Chapter 1: The Grandelbell Family
The Grandelbell family mansion had a spacious living room with high ceilings and large windows facing the garden. Cream-colored velvet sofas were neatly arranged around a mahogany round table, while family portraits hung on ivory-painted walls.
A large stone fireplace in the corner of the room radiated warmth, though the fire within only flickered small flames due to the mild weather.
Sirius entered the living room with leisurely steps, still sipping tea from a white porcelain cup with gold trim. His ice-cold blue eyes looked tired after the earlier battle, but his expression remained calm as usual. Fenris followed behind him, his black tail swaying slowly.
On the long sofa, a small seven-year-old girl sat with her legs swinging because they didn't reach the floor. Her hair was white as snow with eyes as clear blue as a summer sky. Vera Grandelbell, the youngest of the family, was busy with a small teddy bear in her lap.
"Big brother Sirius!" Vera called out cheerfully upon seeing her brother enter. "It was so loud earlier! What happened in the garden?"
"Ah, just a bear that got lost," Sirius replied while sitting on the opposite sofa. He placed his teacup on the table and reached out to pat his little sister's head. "Sorry if it startled you."
Vera nodded, not looking scared at all. The child had been accustomed to the sounds of her brother's battles since she was small.
"Fenris!" she called while extending her hand toward the black wolf. "Come here!"
Fenris approached with careful steps, then sat beside Vera's sofa. The little girl immediately stroked the gleaming black fur, making the large wolf produce sounds like a cat's purr.
"Vera, don't bother Fenris. He's tired after fighting," Sirius scolded, but his tone was gentle.
"Don't worry, big brother. Fenris likes being petted like this," Vera giggled when Fenris licked her hand with his warm tongue.
The living room door opened, and a young woman with long white hair tied in a ponytail entered. Luna Grandelbell, Sirius's nineteen-year-old older sister, entered with a slightly annoyed expression. Her blue eyes—the same as Vera's—looked at Sirius with a gaze that had already predicted this incident.
"Sirius," she said while standing in front of the sofa with hands on her hips, "the gazebo is completely destroyed. The tea table is shattered to pieces. And there are ice marks all over the garden that made mother's roses wither."
Sirius winced. "I'll replace the gazebo."
"With what money?" Luna raised an eyebrow. "As far as I know, you don't have a job."
"I can ask father for extra allowance."
"Father is in the kingdom on political business. He won't be back for another week," Luna sighed deeply and finally sat on the same sofa as Vera. "I'll handle the gazebo repairs and garden restoration. Again."
Vera stopped petting Fenris and looked at both her siblings alternately. "Big brother Sirius always ruins the garden when there are magical animals," she commented innocently. "Why not fight in the forest instead?"
"Because if it's in the forest, other magical beasts will come smelling blood," Sirius answered while smiling at his little sister. "It's better in our own garden."
"That's a strange reason," Luna muttered, but she didn't protest further. She had dealt with situations like this too often.
The sound of gentle, soft footsteps could be heard from the kitchen direction. A woman in her mid-forties appeared carrying a tray of still-warm apple cake slices. Her white hair was tied in a low bun, while her blue eyes radiated the warmth of a mother.
"Apple cake for everyone," said Adeline Grandelbell in a gentle voice while placing the tray on the table. "And this is fresh chamomile tea for Sirius."
"Thank you, Mother," Sirius immediately took a piece of apple cake and bit into it. His expression brightened instantly. "Very delicious. The apples are sweet and crisp."
"Of course. The apples were just picked from the back garden this morning," Adeline sat in the single chair that was usually her favorite spot. "Oh, has Luna told you about the gazebo?"
Luna nodded. "Already, Mother. I'll call the craftsman tomorrow morning."
"The third gazebo this year," Adeline smiled amusedly while glancing at Sirius. "It seems we need to make a stone gazebo so it's more durable."
Sirius nearly choked on his apple cake. "Mother, don't make it from stone. If it gets damaged, it'll be hard to repair."
"Or how about you practice somewhere else?" Luna suggested with a sarcastic tone.
"The place is comfortable here. There's a gazebo for drinking tea after fighting, the scenery is beautiful, and it's close to the kitchen if I get hungry," Sirius replied casually while taking a second piece of cake.
Vera giggled at her brother's answer. "Big brother Sirius is just lazy to move places."
"Vera's right," Luna nodded in agreement. "Sirius is lazy."
"I'm not lazy," Sirius protested. "I'm just efficient."
The Grandelbell family laughed together—even Fenris joined in with soft barks like laughter. The warm and peaceful atmosphere enveloped the living room again, as if the earlier incident was just a small episode that usually occurred.
