The morning sun filtered through tall windows as Esme navigated the corridors of the Astravar estate, her lemon green hair swaying with each measured step. The modern tiles beneath her feet gleamed under carefully positioned lights, their polished surface reflecting the contemporary elegance that defined the family's main residence. Gone were the days of cold stone and ancient architecture. The Astravar had modernized their holdings decades ago, transforming the estate into something that blended traditional power with current sophistication.
Her mind churned with thoughts from the previous day. The awakening ceremony. The dramatic display of golden and white light that had filled the chamber. The crystal's inexplicable silence. And most significantly, the choice Tesha had presented when she had emerged from the chamber first, before the Elders had even begun filing out.
'Settle with your ward,' Tesha had said, her golden eyes carrying weight that transcended simple instruction. 'Decide if you truly wish to continue serving him. Because if you do, the relationship becomes permanent. For life. No turning back.'
Esme's hands trembled slightly as she walked. For life. The words carried implications that stretched beyond simple employment, beyond the typical servant relationship that governed most household positions. This was something far more binding, far more significant.
She turned another corner, passing servants who bowed and murmured greetings she barely registered. Her thoughts remained focused on Riven, on the young master who had emerged from near death with something changed in his eyes, something different in how he carried himself.
The fever had nearly claimed him. She had monitored his unconscious form for weeks, watching for any sign of decline, any indication that his body was giving up the fight. His heart had stopped completely at one point. She had thought him dead, had prepared herself for the grief of losing the charge she had served for three years.
Then suddenly he had revived. Against all medical expectation, against every physician's dire prognosis, he had simply started breathing again. And when he finally woke, when his eyes opened for the first time after weeks of unconsciousness, something about him had been fundamentally altered.
The way he looked at things. The questions he asked. The careful consideration he gave to information she provided. Even his manner of speaking had shifted subtly, carrying undertones she could not quite identify but definitely felt.
'Young Master,' she thought, the title feeling more natural now than Seventh Star ever had. 'What happened to you during that fever? What changed when your heart stopped and then started again?'
She reached the administrative wing where Tesha maintained her office. The corridors here were quieter, less trafficked by common servants. Only those with specific business approached this section, those summoned by the Patriarch's personal steward for matters of importance.
Esme stopped before a door marked with silver plating that read Steward Administration in elegant script. She took a breath, steadied herself, and knocked three times with practiced precision.
"Enter," came Tesha's voice from within, clear and authoritative even through solid wood.
Esme pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The office was exactly what one would expect from someone who managed the Patriarch's affairs and oversaw stewardship across fifteen major cities. Organized but not sterile. Efficient but not cold. Shelves lined three walls, packed with records and ledgers and documents that chronicled family business spanning decades. A large desk dominated the center space, its surface covered with neat stacks of paperwork that Tesha was currently reviewing with focused attention.
The golden eyed woman looked up as Esme entered, her expression shifting from concentration to acknowledgment.
"Esme," Tesha said, setting down the document she had been reading. "Right on time. Please, close the door behind you."
Esme obeyed, the soft click of the latch engaging feeling somehow significant in the quiet office. She turned back to face Tesha and pressed her right fist to her chest in formal salute.
"I greet the Head Steward," she said, the words carrying proper deference without being obsequious.
Tesha nodded, accepting the greeting. "Sit. We have important matters to discuss."
Esme moved to one of the chairs positioned before the desk and sat with careful posture. Her hands folded in her lap. Her breathing measured and controlled. Everything about her bearing spoke of professionalism cultivated through years of service, but beneath the composed exterior her heart hammered with anticipation.
Tesha studied her for a long moment, golden eyes reading details that most people would miss. Finally she reached into a drawer and withdrew a scroll bound with red ribbon, the material looking aged but well preserved, the kind of document that carried weight beyond its physical form.
She placed it on the desk between them, the scroll sitting there like a crossroads made tangible.
"Do you know what this is?" Tesha asked, her voice carrying unusual gravity.
"A contract," Esme replied, though the specific nature remained unclear.
"Not just any contract," Tesha corrected, pushing the scroll slightly closer. "This is an Aster Contract. One that binds stewards to the Stars they serve and to the Astravar family at large. Once signed, the bond becomes absolute. Unbreakable. For life."
Esme's breath caught. She had heard of Aster Contracts, had even signed one herself when first entering family service. But that had been a basic employment agreement, standard terms that every staff member accepted. Nothing like this.
