Morning at Snowflake Mansion had slowly become routine.
Sunlight filtered through the tall windows as Aster sat at the dining table, absently tapping a rhythm on the wooden surface while reading academy notes. Across from him, Astra sipped warm tea, humming quietly under her breath—testing pitch control without even realizing it.
"You're doing it again," Arlienne said with a gentle smile as she set breakfast down. "Practicing even before classes start."
Aster looked up, slightly embarrassed. "Habit."
Astra smiled innocently. "It helps me wake up."
Lea arrived moments later, already half-dressed in her academy uniform, chewing on bread while complaining loudly about early schedules and boring lectures. Rain followed more quietly, politely greeting Arlienne and helping carry plates without being asked.
For a brief moment, the mansion felt less like the home of famous twins and more like any other household sending children off to school.
Arlienne watched them leave together—laughing, arguing lightly, discussing classes—and felt a quiet sense of relief.
At least for now…
They were just students.
A week passed quietly at the Royal Academy of Vornis.
Quietly—but not uneventfully.
For Aster and Astra Snowflake Wynfall, academy life settled into a steady rhythm far faster than anyone expected.
Morning lectures.
Afternoon theory classes.
Light mana exercises.
Evening self-study.
They attended classes together, walked the long academy corridors with Lea and Rain, and returned to Snowflake Mansion each night with stories to tell their mother.
For the most part, life was… smooth.
Too smooth.
***
Class A gradually found its balance.
Students learned each other's habits, strengths, and limits. Initial curiosity gave way to familiarity, and the tension that had lingered on the first day slowly thinned.
Even those who disliked the Snowflakes kept their distance.
They whispered.
They judged.
They frowned.
But they did not confront.
Not openly.
Aster noticed this immediately.
People avoided crossing him directly—not because they respected him, but because they were uncertain.
Sound magic.
Rune engineering.
Royal blood.
Public influence.
Too many unknowns.
So instead, hostility simmered quietly beneath polite smiles.
Astra, ever perceptive, noticed it too.
"They don't glare as much anymore," she whispered one afternoon as they walked through the academy courtyard.
"They've just learned to hide it," Aster replied calmly.
Rain nodded beside them. "Resentment doesn't vanish. It waits."
Lea cracked her knuckles. "Then let them wait."
***
By the end of the week, Class A had grown… comfortable.
Group discussions became lively.
Students debated mana theory and strategy openly. Some even began asking Aster questions—not about singing, but about magic stones.
"How does your Harmonic Player prevent mana distortion?"
"Can sound really stabilize flow like that?"
Aster answered patiently.
He never boasted.
Never dismissed.
That earned him quiet respect from some—and deeper irritation from others.
But what truly occupied his mind was not social balance.
It was innovation.
***
Late one evening, Aster sat in his workshop, turning a small device in his hand.
It was compact.
Smooth.
Light enough to fit in a palm.
Two curved bands, connected by thin mana-conducting threads.
Inside, a perfectly engraved magic stone pulsed faintly.
Astra leaned over his shoulder.
"…Is it finished?"
Aster nodded.
"Version one."
She tilted her head. "It doesn't look like a speaker."
"It isn't."
He placed the device gently on the table.
"These are Snowflakes Headphones," he said. "Instead of projecting sound outward, they channel it directly to the ear through controlled vibration."
Astra blinked.
"…Private listening?"
Aster smiled faintly.
"Exactly. No noise leakage. No interference. Just resonance locked to the wearer."
She picked it up carefully.
"That means…" her eyes widened slightly. "You can listen anywhere."
Aster nodded.
"All it needs is a low-grade magic stone. Replaceable. Cheap."
Astra laughed softly. "You're insane."
He shrugged. "I'm rebuilding habits."
In his old world, music wasn't an event.
It was a companion.
And he wanted that here too.
***
The next morning, Aster made a decision.
Instead of immediately distributing the device, he went straight to the highest authority available.
The principal's office.
Archmage Thalorien of the Tides looked up from his desk as Aster entered.
"Well," the old mage said warmly. "If it isn't my favorite Singer."
Aster bowed respectfully.
"I'd like permission to make an announcement," he said calmly.
Thalorien raised an eyebrow. "An announcement?"
"Yes. About a new Snowflakes device."
The archmage leaned back, fingers tapping lightly on his staff.
"No advertisements are allowed within academy grounds," he said calmly. "This is an educational institution."
Aster nodded. "I expected that answer."
Thalorien studied him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"But," he continued, "the Nation Founding Day is next week."
Aster's eyes sharpened.
"A national celebration," Thalorien said. "Performances are expected. If the Snowflakes wish to sing… that would be appropriate."
Aster understood immediately.
"…And announcements made then would not be academy advertisements."
"Correct."
Thalorien chuckled.
"I am your fan, after all."
Aster bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Principal."
As he left the office, his mind was already racing ahead.
***
He didn't wait for the celebration to test the device.
That same afternoon, he brought a small box to Class A.
"What's that?" Lea asked, peering inside.
"Prototypes," Aster replied.
Rain's eyes widened slightly. "Again?"
Aster handed one to Astra.
She slipped it on—and froze.
"…It's clear."
Aster smiled.
"I calibrated the resonance to cancel external noise."
Lea tried next.
