Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Livia didn't believe Amalia bit her for such a baseless reason. She just sensed the atmosphere was off and offered a way out for the other.

This child... what's going on...

Thinking of how Amalia had fiercely protected Auri when they first met, the woman's blue pupils slightly contracted, her pink lips unconsciously pressing together.

Amalia's possessiveness had reached a severe level, and the earlier action was a manifestation of it.

Perhaps in Amalia's heart, she wished Livia could be like Auri, staying by her side all day.

Raising her face, looking into Livia's eyes, Amalia concealed the intense desire in her gaze and spoke softly.

"Mhm, I'm a little hungry."

This hunger wasn't physical but psychological.

Though Livia had already done enough, Amalia still wanted more attention and love from her.

At least... more than that hateful Astrid Calliste...

Hearing this, Livia sat up straight, taking out the sweet cookies she had prepared for Amalia from her bag.

"It's too late to make a fuss. Let's eat in bed."

"Don't worry about crumbs falling on the sheets. I'll have the wind blow them away."

Looking at the cookies Livia handed over, Amalia didn't reach out to take them. Instead, she continued hugging Livia's slender waist, lifting her head and bringing her mouth close to the edge of the cookie.

"Crunch..."

A crisp sound echoed in the room as Amalia nibbled on the cookie, her deep eyes fixed on Livia.

Livia looked into those light blue eyes, seemingly seeing the once-arrogant blonde tyrant sitting on the throne.

The cookie slowly disappeared, and Amalia's lips gradually approached Livia's fingers.

Sensing Livia's gaze on her face, Amalia paused, gently biting the last bit of cookie in Livia's hand, which inevitably meant her pink lips touched Livia's fingertip.

Like a kitten, Amalia ate the last crumbs, licking her lips and continuing to hug Livia as if nothing had happened.

"Full?" Livia asked softly.

Amalia blinked her lashes a few times, her voice gentle. "Full."

She hadn't been hungry to begin with, and with Livia's careful feeding, her possessiveness was somewhat satisfied, so she felt "full."

Seeing this, Livia took out a silk handkerchief, wiping Amalia's lips clean and gently cleaning the finger that had been in her mouth.

"The story's over, and you've had your snack. Isn't it time to sleep now?" Livia said.

Amalia nodded softly.

"Mhm, sister should sleep too."

Though she couldn't help but think about Astrid and Livia's relationship, at least for this moment, her sister was by her side, and no one could take her away.

Seeing Amalia obediently close her eyes, Livia placed the book on the nightstand. Just as she slipped into the covers, she heard the person beside her speak softly.

"Sister..."

Amalia opened her eyes, looking at Livia lying on her side facing her, her pink lips parting.

"I heard in the story that when a sister's little sister goes to sleep, the sister usually gives her a goodnight kiss."

This was no longer a hint; it was a blatant request.

Livia's gaze swept over the girl's upturned lashes, landing on those expectant emerald eyes. She hesitated for a moment before slowly leaning down.

Feeling Livia's breath gradually approach and the sweet scent emanating from her body, Amalia slightly closed her eyes.

The next second, a kiss filled with blessing lightly landed on the girl's forehead.

"Will you sleep well now, Amalia?"

Livia reached out, pulling the slipped strap of Amalia's nightgown back onto her delicate shoulder, her tone gentle.

The warmth from Livia's lips lingered on her forehead, the soft touch seemingly imprinted on her heart.

Amalia curved her lips, burying her head in Livia's chest.

"Mhm."

"Goodnight, sister."

Gently stroking Amalia's back, Livia rested her cheek against the girl's hair, softly responding.

"Goodnight, Amalia."

"Sweet dreams."

The next day, after Livia left, Amalia carefully inspected the bed and, as expected, found a few strands of silver-white hair on the pillow.

Seeing this, the blonde girl slumped onto the bed, her knuckles turning white.

Could it be... that they were this intimate every day?

Outside, the morning sun rose, its bright light falling on the girl's smooth, delicate legs. Yet Amalia felt no warmth, only a chill creeping up from her snow-white feet to her knees, eventually spreading throughout her body.

What could she do to keep Livia by her side forever?