"The contract you signed when you became a servant," Tesha continued, clearly reading her thoughts, "was minimal compared to what sits before you now. That bound you to basic service, required loyalty and discretion, established terms of employment that could be terminated under specific circumstances."
She tapped the scroll with one finger.
"This is different. This binds you to a Star. Not just to serve but to become an extension of their will. To act as their hands when they cannot be present. To speak with their authority when they are absent. To protect their interests with the same ferocity you would protect your own life."
The implications settled over Esme like weight. This was not employment. This was a partnership of the most profound kind. This was choosing to tie her fate completely to Riven's, for better or catastrophically worse.
"Why?" Esme asked, the question emerging before she could stop it. "Why does this bond need to be so absolute?"
Tesha's expression softened slightly, appreciation flickering across her features at the question's intelligence.
"Because Stars are not ordinary family members. They are potential Patriarchs. Possible future leaders of everything the Astravar control. When you bind yourself to a Star, you bind yourself to someone who may one day command fifteen cities, govern hundreds of thousands of people, make decisions that shape the entire western bloc."
She gestured at the scroll again.
"If your Star becomes Patriarch, you become their closest advisor. Their most trusted confidant. The person who knows all their secrets and manages all their private affairs. That level of intimacy, that degree of access to power, requires a bond stronger than any normal contract could provide."
Esme understood. This was not just about serving Riven now but about committing to serve whatever he became, whoever he might grow into, whatever position he eventually claimed within the family hierarchy.
"Let us review the terms together," Tesha said, untying the red ribbon with practiced movements. "You should understand exactly what you are agreeing to before making this choice."
She unrolled the scroll, revealing text written in formal script that seemed to shimmer slightly under the office lighting. Aster had been woven into the very ink, making the words carry weight beyond simple meaning.
"Seven clauses," Tesha began, her finger tracing the first section. "Each one binding. Each one enforced by cosmic energy itself. Breaking an Aster Contract does not simply mean legal consequences. It means the energy that flows through everything in Desolara will recognize your betrayal and respond accordingly."
She looked up, making sure Esme was paying attention.
"The first clause establishes absolute loyalty. You will serve your Star's interests above all others, including your own. If their success requires your sacrifice, you make that sacrifice without hesitation or complaint."
Harsh words, but Esme had expected nothing less.
"The second clause requires confidentiality. Everything you see, everything you hear, everything you learn while serving your Star remains private. You do not speak of their affairs to anyone, not family, not friends, not even other servants within the estate."
Tesha moved to the third section.
"The third clause grants authority. When acting in your Star's name, you carry their power. Other servants must obey you as they would obey the Star themselves. Lower ranking family members must show you courtesy. You become their voice and presence when they cannot be there personally."
'That's significant,' Esme thought. 'That means I could give orders that must be followed. Could make decisions that carry the same weight as if Young Master had made them himself.'
"The fourth clause addresses compensation. Your Star becomes responsible for your wellbeing. Housing, food, clothing, medical care, everything you need to live comfortably becomes their obligation. In return, you serve without additional payment. The bond itself is the currency."
Tesha paused, her expression becoming more serious.
"The fifth clause is perhaps the most demanding. You will place yourself in harm's way to protect your Star. If danger threatens them, you intercept it. If enemies attack, you become a shield. If assassination is attempted, you die so they do not have to."
Esme felt ice slide down her spine. The words were not metaphorical. This clause literally required her to sacrifice her life if necessary. To choose death over allowing Riven to face danger alone.
"The sixth clause prohibits betrayal in all its forms. You cannot spy for other family members. Cannot sell information to rivals. Cannot undermine your Star's position or work against their interests in any way, no matter how indirect. Violation of this clause results in immediate consequences from the Aster woven into the contract itself."
'What kind of consequences?' Esme wondered but did not ask. Some things were better left unknown until absolutely necessary.
"The seventh and final clause," Tesha said, reaching the bottom of the scroll, "establishes that this bond endures until death. Your death or your Star's death. Those are the only circumstances under which the contract terminates. There is no retirement. No resignation. No mutual agreement to part ways. Once signed, you are bound until one of you no longer exists."
The silence that followed felt heavy with implication. Seven clauses that would define the rest of Esme's life. Seven commitments that could not be unmade once accepted. Seven promises enforced by cosmic energy that would recognize and punish violation.