Elder Alera had seen with her own eyes the chronological order of things going on in King Valentin's life. She was already an elder at the time, and the previous king respected her as his mentor.
The previous king had appointed her to be the young Valentin's mentor. Despite his age, he had grown up impressively, excelling in both academic and magical pursuits.
The only reason he always ended up second was because of Amara, his elder sister. From a young age, Amara had proven exceptional, surpassing her vampire peers with remarkable skills and prowess.
As far as Elder Alera knew, King Valentin had always been competitive, unless when it came to his sister. Instead of harboring a deep grudge for falling short of her standards, Valentin looked up to his sister.
