The Ellington family came from a long line of Grandmasters. But Anya had been autistic since childhood, and her own family had cast her aside because of it.My father couldn't bear to watch a prodigy wither away, so he brought her home.From then on, she had her own set of utensils in the Castellan household, her own desk, and even her own bed.Meanwhile, her mother, Dolores Lorn, came to collect her only once a year for a single dinner on New Year's Eve.Back then, Anya wasn't a champion. She wasn't even treated like a normal person. She was nothing more than an abandoned dog. Nothing changed until she won her first world championship, and even then, she didn't return to the Ellingtons.Instead, she dropped to her knees before my father and made a vow. "Grandmaster Castellan, in this lifetime, I will never let you or Mark down."My father merely smiled and offered her a few earnest words of advice. "This is only the beginning. You must guard against arrogance and impatience. The
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