Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Feeling Astrid's warm breath against her ear, Charlotte's body tensed slightly, and a faint blush crept up her neck.

The gentle warmth seemed to seep into her skin, deepening the rosy hue on her fair complexion.

After a moment, she released Astrid, her complexion quickly returning to normal.

"Why don't you stay at the manor tonight? You've just been through such a thrilling ordeal. It would be better to rest here, and I can keep you company to soothe your nerves."

Seeing that it was indeed late and there was nothing urgent awaiting her back at the palace, Astrid nodded softly in agreement.

"Alright, I won't go back then. But I hope I won't disturb Lady Charlotte's rest."

Tomorrow, she would likely have to confront Lucas, which was another problem altogether.

Charlotte chuckled softly.

"If I were concerned about that, I wouldn't have invited you to stay. Besides, having Little Astr in my arms is soft and comforting, it helps me fall asleep faster."

As if to tease Astrid for making her lose her composure earlier, Charlotte turned the tables with a playful remark.

To her surprise, Astrid didn't shy away but instead nodded lightly.

"Lady Charlotte doesn't mind?"

After all, they had shared a bed once before, and Astrid felt no awkwardness about it.

Moreover, being able to sleep beside such a mature and beautiful woman was something many could only dream of.

Charlotte glanced at her a few more times, her tone softening.

"Then let's head to the bedroom. We can talk more there."

---------

In the middle of the night, somewhere in the Countess' Manor, Lyra, dressed only in a white nightdress, sat by the window, holding a slender knight's sword.

Her white legs were gently pressed together, and the blade, resting close to the skin of her thighs, curved downward under its own weight, resembling a decoration atop a large, delicious cake.

Outside the window, the bright moon hung high. Under its silver light, Lyra carefully wiped the long sword with a cloth.

After a fierce battle, this finest sword in the village had sustained subtle wear and tear invisible to the naked eye.

If not maintained promptly, it might not withstand many more uses before becoming irreparable.

Unlike Elise, Lyra lacked the mental power to continuously reinforce the sword's blade.

During combat, she often struck directly against bones, inevitably causing damage.

Half an hour had passed since she and Astrid had parted ways.

Now, having moved back into the manor, Lyra found herself in a different emotional state compared to the melancholy and loneliness she had felt on previous nights.

Earlier, in the living room, Lyra had overheard the entire conversation between Astrid and Charlotte.

Through their discussion, she finally understood Princess Astrid's true feelings toward Prince Lucas.

Like herself, Astrid harbored a strong dislike for the ill-tempered prince.

Though Lyra had little interest in politics, Astrid's straightforward conversation with Charlotte made it clear that her next plan was to support the fourth princess, Amalia, in ascending the throne.

The reason Astrid hadn't handed over the two crystallized stones containing evidence of Lucas's crimes to Emperor Hibbort wasn't out of leniency but rather due to the insufficiency of the evidence.

Political intrigues, royal infighting, these were concepts too foreign for Lyra to fully grasp.

Her focus remained solely on Astrid's actions and character.

There was another matter weighing on Lyra's mind that night: Astrid hadn't hesitated to speak openly in front of her during the conversation with Charlotte.

Elise, Astrid's exclusive maid and lifelong companion, was someone Astrid trusted implicitly, so it made sense that she wouldn't avoid her.

But what about her?

It had only been about a month since she and Astrid had met.

The master-servant contract between them was set for just one year, after which they would go their separate ways.

Given this, why had Astrid been so open in her presence?

Moreover, there was the matter of Tristian Velmont.

As long as Astrid retained any affection for him, Lyra would remain a potential rival, a fact that seemed unlikely to change.

Switching the knight's sword to her other hand, Lyra continued to wipe it meticulously.

The cool metal surface brushed against her skin, sending a slight chill through her thighs.

Astrid's trust in her was far greater than she had anticipated.

From Lyra's perspective, if she were in Astrid's position, she would have chosen a more private setting for such a sensitive conversation, not the relatively open space of the living room.

