The Royal Academy of Magic stood atop the highest point in Imperial Capital Sacrifice, on the "Hill of Wisdom." It was a grand complex of countless soaring spires, domed buildings, and immense magical arcades. As the center of the empire's magical research, it drew magical prodigies and scholars from across the country and the continent. The air was rich with Arcane Energy and the aura of ancient knowledge.
In the academy's central plaza, the "Court of Elements," a small-scale practical exercise in elemental control between upperclassmen had just ended. The watching underclassmen murmured and gasped in admiration.
At the center of the grounds, two girls stood facing each other.
The one on the left was Eliza Windsor. She wore an immaculate Moon-white mage robe, her silver hair tied back like a waterfall and her purple eyes perfectly placid, as if the spectacular duel that had just showcased the grace and control of Water Magic had nothing to do with her. She merely nodded to the instructor who had served as judge, then turned to leave. Her manner was cool and proud, like an ice lotus atop a snowy peak—beautiful, but radiating an air that warned others to keep their distance.
The girl on the right was her complete opposite. She wore a well-tailored flame-red mage robe that made her skin look like snow. Her curly red hair spilled flamboyantly over her shoulders like burning flames, and her emerald eyes gleamed like the finest cat's-eye gems, brimming with undisguised pride, vitality, and... a spark of rivalry that had yet to die down. She was Eleanor Soros, granddaughter of Duke Soros, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and another genius hailed as a once-in-a-century talent at the Magic Academy.
"Eleanor!" Eleanor called out to her opponent, who was about to leave. Her voice was clear and sweet, but she drew out the words deliberately, as if they carried a hook. "Leaving so soon? Aren't you going to share your 'insights'? That transition from your Water Mirror Phantom to Ice Crystal Thrust nearly caught me off guard."
Eliza didn't stop. She merely turned her head and glanced at Eleanor with her calm, almost indifferent purple eyes. "It was only a practice match. Your control over the range of Fire Phoenix Swirl was precise, too." Her tone was even, betraying neither praise nor hostility, as if she were simply stating an objective fact.
That very calmness made Eleanor feel all the more frustrated. She hated how Eliza was always so unruffled, as though nothing mattered to her! Whether it was academic competitions, magical duels, praise from instructors, or the admiration of her classmates, Eliza seemed to take it all in stride. To Eleanor, that air of detachment was the height of arrogance!
"Hmph." Eleanor quickened her pace until she was walking beside Eliza, her red hair flickering like a dancing flame. "Precise? You're still nowhere near the records your mentor, Countess Margaret, set at the academy. Come to think of it, your Coming-of-Age Ceremony is next month, isn't it? Time really does fly..."
Eleanor abruptly changed tack. Her emerald eyes flashed with undisguised glee and superiority.
Eliza's steps faltered almost imperceptibly, but she said nothing.
Eleanor, however, seemed to have opened the floodgates. She continued loudly enough for those nearby to hear. "It's such a shame, really. Our academy's Silver Miracle, the idol of countless people, is about to become someone's wife before we know it. I suppose we'll never see your brilliant spellcasting in the Court of Elements again." Her words sounded regretful, but every syllable was edged with mockery.
Some students who had been eavesdropping wore complicated expressions. Eliza Windsor and Eleanor Soros were known as the Royal Academy of Magic's "two jewels," admired and emulated by countless young mages. Eliza had greater talent and a cool disposition, devoting herself to magic itself. Eleanor came from a more distinguished family, had a flamboyant personality, and excelled at socializing; she had many admirers at the academy. Their rivalry had long been an open secret.
Now, the news that Eliza was about to become engaged to Leon von Hohenzollern had already spread through the upper circles. Leon's reputation as the Shame of the North was no secret at the academy, either. To many proud young mages, it was like casting a priceless pearl before swine, or watching a swan sink into a mire. By bringing it up now, Eleanor was rubbing Eliza's "wound" in front of everyone.
"The path of magic is long, and marriage doesn't conflict with it," Eliza finally replied. Her voice remained calm, but those who knew her might have heard the chill beneath it. "You're worrying too much, Miss Soros."
