Princess’s Struggle for Survival

"Princess Astrid, it's time to wake up."

After gently knocking on the door and hearing a familiar female voice from inside, Lyra pushed the handle and entered the third princess's bedroom.

"What would Princess Astrid like to drink this morning? Still milk tea or the tea we got from Countess Charlotte? I asked Eli..."

Halfway through her sentence, Lyra froze, staring blankly at the bulging quilt on the bed and the waterfall of black hair cascading over Astrid's chest.

"I've had too much milk tea. Let's try the tea that Lady Charlotte sent this time."

Hearing the conversation between Astrid and Lyra, Amalia also slowly woke from her slumber, her sleepy eyes gazing at the pure white nightgown before her, her cheeks still tingling with the sensation of a soft, warm touch.

Compared to Livia, Astrid was slightly thinner, not as voluptuous, but still pleasant to hold.

If Livia was the always gentle and considerate older sister, soft as water, then Astrid was like a cool, fragrant jade, carrying the scent of lavender and roses, warm yet with a hint of coolness.

Though they were different in many ways, for Amalia, holding either of them was far better than sleeping alone.

Pulling her fair leg from between Astrid's knees, Amalia silently enjoyed the warmth of the morning, then heard Lyra speak again.

"Alright, alright!"

It was a bit surprising that the fourth princess hadn't slept in her own room last night, but had instead ended up in Princess Astrid's bed.

However, considering their sisterly relationship, Lyra gently sniffed, the cold air filling her lungs, dispelling the surprise and a faint sense of unease that had risen in her heart.

"Princess Astrid, will Ama... Miss Livia also be washing up here?"

"If so, I'll go get a new set of toiletries."

As soon as she finished speaking, Amalia sat up, her legs resting on the edge of the bed, and gently stepped onto the carpet.

"Good morning, Astrid," Amalia said.

"Good morning, Lyra."

Since Amalia's back was turned, Lyra couldn't see her expression, but the girl's voice was unusually flat, not at all like the tone one would expect from a sister who had just woken up after sharing a bed.

"Good morning, Livia," Lyra said.

Astrid looked at Amalia, who was lowering her gaze and touching her skirt, and roughly understood her meaning.

"Good morning, Amalia," Astrid's gaze moved past the bed to the pink-haired maid by the desk.

"Lyra, no need to prepare anything for Livia."

Amalia had already made her stance clear with her actions last night. She wasn't insisting on separating Astrid and Livia; on the contrary, she knew deep down that the two were inseparable parts of the same entity.

As long as she understood that, it was enough. Amalia was just temporarily unable to accept the transition from Livia to Astrid, especially since the latter had left a significant shadow over her years of imprisonment. Emotionally, these scars couldn't be erased overnight.

Amalia's slight awkwardness was something Astrid could fully understand. She would give her enough time to adjust until she fully accepted her.

Watching Amalia leave the room, Astrid turned her head to look at Lyra, who was standing there dumbfounded, and casually adjusted the strap that had slipped off her shoulder, speaking softly.

"Did you come here to stand guard?"

Hearing Astrid's words, Lyra snapped out of her daze and quickly replied.

"Reporting to Princess Astrid... no..."

She was just a bit puzzled. Even though they had shared a bed on the first night after moving in, why did the relationship between Astrid and Amalia feel so strange?

It wasn't that they were distant, but Amalia's behavior just now didn't seem particularly intimate either.

These two princesses, one older and one younger, were truly hard to figure out.

"If not, then go help me prepare my clothes. Find a black dress and some black tights, still on the thinner side."

After instructing Lyra on what she wanted to wear today, Astrid got up to wash and groom herself. Once everything was done, she went to the dressing room to change into the outfit prepared by the maid, then sat back at the vanity to comb her hair.

As Astrid had expected, this body's recovery wasn't strong. When she washed her face, she noticed that the spot where Amalia had bitten her yesterday was still red, especially noticeable on her collarbone.

The girl had indeed bitten hard, leaving a mark that still hadn't faded.

Pulling open her dress to reveal a large expanse of fair skin, Astrid looked at the hickey in the mirror and sighed softly.

"Lyra."

