Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 72: School of Suffering

Chapter 72: School of Suffering

Sir Orlo had been relentlessly torturing Riona with a barrage of lessons and homework. She was forced to memorize endless lists of words and history timelines that she didn’t care about.

To make matters worse, Sir Orlo established "language days," during which Riona was forbidden from speaking Eiran and had to use the designated language of the day.

The most frustrating aspect of all was that she was not allowed to train. Her entire body ached to channel her frustration and sharpen her skills to control her power. She feared that the longer she went without training, the rustier her abilities would become.

Resting her cheek on the desk, she groaned, "I want to train. Let me train."

The unyielding Sir Orlo adjusted his glasses and denied her request firmly, "No. His Majesty tasked me with providing you academic lessons, and that is exactly what I am doing."

Riona pushed the book in front of her. She felt as if her brain was going to explode from all the memorization. "I’m dying, Sir Orlo," she declared dramatically.

"No, you’re not," he retorted without missing a beat.

Sir Orlo shoved the book back towards Riona and opened it to a specific page. "Come on. You learned this two days ago. You know the answer," he insisted.

She banged her forehead on the desk, muttering nonsensical things that conveyed her desire to give up. Sir Orlo anticipated her move and slipped his hand between her forehead and the desk to prevent her from hurting herself further.

"Riona, His Majesty is doing this for your own good. He wants you to be a respectable graduate and secure a decent job. I’ve even heard he has already planned a post for you," he said, trying to paint a rainbow in the middle of a storm.

"If you keep talking like that, I’m really going to puke. Do you want to see the disgusting slimy things from my throat?" Riona grumbled, sinking deeper into her seat. "I want to escape the palace, not be chained here for another eternity."

Sir Orlo took a deep breath and closed the book in his hands. He looked at Riona with a hint of understanding, but she knew better. Sir Orlo was always on King Valentin’s side.

The teacher was always on the guardian’s side, after all.

"Do you want to train?" he suddenly asked. Riona couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking.

She jumped from her seat, her emotions teetering on the edge of tears. Her eyes sparkled with hope. "Are you serious? You’re not just teasing me, right?"

Sir Orlo chuckled softly and offered her a reassuring smile. "No teasing, I promise. But let’s be clear, we’re not sparring," he cautioned. "I’m here to help you refine your control over your power. Mastering this is fundamental."

He couldn’t help but sigh when he reflected on Riona’s seemingly wasted days at the academy, where she should have been honing her skills.

Even if she had balked at history lessons, the academy offered the finest training opportunities.

"What have you been doing all this time in the academy if you can’t manage the basics?" he lamented.

"Don’t blame me!" Riona pouted, stepping away from the chair to prepare for training. "The trainers just never liked me. They always found fault in everything I did."

Sir Orlo followed her to the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps you used the wrong technique or targeted the wrong thing?"

"They should have pointed out my mistakes then, like you do. That’s how I learn," Riona scoffed. "But instead, they just berated me for being ’fangless’. How does that help me improve? It’s not like I chose to be ’fangless’."

Her shoulders slumped like a boneless fish. Sir Orlo might not have known it, but he was the only teacher who didn’t treat her like trash. He treated her with respect and genuinely tried to improve her skills.

"So, you just have to show them what you’re capable of. Prove to them who you are. You may be ’fangless’, but you’re also fearless," Sir Orlo encouraged, swelling Riona’s sense of pride and motivation.

She grinned widely and said, "Yeah, that’s my intention too."

Sir Orlo stepped closer to Riona and instructed her to concentrate a small amount of power into the tip of her index finger. He activated a protective barrier around them to prevent any accidental damage to the room.

Closing her eyes, Riona focused on her warm energy, completely giving up on summoning her nonexistent cold energy. She felt at ease with Sir Orlo’s presence, the process went smoothly.

She soon felt the warmth flow into her finger. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a dark red aura surrounding her index finger. When she looked up, Sir Orlo was smiling proudly.

"That’s it. You’re doing great," he praised.

His compliment energized her, and she began channeling her power into her other fingers.

Sir Orlo guided her by radiating a pathway along her arm. "The key is moderation. Even if you’re in a rush, don’t release your power in bulk. You’ll overwhelm your body and lose consciousness, like you have before."

She had never been this focused in her life. The fear of lagging behind Lisbeth and losing the one thing she was proud of drove her to achieve what she previously couldn’t.

Their session was cut short with a sudden commotion outside the door. Something seemed to be happening in the palace corridor.

Both Riona and Sir Orlo were so startled that they stopped abruptly. "Wait here," Sir Orlo instructed. His eyes were filled with concern as he carefully approached the door.

Riona followed, craning her neck to see what was happening outside. She was shocked to see Thorin in a heated argument with the guards. He was trying to get into Riona’s room but was being denied entry due to the lesson underway.

"This matter is urgent and far more important than your academic nonsense," Thorin snapped.

It was the first time Riona had seen him so unruly and disheveled. She knew it must be serious; otherwise, Thorin wouldn’t be in such a state.

Sir Orlo approached and asked the werewolf, "What business do you have with Riona that can’t wait until the lesson is over?"

Panting, Thorin replied, "Florian fell down the stairs. He’s badly injured."

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