"Never forget that you are of the great Astra lineage."
The great Astra.
Perhaps this was the phrase Sylvia heard most often in her life.
‘Even if they call us great, all that remains of our family is a name.’
Sylvia thought this every time she heard those words.
There was a time when the Astra lineage could rightfully be called great.
The clan that directly managed the World Tree, the foundation of the elves.
The clan blessed by the Star Spirit, the most powerful among the spirits.
These were the epithets that referred to the High Elf clan, the Astra family.
The Astra clan, which had a close relationship with the World Tree and received the blessing of the spirits, possessed a lifespan close to five hundred years. Their family, which had lived through such vast stretches of time, had continuously expanded its influence, leaving no corner of the world untouched.
It was said that when the Astra clan passed by, even the flying races would stop their flight and bow their heads to the ground, giving an idea of how influential the family was.
But now, all of that was just a story from the past.
Five hundred years ago, the World Tree was burned by a witch, and the elves lost their spirituality.
With the World Tree, their foundation, burned and their connection to the spirits almost severed, the elves' lifespan became no different from that of humans, who had always thought the elves lived only fleeting moments.
Astra was enraged.
They gathered all the family's resources to rally heroes from around the world to hunt down the witch who burned the World Tree, and they succeeded in their goal.
However, as a result, the family that once ruled the world plummeted to the level of a prestigious noble family.
Astra still had some of its former prestige, so they managed to maintain a few significant businesses, but compared to their past influence, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
‘But the elders of the family still think we are the great Astra...’
Sylvia didn't like this.
To her, the name Astra was nothing more than a cage that confined her.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have just kept it hidden and lived a normal life.’
When she was young, Sylvia enjoyed lying in bed and looking at the stars before going to sleep.
Everyone around her said that they were people loved by the stars.
Then, if you make a wish to the stars, they might grant it!
As a child, Sylvia had only thought that.
That day was no different from any other.
While lying in bed and wishing, "Star, please let me eat as many of my favorite cookies as I want tomorrow," she heard someone's voice and opened her eyes. She saw a star that seemed unusually close, shining large and bright in the sky.
She stretched her arms to the sky, exclaiming in wonder at the beautiful light.
That was the moment the star was reflected in Sylvia's eyes.
A starlight shone from Sylvia's hand.
Sylvia, without much thought, showed her father this new, strange ability she had acquired overnight.
Usually, if she did something well, she would be allowed to eat a little more candy, so she only hoped that this new ability might earn her more candy.
But the result was beyond what Sylvia had imagined.
"You are the future of Astra."
Seeing the starlight shining from Sylvia's hand, her father shed tears and gathered all the family elders.
"Sylvia, show everyone."
Sylvia was a little afraid of the attention but followed her father's words.
The elders, seeing the starlight shining from her hand, all wiped away their tears.
-Oh, Mother World Tree. You have not abandoned us yet...
-Heavens, the star of the great Astra has not dimmed...
-From today, this child is the rightful successor of Astra.
Sylvia didn't know.
She didn't know what the star spirit she had contracted meant to the Astra family.
She didn't know that she was the only one in the current Astra family who had contracted with the star spirit.
And she didn't know how her life would change because of it.
From that day on, Sylvia's daily life was completely transformed.
-As the successor of Astra, you must always be superior to others.
She received hours of education every day, covering politics, economics, history, and etiquette, all filled with difficult words.
She had to use spirit magic until she was exhausted, all in the name of communing with the spirits.
-As the successor of Astra, you must always be impeccable.
She had to be conscious of everything she did naturally, whether walking, sitting, talking to someone, or eating.
Even the slightest lapse in composure would be met with harsh criticism.
It was a heavy burden for a six-year-old child.
But Sylvia endured.
She could feel the expectations of the family elders weighing on her.
She suppressed her desire to complain about the difficulty of her studies and her urge to cry from the pain in her back from maintaining proper posture.
She even refrained from eating her favorite candy because the elders said it was bad for her.
From that time on, life for Sylvia was about enduring.
Sylvia, the six-year-old girl, grew into Sylvia Astra, the sixteen-year-old.
At her middle school, her status was akin to a princess.
A beautiful High Elf from a prestigious family mentioned in textbooks.
Naturally, she had many admirers, and even a fan club.
But despite always leading a crowd of people, she felt a sense of emptiness.
They were merely enchanted by the Astra name she wore.
Surrounded by many people, but without a single friend.
Sylvia was disgusted by the way people approached her, saying they wanted to be friends, only to make demands as soon as she showed a little kindness.
