Chapter: 12
“Never forget that you are of the great lineage of Astra.”
The great Astra.
Perhaps this was the phrase that Sylvia had heard the most throughout her life.
‘It’s a house that has nothing left but its name to be called great.’
That was the thought that crossed Sylvia’s mind every time she heard those words.
There was indeed a time when Astra could be called a truly great lineage.
A family that directly managed the World Tree, considered the foundation of the Elves.
Those blessed by the most powerful spirit among the spirits, the Spirit of Stars.
That was the descriptor referring to the High Elf family, Astra.
The Astra family, closely linked to the World Tree and blessed by spirits, boasted a lifespan nearing half a millennium. Living through such an immense stretch of time, their influence had reached every corner of the world.
It was said that when Astra made their entrance, even the flying tribes would stop flying and bow their heads to the ground, hinting at just how influential the family was.
But that was all a thing of the past.
Five hundred years ago, after the World Tree was burned by a certain witch, the Elves lost their spirituality.
With the World Tree, which had been their foundation, burned, and their connection with spirits nearly severed, the lifespan of the Elves became no different from the humans they believed lived only for a fleeting moment.
Astra was furious.
They gathered all their might to hunt down the witch who had burned the World Tree, rallying heroes from all around the world, and ultimately succeeded in defeating their target.
But as a result, a family that once held dominion over the world fell to mere status of a venerable noble house.
They still had a few large enterprises due to their past reputation, but compared to their former influence, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
‘Yet the elders of the family still think we are the great Astra…’
Sylvia despised that.
For her, the name Astra was just a cage that confined her.
‘If I had known it would be like this, it would have been better to keep it hidden.’
As a child, Sylvia loved lying in bed, gazing at the stars before falling asleep.
Everyone around her said they were people loved by the stars.
Maybe if she made a wish upon a star, it would come true!
In her childish heart, Sylvia merely thought this way.
That day was no different.
As she lay in bed, wishing, “Oh star, please let me eat as many of my favorite snacks as I want tomorrow,” she suddenly thought she heard someone’s voice, and upon opening her eyes, she saw an unusually bright star shining in the sky, as if it were right next to her.
She gasped in admiration at the beautiful light, spreading her arms toward the sky.
That was the moment the star was captured in Sylvia’s eyes.
From her hands, starry light twinkled and shimmered.
Without thinking much, Sylvia showed her father the incredible new ability she had gained overnight.
Usually, if she did something well, he allowed her to eat a few more snacks than usual, so she wondered if she could perhaps get more by showcasing this new skill.
However, the result far exceeded Sylvia’s imagination.
“You are the very future of Astra.”
Seeing the sparkling starlight in Sylvia’s hands, her father shed tears and called all the elders of the family.
“Sylvia, show it to everyone.”
Though she felt a bit scared of all the attention directed her way, Sylvia obeyed her father.
The elders, upon seeing the starlight shining from her hands, wiped their tear-stained eyes.
– Oh dear, Mother World Tree. You haven’t abandoned us yet…
– Ah, the great star of Astra has not yet set…
– From today on, this child is the rightful heir of Astra.
Sylvia did not know.
She did not understand what significance the Spirit of Stars bore for the Astra family.
She did not know that she was the only one in her generation who had contracted with the Spirit of Stars.
And she had no idea how that would change her life either.
From that day onward, Sylvia’s daily life changed completely.
– An heir of Astra must always be superior to others.
For several hours each day, she endured education filled with difficult topics like politics, economics, history, and etiquette.
Claiming it was for communion with spirits, she was forced to use spirit magic until exhaustion.
– An heir of Astra must always be impeccable.
What she used to do naturally, she now had to perform with perfect awareness.
While walking, sitting, talking to someone, or even eating; if there was even the slightest hint of carelessness, a sharp voice would come flying from the side.
It was a burden for a six-year-old child.
But Sylvia endured.
She felt with every fiber of her being the expectations the elders of her family placed upon her.
She stifled her desire to complain about the hardships of learning and held back tears when her back ached from maintaining a proper posture.
She even refrained from eating her favorite snacks because the elders said such things weren’t good for her health.
From that time onward, for Sylvia, life was about endurance.
The six-year-old girl, Sylvia, grew into the sixteen-year-old Sylvia Astra.
Within her middle school, her status was that of a princess.
A beautiful High Elf from a prestigious family, even featured in school textbooks.
Naturally, she had numerous followers, and there was even a fan club dedicated to her.
Yet, despite always being surrounded by people, Sylvia felt an emptiness.
They were simply captivated by the surface of Astra she presented.
Though there were many around her, she had no true friends.
Sylvia grew tired of people who approached her claiming they wanted to befriend her, only to quickly start asking for something the moment she let her guard down a little.