Meanwhile, Astrid returned to her palace. After being bathed by Lyra and catching up on sleep, she went to the dining hall for a meal and to meet the apprentices provided by Charlotte.

"Miss Astrid, everyone is here."

After hearing Elise's words, Astrid looked up at the group of robed senior apprentices in the reception hall, her gaze deepening.

Compared to the noble mages commonly seen at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, these people had a less sharp demeanor, instead exuding a relaxed aura. Their gazes held admiration and deep respect.

Perhaps it was Charlotte's intention, but among the five, there were no men, all were women.

Astrid's eyes swept over them as she spoke calmly, "It's a pleasure to meet you all here. Countess Charlotte must have informed you of the purpose of this trip."

Printing newspapers didn't require much mental energy, but it added up. One person couldn't handle it alone.

Astrid's initial goal was to distribute the newspaper to the capital and nearby towns, not the entire empire.

Five people were enough for now; she could recruit more later as the scale expanded.

The leader nodded, performing a simple noble salute to Astrid.

"Your Highness, we have reviewed the incantation for the replication spell and are ready to take on the task."

Astrid glanced at Elise, who nodded, indicating she had briefed them and informed Charlotte.

"Good." Astrid slightly nodded, gesturing for Elise to lead them to the prepared room.

Five minutes later, in a studio in the third princess's palace specifically for printing newspapers, Astrid placed the purchased parchment and ink on the shelves for the apprentices to use as needed.

"Replicate according to this template. The specifications must be consistent, with no differences," Astrid said.

Elise had already given her manuscript to a calligraphy master specializing in the common language, who had carefully written it according to the layout.

What the apprentices received now was essentially the final draft.

As for the illustrations Mary and Amalia would contribute, they would be featured on separate pages later. This part mainly concerned binding and didn't affect the text printing.

Astrid could prepare the single sheets of parchment first and add the illustrations later through printing.

After hearing Astrid's requirements, the apprentices took the final draft, each mentally recording the content, and sat down to take the parchment.

With a low chant in the common language, Astrid saw the ink arrange itself in the air, adhering to the paper in a predetermined shape.

The caster then relaxed their mental energy, letting the liquid soak into the parchment.

This replication method was somewhat similar to movable type printing.

The caster didn't use the original to print directly but mentally recorded each character, printing them one by one in order.

Watching the orderly newspaper replication, Lyra's small mouth slightly opened, her white-gloved hands gently holding the tray.

She hadn't learned this spell before, so seeing it for the first time made her curious.

"Lyra." After half a minute, Astrid suddenly called her.

"Ah... Yes, Your Highness!"

Snapping out of her daze, Lyra looked up at Astrid.

"Do you have any instructions?"

Hearing the confusion in Lyra's voice, Astrid spoke softly.

"Take two sheets of paper and give it a try."

It wasn't that she wanted to overwork Lyra, but although the replication spell didn't use magic circles, this mental energy-involved spell had the rudiments of circle formation.

Early exposure would only benefit her future understanding of circles.

Lyra was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Astrid's intention.

Princess Astrid... wanted her to lay the foundation for becoming a spellcaster early...

She's so kind!

Sitting at the desk and taking the parchment, Lyra quietly consulted the key points of the replication spell before attempting to focus her mental energy, constructing the text according to the content.

Astrid stood behind Lyra with her arms crossed, watching the black ink beads floating in mid-air, her expression calm.

Following the example to print the text, Astrid saw Lyra's mental energy controlling the ink, arranging it in a fixed order.

Circles required particle arrangement. Though the ink wasn't elemental and lacked magical properties, the similarities were significant.

Five minutes later, the apprentices had each replicated five or six newspapers, while Lyra had only managed three-quarters of one.

As Lyra was about to replicate the next page, the ink suddenly went out of control, a few drops landing on the pink-haired maid's dress and white stockings, forming several black spots.

Lyra's cheeks slightly reddened, forcing herself not to overthink.

Your Highness... must like this kind of scenario...

Replication Spell requires the caster to precisely replicate the patterns or text they see using mental energy, and then transfer it onto the desired medium using ink or other dyes.

During this process, mages would more or less try to understand the content they were replicating, and Lyra was no exception.