Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Following the woman's gaze, Astrid saw a silver-haired girl in the projection holding a knight's sword.

The girl frowned as she carefully lifted a cowhide bag from the ground with the tip of her blade.

The source of the dark aura was the bones inside the cowhide bag.

The dark energy surged up the knight's sword toward Astrid's arm but was swiftly severed by Elise's sharp mental energy.

From this third-person perspective, Astrid noticed that all the other bone bags were also leaking dark gas, though their purpose wasn't to attack.

Instead, the gas diffused into a lighter mist, spreading gradually.

When the dark fog grew dense enough, the figures within it became untraceable by the enchantment.

By the time the fog dissipated, they seemed to have vanished from the world without a trace.

"...Is the dark mist the main force behind the enchantment?" Astrid asked softly.

Charlotte nodded, her tone tinged with displeasure as she mentioned Lucas, "Indeed. I also examined those cowhide bags closely. Aside from the two human corpses, the rest contained sheep bones."

This revelation made it clear why there were so many sheep-headed monsters within the enchantment.

"I never expected Lucas to dare do such a thing... What a despicable man..."

Initially, when Charlotte learned that Lucas had used live sheep for sacrifices, she found the act distasteful.

However, at the time, no other effective solution to the problem had presented itself.

Lucas's actions had, to some extent, mitigated the soil rehabilitation, so she had adopted a wait-and-see approach.

But she never expected Lucas to be so reckless.

He was, after all, the most promising heir to the throne at the moment.

How could he treat the people he was destined to rule in such a manner?

Seeing Charlotte's strong disapproval of Lucas, Astrid reached up and lightly touched her lips, then set down her crossed legs, which were clad in dark silk.

She pondered silently for a moment, considering how best to respond.

After venting her frustration about Lucas, Charlotte shifted the discussion back to the enchantment itself.

Across the entire Valeria Empire, Arcanists were rare and considered top-tier combatants.

Yet, even with their immense power, they still faced significant gaps in understanding when it came to space magic.

With the information currently available, Charlotte couldn't determine the exact reason for the emergence of such a space or its specific composition.

"The only thing we can be certain of is that the enchantment shouldn't reappear anytime soon," Charlotte concluded.

The barren land had been reclaimed for plantation, and the elemental vision scans showed conditions consistent with the surrounding unaffected areas.

According to common sense, such an enchantment, accompanied by anomalies, wouldn't reappear without some kind of warning or omen.

Astrid nodded thoughtfully at Charlotte's words.

After a moment, she parted her lips slightly and asked, "Then how does Lady Charlotte plan to explain this matter to His Majesty?"

The issue of the enchantment was significant yet delicate.

The time frame had far exceeded the limit initially set by Emperor Hibbort for Prince Lucas.

The emperor, who symbolized the pinnacle of power in the empire, had likely long since shifted his attention away from this barren land.

If Lucas had been careful, it wouldn't have been impossible to conceal the truth indefinitely.

The farmers who died in the enchantment were, in the grand scheme of things, insignificant.

Those with families could be placated with a bit of money. The only real complications were the farmer and Princess Astrid, who had been affected.

The former would require considerable effort to handle, while the latter needed to be appeased and persuaded to use her connections to ensure Countess Charlotte's silence regarding the operation.

"To be honest, the impact of this incident is very serious," Charlotte replied softly.

Despite knowing that her actions might offend Lucas, Charlotte didn't seem to care.

If Lucas had committed such acts, he should have been prepared for the truth to come to light.

Astrid fluttered her eyelashes a few times upon hearing this.

Her tone remained calm as she said, "I don't really want Lady Charlotte to do this."

These words left not only Charlotte but also Lyra momentarily stunned.

Had they heard correctly? Was Her Royal Highness Astrid actually suggesting that Lucas be shielded?

Though Lyra often seemed a bit absent-minded, she was far from foolish.

The moment the cowhide bag was opened, she had vaguely understood Lucas's role in the matter.

