The Dreams of a Lonely Girl

"The history of the Astralis Empire can be traced back to the ancient classical era, shortly after the Renaissance, when the Great Emperor Vedran-Astralis conquered all the countries of the Old World and founded the eternal court of Astralis. Since then, the emperors of Astralis have worked diligently and devoted themselves to the well-being of their subjects. Today, the grand Astralis Empire has already transcended the limitations of its home planet, 'Beren', and ventured into outer space. Over two hundred seventy-six years, sixteen great noble dukes, under the wise leadership of the court of Astralis, have colonized all the habitable planets in our stellar system.

Please note: the emperor who led the people in the opening of the 'Great Intergalactic Era' is Okden-Astralis. This emperor was born in 3725 and is a very wise sovereign, during the test, never confuse him with Osten, the emperor who suppressed the rebellion of the duke”...

The history teacher's voice echoed through the classroom walls and reached the hallway.

Although somewhat distorted by the obstacle, the young girl at the door could still hear clearly.

It was about the grand history of the court of Astralis, which currently rules thirteen planets, including the planet Nomeka.

In the history teacher's description, this ancient empire, which maintains the tradition of "government by a council of nobles and imperial administration," seemed to bear the great responsibility of saving the world since its inception.

The decisions of the emperors of Astralis had never been wrong, and every minute of this vast empire had always been one of "peace and prosperity."

However, it didn't matter whether the mentor speaking about history actually believed this, at least Alice was not naïve enough to fully believe in the "school textbook of Astralis."

After all, she was a girl who often watched the news with her father, and since the day she learned to understand the news, it seemed that the television never stopped repeating: "In a remote area, cruel rebels appeared, ruthless killers, with countless deaths, the imperial army, wise and strong, once again suppressed a terrifying conspiracy that almost destroyed the world."

Let’s not talk about the "remote areas" in question, even in a small town like Avril, where Alice lives, there were gangs collecting protection money while no one did anything.

Therefore, speaking of an era of "peace and prosperity" was truly hard to convince, and any child with a little intelligence would not believe it.

Although the children here in the class did not need to believe anything, they only needed to know that answering according to what was in the textbook would earn them points.

As for what the empire is really like...

To be honest, Alice wasn't sure either, after all, the planet she inhabited, Nomeka, was not only the hereditary territory of Duke Nomeka but also one of the six "main economically developed planets" of the empire.

Even though Auraka was only a level three administrative zone, the environment was still much better than the war-torn areas shown on television.

Moreover, the girl's father was a wealthy doctor, and they lived in a beautiful residential area for the rich.

Alice ate eggs, drank milk every morning, and before sleeping, she enjoyed at least one low-fat, vitamin-rich snack.

Alice was sure that all her classmates, including the teachers, had never seen such sophisticated food brands.

Of course, a rich and privileged girl was not a noble.

Alice, as part of the "common" class, still had to attend a very simple school for commoners.

Even if she occasionally received a little preference from her peers and teachers... that was only because she was a girl.

"……"

"Come in, quickly return to your seat and listen to the class. Don’t be late next time."

The strict teacher had already warned that she would punish Alice by making her stand for the entire class, but in reality, she only stood for less than ten minutes, as the soft-hearted history teacher let the girl in.

It must be acknowledged that although this history teacher usually maintained a stern expression and seemed fearsome, she actually had a soft heart.

The maximum time a student stood in her class never exceeded fifteen minutes.

Yes, Alice always believed that this approach of "educating through kindness" was true education.

“Sorry, sorry, hehe.”

With a somewhat insincere apology, Alice lowered her head and quickly ran back to her place.

She sat in the second-to-last chair by the window, a perfect spot for a protagonist.

This was her “special chair,” which she had exchanged for a whole piece of cheese bread with a classmate.

After all, being so close to the window meant that Nisha could often fly out and enjoy the "cool breeze."

However, ever since a mischievous spirit brought a clumsy jay into the classroom a week ago, Alice began to consider swapping places with the classmate sitting in the last chair against the wall.

“Please perform the fingerprint check!”

On the metal table, there were no school supplies or books, just a “holographic metal screen” that connected directly to the school network.

All the books for each subject could be accessed through the table itself, which functioned as a monitor.

If necessary, teachers could even teach from home using the internet.

Of course, no matter how advanced the technology was, it could not control the mischievous nature of a group of “little devils” in high school.

Therefore, if a teacher wanted someone to pay attention in class, it was better not to rely solely on technology to make it easier.

“Well, another day full of classes is starting.”

Alice, delicately spinning her thin and delicate wrist, quickly placed her palm on the table and unlocked the “history book.”

Naturally, as the saying goes, “whoever wants to do a good job must first sharpen their tools.” Before starting to study, Alice needed to prepare a few things.

For example, a bottle of “Phenix skimmed yogurt,” a “Water Moisturizing” stylus pen to replace her fingers, a large piece of “mint-scented modeling clay” that fit in her backpack, and a bag of unbranded candies, all different sizes, were essential.

The first two “daily-use items” need no explanation, the yogurt is for drinking, and the stylus pen is to protect her fingers.

Although the brand Alice used was quite sophisticated, in essence, both served a single purpose.

As for the last two...

Theoretically, the modeling clay was to keep her mind alert with its refreshing aroma, but in practice... the clay was for Nisha to play with and pass the time, and the unbranded candies were undoubtedly the treats the girl had sneakily bought with her spare change at the supermarket at the school entrance.

Although it was just a bag of fruit candies, for most children from ordinary families, sweets worth fifteen Astralis coins were considered “luxuries” that made snack money feel tight.

Only Alice, a “rich girl,” could afford to indulge so extravagantly.

Therefore, it must be admitted that, even if only within the circle of children, the feeling of wealth was truly wonderful.