Selene von Habsburg

Unknowingly, time flew by.

Selene stood in the courtyard in front of the dormitory door.

"Coo~ Coo~"

Several wild pigeons were cooing as they searched for food on the grass beside the walkway.

Rustle~ Rustle~

The maple leaves in the yard made a soothing sound as the breeze blew through them.

"Unknowingly, I've been at the St. Stephen Rescue Center for almost a year. Maybe it's time to leave."

In this year, her body had grown significantly, now standing nearly 130 cm tall, having grown over 10 cm.

Her abilities had also improved considerably. The maximum range of her spatial manipulation had increased to 100 meters. Her Honkai energy intensity had also risen to about 200 HW.

Throughout the year, the rescue center was bustling, with children being brought in and adopted out like ants coming and going from a nest.

Her good friend Nina was also adopted recently. All Selene could do was offer her blessings.

As for why she hadn't been adopted, it might be because she never attended the meet-and-greet events for foster families. She had the soul of an adult, and the idea of inexplicably recognizing a pair of new parents without any benefit felt strange to her.

Yes, Selene believed that in the adult world, almost everything around us is an exchange of interests. Almost no one would give you anything for nothing, except for your biological parents. Maybe there were warm-hearted people in the world, but sorry, her past life experiences had been filled with coldness and loneliness.

Additionally, there were many white underclass people in the West who liked to adopt children to scam government aid.

So, whenever foster families came to choose children, regardless of whether others went to the meeting room, Selene would often go to the library to enrich her knowledge.

"Huh? There's a strange life response approaching me." Selene sensed the feedback from the space around her.

Soon, a crisp and clear voice like a silver bell reached her ears. "Excuse me, where is the restroom?"

Selene turned around.

In her sight was a white woman about 20 years old, with a high nose and clear big eyes, short shoulder-length blonde hair, a slender figure, and luxurious clothes.

"I'll take you there." She said, leading the white woman to the restroom.

On the way, the white woman asked, "Why are you here alone? Why not go to the meeting room?"

"Because I'm not interested, so I didn't go. Besides, aren't the others who are interested already there?"

The white woman was stunned for a moment and then smiled slightly, "Let's get to know each other, my name is Katie. What's yours?"

"Selene."

...

Two days later.

The rescue center notified her to pack up and prepare to go to a new home.

Selene was surprised, "Huh?!"

...

In the afternoon, in the suburbs of Vienna.

Outside the gate of a luxurious manor, a tall, handsome man with golden hair and a high nose stood at his gate, speaking to a nearby woman, "Are you really going to adopt that girl?"

Yes, the woman was Katie. Two days ago, after using the restroom, she returned to the meeting room, requested Selene's information from the person in charge, and immediately expressed her desire to adopt Selene after reading it. She also discussed it with her husband, Carl.

Katie chuckled, "Of course, you'll understand why I like that girl so much when you meet her."

Brauchitsch raised an eyebrow, "Well, I'll wait and see."

Seeing Brauchitsch's indifferent look, Katie was about to speak when a black car arrived in front of the manor.

The car door opened, and Selene got out.

Brauchitsch looked at Selene's doll-like beautiful face, her ruby-like diamond-shaped pupils, and her shining white hair, and paused, turning to Katie, whispering, "Well, maybe you're right, but I want to test if she qualifies to bear our family name."

At this moment, Katie had already approached, "Nice to see you again, little Selene. Do you remember who I am?"

"Aunt Katie."

Katie shook her finger with a smile, "Wrong, now you should call me mom."

"By the way, let me introduce you. You can call him Carl. He is my husband and also your legal father."

Selene was stunned.

Carl smiled, walked over, and put his arm around Katie's shoulder, "Alright, she's just arrived and isn't familiar yet. Your overly affectionate behavior might make her feel uncomfortable."

Then he extended his hand to Selene, "Hello, Selene, nice to meet you. I'm Carl."

...

In the blink of an eye.

Selene had been at this manor for three months.

This month, she rarely saw Brauchitsch, as he seemed to be very busy and could only be seen occasionally on holidays. On regular days, only her nominal mother, Katie, was at home.

Katie was always very kind to her.

After a month of living together and secret observation, Selene discovered that her foster family was not simple.

Just the luxurious castle covering a vast area was already expensive, not to mention the surrounding manor, artificial lake, and racetrack...

There was a specialized chef for cooking, professional maids for cleaning, various knowledgeable tutors, and a butler and stewards with a noble air. All these showed the extraordinary status of this family.

