The Ancestor's Story

Fifteen years ago, when the five-year-old Felix had just moved into Vosroda Manor, she still called that man "Father." Though she had not been dressed in gorgeous frilly dresses as she had imagined, nor had she become the little princess of her dreams, but had instead had her hair cut short and was subjected to the strictest aristocratic education, Felix quickly adapted to her new life. Young as she was, she could not yet read the mockery in the servants' eyes or the impatience in her tutors' voices. Everything in the manor was so novel, and every day was filled with joy. Like a wild child, she charged around the manor every day, climbing trees, wading into the lake, and getting covered in dirt. She also loved sneaking peeks at Dimi's lessons—horsemanship, swordsmanship, piano, painting... Aside from mealtimes, Felix had never seen Dimi rest. Once, she climbed a tree to shoot sparrows and called out to Dimi as he was passing by, inviting him up to play. Felix always felt that when Dimi waved his hand in refusal, a flicker of envy had flashed in his eyes. Yet there was also something about Dimi that Felix envied, because whenever Father returned, he only ever checked Dimi's work. Felix would hide outside the study window, watching Father pick out dozens of areas for improvement from Dimi's near-perfect marks. There was never a word of praise, only endless criticism. Back then, looking at this unfamiliar elder brother, she felt both pity and envy... because Father at least cared about Dimi. Only when someone cares about you do you count as anything; otherwise, you are nothing at all. To draw Father's attention, Felix was particularly mischievous during those few days. She drew grimacing faces on statues, plucked the most precious flowers in the garden, and climbed onto the roofs, sending the servants into a frenzy. Yet no matter what she did, Father never spared her a single glance... He didn't even scold her. Nothing provokes a child's anger more than indifference. Stubborn Felix simply refused to believe Father truly didn't care about her in the slightest, so she seized an opportunity to slip into Father's study, wanting to see if there was anything fun inside. Doodling on maps, playing with models—though Felix had no idea what secrets a duke's study might hold, that didn't stop her from having a grand time. But when she accidentally knocked over a rune-inscribed armor stand and was at a total loss for what to do, an exclamation came from the doorway: "What are you doing here?" It wasn't Father; it was Dimi. Hearing a noise from the study, he had come in to check, only to find his younger brother making an absolute mess of the room. His first reaction was to quickly drag his brother away. Felix knew she had caused trouble and was somewhat afraid of being scolded, but Dimi's insistence on dragging her out only made her dig her heels in, stubbornly refusing to budge. Dimi was three years older and regularly practiced swordsmanship, so an eight-year-old child naturally possessed more strength than a five-year-old. Yet once Felix grew stubborn, she wrapped both arms and legs around a nearby white jade sculpture, and Dimi couldn't budge her no matter how hard he pulled. In the midst of their scuffle, Felix happened to twist the white jade sculpture. With a soft click, a secret door appeared in the study. Both children stared in awe. Felix immediately moved to push the secret door open, but Dimi grabbed her. "This is Father's study. We shouldn't go in, right?" Only, Dimi was merely clutching the hem of Felix's clothes, not putting any strength into it at all. A hidden room in their father's study was simply too enticing for an eight-year-old boy. "Then don't come. I'll go in myself!" "Wait!" Dimi immediately stopped her, stepping forward of his own accord. "Let me go in first!" "Hmph, hypocrite!" Felix naturally had no idea that a secret chamber might hold dangers; she only thought Dimi was saying one thing and doing another, telling her not to go in while rushing to be the first one through. When the two expectant children entered the secret chamber, they were soon disappointed. Inside, there were neither divine weapons nor barriers sealing monsters away, much less any pretty young lady hidden away—there were only... paintings. The ever-burning "Daystar" illuminated this quaint, luxurious room. The bold children stepped onto the plush carpet, gazing at the portraits lining the walls. There were men and women, weathered elders and valiant youths, but without exception, every person in the paintings had a head of golden hair. The largest portrait hung right in the center of the wall. Its frame was carved with gold and silver patterns, the paper was as bright as new, and the brushwork was so masterful that even children could tell it was a work of uncanny craftsmanship. Yet what stunned Dimi and Felix most was nothing other than the breathtaking beauty of the person in the portrait. "So beautiful..." "This big sister is so pretty..." Heroic vigor and enchanting allure, tenderness and passion, delicate grace and cool aloofness—the person in the painting seemed to embody every magnificent quality in the world, inspiring awe and yearning in the children across countless spans of time. Involuntarily, they drew closer, wanting to reach out and touch this eternal beauty frozen in the seams of time. