Saria Vallhall was a considerably tall girl for her age group, but, amongst her family, she was the shortest one besides Rotsard.
Although that was where the common ground with her cousin ended.
Saria's hair was naturally brilliantly silver, even lighter color than her father's, and her eyes weren't so much yellow as almost golden.
Those features, coupled with fair porcelain-like skin without any blemishes that was compared to the moonlight dozens of times, already made her quite the beauty at merely fifteen.
The statement that in a few years Saria would become the most beautiful of not just their kingdom but the whole continent was already a widely accepted truth within the Vallhall family.
But Saria wasn't just looks and no substance.
Her talent for magic soared above that of other youths of the main family and even topped many of the adults.
But being blessed in so many ways didn't do wonders for Saria's character…
Though, it wasn't as if she was some condescending, obnoxious brat…
More like…
Spoiled little princess that always got what she wanted by barely lifting her finger because everyone loved her that much.
And Saria did love everyone back. She wholeheartedly believed that her family was the most important and takes precedent over everything else.
…there was just one person who did not fit into that perfect image, though…
Rotsard Vallhall.
That lazy bum wasn't deserving of their family name, and it wasn't as if he should have it. He was neither born within the main branch of the family nor did he achieve anything noteworthy enough to get adopted into it!
The person who was adopted in the first place, was Rotsard's father, but it was already after Rotsard himself was born!
Saria didn't know the full circumstances of what occurred then and what kind of developement happened, that despite Rotsard's father passing away, the boy wasn't sent back to his actual blood relatives and instead was kept by her family.
What she did know was that he was a stain on the honor and good name of all Vallhalls!
And her attitude definitely had nothing to do with the fact that in her early childhood, she spent her days playing and laughing together with her favorite big brother Rotsard, only to one day receive a freezing-cold treatment and resentment from him!
That betrayal had nothing to do with how she saw him!
Saria already used up all of her good will on futile attempts to patch up their relationship as cousins who were once close as siblings.
And the whole cousin thing was also an overstatement.
Their actual bloodlines have had the last common ancestor over half a millennia ago!
No!
No forgiveness!
No attempts at it either!
Never again!
If anything, that trash had to pay!
Even if Saria didn't want to have ANY relation to Rotsard now, he still was a part of the Vallhall family… just thinking about that was making Saria incredibly angry… so people outside the family would surely misunderstand and see her through the lenses stained by his incompetence!
Saria could not fix what that trash had already messed up during a whole year he had in the Royal Academy, but now that she was going to attend it too, things had to change.
Rotsard had to be taught a tough lesson of how to behave, and Saria was more than willing to give it to him.
The problem was actually getting to him, though…
*WHAM*
"TRASHSARD!"
The door was opened with enough power to make it slam against the walls and almost feal out of its hinges, and Saria entered the room with a furious but kind of triumphant roar…
"KYAAAH!? Y-young Miss Saria!? What's going on!?
…only to be greeted by a panicked scream of a startled maid who has been in the middle of changing Evander Vallhall's bandages…
"..."
"O-oh…! I'm sorry…"
The silent glare of her uncle's beastly yellow eyes caused Saria to blush and start backing off, suddenly acting all cutesy as she apologized.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I'm sorry, uncle…"
Saria bowed her head to both the maid and Evander, reaching out and grabbing the door handle, most likely intending to leave in shame.
"That brat was here earlier. You barely missed him... Didn't you pass him on your way here?"
"Eh? N-no! But I was paying attention, though! And you were too, right, Spite?"
"Nmmmm."
Evander let out a deep sigh before rolling his eyes and pointing out, causing Saria to blush even harder and ask while looking over her shoulder from where she received a sort of confirming grumbling whine.
As for the creature that responded to her, it was Saria's contracted fae.
Quite the peculiar one, too.
Spite looked like a giant plushie. A stuffed toy sheep with massive, permanently half-opened, fake eyes. The part that was even more unusual than a four-feet-tall toy sheep was its comically large zipper starting at the base of its cute little tail and going through its entire belly and around its neck, and ending in a massive slider under its throat, finished with a pull in the shape of a cowbell.
As for how Saria already had a contracted fae already…
Well, there wasn't much mystery or adventure attached.
Young Saria learned about the summoning and contracts with fae, and cutely asked and adorably nagged her elders to allow her to try it. They agreed because no one expected it to work….
Yet despite all odds, it did, proving how immense Saria's talent was.
Only that Spite's original form scared young Saria and made her cry, so the troubled fae created a disguise and kept it on ever since, only getting out when its contractor was in danger.
"She agreed with me that we didn't pass by him."
Saria looked back at her uncle and translated the whine.
"Uncle, is someone like him really trying to learn our spells?"
"He's pissing me off, that's what he does!"
The grumpy girl pouted and grumbled before getting shocked at her uncle's response.
"I actually tried to teach him! But that brat doesn't have any intention to actually try! It's always the same! We're done with the theory, and I teach him the pattern in which to circulate his mana! What does he do then!? He spends the rest of the day trying to complete it, fails, and then demands I teach him another one because 'he's clearly not compatible with this one'! OF COURSE HE'S NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SOMETHING HE TRIES FOR ONLY ONE DAY!"
Evander scoffed, getting agitated enough to raise his voice into a furious growl.
"My lord, please calm down. Your wounds will reopen."
"...haaah…"
The maid who leaned away during the outburst, calmly returned to her duties and pointed out, causing Evander to let out a tired sigh and look away grumpily.
"On the bright side, today was the last day you have to teach him."
"...huh…? Why is that?"
Saria swayed from side to side before pointing out, trying to be nice, but her words made Evander furrow his brows and inquire sharply.
"Eh? Well.. umm… Because I'm leaving for the Royal Academy tomorrow, and I just assumed that he would be leaving too…"
Under the intense glare of the beastly yellow eyes, Saria fidgeted and answered apologetically.
"Haaaa… as if. That brat said he's not going anywhere until he learns a spell that he's compatible with. And… I'm using his words now… 'Academy can wait'."
"!!!"
Evander shocked his niece with that revelation.
"While it won't take too long since there's only that many spells in Essence of Winter to begin with, if you look on the bright side, that might be his way of saying he's dropping out… so that's one less bother for you."
The man added with a shrug, but if he expected his words to make his niece happy…
"THAT TRASH! SPITE! COME! WE HAVE TO FIND HIM AND TEACH HIM A LESSON!"
"Nmmm…"
He was wrong, as proven by Saria's face turning red as she roared and stormed out of the room, calling for her contracted fae who merely let out a muffled whine and trotted after her without any hurry.
But Saria did not find Rotsard, and the next day she grumpily left the Vallhall castle in a carriage going to the Royal Academy.
As for Rotsard, in the eyes of everyone, he halfheartedly took the magic lessons from the guard captain, never actually completing any practical part and infuriating the man to no end.
The lessons ended with Evander doing his best at teaching Rotsard the Descent of the Silent Night, and failing to make him practice it properly yet again, on the day before the official beginning of the school year.
At this point, not a single soul in the castle had any doubts that Rotsard wasn't going to return to the Royal Academy.
But together with the new sunrise, as a servant was sent to Rotsard's room to inform him about the patriarch summoning him to have a discussion regarding the Academy and most likely the boy's position within the Vallhall family…
…the room was found empty, with specks of fine ice dust slowly melting on the floor…
And the extensive search revealed only that Rotsard was no longer in the castle or even anywhere near it.