgusted look.
"Probably, got called by Headmaster Kylon or something," Aneeka said.
Zevlin was about to say something, when the door flew open. Tamara fell off the couch she was sleeping on because of the loud sound that came from it. Brindon seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected because...well he's Brindon.
The moment they all turned to the door, they immediately saw their first ranker as he entered. And to anyone who had eyes, he didn't look good.
He looked red and was breathing heavily. His clothes were a bit disheveled, and he was sluggishly making his way over to his seat. They all followed his movements in silence, including Keelan who had stopped chewing the new batch of oreos he just stuffed in his mouth.
Tamara had other ideas though. She stood and followed Corvan as he finally reached his chair. Before he could speak, she placed a hand on his forehead. As quick as she placed it, she pulled it back with a yelp.
"Aww...aww...aww...that is the most abnormally high fever ever," she said as she shook her hand and blew on it. It was just an exaggeration, a really big exaggeration, but it made the other rankers get a little worried.
"Like you aren't abnormal," she heard Charles mutter under his breath.
She chose to ignore it as Rowe made his way towards Corvan, who had been unusually quiet since he entered. He reached out and placed a hand on his forehead.
"How long have you had this fever, Lord Corvan?" he asked calmly.
Corvan grumbled something along the lines of "Do not worry about me and let's begin," as he removed his hand.
The rest of the twelve were now standing in front of him, excluding Valeriana.
This was the first time they have seen the first ranker in this state, and they couldn't help but try to imprint the image of Corvan in their minds.
Corvan suddenly stood, with a deep angry frown on his face.
"Quit your staring, and leave me alone. I'm fine!" he yelled. His eyes were wide, and you could practically feel his power dominating the room.
"No you're not," Valeriana said amidst the silence. She had been unusually quiet as well, whilst the other members had expected her to be laughing at Corvan's current state. But instead, they found it weird that she was just sitting there eyeing him with a mix of worry and irritation on her face.
"I don't care what you think, stupid witch!" Corvan yelled, while glaring at her.
"Quit being stubborn, idiot devil!" she fired back.
"I'm not. It's you who keep insisting that I am," he yelled.
"That's because you're being too high-and-mighty to admit that you're sick, when in fact that you are!" Val yelled.
The rankers kept whipping their heads back and forth between them as they took turns yelling insults and other things towards each other.
None of them would dare to get in between the two, not being able to take in their combined glares and voice yelling at them to not interfere.
Although they would never admit, Corvan and Valeriana combined was a very scary duo. The thought made them inwardly shudder, including Charles and Brindon.
The said two finally finished yelling at each other, leaving them out of breath, Corvan especially.
He suddenly collapsed, alerting all of them. Rowe caught him before he could face plant on the floor.
"Fine, huh?" the fifth ranker bit out sarcastically. Despite this, there was concern in her tone.
Corvan tried to glare at her, but he felt so weak that he ended up slump on the second ranker in an unconscious state.
"Maybe now, we should take him to his room," Brindon stated blankly. They just nodded at him. Rowe and Charles began hauling the first ranker to his room, slightly dreading the number of steps they had to take to get there.
Meanwhile, the others left behind didn't fail to notice the look of concern on their fifth ranker. They hid their grins...except for Brindon...well you get the point.
―――
The twelve, more like eleven, had now finished eating dinner, and were now staring silently at each other.
"So...whose going to make Corvan take his medicine?" Keelan began. He nervously glanced around his fellow rankers.
"I have to wash the dishes," Charles said.
"I have to clean my weapons," Tamara said not a second after the latter spoke.
"We have to go to the library," the twins piped in.
Soon enough, the others were now blurting out excuses at the same time including Brindon. Valeriana was the only one who remained oblivious of the fact that the others didn't want to go to the first ranker's room.
Keelan had once barged into Corvan's room without permission, and well...it ended up very badly.
Ever since then, the others had made it a point not to enter Corvan's room, unless he permits it or for special instances.
All eyes turned to Val, just as she stuffed her spoon into her mouth. She pulled it out slowly as she took in the knowing and sorry looks they were giving her.
The twins grinned and got the nerve to speak up. "It's decided then," Zevlin spoke up. "Val will go to Corvan's room and bring him the food and medicine," Genevieve yelled.
Like lightning, the rankers fled their seats before Valeriana could speak up. She turned to Brindon, Rowe, and Charles, who were the only ones left.
"I have to finish my paintings," Brindon said, as he stood and left as well.
"Seriously, that's more important than you're comrade?" she blurted out as she turned to Rowe.
