Throwing her bag into the corner, Ayana collapsed heavily onto her bed. Her shoulders, bent beneath the unseen weight of the day, gradually loosened as though the silence of the room itself squeezed the exhaustion from her body. The velvety pillow absorbed what remained of her strength, while the cold silk sheets wrapped around her like a tether holding her back from falling into the abyss of her own thoughts.

Her eyes shut, and a mosaic of memories flooded her mind: endless hallways lined with marble walls, faces carved from ivory—cold, always the same, always distant. The echoing footsteps that resounded through the emptiness became a melody she despised. Her world felt like an elaborate, gilded labyrinth where she had long since lost herself.

"Rest..." The word flickered in her mind before fading as though it had never existed.

Her eyelids fluttered, and with them, her fleeting moment of peace was shattered.

— Miss, please wake up! — a voice called sharply.

— Sir and Madam await you at the table. Dinner will be served in a few minutes.

Her eyes opened, and it seemed as if even returning to this life took a toll on her. She noticed the heaviness in her limbs as she sat up, the kind of fatigue that lingered in every movement. Her weary gaze landed on the mirror by her bedside. A stranger stared back at her, someone she barely recognized, and she quickly looked away. There was no room for introspection. Instead, there was only the mask—the familiar, practiced façade that she donned to keep her true self hidden.

She adjusted her dress, the fabric so light it felt almost weightless against her skin. Yet it brought no comfort, only a reminder of the chasm between who she was and who she was expected to be. Each step forward reverberated through the hallway like a hollow echo, a ghostly resonance of a life bound by rules that weren’t her own.

When Ayana reached the threshold of the dining hall, the mask was firmly in place.

Seated at the grand table were her parents—figures carved from marble, emblems of power and control. Her father, Fujiwara Takatsu, was statuesque, his chiseled features betraying neither warmth nor weakness. Every line of his face declared mastery over the world around him. His eyes, perpetually cold, conveyed silent command, his faint, strategic smile a mark of absolute certainty.

Beside him sat her mother, Sayonji Naoko, regal in her elegance. Her power was subtler but no less potent. Every movement was deliberate, every glance a carefully wielded blade. She rarely smiled, her expression always composed, concealing strength behind an impenetrable mask of serenity. Even her silence carried weight, a reminder that her mere presence dictated the shape of the world around her.

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Ayana stood motionless for a heartbeat longer, observing the tableau. The table was a picture of luxury—snow-white linen, gleaming silverware, crystal glasses filled with rare wine. Soft candlelight danced over the immaculate setting, creating a semblance of warmth. But behind this façade lay an icy precision that suffocated rather than comforted.

"Please, sit," her father intoned without looking up. His voice, as always, was precise and clipped. He didn’t need to acknowledge her directly; his command was already absolute. Her mother remained silent, but Ayana could feel the piercing weight of her gaze—a blade poised to strike should she falter.

With measured grace, Ayana approached and took her seat. She sat without a sound, her movements fluid, her presence subdued. She became one with the carefully orchestrated scene, another piece in the grand mechanism of their world.

— Is Hiroto late again? Out wasting my money, no doubt,— her father remarked, his words as sharp and dismissive as ever. His eyes remained fixed on the empty chair where her younger brother would normally sit, the disdain in his voice devoid of anger—just the steady, unrelenting judgment that formed the bedrock of his character.

— Don’t be too harsh, dear,— her mother replied softly, her tone velvet-smooth but tinged with latent tension. — He’ll be home soon, I’m sure.

Her words were polished, her demeanor composed, but every syllable held hidden edges. Even when she offered peace, there was no mistaking her absolute control.

Ayana sat silently, absorbing the scene without truly engaging. The world around her was constructed of perfect facades—every word, every glance carefully calculated. She chewed her food slowly, her movements refined and noiseless, while the delicate chime of poured wine echoed faintly. But her mind wandered. The specter of her nightmares lingered just out of reach, a dark stain on this pristine reality.

Her father broke the silence again, his voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.

— How was your day, Ayana? When is the Math Olympiad?

He didn’t glance her way, absorbed in the documents spread before him, but every word was a demand, precise and weighty. There was no room for error.

— Next week, Father,— she answered, her tone calm, controlled. The emptiness returned, filling her voice as she recited the expected response. In his world, nothing short of perfection sufficed.

He said nothing at first. His eyes scanned the papers, but his presence loomed. When he finally looked up, his gaze was as frigid as the winter sky.

— You will take first place. At any cost,— he declared, his words not a suggestion, but a decree. — There is no place for failure in this family. Weakness is unacceptable.

The command was quiet, but it rang with unshakable finality. It needed no elaboration. It had been the law of her existence since childhood.

Ayana nodded. No hesitation, no defiance. Her face remained a mask of composure, though her soul stirred beneath the weight of those words. In this family, she was a cog in a vast, unfeeling machine. Her success was not her own; it was fuel to keep the mechanism running.

Yet the void inside her grew deeper still.