The family elders also seemed to view her only as the successor of Astra.
To them, she was just a tool to briefly recall the family's past glory, she thought.
There was no place for Sylvia as herself, either at school or at home.
Everyone just wanted the successor of the Astra family.
Sylvia felt suffocated by this life she had endured.
So, Sylvia decided to try her first act of rebellion.
"What is this? Suddenly Aegis Academy?"
She had taken the entrance exam for Aegis Academy instead of the school she was originally supposed to attend.
Sylvia felt a sense of triumph as she saw her father's flustered face for the first time in a long while and replied with a smile.
"Astra was the clan that led the hunt against the witch, so it has a good reputation. Aegis Academy will have many children from prestigious families, which will help build connections for the future. I thought about it as the successor of Astra. Is there a problem with that?"
"......If that's the case, then it's fine. Just never forget that you are of the great Astra lineage."
Her rebellion was successful.
Thus, Sylvia entered Aegis Academy.
Here, where future heroes were trained, there would be no nagging elders sent by the family to supervise her, and she was looking forward to her school life.
On her first day of school, Sylvia learned what it felt like to fall in love at first sight.
The late-arriving white-haired boy had a face that seemed as if the gods had grown tired of sculpting and simply copied their own.
Her heart began to race the moment she saw him.
As he approached her empty seat, she wondered if this was the fateful first meeting with the prince on a white horse from the fairy tales she had read as a child.
Just as she was waiting for him to speak to her, he turned to the red-haired girl behind him instead.
Sylvia, who had always thought she was superior to others, felt jealousy for the first time in her life.
"Students who scored 200 points? I made their dummies a bit more durable, but should I do the same for you, Miss Sylvia?"
While being tested in the illusionary magic created by her homeroom teacher, Eve, Sylvia asked Eve to set the conditions the same as those for the two students who had scored higher than her.
Astra must always be superior to others.
The words she had heard for ten years were enough to make her intolerant of being inferior to anyone.
Sylvia wanted to score higher than the boy she had a crush on, Yun Siwoo, and at the very least, higher than the red-haired girl, Scarlett Evand.
Scarlett had only managed to scratch the dummy Eve created.
So, Sylvia thought she should completely destroy the dummy.
To achieve this goal, she had to use spells almost to the point of exhaustion.
After the test, she noticed that Yun Siwoo's gaze was directed at Scarlett more frequently.
His eyes, which had only shown curiosity until now, seemed to have changed slightly.
Seeing him blush while looking at her, it was clear he was aware of her as a romantic interest, which hurt Sylvia's pride.
She was more attractive than that girl, both in appearance and behavior.
Jealousy grew in Sylvia's heart.
"Um... Can we be friends?"
When Scarlett hesitantly asked this, Sylvia was angry.
Friends? You just want to use me.
She was about to reject her rudely but then accepted her offer of friendship on a sudden whim.
‘Since she’s just trying to use me, a little mischief won’t hurt.’
Sylvia told Scarlett to buy macarons from the snack shop.
Her tone was kind, but in reality, it was a command one would give to a subordinate.
She thought that such a request would hurt the pride of any student worthy of entering the academy, but to her surprise, Scarlett ran off without hesitation and returned with the macarons.
Sylvia was a bit taken aback by Scarlett's cheerful smile as she handed over the macarons.
Even if she wanted to use the Astra name, could this person really have no pride?
Despite her doubts, Sylvia was happy to be able to eat her favorite macarons without worrying about appearances for the first time in a long while.
But then, seeing Yun Siwoo blush and ask Scarlett if she had any macarons for herself, Sylvia's mood plummeted again.
After that, Scarlett kept bringing her macarons.
Yesterday, she bought them without being asked, having heard that Sylvia wanted a dessert. Today, she even brought macarons as soon as Sylvia thought about eating them, smiling as she offered them.
Sylvia, feeling better as she ate the macarons Scarlett offered, momentarily wondered if this person might be a good person, but quickly shook her head.
This submissive attitude clearly meant she was going to make unreasonable demands.
She couldn't let her guard down.
'Besides...'
She saw Yun Siwoo smiling and approaching Scarlett.
‘There’s no way he could like her.’
Sylvia glared at her, thinking this.
Author's Note (Afterword)
This was a story from Sylvia's perspective.
I also want to buy macarons for Sylvia.
Today, I received a plus proposal from NovelPia, but I still feel a bit burdened, so I think I'll continue with free serialization for a while.
Still, it feels like my writing is being recognized, and my heart is still racing.