Irina Emberheart.
A girl who belonged to one of the most famous and influential mage families in the small city country.
It is a self-governing state under the rule of the Valerian Federation.
Arcadia Dominion — the location where the magic is revered, and it is the most prominent.
It was where the magic towers were located for each big branch of magic, and all those towers were ruled by a family.
The Emberheart Family was one of them, ruling the Red Tower of Magic and specializing in fire.
A family whose origins belonged to the period before the Nexus Convergence, where the world didn’t even have magic in it.
It was said that their ancestors came from another world, just like the other races. Most people would base the strength of the four magic families on this speculation.
Belonging to such a family, her whole life passed in the pursuit of magic and perfection. From a young age, she didn’t have many friends, and neither did she have the time to play with them.
She always studied magic, studied the etiquette of higher-ranking people, how to govern, and how to be on the top.
At first, she liked being different. She liked the praises that continuously came. She liked the acceptance of her strict parents, especially her mother.
Until that time — when he had shown her the truth about those smiles. After that time, all those lessons that were given to her, all those education….Rather than making her feel above, it felt suffocating.
She felt as if she was a bird in the cage.
Thus, she changed from an obedient to a fiery girl.
Now standing before the same stern woman, those memories came back to her head for a second.
“You are here.” her mother said, not bothering to look up from the documents she was studying.
SWOOSH!
As she swung her hand, a wave of warm wind passed through the maid as she disappeared from the room, leaving only the mother and daughter alone.
“Irina, the preparations for the gala are in full swing. I trust you’ve been overseeing the arrangements as I instructed?” Her voice was measured, carrying a blend of authority and expectation.
The same voice, the same attitude, the same pride.
Everything was the same, no different from the past.
Irina leaned back in her chair, an indifferent expression on her face. “Yes, Mother. Everything is going according to plan. The decorators are working tirelessly, and the invitations have been sent to the esteemed guests. You’ll have your grand gala, as always.”
Her mother’s eyes finally lifted from the documents, and a scrutinizing gaze locked onto Irina. “Your nonchalant attitude is not befitting of someone who will inherit this legacy. The gala is not just a social event; it’s a representation of our family’s standing. You need to understand the weight of these responsibilities.”
“…..”
Under her mother’s heavy gaze, Irina couldn’t refute any further, as she already knew doing so wouldn’t even matter at all. The memories of the past and how her mother discarded him as if he hadn’t even existed were still there.
“I understand.”
In the end, she didn’t have any choice but to bow her head. However, the mother had different plans.
“Speaking of legacies, let’s discuss your progress at the academy,” her mother continued, seamlessly transitioning the conversation.
“Why are your grades still behind?” her mother asked, the tone carrying a sudden intensity that sent a shiver down Irina’s spine. At that moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, the air growing warmer as if responding to the woman’s rising agitation.
Irina hesitated for a brief moment, feeling the weight of her mother’s expectations press down on her. “Mother, as I said, I’ve been focusing on a well-rounded education. I believe—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her mother’s eyes flashed with a fiery intensity, and the air in the room seemed to crackle with energy. “Enough excuses, Irina,” her mother interrupted, her voice now carrying an undertone of authority that was almost beastly.
“I don’t care what you are focusing on. Connections or whatever, it doesn’t matter.”
The pressure in the room intensified, making it harder for Irina to breathe. It was as if the very essence of her mother’s displeasure manifested in an invisible force that surrounded them. Irina felt a bead of sweat forming on her forehead as she struggled to maintain her composure.
“You are the heiress of the Emberheart family, and your performance should reflect that. Look at Seraphina, the heir of those cold bitches. She surpassed you in the last rankings, and I felt the weight of shame in that gathering. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me, as the head of our family, to have our heiress ranked below that girl?” her mother continued each word carrying a heavy implication of disappointment.
‘Again with that girl.’
Irina clenched her hands, feeling the anger rising in her heart.
The comparison to Seraphina, the heir of a rival family, felt like a blow to Irina’s pride. The warmth in the room seemed to transform into an oppressive heat, mirroring the burning sensation of her mother’s scrutiny.
“I won’t accept any excuses next time, Irina. I’ve given you all the resources and opportunities. It’s time you make the most of them. I won’t tolerate our family’s reputation being tarnished by your incompetence,” her mother stated, the air in the room practically simmering with tension.
