Avoid The Lead, No Matter What!

3. Elfsworth Academy

.

Hours became days, days became weeks, weeks became months, and months spanned into years...

Two years went by in a blink, and Celia spent that time ticking off a list of things a dutiful daughter should know...

She learned to ride, learned to dance, learned basic fencing, learned her manners, learned to play chess, and paid attention to her studies.

But that was just on the surface...

Her genius, combined with twenty-five lifetimes of learning the same things, raised her skill and knowledge levels for above most adults, so she displayed only what was necessary... Just enough to be a dutiful daughter, and qualify for the Elfsworth Magic Academy, Luxia's biggest magic secondary school.

She wasn't sure why she felt drawn to Elfsworth Academy, or why her desire to attend was so overwhelming, but going there felt right!

However, the elders who knew how brilliant she was as a child troopin in to complain before her father...

"What happened?! She was so promising as a child!" A High Mage lamented to her father. "So talented and such a rare beauty! I thought I had met the future Queen!"

'Peh peh peh!' Celia was eavesdropping from outside the door, so she could only curse in her head. 'Which Queen?! Old man, If you want to die, die on your own!'

Thankfully, Lord Scarlett remained the ever-supportive father, and he merely chuckled. "My Cece is still a genius! How many can enter Elfsworth?! Only the top geniuses of the Kingdom!"

"It's not the same! There are a select few who don't even need to go there, and they get lessons directly from the King's Grand Mage! I thought she would be one of them...!" The old man complained.

Outside the door, Celia smiled and skipped away.

In past lives, Celia had indeed been one of the Golden Five... Rare geniuses chosen to study in the palace.

But that had only made it easy for Prince Vitav to notice her and study her, and his desire to become King made him choose her as his bride.

He wasn't wrong... Celia's presence beside him had solidified both his father's and the people's favour for him, making him the perfect candidate for King, despite being an illegitimate prince.

By Celia's thirteenth life, she was already bored of all those predictable events, but she put herself in the same places, determined to live and love Vitav, and the only changes she made were to try saving her life.

But in this life, Celia was determined to avoid the Palace and Vitav.

So she looked forward to life at Elfsworth Academy, where she could blend in, lay low, maybe make a friend or two, and experience life differently!

.

That night, Celia's peaceful slumber was suddenly interrupted by a fierce voice echoing through her dreams.

"You'll never be happy together!" The words made her toss and turn, as the winter winds whistled softly outside, and moonlight bathed her room in a soft glow.

As she struggled in her sleep, images of an exquisite ice chandelier flashed before her eyes, and she found herself at a grand hall adorned with glittering crystals.

'My eighteenth birthday!' She thought, recognizing the familiar scene.

She had danced with Vitav on this day, and he had claimed her first kiss, leaving her lightheaded and blushing.

But now, the hall was shrouded in semi-darkness and the chandelier's bluish glow made her feel anxious.

She raised a hand to her head as her mind reeled, and the persistent voice came again...