It wasn't always as easy as being the first to find her familiar.
Leonor found herself at the top, yet at other times she struggled to keep up. Her time at the Academy was never linear but she loved it all the same.
The psychological aspect of magic was something she hadn't considered. Getting over her second-guessing, paranoid nature was harder than she ever thought was possible. At times, it was as if she hadn't left her father's manor. The way she timidly approached things with a weary heart would make someone think the abusive man was looming over her shoulder constantly.
There were times she couldn't access her mana because she was overthinking, but she was learning to trust herself. One of her advisors who knew her family history framed it as trusting her mother's instinct that she instilled within her. It made it a lot easier for Leonor when she thought of her mom speaking with her through mana.