"I'm sorry Valeriana. Good luck," he said, and left until she was left alone with Charles. He had started gathering up the dishes.
"Shouldn't you just let the maid do the dishes?" she asked.
Charles turned to her and was about to speak with his usual demeanor, but Val didn't let him.
"I know, I know. Just give me the tray with his food and medicine," she said.
She just stared into space, until she just realized that Charles was now holding the tray in front of her.
She climbed the stairs while muttering how much of traitors the others were.
Her mind drifted somewhere until it was brought back when she finally stood in front of the first ranker's room. She had been here numerous times, including the other ranker's rooms for that matter, whenever they had tasks for her to do. So why was she suddenly, feeling nervous?
She knocked first, before deciding to just enter. She didn't brace herself for the sight that greeted her when she entered.
On the bed, Corvan was sprawled out as he slept soundly. What really caught her attention was the fact that he was shirtless. His broad chest and well defined muscles were worth drooling over for.
She berated herself when she realized that she was standing there stupidly while ogling him. She set the tray down on his bedside table, before focusing on trying to wake him up.
Ignoring his exposed muscular torso, she held him by the shoulders and shook him violently.
After dodging a few weak punches, and a couple of grunts, he finally woke up with a groan.
"What are you doing here?" the first ranker tried to yell angrily. But he only ended up sounding like a whiny little kid.
"Get up. I brought you food and your medicine," she grumbled, as she pulled him to sit up.
Once he was leaning on the headboard, she took his food, and handed it to him.
"You don't have to eat it all. Just take your medicine," she said. She turned on her heel, and was about to walk out of the room when Corvan spoke.
"I'm too weak right now, to eat," she heard him grumble more to himself.
She turned around, and saw him having trouble trying to cut his food into pieces.
With a huff, she walked back to him and sat on the edge of his large bed. She then reached out and took the eating utensils from him.
"Just let me help okay?" she said, as she raised a spoon of food towards him. Hesitantly, he took it in his mouth, while looking red from embarrassment.
He was the future Lord of Arland, and here he was being spoon-fed by a stupid little witch. He didn't even know why he accepted her help, and finding himself slightly enjoying this.
"We'll forget this ever happened," Valeriana told him. He nodded as he drank. Honestly though, a large part of him wants to remember this for the rest of his existence.
A while later Val finally stood to leave after he had taken his medicine.
She was about go when she felt a large hand enclose her wrist. "What―" the words got caught in her mouth when he suddenly pulled her towards him. She landed flat on his chest, which hurt considering its hardness.
All of a sudden, Corvan maneuvered her over him, until he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, and brought his leg over both of hers. She was now pressed up against him, especially when he buried his face on the crook of her neck.
"What...what are you doing?" she stammered out, as she tried to wriggle out of his hold. He just held her tighter in response.
"Stay here for tonight," he mumbled against her neck. It caused a shiver to run through her and she blushed wildly. That so cannot happen, she thought.
She kept struggling against his hold on her, until she eventually got tired. She finally heard Corvan's quiet snores. She watched him from the corner of her eye, and she suppressed the urge to smile.
He looks kind of cute when he's asleep, she thought. The moment she realized that, she turned redder if possible.
―――
Corvan awoke from a movement next to him. With a quiet groan, his eyes fluttered open. As he looked out the window, he could tell that it was still dark out.
It had been a long time since he gotten sick, and didn't expect how weak his fever made him yesterday. Luckily, the rankers were there to look after her. At the thought of the rankers, Valeriana's face appeared in his mind.
That's when he remembered that he had pulled her to his bed last night.
When he looked to his side, the tip of his nose collided with hers making him freeze from their proximity.
He didn't even know why he told her to stay with him for the night. He made a mental note to stay away from Val when he was sick.
She stirred and let out a quiet moan. His eyes couldn't help but stare at her beautiful features.
Her plump red lips looked like they were enticing him to lean down and claim down with his own. Without thinking, he did.
Corvan was kissing Valeriana!
He unconsciously closed his eyes, trying to savor the feel of her soft lips on his. He moved them over hers in a way that was coaxing her to respond.
With another moan, she stirred and started pulling his head down and kissing him back.
It only lasted for a few seconds, though.
She suddenly lightly slapped his face away.
"Let me sleep," she mumbled in her sleep.
She turned away from him with a yawn, and she was snoring a few minutes later.
Corvan stared at her for what felt like minutes.
A smile suddenly formed on his lips, and he chuckled lightly. He leaned down towards her and kissed her temple.
"Stupid witch...." He whispered with a smile.