"It's been a month since I started working in our family's noodle shop.

I've mastered the art of noodle-making during this time.

Like clockwork, I wake up at 4 A.M., take a clean bath from head to toe, and put on the white chef's dress with our shop's name on the chest.

At the stroke of five, I'm in the kitchen, blending ingredients to knead the dough, fine-tuning its texture. After a half-hour rest, the dough is rolled out and sliced into noodles. The act of cooking the noodles is what I relish the most.

It's not a tedious task. I learned how to make noodles from my mother at a very young age, but I'm clueless about making the broth for the noodle soup.

My father keeps telling me that I'm not ready to make soup.

We serve 15 dishes in our shop, each with a unique flavor and seasonal ingredients, but I'm forbidden from touching anything or even being nearby when my father prepares the soup. He serves the customers himself, not even allowing me to step out of the kitchen.

My sole responsibility is to make the noodles. I don't mind doing one thing, but it becomes a bit tiresome to repeat the same task.

The kitchen can be a dull place. I only need to produce noodles when a customer graces our shop, which isn't a frequent occurrence. Last month, we served around 100 customers. Most of them are regulars who visit our shop for the affordable prices or to talk to my father about society.

We're managing to pay the bills with the number of customers we get each month. Even with some difficulties, we still have some money left after paying off all debts from my mother’s Rift Rider’s life insurance.

My father and I haven't discussed my joining the Rift Rider academy since I returned from the ROT trial. I know my father is relieved that I won't become a Rift Rider. Ever since my mother passed away, he avoids any topics related to the Rift and my mother.

My mother was a beautiful woman who always encouraged me to choose the path I loved, even if it led to nowhere. She believed that we could always turn around and try another path. But right now, I feel like I'm standing alone, facing a massive wall.

Oh, how I wish you were here, Mom.”

"Archie, Aimee has arrived," Elbert's voice echoed from downstairs, interrupting Archie's solitude. He was perched on his bed, pen and notebook in hand, pouring his thoughts onto paper as if conversing with an unseen companion.

"SCRATCH!" "SCRATCH!"At the sound of his father's voice, Archie hastily crossed out his musings, ripped the page from the notebook, and discarded it in the trash bin.

"SIGH!" Archie expelled a sigh, steeling himself for the impending encounter.

Stolen novel; please report.

Archie was still clad in his chef's uniform, a small stain marring the pristine white fabric above the shop's name.

For the past week, Archie had been secretly honing his skills in soup-making, unbeknownst to his father.

Oblivious to the stain, Archie descended the stairs to welcome the visitors.

"Aimee has been accepted into the world's second-ranked academy," A shrill female voice announced triumphantly as Archie entered the diner. He spotted Aimee and her parents, Grayson and Jill. Apart from this trio, the diner was deserted.

Jill, Aimee’s mother, sported long, fiery red hair neatly tied, cascading down her shoulders and almost brushing the floor. She sat regally on a chair, draped in a lavish golden gown adorned with a matching bracelet. Her attire was a stark contrast to Grayson and Aimee's simple, monochromatic cotton clothes.

Elbert stood before them, a tray with three empty cups in his hands.

Archie positioned himself next to his father, mentally preparing for the forthcoming confrontation.

"My daughter Aimee, your cousin, has been admitted to Rhoson, the second-ranked academy," Jill declared, a smug grin playing on her lips. She added haughtily, "I heard you received a Non-Graded 'F' Ethereal. Aimee has an Graded 'A' Ethereal. Now you and your father understand why your family history matters."

"Jill!" Grayson attempted to interject, raising his voice, but quickly fell silent under Jill's icy glare.

Grayson clicked his tongue in disapproval and retorted, "Coward! Your entire family is worthless, including your nephew Archie. Your daughter would have ended up with a Non-Graded 'F' Ethereal like the rest of your useless family if I hadn’t married you, Grayson."

Jill's words hung heavy in the air, not out of fear, but because they had no choice but to endure her tirade. Jill hailed from a branch family of the High Clans.

The High Clans are descendants of the Originals who established each clan that oversees each district and controls the Rift Riders. Jill is a member of one of the high clan branch families that governs this district.

Jill's marriage to Grayson, a man of lower status, was driven by one simple emotion: 'Love.' Jill and Grayson were colleagues at the school where Archie studied. Despite her high clan lineage, Jill was a Non-Graded 'C' Ethereal, making her an outsider within her own family. However, she was a respected individual and a beloved character.

Grayson fell for Jill during their tenure at the school. Post their marriage, Jill's personality underwent a drastic transformation, fueled by jealousy and an inferiority complex towards Archie’s mother, who was a triumphant Rift Rider with a Graded 'A' Ethereal before Archie was born. This led Jill down a path of resentment, bringing out the worst in her.

"Shall we leave? You told them the good news. There's no reason to stay here, right?" Aimee stuttered, her gaze fixed on Jill, who was glaring at Archie.

But Archie met her glare with a small smile, which seemed to infuriate Jill further. She spat out, "You're going to die as a nobody like your mother."

"MOM!" "JILL!"

Aimee and Grayson voiced their outrage at Jill's disrespectful remark towards Archie, while Elbert remained silent. But Archie, sporting a wide grin, retorted, "Sorry for my mother, Jill, that she was better than you." "You..." The moment Jill heard Archie’s retort, she raised her hand to slap him, but before she could…

"SLAP!" Elbert's hand connected with Archie's face, sending him sprawling on the floor.

Archie looked up, the realization that he had been slapped by his father dawning on him, as a tingling sensation spread across his left cheek. Elbert, his expression grave, admonished,

"Always be respectful to your elders. Your mother would be ashamed if she saw you behave like this."

Archie simply rose to his feet, bowed respectfully to Jill, then retreated to his room without uttering another word or looking back, bravely holding back his tears.