Aria could not stop herself from looking through the window. It was already dawn, and she was the first person to wake up in the whole house—or rather, in the whole area, to be precise.
The sky looked happy, although its true brightness and glory had not yet begun to shine. The little orange rays of the sun were emerging from beneath the dark clouds, which were slowly leaving and fading away as their time to rule the sky came to an end.
The breeze was cool and fresh, sweeping through everywhere, but none of this mattered to Aria Fleur. She remained standing patiently by the window, looking out for someone.
The mailman.
He was supposed to bring the letter that would determine whether she had gained admission into THE ELARION UNIVERSITY.
It was the capital city's prestigious university, one of the greatest universities in the whole of Elarion.
For a girl from the Ardentis Clan, gaining admission into EU would be a dream come true.
Although it was natural for Aria to be knowledgeable and bright, since the people of the Ardentis Clan were known to possess immense knowledge and wisdom, they were still considered inferior and treated like trash in the presence of the other clans.
It wasn't as if the Ardentis people were useless or had nothing special about them. They were simply underestimated.
Other clans, like the Vayne, were presently considered the oldest and most prestigious clan in Elarion because of their close connection to the Valmyr Clan, the royal clan.
The Valmyr were the people who held the throne, the monarchs who stood at the very top of Elarion's hierarchy. The Vayne, however, were extremely close to them because of their affluence and prestige.
Only people from the Vayne Clan were allowed to have special contact with the royal family. It was almost as if it were an unspoken rule—one that nobody but them could break.
But the same opportunity should have been given to the Ardentis.
Unfortunately, a mistake their ancestors had made many years ago had affected not only them but other so-called inferior clans, such as the Draxen and Morven.
All these political rivalries and hatred had nothing to do with Aria.
She only wanted to complete her final degree in M. Law & Governance.
It was her final step toward success after completing her first degree in Education. She believed that if she could gain admission into this university, she might finally be able to change the fate of her people and restore their stolen and broken honour.
"Please let it be positive!" Aria whispered to herself, still standing by the window.
The opportunities, strength, energy, time, and effort she had invested into gaining this admission were things she never wanted to waste or lose.
Her fight and struggle with education had begun when she was seventeen—a teenager with a dream—and now, at twenty-three, she stood waiting for the result of everything she had worked for.
She waited.
And prepared.
"Ting! Ting!"
The iron mailbox sounded.
Bram had just placed the letter inside before leaving immediately, as usual. He never spent more than a minute delivering any mail, and his presence barely lingered afterward.
"Yes!" Aria exclaimed.
She caught only a brief glimpse of his blue clothes before his swift movements carried him out of sight.
Her hands quickly unlocked the door in front of her.
Her feet were too excited to remember that she had no shoes on as she hurried outside for the short walk to the mailbox.
She wore a long grey nightgown, simple and unadorned, with loose sleeves around her arms. Two thin ropes were threaded through the neckline and tied in a lazy knot at her collarbone, holding the gown together. The fabric hung gently over her frame, swaying with each step. The rope ties, slightly frayed at the ends, looked as though they had been retied a hundred quiet nights before.
Finally, she pushed open the rusty old mailbox and gripped the envelope in her hands.
It was purple, with her name boldly written at the bottom left corner:
ARIA FLEUR,
Her fingers removed the red pin sealing it, and she carefully pulled out the letter, printed on smooth brown paper.
She lifted it before her eyes and began reading every word, her heart heavy with anticipation, as though her breathing might stop.
Then Aria's eyes fell upon the words in the middle.
"Admission... Into... Congratulations... You have been offered admission into..."
She read the words again, her eyes moving over them like a scanner.
It was official.
She had been accepted.
"Mother! Father! Alex! Nia!"
Aria called out, her eyes still chained to and captured by the words written on the letter.
"And what's the matter now?" Nia asked.
She emerged from the kitchen holding a glass mug after drinking some fresh coconut water. Her shoulders leaned against the threshold of the door, but her eyes still looked dreamy. Her black hair fell around her shoulders, swaying gently like vines.
"Sister, my admission!" Aria said, smiling so brightly that she almost became stiff with excitement.
"What? Your what?" Nia asked.
Aria's elder sister suddenly flew toward her like a falcon and grabbed the paper from her sister's trembling hands.
"Oh my! Everyone!" Nia shouted, staring at Aria in complete happiness.
"What is it?" their father, Asher, and mother, Nerina, asked, with Alex walking behind them.
"She has been accepted!" Nia announced, revealing the splendid news.
"What?!" the three of them exclaimed together.
They joined the two sisters in their celebration, jumping and laughing with happiness.
Soon, the news went flying—not just through the Fleur family compound, but almost throughout the entire area.
It was indeed good news.
Their happiness could not be hidden, nor could it be diminished. It was pure and lively.
Aria had been given a great opportunity to step forward and begin a brighter future, building a better tomorrow.
Her dream was slowly coming true.
A simple feast was going to be held that day as they happily invited friends and neighbours to celebrate with them.