"…Whoa," she muttered. "I can hear the bass separately."
Rain accepted one cautiously.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"…The mana flow is incredibly stable," she said quietly. "This is refined."
Aster nodded.
"I want feedback. Comfort. Sound clarity. Mana consumption."
He paused.
"Keep them."
The class buzzed instantly.
"Are those for us?"
"Can I try one?"
"Does it play the album?"
Aster distributed several units calmly.
For once, curiosity outweighed resentment.
***
But not for everyone.
From across the classroom, a tall boy watched silently.
Black hair neatly styled.
Cold eyes.
Academy uniform pristine.
Kain Kaiser.
Son of Duke Kaiser.
A powerful noble family.
Old money.
Old pride.
Kain did not approach.
He watched.
Measured.
His lips pressed thin.
When Astra finished handing out the last prototype, Kain snapped his fingers.
A servant—(technically a student under him)—stepped forward.
"Buy one," Kain said quietly.
The servant approached Astra, coin pouch already in hand.
"I'd like to purchase one," he said politely.
Astra hesitated.
"These are test units—"
Kain cut in, his voice cold.
"I'm paying."
Astra exchanged a glance with Aster.
Then nodded.
"All right."
The servant handed over the coins and received the headphones.
He turned to leave—
And stopped.
At Kain's feet.
Without warning—
Kain took the device.
And stomped.
The sound was sharp.
Metal cracked.
Runes shattered.
The magic stone inside splintered violently.
Gasps echoed across the classroom.
Aster stood slowly.
Astra froze.
Lea's chair scraped back.
Rain's eyes narrowed instantly.
Kain lifted his foot calmly, fragments scattered around him.
"There," he said flatly. "Useless trash."
The room was silent.
Every student watched.
Waiting.
Aster's silver eyes locked onto Kain.
"…You paid for it," Aster said calmly. "You could've simply refused."
Kain smirked.
"I wanted to make something clear."
He turned fully toward them.
"Your music," he said, "your devices, your performances…"
His eyes hardened.
"They drag noble dignity through the mud."
A murmur rippled.
Lea stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Say that again."
Rain placed a hand on her arm.
Kain continued.
"You sing for commoners. Sell toys. Act like merchants."
He scoffed.
"Royal blood should not be wasted on entertainment."
Astra's hands trembled slightly.
Aster exhaled slowly.
"…That's your reason?"
Kain smiled thinly.
"Who knows."
He turned away.
"Enjoy your toys while you can."
He walked out.
Silence lingered long after the door closed.
***
Lea slammed her fist on the desk.
"That bastard—!"
Aster raised a hand.
"Not now."
Astra knelt, picking up the broken fragments carefully.
"…He didn't even listen."
Rain spoke quietly.
"Kain Kaiser doesn't hate your music, I think"
Aster looked at her.
"There must be an another reason."
Rain met his gaze.
"Another reason."
Aster straightened slowly.
He looked at the broken headphones in Astra's hands.
Then smiled faintly.
Thinking something.
Astra blinked.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes," Aster said calmly. "I just remembered something..."
Outside the classroom, Kain Kaiser walked with clenched fists.
His expression was not smug anymore.
It was tense.
Because deep down—
He didn't hate the Snowflakes for singing.
He hated them because .....
And he knew—
Very soon—
The truth would surface.
Astra looked at Aster carefully.
"You remembered something…?" she asked softly.
Aster nodded once. His earlier calm had faded, replaced by a distant focus, as though his thoughts had slipped somewhere far deeper than the classroom.
"Yes," he said. "Something I read a long time ago."
Lea leaned forward immediately, curiosity lighting her eyes. "Read where?"
"The royal records," Aster replied. "The central archives."
Astra's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Those aren't exactly light reading."
"They're not," Aster agreed. "But when I was researching sound magic, I ran out of books very quickly. There just aren't many. So I started searching records instead."
Rain listened silently, her attention fully on him.
"The royal records don't just store laws and treaties," Aster continued. "They document noble lineages in detail. Births. Awakenings. Magical attributes. Irregularities."
Lea frowned. "Irregularities?"
"People who didn't match expectations," Aster said simply. "Those whose magic didn't align with their bloodline, or whose existence caused… complications."
Astra felt a faint chill run through her.
"And?" she asked. "What did you find?"
Aster paused for a moment, as if confirming the memory in his own mind.
"In this century," he said slowly, "there was another person born with sound magic in high noble lineage."
The words hung in the air.
Lea's eyes widened. "Another one? Like you and Astra?"
"Yes," Aster nodded. "A natural awakening. Not through artifacts. Not through imitation. True sound magic."
Rain's gaze sharpened. "That's extremely rare."
"It is," Aster agreed. "So rare that the record barely mentions it."
Astra swallowed. "…Which family?"
For the first time, Aster hesitated.
His fingers curled slightly at his side.
"The Kaiser family," he said.
Lea stiffened. "Kain's family?"
Aster nodded once.
The room felt quieter.
"I didn't think much of it at first," Aster continued. "It was only a small entry. No achievements listed. No honors."
"Then what was written?" Astra asked quietly.
Aster's eyes darkened slightly.
"…Enough to make me remember it just now."
Lea leaned closer. "So who was that person?"
Aster drew in a slow breath.
He opened his mouth to answer—