She felt as if the elders of her family viewed her only as the heir of Astra.
To them, she believed she was just a tool to briefly reminisce about past glories.
There was no place for Sylvia, for herself, at school or home.
Everyone merely wanted the heir of the Astra family.
Sylvia felt suffocated by the life she had endured until now.
And so, Sylvia attempted her first act of rebellion.
“What on earth is going on? Why the Aegis Academy all of a sudden?”
Instead of the school she was supposed to attend, she had taken the entrance exam for Aegis Academy on a whim.
Seeing her father’s bewildered face for the first time in a while, Sylvia felt a rush of delight and replied with a smile.
“Astra was the family that took the lead in hunting down witches, so that’s a solid reason. Moreover, a lot of nobles’ children will surely be entering Aegis, which will help in building connections for the future. This is what I’ve thought through as an heir of Astra. Is there a problem?”
“… If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Just never forget that you are of the great lineage of Astra.”
Her act of rebellion was a success.
And so, Sylvia enrolled in Aegis Academy.
In a place that would educate future heroes, her family’s nagging under the pretense of assisting her would surely be absent, and she looked forward eagerly to her impending school days.
And on the very first day of school, Sylvia experienced the feeling of actually falling in love at first sight.
A white-haired male student arrived late to the classroom, possessing a face that looked as if a tired God had sculpted it without much effort.
From the moment she first laid eyes on him, her heart began to race.
As he naturally approached the empty seat next to her, she wondered if this was their fateful first meeting, just like in the fairy tales she had heard as a child.
At the moment she waited for him to speak to her, he sat beside her, but instead, he talked to the girl with red hair sitting behind him.
Sylvia, who had always thought she never lagged behind anyone, felt jealousy for the first time towards that girl.
“Those who scored 200 points? I made a few enhancements just for them. Should I do the same for you, Miss Sylvia?”
While measuring her abilities in the illusion magic test conducted by their homeroom teacher Eve, Sylvia requested to be assessed under the same conditions as the two who had scored higher than her.
The Astra must always be superior to others.
Those words, ingrained in her for ten years, were enough to instill in Sylvia a personality that could not tolerate falling short of anyone.
Even for Yoon Si-woo, the boy she had fallen for, she wanted to score better than Scarlet Evande, that girl with red hair.
Scarlet had merely managed to scratch the dummy Eve had created.
So, she believed she had to completely shatter that dummy.
For that goal, Sylvia had to use her spells to the brink of exhaustion.
After the testing was over, she began to notice that Yoon Si-woo’s gaze frequently shifted towards Scarlet.
The curious glance that had been merely inquisitive before now seemed to have altered slightly.
Watching him blush as he looked at her only served to hurt Sylvia’s pride.
Judging by looks and behavior, she was definitely more attractive than that girl.
The jealousy within Sylvia’s heart continued to swell.
“C-could you be my friend?”
When Scarlet timidly asked this, Sylvia felt anger surge within her.
A friend? She just wants to use me, that’s all.
As she was about to refuse curtly, an unexpected thought made her accept Scarlet’s friendship proposal.
‘I mean, if she’s just trying to use me, a little maliciousness should be fine.’
With that thought, Sylvia told Scarlet to buy some macarons from the cafeteria.
Her tone was kind, but the underlying message was more akin to giving orders to a subordinate.
She thought that since students capable of entering the academy would all have strong pride, making such a statement would likely hurt her feelings. Contrary to her expectations, Scarlet rushed off without hesitation to buy the macarons.
When she returned, beaming and offering the macarons to Sylvia, she felt somewhat taken aback.
Even if she wanted to use the Astra background, did this girl truly have no pride?
She felt slightly skeptical, but more than that, she was thrilled to finally enjoy her favorite macarons without being mindful of others.
Just after thinking that, her mood plummeted again as she witnessed Yoon Si-woo, red-faced, asking Scarlet if she had anything for him.
Afterward, Scarlet began to bring her macarons even without her asking.
Yesterday, she was surprised when Scarlet instinctively brought her macarons after overhearing her mention wanting a dessert, but today, Scarlet seemed to read Sylvia’s mind—presenting macarons with a smile the moment she thought of wanting some.
As Sylvia tasted the macarons offered by Scarlet and felt pleased, she momentarily wondered, ‘Could this person actually be a good person?’ but quickly shook her head.
‘If she operates this way, she is surely planning to make some ridiculous request.’
She couldn’t let her guard down.
‘And besides…’
She saw Yoon Si-woo walk toward Scarlet with a smile on his face.
‘He’s someone who could absolutely never like me anyway.’
Sylvia glared at her, thinking just that.
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