It seemed she had hit the jackpot this time. No wonder the children at the rescue center ran happily to the meeting room. For the rescue center kids, this foster family was undoubtedly heaven.

"But with their family conditions, why would they go to a rescue center to adopt a child?"

"I don't understand. It can't be the 'human nature is inherently good' thing, right? I'm a supporter of the theory that human nature is evil."

She didn't know the exact timeline now.

However, Selene had heard from her tutors about the existence of 'Academy City.' After all, it was the most technologically advanced place in this world.

"I should find a chance to go to school there. I believe 'parents' won't refuse."

In the evening, after finishing a day of classes, Selene routinely returned to her 'mother' Katie.

As soon as she pushed the door open. "Welcome back, my little Selene!"

A familiar voice sounded right beside her ear.

In an instant, the golden-haired noblewoman appeared in front of Selene, hugging her tightly and burying her head in her ample bosom.

"Boohoo, mom... boo... don't do that..."

Selene pulled her head out, "Mom, I'm not a child anymore."

Such overly enthusiastic actions made her a bit uncomfortable.

Selene had discovered that her mother Katie was a bit too enthusiastic and naive, probably a noble lady who didn't bother with worldly affairs.

"Alright, alright." Katie nodded with a smile, taking the advice but never changing.

"Okay, okay, come eat." Katie smiled and pulled Selene to the dining table.

"Mom has prepared a lot of delicious food for you."

"Uh, do you know how to cook? I hope it's not dark cuisine," Selene thought to herself.

It was a very large dining room, splendid and dazzling. A huge crystal chandelier adorned with gold powder emitted a bright light. The walls were decorated with various oil paintings and reliefs. Various murals were embedded in the ceiling above the long table. The table decorations were mainly Austrian elements like double-headed eagles, crosses, and edelweiss.

She remembered the first time dining with the Carl couple; she was startled, thinking it was a king's dining room.

But now, she was used to it.

Such a large dining room, with so many dishes, and only a few people eating.

Sitting in a chair, all services were performed by the servants. She just needed to speak if she needed anything.

"Damn capitalist society, truly corrupts people's minds," Selene thought.

Talking about Brauchitsch, Selene only knew he was very wealthy, a European noble.

Katie always spoke highly of Brauchitsch.

After all, their current life was maintained entirely by Brauchitsch.

After three months, Selene could see that Katie's feelings for her were genuine, wanting to raise her as a daughter.

Since that was the case, Selene gradually became willing to accept her. After all, if someone treats you well, you should respond in kind. It's a fair exchange.

Yes, that's how Selene convinced herself.

...

At this moment, Butler Spencer came over, bowed slightly, and said, "Madam, the master has returned."

Selene and Katie were about to get up to greet him.

"No need to get up, continue dining." The voice arrived before the person. Carl entered wearing a black pinstripe double-breasted suit.

He sat in the main seat, "Selene, prepare yourself in a while."

"What's wrong, dad?"

Brauchitsch leaned forward, placing his arms on the table, fingers interlaced, eyes fixed on Selene.

"Actually, I didn't want to adopt a child, but I couldn't refuse Katie, so I let her visit the rescue center."

"But in the past three months, little Selene, your performance has surprised me. You have been diligent and progressive. You didn't become arrogant because of the comfortable environment, nor did you become weak. You remained humble and courteous. You are talented, and all the tutors praise you."

"You have proven yourself, so I decided to officially accept you as a member of our family."

"Do you want to become part of our family?"

Selene was stunned.

She saw Katie looking at her expectantly.

Selene turned her head, "Yes, without a doubt."

"Dad."

....

That night, officials from the National Bureau of Statistics came to register Selene's information and delivered her ID the next day.

Name: Selene von Habsburg

Gender: Female

ID Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(It's challenging to determine Misaka Mikoto's birth year, knowing only that she is 14 at the start of the story, making it difficult.)

Yes, you heard it right, Habsburg. Brauchitsch was a close relative of the Habsburg family. Although they lost their throne and power, the Habsburg family's influence in Central and Southern Europe remained significant, owning countless manors and lands, and they had started to move towards commercialization.

...

"Ah, how embarrassing, recognizing parents and being granted a surname."

Selene lay on the luxurious bed, muttering blankly.

Just go with the flow. But with this, I must repay their kindness in raising me.

As they say in my hometown, "To be born but not raised is worse than not being born; nurturing kindness surpasses the kindness of giving birth."

She thought...