"Is that so?" Eleanor raised her brows in exaggerated surprise and leaned closer to Eliza. With a malicious chuckle, she whispered so only the two of them could hear, "Are you sure there's no conflict? Spending every day with that... um, Leon von Hohenzollern, was it? I remember the name, right? The idiot who snuck into the women's dressing area at the palace's Summer Festival a few years ago and tried to watch me bathe? You'll still be able to meditate in peace? Still keep your perception of the Magic Elements pure?"
The words struck like a venomous barb!
Eliza's pupils contracted slightly. At last, the utterly placid expression on her face shifted, if only faintly—almost imperceptibly. She knew all about Leon's past misdeeds, including the "peeping incident" that had humiliated both her and the Windsor family. The matter had been hushed up at the time, but it was no secret among the upper classes. It was also one of the main reasons Eleanor had always looked down on Leon and resented Eliza even more. Eleanor believed that Eliza's choice—or rather, forced acceptance—of such a fiancé was an insult to all of them as gifted mages!
Seeing that Eliza had finally reacted, Eleanor smiled with bright, wicked satisfaction. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say something I shouldn't have? After all, he'll soon be your 'fiancé.' I just... feel sorry for you, that's all. With your talent, you should have a much wider world ahead of you, instead of being tied down to someone like... well, you know."
Eliza stopped and turned to face Eleanor. They were about the same height, but the coldness in Eliza's purple eyes seemed to lower the temperature of the air around them by several degrees.
"I'll choose my own path," Eliza said. Her voice was not loud, but every person there heard the unwavering resolve in it. "You needn't trouble yourself, Miss Soros. As for Leon von Hohenzollern, whether he's good or bad is my concern, not an outsider's."
She gave Eleanor no chance to respond. Turning away, she walked straight toward the library, her stride still elegant and steady. Her back remained straight and proud, as if the provocation had been nothing more than an insignificant breeze.
Eleanor watched Eliza walk away. Her smile gradually faded, and irritation flashed in her emerald eyes. It was always like this! No matter how she provoked her, Eliza always responded with such cool indifference, leaving Eleanor feeling as though she'd punched a cushion—her blow landing nowhere.
"Who are you trying to fool with that holier-than-thou act?" Eleanor spat under her breath, seething. "Once you're really married to that good-for-nothing, let's see how proud you are! Then the title of the academy's top genius, along with all the resources and attention that used to be yours, will be mine!"
She could already picture it: before long, Eliza would be dragged down by marriage and her useless fiancé, her magic would stagnate, and Eleanor Soros would use her family's power and her own talent to replace Eliza completely and become the empire's brightest rising star!
The thought lifted Eleanor's spirits again. She straightened her fiery curls and put on her confident, flamboyant smile. Surrounded by her admirers, she headed in the opposite direction, toward the social hall. She could hardly wait to see Eliza's expression at her Coming-of-Age Ceremony when Leon Hohenzollern made a fool of himself! It would be a sight to behold!
As Eliza walked toward the library, the fingers resting on the heavy ancient tome tightened ever so slightly at a corner where no one could see her.
Eleanor's words had been like a stone thrown into a still lake. In the end, they had sent ripples spreading across its surface. Leon's past had always hung over Eliza like a shadow. Would marrying a man like that really... have no effect on her path of magic?
The thought flashed through her mind, then she forcibly pushed it aside.
I can't fight it. I can only accept it. She silently repeated the maxim, her purple eyes regaining their usual composure and resolve.
At least until she reached her mentor's level, marriage was merely an accessory she had to "deal with" along her long path of magic. And Leon Hohenzollern... perhaps he was just a rather troublesome "variable."
She raised her head and gazed up at the library's soaring dome, where a vast magical array depicting the stars had been painted. The sea of knowledge was her eternal home. In the end, her formidable will and relentless pursuit of power would shut out the troublesome people and affairs from the world of magic.
Still, in the depths of her heart, where even she herself did not notice it, there might have been the faintest trace of resentment and helplessness toward the approaching Coming-of-Age Ceremony, where everyone's eyes would be upon her, and the engagement that was destined to be anything but peaceful.
The rivalry between the academy's two jewels was only a tiny reflection of the vast whirlpool that was the Imperial Capital. And would Eliza, this pearl about to be "tarnished," truly lose her luster because of it? Perhaps the answer lay in her unfathomable purple eyes and her unending pursuit of knowledge.
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