For instance, now would have been a better time, two people, bathed, sharing a bed, snuggling, whispering secrets meant only for each other's ears.

As thoughts of the intimacy between Astrid and Charlotte surfaced, Lyra blinked, suppressing a strange emotion that welled up in her heart.

Her gaze lowered, fixed on the cold light flowing along the blade, her own delicate, snow-white face reflected faintly on its surface.

She seemed to feel a sense of disgust toward Her Highness Astrid... mixed with an inexplicable possessiveness...

Was this kind of affection appropriate for a maid to have toward her master?

Recalling how Astrid had shielded her from a blow within the enchantment earlier that day, Lyra paused briefly in her sword maintenance, lightly biting her lower lip.

Rather than dwelling on those insignificant emotions, her top priority was to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Only then could she protect Princess Astrid and ensure that scenes like the one before would never happen again.

Having witnessed the immense power displayed by a Master Knight and an Arcanist level mage, Lyra had come to deeply understand how weak she was in comparison, like an ant before giants, powerless to protect anything.

She was determined to grow stronger... so strong that no one could harm Princess Astrid...

So strong that Astrid would no longer need to trouble herself with political struggles.

She could sleep until she woke naturally each day, and in her free time, simply enjoy the flowers, sip tea, and live as a carefree, lazy princess.

After finishing the maintenance of her sword, Lyra returned it to its scabbard.

She then went to the bathroom, chewed a few sticks of clean grass to freshen her breath, washed her face, and prepared for bed.

"Miss Elise... thank you for saving me today..."

Though Elise's actions had been primarily to protect Princess Astrid, from an objective standpoint, she had also saved Lyra in the process.

Hearing the soft voice beside her, Elise turned her head, her gaze calm as she regarded Lyra.

After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly.

"Don't thank me. Miss Lyra you performed admirably as well."

At these words, a faint blush of shame spread across Lyra's cheeks.

She pursed her lips and murmured, "I failed to protect Her Highness Astrid..."

"I know," Elise replied.

"But you did everything you could."

Though Astrid had still been injured in the end, Lyra had done all that a junior knight could have done.

Elise wasn't one to be overly harsh; she recognized Lyra's efforts.

Feeling that Elise truly didn't blame her, Lyra's heart lightened a little.

She turned onto her side, burying her face into the soft pillow.

"Miss Elise, is there any way for me to grow stronger quickly?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lyra regretted them.

If becoming stronger were so easy, the empire would be overflowing with great knights by now.

"Are you referring to the path of the knight?" To Lyra's surprise, Elise didn't immediately dismiss the question.

Instead, she responded with a soft inquiry.

After a brief pause, Lyra nodded. "Yes, the practice of knights. Is there truly a shortcut to advancement?"

"There is."

Elise's tone remained even, her eyes closed, her hands resting calmly on her legs in a relaxed posture.

Lyra's eyes widened slightly, and she quickly asked, "What... What is the method?"

If such a path existed, she was willing to try it.

Elise was silent for a moment before responding coolly.

"Actual combat is always the fastest way to grow stronger. A month on the battlefield will yield far greater progress than a year of training in a controlled environment."

The premise is that you can survive.

"Has Miss Elise ever been in battle?"

Lyra recalled that when Astrid had asked the head maid to teach her how to fight, she had mentioned something about it.

Elise swallowed lightly, and after a brief pause, she replied in a calm tone, "That was a long time ago."

Having grown up in a remote and relatively uninformed mountain village, Lyra only knew that the Valeria Empire had a brief territorial dispute with the neighboring kingdom of Velys.

However, she was unaware of the true intensity of their conflicts or the border war that had erupted a few years ago over a failed negotiation.

Elise was one of the many victims of that war.

Most of her relatives, friends, and village people perished due to plague and famine, while the few who survived fell at the hands of the rebels that followed.

Gazing at Elise's cold expression under the moonlight, Lyra felt a spark of curiosity.

But knowing that war meant death, and fearing she might touch a painful wound, she hesitated for a moment.

In the end, she chose not to ask Elise further about the battlefield and instead continued their previous conversation.