"What's wrong?" she asked with a laugh.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT, HUH?!" I shouted, throwing a knife in her direction.
She deftly dodged each throw, leading to a chaotic after-product: a shattered vase, a broken TV, a torn painting, and a sofa with holes in it.
"CAN YOU JUST STOP?! WE HAVE A TRAINING ROOM FOR THIS! GO KILL EACH OTHER IN THERE, FOR GOODNESS' SAKES!" Joy yelled, taking cover against the wall leading to the kitchen.
"Enough!" Mami La shouted, and I snapped back to reality.
"Instead of fighting, you both need to think of ways to save your father! This is so immature! Rhaj, put down that knife, or I will throw it at you." Mami La's authoritative tone made my shoulders slump.
I bowed my head in shame, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt in front of the former Empress. I let my anger get the best of me, abandoning any logical reasoning.
"I-I'm sorry," Venn and I spoke simultaneously, our voices barely above a whisper.
"Sit down here," Mami La responded tersely, and I rushed over to the sofa to sit.
"I can't blame your father, dear. He has loved Rhanzie deeply for a long time. We can’t deny the uncertainty surrounding your mother’s fate. After we buried her, rumors spread that someone was digging in the graveyards. Even if we found a body, it wouldn’t necessarily prove it was Rhanzie. In fact, we had a DNA test done on it five years ago, but I am only now ready to share the results. Why now? Because your father wasn’t ready until recently." Mami La explained, taking a sip of her tea.
"S-So it’s possible that my mommy might still be alive?" My eyes widened in shock, a flicker of hope igniting within me.
"Let’s see," Mami La replied coolly, opening an envelope and laying the contents on the table.
"0.0%," I gasped, dropping the paper and standing up in disbelief.
"I n-need to find my mom, whether she is dead or alive," I declared, my determination surging as I walked toward the door when someone grabbed my wrist.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Venn shouted, annoyance clear in his voice.
"Don't mind me! Do I know you?" I yelled back in anger, stepping outside toward the parking lot.
I wish she were still alive; I want her back.
"Can you just calm down?! You’re leaving without a plan, rushing into who knows where. You don’t even know who is behind all of this! Plus, your dad needs help. If this is how you think, the entire Norovloux Clan is going to fall!" Venn’s voice was filled with frustration.
"You don’t even know how I feel! My heart is breaking and my mind is all over the place! If you have some good suggestions for me, please share. Please..." I started to cry, collapsing onto the floor.
I was lost; the pain was unbearable. The shocking events unfolded rapidly, and I couldn’t process it all. What was the point of being the one destined to be queen if I was weak and couldn’t think straight?
"Hush now, I'm right here, and you can lean on me," Venn said, wrapping his arms around me and gently wiping my tears.
After a few minutes, he helped me back inside and led me to my room.
"Just take some rest, and I will handle the rest," he said with a reassuring smile while tucking me under the blanket.
"T-Thanks," I responded shyly, and he nodded, understanding.
"I hate seeing you cry, so please stop. It won’t help you," he said softly and closed the door behind him.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around what had happened today. Was there really a good side to that monkey? HAHAHAHA, my goodness! Is this even real? I couldn’t help but smile and closed my eyes, hoping this was just a dream.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Joy's voice.
"What has gotten into your mind to get so loud!" I groggily scolded her.
"You woke up so early! You’re ten minutes late!" she retorted sarcastically.
"OMY—WAIT FOR ME!" I shouted, jumping up and dashing to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, I emerged with soaked hair, water still dripping down my uniform. I grabbed my bag and sprinted downstairs, rushing to where Joy was tapping her foot impatiently, clearly annoyed.
When we arrived at school, I noticed everyone staring and laughing.
"My goodness! Have some manners, please," one of the girls, who looked like some sort of classic bully, scoffed sarcastically.
My brows furrowed as I realized that the whispers behind us were growing louder and more abundant.
"What is going on?" I questioned, picking up my pace.
"YOU’RE LATE! 200 SIT-UPS AT THE BACK, FASTER!" Ms. Monteclaro bellowed, her voice ricocheting off the walls.
"Aissshhh! Joy, it’s your fault! I should have thrown you out of bed when I found you daydreaming about Venn!” I shouted in frustration. 
"HA! That’s your karma, B*TCH!" Cheska hollered, adding to the chaos.
"This is against school policy! How can you make a girl in a skirt do sit-ups?" Venn interjected as I sat on the floor.
"Because they’re late," Ms. Monteclaro replied curtly.
"According to the student manual, you can only do that on Fridays, and only when all students wear their PE uniforms. If they’re late from Monday to Thursday, they shift to community service, right?" Venn countered, tossing his coat to me.
"Owww!" The crowd gasped collectively.
"Nah! Tita, don’t worry. I’ll just talk to my BOYFRIEND," Cheska piped up, aiming a sly grin at Ms. Monteclaro.
Yeah, that’s why Joy and I never want to be late on a Monday. Cheska’s ego grows too big, considering her aunt is our first-period teacher.
Cheska shot a glare at us before dragging Venn out of the classroom. Joy and I settled into our assigned seats.
"So, as I was saying, you need to vote for our Mr. and Miss Valorous-Writes University. Two girls and two boys from each section. That makes four people in total. Take a quarter sheet of paper, write down your name, and I’ll pick two girls and two boys after," Ms. Monteclaro explained.
We hurriedly scribbled our names on paper before tossing them into a fish bowl at the front. A few moments later, Cheska and Venn returned, just in time for the results. Ms. Monteclaro began mixing the papers.
"Valorous, Ellinox Venn," she announced. 
"Partnered with Miss Tonacci," she added.
I facepalmed—why me? They should’ve partnered him up with his high-maintenance girlfriend instead!
"TI-TAAAA! He’s my boyfriend. We should be partners!" Cheska whined, clearly displeased.
"That’s why I changed the partner. It’s against the rules for couples to partner up, so you’ll be paired with Jeremiah," Ms. Monteclaro explained calmly.
"If you don’t want to, then don’t! I’d rather be partnered with Chian than with a cheap, snobby brat," Jeremiah commented, his bored tone cutting through the air.
HAHAHA! BOOM! BARS, B*TCH!