Such a scumbag must be judged, even if he is a prince.

"Little Astr..."

Charlotte looked at the familiar face before her, her pink lips parting slightly as if she wanted to speak.

Astrid knew she had to provide a reasonable explanation.

She had already asked Charlotte to inspect the land with a deliberate intent, and now, by making such a seemingly biased statement, even if Charlotte trusted her deeply, it would inevitably raise some doubts.

"I can understand that Lady Charlotte wants to bring justice to the deceased, but now is not the right time."

They had relevant evidence in their hands, but it wasn't enough to directly convict Lucas.

As Eldest Prince, Lucas could easily cut ties and shift the blame onto Velrik, letting him take the fall.

Even if Emperor Hibbort knew the truth in his heart, he likely wouldn't delve too deeply into Lucas's involvement.

In the end, the real mistake of the eldest prince was only burying the two farmers alive.

Beyond that, he could be credited with uncovering a hidden threat near the imperial capital.

At most, he might be held accountable for the crimes of concealment, failure to report, and failing to protect Princess Astrid.

These charges, however, wouldn't be enough to shake his standing or threaten his position significantly.

"Then Little Astr, when is the best time?"

Of course, Charlotte knew that such a move would not effectively shake Lucas's status as crown prince, but her original intention was not to bring him down.

She simply wanted to make the Eldest prince, who had no regard for life, pay for his actions.

With Charlotte's strength, connections, prestige, and even her contributions to the entire Valeria Empire, no matter which prince came to power, she didn't need to worry about potential repercussions.

The new emperor could only create obstacles in secret, and those petty schemes were something Charlotte could easily ignore.

She didn't care about the level of knighthood or the amount of money.

Except for Astrid, there were no people who needed special protection. These were the key assets that allowed Charlotte to remain steadfast and independent amidst the political turmoil.

"I can't say for sure when the perfect moment will come, but with the evidence we have so far, acting prematurely will only alert Lucas and raise his suspicions."

From the other party's perspective, Astrid is trying to win Charlotte's support.

If the latter were to make a move against him at this critical juncture, it would send two signals: one, that Astrid's efforts have failed, and two, that the silver-haired princess might be slipping out of his control through Charlotte's influence.

In the former case, Lucas did not expect to gain Countess Charlotte's political support.

However, in the latter case, the situation was quite different.

Although Astrid and Hibbort are not related by blood, she is genuinely favored, and there are times when Lucas needs his titular sister to step in and act on his behalf.

That's why Lucas was so obsessed with pulling Astrid into his orbit and tying her to his cause.

"Astrid... Are you..."

Charlotte's mouth opened slightly, as if she had realized what her niece was planning.

Astrid curled her lips and said in a calm tone, "Just as Lady Charlotte thought, I am ready to find an opportunity to completely remove Lucas from the position of crown prince."

"He doesn't deserve to be the Emperor of the Valeria Empire. Lady Charlotte thinks so too, doesn't she?"

The girl's crisp voice carried a persuasive charm.

Charlotte looked at Astrid, who stood before her with a calm expression, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in her mind.

Astrid was unlike anyone Charlotte had ever seen before... She truly wasn't the same as she used to be...

Meanwhile, Lyra, who had been sitting quietly to the side, listened to Astrid's words.

Her sky-blue eyes shimmered, and her hands, which had been nervously clutching the hem of her skirt, slowly relaxed.

Her legs, which had been tightly pressed together, finally parted.

Princess Astrid hadn't deliberately favored Lucas; she had simply been biding her time to gather enough evidence to defeat him decisively.

Lyra had almost believed that Astrid would be an imperial figure as unscrupulous as Lucas.

She had even recalled Astrid's earlier statement that she and Lucas were not aligned, causing her to feel a mix of anxiety and confusion.

Only now did she breathe a sigh of relief.

'I misunderstood Her Royal Highness Astrid again... She's such a good person, and she even risked injury to protect me before…'