Inside a room, a blonde haired woman could be seen sleeping on the bed. The room itself exuded opulence in every detail, with each furnishing and decoration a testament to both lavishness and taste.
The walls were adorned with elegant, cream colored damask wallpaper. The curtains, crafted from fine silk, billowed gracefully with the occasional draft coming in to the room.
The woman was sleeping on a huge king size mattress, with a large thick blanket covering her legs to her neck, and an eye mask covering her eyes, but it did little to hide the intense beauty of her face.
On the other side of the bed, signs that someone else had been sleeping there earlier could be seen, with the blanket covering that side of the bed shifted, and the bed still a bit compressed.
The room was completely silent, not even the sound of a clock ticking was audible in the room.
Suddenly, without any warning, Anastasia's eyes flickered open.
The room was bathed in the soft glow of morning light as she stirred from her slumber.
Her first act was to gently remove the eye mask covering her eyes.
With a languid stretch and an indulgent yawn that filled the room, her gaze drifted to the other side of the bed where a particular someone should be sleeping and saw it empty again.
A tinge of sadness tinged her expression seeing this, 'He still can't forgive himself,' she thought.
After a few contemplative moments, Anastasia swung her legs on the side of the bed and stood up.
Her steps were measured as she made her way to the far side of the room. There, a large picture was hung on the wall, a frozen moment captured in time.
Anastasia's eyes met those of a young boy with piercing blue eyes, and a tender smile graced her lips. "I miss you, At," she whispered.
With a final, lingering gaze at the picture, Anastasia entered the bathroom to prepare for the day.
Despite being the lady of Ravenstein's family who ruled over the entire sector 3 and had access to maids who could do everything for her, Anastasia had refused to have maids do mundane things like taking her bath and dressing her.
She believed that as a fully grown human, the least one could do was take care of their own hygiene. As an adult, why would you let someone else bathe you?
After a few minutes, Anastasia finished preparing and dressed in an elegant blue dress that billowed gracefully with each step.
The dress was adorned with intricate embroidery, reminiscent of delicate lacework, creating a mesmerizing tapestry of patterns that enhanced the beauty of the ensemble
She stepped out of the room, immediately seeing Arya, her trusted Ravenblade, on the other side of the door.
With a deep and respectful bow, Arya greeted her lady. "Good morning, my lady."
Anastasia returned the greeting with a warm smile as she began her walk down the lavishly decorated corridor. "Good morning, Arya. How was your night?"
Arya fell in step behind Anastasia as they walked. "It was fine, my lady. Thank you for asking," she responded.
Anastasia had never been one to let power get to her head. While she understood her position very well, she always made sure to give each person a modicum of respect.
They were all human beings; it wouldn't hurt to treat them that way.
But despite Anastasia's loving nature, she was still known as a devil to many. One could only wonder why.
"My lady,"
"My lady,"
She received bows upon bows from maids and guards as she made her way through the estate, on her way to the meeting room to take care of family matters.
The Ravensteins were in charge of defending different outposts in the war front against the Zorvans. The military force of the human domain was divided into many factions, with each Tier 1 family controlling each faction.
Each faction had different responsibilities assigned by the Human Alliance, which was controlled by all the Paragons.
There were a lot of Ravenstein generals in the army, with Avalon being among them. It was a position that sometimes required him to personally head to the battlefield.
During those times, family matters were left to Anastasia to handle. And seeing how well she handled everything, Avalon decided to leave things to her, even when he was around.
Although, he was always informed of any important decisions she wanted to make.
Anastasia was very skilled in handling matters like this.
Her family, the Crayfalls, were deeply involved in the world of trade and commerce.
They excelled in negotiating deals and accumulating wealth, and Anastasia had been known as a genius in trade since her childhood.
But despite that, Anastasia had always felt a yearning for something more, something beyond the confines of her family's expectations.
Anastasia's journey towards becoming strong was not an easy one. She faced countless obstacles and challenges, both external and internal. She had to constantly prove herself, not only to others but also to her own self doubts.
Through perseverance and sheer determination, Anastasia carved her own path and became a formidable Master ranked individual, feared on the battlefield.
But she had left her life of warfare behind after becoming pregnant with Atticus, deciding to focus on her little sunshine.
Anastasia smiled as she once again remembered her baby boy, "What do you think he's doing right now, Arya?"
Arya smiled slightly, something that rarely ever happened. "Knowing the young master, he's probably training hard, my lady," she replied.
Anastasia couldn't help but display a hint of worry, her features slightly furrowed. "You're right," she agreed with Arya. She knew her son well; she knew he would spend almost all day training. Atticus was a weird 10 year old boy and Anastasia knew that well.
"I hope he at least made some friends," she muttered as the door to the meeting room slid opened, and she stepped inside with Arya right behind her.