Adeline picked up her teacup and sipped it slowly. "Sirius, tomorrow you'll take the Asteria Academy entrance exam."
"Yes, Mother. Don't worry."
"Your father really wants you to enter that academy," the mother continued with a more serious tone. "Not because of reputation or anything, but because he wants you to learn to live independently."
Sirius stopped chewing his apple cake. He looked at his mother with a curious expression.
"So far you've lived comfortably at home," Adeline continued with a gentle but firm voice. "There are servants who take care of your needs, Luna who cleans up the messes you make, and us who always support you unconditionally. But at the academy, you have to take care of everything yourself."
"I can already take care of myself, Mother."
"Really?" Adeline smiled thinly. "Who washes your clothes? Who tidies your room? Who wakes you up every morning because you're so hard to wake up?"
Sirius fell silent. All those questions pointed to one answer: the servants and Luna.
"Asteria Academy is a large place with a dormitory system," his mother continued. "You'll live with your peers, follow schedules, and face various challenges without family help. Your father and I have agreed not to interfere with your academy affairs."
"What do you mean?" Sirius began to feel uncomfortable.
"If you have problems at the academy, you have to solve them yourself. If you make mistakes, you have to take responsibility yourself. If you need something, you have to work for it yourself," Adeline looked into her son's eyes seriously. "We won't help with money, connections, or the Grandelbell family influence."
Vera stopped playing with Fenris and looked at her mother with wide eyes. "So big brother Sirius can't come home if there are problems?"
"It's not that he can't come home, dear," Adeline stroked Vera's head. "But he has to learn to solve his problems himself first before asking for family help."
Luna smiled amusedly. "Finally Sirius will experience how difficult life is without someone cleaning up his messes."
"Sister Luna is mean," Vera protested while hugging Luna's arm. "Big brother Sirius is nice."
"Sirius is indeed nice, but he needs to learn to be mature," Luna replied while stroking her little sister's white hair. "At the academy he'll meet many people and face situations different from home."
Sirius sighed deeply and leaned back on the sofa. "So basically, I really have to be independent at the academy?"
"Exactly," Adeline nodded with a warm smile. "We believe you're capable, Sirius. You're a smart and strong child. It's just that you're too comfortable with the situation at home."
"But I'm already comfortable here. There's a garden for training, Fenris is here, the family is complete, the food is delicious..."
"That's exactly why your father wants you to step out of your comfort zone," his mother interrupted. "The experience at the academy will help you grow into an independent and responsible mature man."
Fenris suddenly walked closer to Sirius and placed his head on his master's lap. The wolf's red eyes looked at Sirius with a supportive gaze.
"At least Fenris can come to the academy, right?" Sirius asked while stroking his black wolf's head.
"Of course. Fenris is part of you," Adeline answered. "Besides, the academy allows familiars to stay in the dormitories."
Vera suddenly stood up from the sofa and ran toward Sirius. She hugged her brother tightly.
"Big brother Sirius, don't forget Vera, okay," she said with a slightly trembling voice. "Vera will miss you."
Sirius smiled gently and returned his little sister's hug. "Don't worry. The academy isn't far. I can come home during breaks."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Luna also approached and stroked Sirius's head with a gesture she rarely made. "I'll also miss our arguments about the broken gazebo," she said in a joking tone.
"I'll try not to damage academy property," Sirius promised.
"That's impossible," Luna laughed. "But at least it's not my responsibility to clean up anymore."
Adeline watched her children's interaction with teary eyes. This family was never openly emotional, but moments like this showed how much they cared for each other.
"Alright," Sirius finally said while releasing Vera's hug. "If I really have to be independent, I'll try. But don't blame me if I miss mother's cooking and apple cake."
"I'll send apple cake every week," Adeline promised with a warm smile.
"And I'll send reports of the damage you cause at the academy," Luna added with a mischievous tone.
"Very unfair," Sirius protested, but he laughed along.
That evening, the Grandelbell family spent time together in the living room. They talked about various things—from Luna's plans to renovate the garden, Vera's idea to make a goldfish pond, to stories from Sirius's childhood that always ended with property damage.
Outside the windows, the servants were still busy cleaning up the remnants of the earlier battle. But inside the house, family warmth radiated from every corner of the room.
Sirius didn't know that this would be his last night experiencing home comfort for some time to come. Tomorrow, his life would change completely.
And he also didn't know that his decision to take a casual approach to the entrance exam would lead him to adventures far more complicated than facing magical bears in the backyard.