Chapter 97

VALERIA’S POV I stepped onto the training grounds, my mind still reeling from Dimitri’s warning about the royals. Something about it didn’t sit right with me. The way he spoke, the way he warned me, as if he truly believed I might lose control. Lose myself. Why would I lose control over them? I shook my head. I didn’t have time for this. I needed to focus. I needed to fight. The training grounds, once a place where I had to prove myself, now felt suffocating. The moment I arrived, I noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere. Conversations quieted. Eyes darted toward me, then away. I recognized the emotion on their faces—fear. Before, they had laughed at me. Mocked me. Treated me like a weakling who wasn’t worthy of standing among them. Now, they were afraid. Pathetic. I let my gaze sweep over them, my frustration growing. They wanted to hate me, no matter what I did. “Anyone ready to spar?” I asked, my voice steady. A challenge. Silence. No one stepped forward. Of course not. I crosse