Dragon Master: The SSS-Ranked School Belle Asked Me To Contract Her

Elara could already guess some of Rain's story, but she didn't interrupt her. Sometimes it was good to just let go of all the pent-up emotions. Also, Rain didn't have anyone she could share her problems with too. She had such low self-esteem and an inferiority complex, that she probably thought that her problems would just cause trouble for others. Or they would grow distant upon hearing her tale. People like her often overthink, imagining scenarios so wild that they wouldn't even make sense. Yet, they did for them. And that scared them. That was why Elara just patted her back, giving her the support she needed and letting her vent all of her piled-up trauma. "My mother then used some special stick to make these marks on my face. It was painful but I didn't cry. All because I could see her bawling her eyes out while her hands attempted to tremble, but she didn't let them. She was suffering more than me, so I didn't cry. I was just smiling throughout that process and not a single tear left my eye." Elara closed her eyes hearing that, with anger bubbling inside her as she wanted to rip those bastards from the middle of me. "Then, she sent me away and because of my face, nobody recognised me. I was able to run away and to this day, I don't know what happened to her. I just hope she committed suicide because she would have definitely suffered more if she had been captured." Rain paused for a second, catching her breath, and continued. "Those marks coupled with my race helped me survive in the slums for a while. But it also made my body very weak, as I didn't even eat properly. My thin body, my marks on my face, my race... everything helped me survive in those harsh days. But somehow, I became content with it and never bothered to seek anything better. I tried to use my mom's words as an excuse, but it was just cowardice." She sighed. "How do you think such a woman who never even tried to find her mother deserves him? I'm nothing but a lowly, disgusting coward with an ugly face enough to make people vomit. He deserves someone better." Raising her head, she looked at Elara with lost eyes. "Someone like you who can fight the world for him. Someone like Boss Aurora who did so much for him. You're all beautiful, brave and deserving of love. What do I have to give him? I can't even give him love properly because my mind always doubts him, even though I know it's wrong." Tears had already dried up by then, as she tightened her grip on Elara's hand and screamed: "I don't deserve any of it! I'm useless...." "And who decided that?" Rain's body shivered, fear crawling through her skin when she heard the familiar voice. Her hand trembled, as she raised her head to look at the source of the voice. There he was, standing a little distance away from them. His eyes were icy cold, with an expression filled with fury. He was angry, really angry. Rain had never seen him make that face and, knowing that the reason was probably her, she shivered even more. Thoughts vanished from her mind, leaving only fear and anger towards herself. She didn't even dare to look in his eyes and lowered her head, mumbling, "I-I-I'm sorry..." "For what?" Veer demanded, cutting her off. Noticing his state, Elara sighed and backed away, leaving Rain all alone yet again, and she had also angered the person she loved the most. Veer continued to stare at her, fury filling his heart. He knew of her situation, partially at best. That was one of the reasons he didn't try to approach her and gave her time. Not just that, but he also provided enough support, love, and care so that she could slowly come out of her shell. He wanted her to learn to love herself and place herself before anyone. He was just someone who had changed her life slightly, so he had thought it was just her obsession and mere attraction because of a lack of attention. Only now he realised how wrong he was. He had let her suffer in silence and never recognised the pain she hid behind her smile. It was all his fault. He should have noticed it sooner. 'Fuck you, bastard,' Veer cursed himself mentally, but knew it wasn't the time for that. He stepped forward and crouched near Rain. He raised his hand hesitantly, but still put it on Rain's head, feeling it shivering as if she had bathed in icy water. Yeah, he had done it and scared her again. "I'm sorry. I let my anger take over my head," Veer sighed and apologised, his hand still resting on her head. "My anger isn't towards you, though. It's on me because I didn't notice your condition sooner." "N-No, you don't have to apologise..." Rain quickly tried to say something, but Veer stopped her. "Shh! Calm down! It was my fault and yours too. But blaming each other won't change anything," Veer said in a low, soft voice. "I want to talk to you, but not in this state. So, let's talk when you have calmed down slightly." He smiled and leaned forward, his face close to hers, "But know this. I love you too and nothing would change that. Okay?" Rain's eyes widened in shock, her jaw almost touching the ground. She couldn't believe it, and it showed in her eyes. However, his smile and his eyes looking right into hers said otherwise. It was true. He loved her, despite how weak, useless and ugly she was. Mixed emotions rose in her heart, but happiness took over all of them as a beautiful smile emerged on her scarred face. Even with all the marks she considered ugly, Veer saw one of the most beautiful and lovely smiles on her face. He smiled as well and kissed her forehead, saying, "Rest well, okay? I'll come get you in a few hours. Don't overthink anything. I'm here for you and will always be there." That made Rain's eyes swirl around as she just sat there with her eyes and mouth wide open, having now words to speak. Her mind and body refused to work, as if paralyzed. Yes, it was paralyzed in his love. Veer smiled, seeing that she was returning to...normal, and stood up. He looked to his sides at Elara and scoffed, "Why are you going around telling that story? I didn't sacrifice anything at all." "Yeah, yeah, I believe you," Elara waved her hand and said. "Just go away. I'll handle her for now. I know what's going on with that shit head of yours so go clean it up before coming here. I swear I'll kill you both if you have a stupid conversation." Veer couldn't help but smile; this time it was a genuine one. He lightly gave a smack on her head and said, "Sometimes I hate you, a lot actually." "Hehe, no worries, I love you infinitely so it cancels out your negative feelings," Elara chuckled and then swept away his hand. "Now leave, peasant." Veer nodded and turned to leave, but a beautiful rat caught onto his leg. Looking down at Rain, he noticed her trying to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. He crouched down to her level and waited patiently. Even when seconds passed, he just sat there, looking at her with starry eyes. Almost a minute passed, but he didn't move from his position and it didn't look like he would even move without hearing what she had to say. Finally, Rain managed to form some words, as she whispered, "Thanks!" Veer smiled and gave a light pat to her head, "You're welcome!" Rain didn't show anything on her face, but her triangular ears began to flap and her tail whipped around rapidly. It was enough to let him know of her state. Smiling, he stood up and walked away from their position. He had much to say to her, but he knew they couldn't take in their current state. Elara looked at his receding back and said, "Told ya! He's a weird guy, but he will never despise you for what you are. But yeah, he will be straightforward with what he doesn't like. If he had really sensed cowardice from you, he would have said so." She turned to look at her friend and smiled, "So take a chill pill and give a rest to your overthinking brain. You'll need it while talking to her. Though, can I request something?" Rain looked up at her, but didn't say anything. Elara took it as a sign of confirmation and said, "He also has a bad habit of taking all the blame on himself, well, at least of his loved ones. Even when he had saved me back then, he had blamed himself for days and almost went into depression." A faint smile played on her lips as she said, "Everyone here thinks he's a strong man, but really, he's just a weakling who wants nothing from this world."