Irina bit her lip, struggling to contain the mix of frustration and anger within her.
Her mother’s expectations were like a heavy chain around her, dragging her down. The room, adorned with opulence, felt like a cage, and the pressure was suffocating.
‘You really can never understand.’
But in the end, she couldn’t say anything. Her mother was the sole person with whom she could never speak her mind.
‘Don’t talk to me.’
At that moment, for some reason, she remembered that annoying guy. The same annoying guy whom she could never win against with words.
“Understood, Mother,” Irina replied tersely, her voice a strained whisper.
“Good. You need to make sure to win, whatever it takes. Do you understand?” her mother demanded, the intensity in her eyes unwavering.
“Yes,” Irina responded, her jaw clenched. “Good,” and as her mother returned to her documents, Irina slowly retreated back as she slowly got out of her mother’s room.
CREAK!
As the door opened, she left the room. She signaled the maid waiting, and she immediately approached. “Young Miss, do you need something?”
She needed something to cool her head off as well as to get rid of all those emotions lingering in her heart right now. She needed to get rid of the resentment.
“Prepare the Flame Chamber.” Thus, she ordered the maid – to prepare one of the most dangerous locations.
“Right now?” The maid’s response was just as expected since the Flame Chamber was a highly dangerous location even for her, who had immense control over fire psions.
“Right now. Is there a problem?” But, once she decided something, it was over.
“No, there is not. I will get it ready immediately.”
Top of FormAs
As the maid slowly left, she also started walking towards her room, her head filled with thoughts.
‘Seraphina.’
Her rival.
The Arcadia Dominion was a small place focused on magic, containing some established families.
But, even though each family specialized in one of the big disciplines of elemental magic and were of the same country, in reality, they were rivals.
There was a strong rivalry between them for decades, and this was especially severe for the two families containing contrasting disciplines.
The Pillar of Fire, Emberheart.
The Pillar of Ice, Frostborne.
The two were in a rivalry almost from the day of Nexus Convergence and even before that.
And the girl her mother just mentioned was the heir of the Frostborne family.
‘Tch.’
She clicked her tongue as she remembered the unpleasant memories of the past, where she fought with the girl in the magic tournament and where she lost to her.
It was the same this time, too.
“It is so annoying.”
Being just one step behind the girl and, because of that, being ranked third on the entrance exam made her mad.
Now that her thoughts had slowly come to the academy, she naturally remembered her exam and term grades.
‘That guy.’
And naturally, that annoying guy. The guy who reminded her of him, making her uncomfortable.
‘Because of him…..No, not because of him.’
She wasn’t immature enough to blame him for the mistakes she had made in those dungeon explorations.
She might be a little immature and fiery at that time, but it was because she was annoyed at his attitude. Now that he wasn’t in her presence, she could clearly see how immature she had acted on her own.
“Sigh…..”
She knew she was probably escaping from her responsibilities, but she also couldn’t digest losing. Trapped in the dilemma of being the girl her mother wanted and doing whatever she wanted, she released a hearty sigh.
DING!
Just as she was pondering about the past, suddenly, her smartwatch rang.
“Hmm?”
She wasn’t going to check the message, thinking it probably came from the group, but she decided to check it anyway.
[Dog1: Young Miss, the results of the investigation you requested are out.]
‘Which investigation?’
She pondered for a second.
[Dog1: We have found the propagator behind the rumors surrounding Astron Natusalune.]
“Ah….”
Remembering she had requested something like this after the practical exam, she nodded her head.
“Indeed, I requested something like this.”
[Why did it take this long?]
It was just a simple investigation, and it shouldn’t have taken this long. However, the reply she got answered that.
[Dog1: My sincerest apologies for the delay, Young Miss. The nature of the investigation proved to be more complicated than anticipated. We initially underestimated it as a simple rumor, but it led us to discover a tangled web of deception.]
[Hmm, go on.]
[Dog1: Someone with considerable influence has been actively spreading false information about Astron Natusalune. Not only that, but they’ve managed to manipulate certain staff within the academy to turn a blind eye to their actions.]
Irina’s eyes narrowed at the revelation. The situation was more serious than she had expected. Top of Form
It normally wasn’t her business to care about all those things, but she owed that guy her life, arguably, and she wasn’t someone who liked owing debts.
[Who is behind this? Do we have a name?]
[Dog1: Yes. It is Trevor Philips, the heir of the Philips Family.]