The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Logan had earned a fearsome reputation at Saint Laurel Royal Academy, infamous for his relentless cruelty. While he might not have been the strongest fighter on campus, when it came to sheer brutality, no one could surpass him. If Logan declared himself the most savage person around, no one would dare challenge that claim.

So when he strode directly toward Nova, the crowd instinctively parted, their eyes filled with silent warnings that she was doomed.

A hushed voice murmured, “Wait, that’s Nova—the so-called loser little sister of Max and Hannie? Huh, didn’t expect her to actually be this cute…”

Another student chimed in, “But is she really a loser? I heard some guy from her class got beaten so badly this morning he ended up in the infirmary. Do you think Nova was behind that?”

A skeptic shook his head. “No way. She’s never even trained in taekwondo or kickboxing or anything like that.”

Someone else added, “Yeah, and rumor has it that before she moved back in with the Blakes, Nova was… like, someone’s sugar baby. An older guy, apparently.”

The hallway buzzed with whispered gossip and speculation.

One student sighed heavily, “No matter what, she’s seriously messed with the wrong guy this time. She’s finished now that she’s pissed off Logan.”

Everyone expected Nova to crumble under the pressure, but her face betrayed no hint of fear. Instead, her eyes were as cold and hard as ice. She appeared utterly calm, almost doll-like, emotionless and unreadable.

She met the piercing gazes of Logan and his crew without flinching, standing her ground with unwavering composure.

Sophia, standing close by, was terrified. Yet despite her fear, she refused to abandon Nova—not even for a moment. Nervously, she tugged at Nova’s sleeve, trying to persuade her. “Nova, that’s Logan Drake. He’s basically one of the biggest badasses at Saint Laurel. Nobody messes with him. His family has insane influence. They don’t even bother with the Blakes. Can’t you just play it safe this once? If you don’t, things could get really ugly.”

Deep down, even after watching Nova send that taekwondo punk flying into the infirmary earlier, Sophia wasn’t impressed. That guy was a nobody, making waves but ultimately insignificant. Honestly, Sophia herself could have handled him without breaking a sweat.

What truly baffled her was the rumor that Nova supposedly had no fighting skills at all. But Logan was a whole different beast. His reputation for ruthlessness was legendary, and in terms of raw power, he ranked just below the top three fighters on campus.

Even if Nova had some hidden talents, there was no way she could compare to those elite fighters. That was why Sophia felt so unsettled.

“Damn, she’s already tangled with Logan and his gang? Hannie, your little sister is something else—I didn’t know she had it in her,” Claire sneered nearby, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Suddenly, Claire’s eyes widened when she spotted Hannah striding toward Nova with determination. She grabbed Hannie’s arm, disbelief written all over her face. “Hannie, what are you doing? Wait, are you seriously going to help her? Isn’t she the sister you always complain about?”

Hannah harbored deep resentment toward Nova and wished she’d never returned to Blake Villa. Yet seeing some outsider intimidate Nova stirred an unfamiliar, bitter feeling in her gut—though she’d never admit it to anyone.

Hannah let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I’m not helping her. I’m sick of her drama. The only reason I’m stepping in is because if something happens to her at school, Mom won’t be able to handle it. I only care about Mom’s feelings, not hers.”

With that, Hannah moved forward.

Meanwhile, Nova remained perfectly still, not a muscle twitching. Everyone assumed she must be terrified—after all, this was the most dangerous situation she’d ever faced.

Maybe she was panicking inside, debating whether to drop to her knees and beg Logan for mercy. Perhaps she even wondered if groveling at his feet—or worse, kissing them—might earn her a pardon.

Then, breaking the tense silence, Nova spoke calmly, “One move.”

The crowd froze, puzzled by her strange words. What did she mean by “one move”?

Even Logan and his taekwondo crew looked caught off guard.

After a moment, a girl from Logan’s group, wearing pigtails, snickered and sized Nova up with a mocking glare. “Hey, you’re Max’s little sister, right? Don’t tell me you’re so scared you’ve lost it. Spouting nonsense already?”

Logan cracked his knuckles with a sly smirk, stepping closer to Nova with an air of arrogant confidence. “One move? Oh, I get it—you want me to take you down with just one hit, huh? Don’t worry, when it comes to pretty girls like you, I always go easy.”

He made it crystal clear that Nova wasn’t worth his serious attention.

As the pigtailed girl and Logan finished their taunts, the crowd burst into laughter, the mocking jeers echoing through the hallway. Some students doubled over, clutching their sides, barely able to catch their breath.

But Nova’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. She stood there, cool and composed.

Then, she said something that stunned everyone into silence, their jaws dropping one by one.

“To deal with you, I only need one move,” she declared, her voice icy and brimming with confidence.

Her arrogance was bold and unyielding.

The crowd stood frozen, as if rooted to the spot.

Hannah was the first to react, her fury ignited by Nova’s audacious claim. Her whole body trembled with anger.

She thought Nova was just trying to act tough again and felt deeply disappointed in her little sister.

Frustrated, she raised her voice, “What is that idiot even saying? Is she crazy or just asking to get herself killed?”

Logan’s ferocity was well known at Saint Laurel—three punches from him and anyone would be bleeding heavily. Even Hannah never dared cross him.

And yet, Nova was so outrageously confident she claimed she only needed one move to handle him—as if no one could touch her.

Though Hannah called Nova an idiot, her legs moved on their own, heading straight toward her sister.

But it was already too late.

Her cold, bloodthirsty glare and the way she looked down on everyone sent a chill down every spine.

Was Nova really the third heiress everyone whispered about—the one who’d returned to the Blake family, supposedly useless, weak, and clueless?

No. Absolutely not.

She was a hellspawn reaper, a living nightmare sent from the underworld.

The air seemed to grow colder as the crowd inhaled sharply, every person frozen in shock, too stunned to even blink.

Hannah and Claire couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams that Nova would be such a badass.

Their jaws dropped, eyes wide as they stared at her in total disbelief.

Meanwhile, Logan lay curled on the ground, trembling like a leaf, utterly helpless as waves of pain wracked his body.

Once the initial shock faded, one of Logan’s friends was the first to recover.

His face twisted with terror as he stared at Nova.

Still trembling, he spat out threats, trying to sound tough, “Y-You actually hurt Logan that badly? We’re from the Taekwondo club, and we’re not letting you get away with this.”

At his call, the bald guy signaled his friends, and all three rushed over to Logan’s side.

They banded together, planning to drag Logan out of the cafeteria first, then plot their revenge against Nova another day.

But before they could take more than a few steps, three yellow blurs shot through the air.

Three benches crashed brutally into the back of their necks with precise force.

The three attackers collapsed instantly, hitting the ground hard.

The crowd gasped, startled by the suddenness and ferocity of the attack.

Before anyone could process what had happened, Nova’s voice cut through the tension, icy and bone-chilling, directed at Logan and his crew.

She snapped, “You interrupted my lunch, knocked over my food and my friend’s, and didn’t even apologize. Did I say you dead meat could crawl out of here?”