The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Elite Student Housing Complex- Family Unit #45)

"Come you brats! Breakfast is ready!" Astrid loudly shouted as she set down a few plates on the dining table.

Bright sunlight streamed in through an open window in the far corner of the room as the Mendolesa girl walked towards the kitchen to observe a large pot on the heater.

Inside the pot was a meaty soup with a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables.

The soup was still bubbling, and Astrid closed her eyes and sniffed the tantalising scent that rose up from the bottom of the pot.

After the death of Astrid's parents, she had become the primary caretaker of her three younger siblings, so she was very familiar with their voracious appetites.

There was no such thing as leftovers in their household.

The sounds of footsteps could be heard in the distance and soon the relative peaceful and tranquil atmosphere inside the kitchen was broken by loud voices.

"Big sister! Emma took my communicator!"

"No! I didn't! Look it's right there!"

"You can't fool me! I saw you use it to watch that stupid show!"

"Stupid?! STUPID?! NO! YOUR SHOW IS STUPID!"

Two quarrelling Mendolesa children ran into the kitchen while pushing and shoving against one another.

A third child walked closely behind them but unlike the other two she was content to just watch in the background with a quiet smile on her face.

Astrid closed her eyes and counted to ten silently.

Hopefully the gods would give her the patience and strength to deal with this nonsense so early in the morning.

The minutes slowly passed, and the arguing only got louder and louder.

"ENOUGH!" Astrid angrily roared as she pointed towards the dining table.

"I have to leave in thirty minutes, so I'll deal with you all tonight. Do I make myself clear?"

Emma and Jackson looked at each other sheepishly and then both apologised to Astrid at the same time.

"Yes… big sis…"

"Yeah… sorry…"

"We'll do better next time…"

Isla rushed forward and hugged Astrid tightly. Astrid's bad mood was instantly improved as she rubbed her paws against her younger sibling's back.

Isla was the youngest of the triplets and she had always been a bit fond of getting extra love and attention from her elder sister.

"Okay… go to the table… I'll come shortly," Astrid spoke in a much gentler tone.

She turned her attention back to the pot as she heard her siblings rush to the dining room.

Astrid picked up a metallic ladle and stirred the mixture a few times before tasting the soup. Her wolfish ears twitched slightly, and a warm smile began to spread across her face.

It was perfect.

Well… maybe it could use a bit more spices.

Astrid reached for an unopened packet of seasoning in the drawer below the counter and tore open the packaging.

She sprinkled a handful of black seeds in the soup and stirred twice until they melted under the high heat.

Astrid easily lifted up the enormous pot and brought it to the dining room where she carefully scooped some of the soup onto each plate.

"Enjoy… I woke up early this morning to make this for you…" Astrid proudly boasted as she puffed out her chest.

She received a chorus of praises from her siblings who were now beginning to drool as they stared at the food in front of them.

"Thank you!

"Thank you!"

"Thank you!"

Astrid smiled gently and rubbed Emma's pointed ears since she was the closest one to her seat.

The Mendolesa girl poured out a bit of soup for herself and then began to eat.

While eating Astrid accessed her wrist communicator and checked out the unopened message in her inbox.

She didn't have the habit of checking her communicator regularly, so it was easy to miss the message that arrived last night from the principal.

Selecting an arena?

Astrid furrowed her brows as she put down her spoon and checked the options curiously.

[Time Remaining For Selection: 45 minutes… 44 minutes…]

[Forest] [Desert] [Grasslands] [Swamp] [River/Lake] [Island] [Tundra]

"What are you looking at?" Jackson asked curiously as he leaned over to get a better look at Astrid's screen.

"Concentrate on eating you little brat," Astrid teased softly as she rapped her knuckles gently against his forehead.

Well, the exam would begin shortly so if she was going to pick an arena then now would be her final opportunity.

There were two options that stood out to Astrid, and they were [Grasslands] and [Tundra]. The problem was that she could not decide which one was the better option.

"Big sister can I have seconds?" Isla called out sweetly. Astrid nodded and reached for the ladle to give her younger sibling some more food.

"Ohhh…. I choose this one!" a loud voice suddenly called out. Astrid felt a small hand grab her wrist and quickly press her communicator.

Somehow Jackson had managed to sneak behind her and read the lines of text on her communicator screen.

Astrid was about to check which option he had touched when the options disappeared and were replaced by a single sentence.

[Selection Confirmed!]

"Which one did you pick?" Astrid asked curiously.

"Tundra! I love the snow!" Jackson grinned broadly as he cheekily smiled at his older sister.

Astrid let out a light sigh and shot her mischievous sibling a look of mock anger.

She definitely needed to punish him later but that could wait until the second round finished.

"Big sister! I heard that you are the strongest person in first year!" Emma suddenly spoke as she looked at Astrid.

"Oh? Where did you hear that?" Astrid laughed as she spoke.

"One of my friends told me that her cousin is in the mage class! He says that you are the most powerful wizard in the university!" Emma exclaimed in admiration.

Family members of elite class students were entitled to free education at the affiliated elementary and high school of Zrudread University.

Astrid had also applied for a scholarship program so that her siblings' living expenses would be covered by the university for the duration of her study and beyond

Just by going to the Zrudread University's affiliated elementary school was a massive advantage and Astrid hoped that her siblings would one day also attend the same university as herself.

This was a significant part of the reason why Astrid was determined to maintain her ranking as a member of the elite class.

It was not just for herself but for the future of her family. She wanted her younger siblings to have the opportunity to become whatever they wanted to be.