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" Hearing a dignified, solemn voice behind them, both children jumped in fright. Their scalps prickling, they turned around to see the cold, stern Duke of Vosroda stepping into the secret chamber. Even Felix, who had wanted nothing more than to draw her father's attention, was trembling so hard her legs shook; though Father hadn't said anything, she was panicking to the point of tears. Dimi was terrified as well, yet he still stepped forward on his own initiative and tried to explain, "Father, we didn't—" "The first time I came in here, I swore I would marry the woman in that painting," the Duke of Vosroda said. "After I told your grandfather, he strung me up and beat me half to death. Because the person in that portrait is the ancestor of our Vosroda family." Dimi blinked. He thought he caught a trace of a smile tugging at the corner of Father's mouth, but when he looked closer, Father was as stern as ever... Even when recounting such an embarrassing blunder from his youth in front of the children, the Duke of Vosroda didn't seem to care. Once the children fully processed their father's words, they whipped around to stare at the painting, their hearts rocked to their cores. Felix stammered, "The—the ancestor was a woman?!" "No, a man." The Duke of Vosroda said, "He had no personal name and went simply by Vosloda. It is a name taken from the Anthology of the Stars. 'Vos' represents sovereignty, and 'loda' signifies conquest. Vosloda means to master destiny and conquer all." Dimi said immediately, "I will surely keep the ancestor's glory engraved in my heart!" Belatedly, Felix chimed in in a hurry, "Me too!" The Duke of Vosroda paid no mind to the two children's flattery and waved his hand. "Go on out." Seeing that Father wasn't going to punish her for making trouble, Felix wasn't afraid anymore. Tilting her head up full of hope, she asked, "Will I be as pretty as the ancestor when I grow up?" Dimi couldn't help asking as well, "Father, could you tell us the ancestor's story?" The Duke of Vosroda fell silent for a moment, gazing at the portrait, lost in thought. Just as the children thought their father wouldn't answer their questions, the solemn Duke let out a soft sigh. "Being that beautiful is not necessarily a blessing. "A thousand years ago, civil strife broke out across the Starry Kingdom, and nobles waged war against one another. Rising from humble origins, our ancestor followed the Fourth Princess to quell the rebels, overthrew the Azure Star Dynasty, and established the Golden Star Dynasty... When you look up at night and see the brightest golden star in the due north, that is the banner of the Starry royal family." "What does 'rising from humble origins' mean?" Felix didn't understand. "Does it mean the ancestor wasn't a noble?" "It means the ancestor came from a poor background," explained the comparatively more educated Dimi. "The ancestor probably wasn't a noble to begin with, but an ordinary commoner." "Not even a commoner. The ancestor..." The Duke of Vosroda paused. "He was someone who brought pleasure to others with his beauty." "Whoa!" Felix exclaimed in astonishment. "The ancestor was such a nice person? That's practically... practically... right, was he doing charity?" Dimi wasn't as naive as Felix. Catching Father's veiled implication, he couldn't help looking up at his delicately handsome ancestor, an inexplicable wave of pity welling in his heart. "Why did the Noble War break out?" Dimi asked. "Was the royal family back then bad?" "The system was flawed," the Duke of Vosroda said. "Back then, the Nobility Act did not yet exist. There was only a crude aristocratic system, wholly incapable of accommodating the growing number of sorcerers and the competing interests of the populace. The upper class lived in hedonistic stupor, while the lower classes trampled one another. "The Noble War was not merely a violent confrontation. Various factions put forward different political platforms, and even the Church split because of it, aiding different monarchs in promoting different Acts of the Stars. In the end, the Golden Rose Empress garnered the most support from the populace and commanded the mightiest army, establishing the Golden Star Dynasty that endures to this day. And the Nobility Act she introduced became the political foundation of the Stars..." Just as the Duke of Vosroda and Dimi were about to take the conversation deeper, Felix, completely unable to follow, grew dissatisfied and asked loudly, "Why is it a bad thing to be as beautiful as the ancestor?" The Duke of Vosroda glanced at her, considered for a moment, and shut the secret chamber door. Felix gasped, thinking she was about to get spanked on her bottom—whenever she was naughty, her mother often spanked her. Dimi thought Father was angry as well; stepping in front of Felix, he began unfastening his belt, thinking that if there was to be punishment, they would take the beating together. "Whatever I say next, pretend you never heard it, and never speak of it to anyone else," the Duke of Vosroda said sternly. "Do you hear me?!" "Yes, Father!" the children hurriedly promised. The Duke of Vosroda walked up to the portrait. Looking from behind, the children suddenly realized that Father indeed bore some resemblance to the ancestor. It wasn't just the golden hair; Father's eyes and brows were very similar to the ancestor's, as poetic as a bird soaring across the sky. It was only because Father was perpetually expressionless that the children hadn't noticed... But looking at the ancestor's portrait, they vaguely felt that Father might have been quite handsome in his youth as well. "How many dukes are there in the Stars?" he asked suddenly. "Five in total, including Vosroda!" Dimi replied promptly. "Collectively known as the Five Pillars of Stars!" "The five founding dukes of the Stars were all legendary sorcerers of distinguished renown—either battle-hardened army commanders, healing saints capable of bringing the dead back to life, or harbingers of calamity who could move mountains and overturn seas," the Duke of Vosroda said. "Apart from our ancestor, the other dukes were two men and two women. Counting the Fourth Princess, who ascended the throne as the Empress, that makes two men and three women in total..." Here, the Duke of Vosroda paused. The children wondered why he was mentioning this, but with Father remaining silent, they didn't dare ask. Nearly a full minute passed before the Duke of Vosroda finally squeezed out these words: "Every one of them was in love with our ancestor."