"I'm here."

"Cast a basic healing spell on me."

With that, Astrid pointed to her chest, her pink lips parting slightly.

"Just cast it here, to remove the mark."

Going out with such an obvious hickey wasn't just unseemly; if people started associating it with something inappropriate, it would damage the royal family's reputation.

Seeing the hickey, Lyra's first thought was that Princess Astrid had been injured. She unconsciously furrowed her brows and asked in a low voice.

"Princess Astrid... were you injured?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lyra began chanting the universal incantation for a healing spell. A faint green light appeared on Astrid's chest, quickly sinking into her skin.

Feeling a slight itch on her collarbone, Astrid leaned back against the wooden chair, her tone carrying a hint of laziness.

"It's not exactly an injury. It was the fourth princess who bit me."

"Bit... bit you?"

What was going on? Was this how members of the royal family interacted with each other?

Lyra muttered to herself, then suddenly heard Astrid speak again.

"Yes, she was a bit upset at the time."

"Lyra, have you dealt with children before? Do they do things like this?"

In her previous life, Astrid hadn't interacted much with children. The only one who had shown any childlike behavior around her was her younger sister, but even when she was angry, she wouldn't bite like Amalia, leaving such a noticeable mark.

Hearing this, Lyra continued to channel her spiritual energy while softly replying, "Back in the village, there was a little girl next door, about six or seven years old. I would often tell her stories about the market."

"But biting... I've never seen that..."

Perhaps because she and the little girl were just friends, they wouldn't engage in such intimate behavior.

But Princess Amalia was already fourteen years old. It was hard to imagine she would still act like a six or seven-year-old, expressing her dissatisfaction in such a way.

Thinking of the scene when she entered, with Amalia burying her head in Astrid's neck, and now watching the red mark on her chest gradually disappear, revealing the delicate and beautiful collarbone underneath, Lyra suddenly felt her mouth go dry, vaguely understanding why the fourth princess had done it.

Princess Astrid's collarbone was quite slender, and her skin was very fair... it did give off the urge to take a bite...

Realizing that her thoughts were both presumptuous and impolite, Lyra pursed her lips, her moist tongue lightly touching her lower lip, effectively reducing the dryness.

After listening to Lyra's words, Astrid nodded thoughtfully.

"Is that so..."

Indeed, Amalia was deeply affected by her past. Whether it was her cold attitude towards others or these small details that showed up in her interactions with Livia, they all subtly revealed her inner unease and emptiness.

Hopefully, in a relatively free living environment, this cold, spoiled girl who would have become a tyrant could grow into a qualified ruler.

Once the hickey on her collarbone had completely disappeared, Astrid asked Lyra to call Elise. Half a minute later, a black-haired woman in a maid's uniform entered the room.

"Elise, is Sara taken care of?" Seeing the newcomer, Astrid asked softly.

The head maid nodded slightly, "Reporting to Miss Astrid, Sara is feeling unwell today, so she voluntarily handed over the task of delivering meals to another maid."

"This maid is an orphan adopted by Countess Charlotte. She lost her parents in the war and grew up on the estate. To her, the Countess is her adoptive parent, more worthy of loyalty than a distant king. There's no need to doubt her loyalty."

"In a month, I'll have Sara voluntarily resign from her meal delivery duties and arrange for her to take over."

Replacing the personnel related to the castle with Astrid's loyalists was a process that had to be handled with great care. Although Hibbort didn't care about Amalia's life, that didn't mean the emperor was blind. Too many or too hasty personnel changes would definitely attract his attention.

"Well done, Elise." Astrid smiled, not stinting on praise, then took a sip of the hot tea.

It was indeed a fine selection from Lady Charlotte, leaving a lasting impression with just the first sip.

Putting down the teacup and noticing some water stains on the tray, Lyra immediately took the tray and carefully wiped it with a silk cloth.

"Miss Astrid..." Elise hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"How would you like me to handle Sara?"

At these words, Lyra's eyelashes trembled slightly, though her hands continued their task.

During her time interacting with Princess Astrid, she had learned some of the palace's inner workings, including how the crown prince dealt with pawns and those who knew his secrets.

He would find the right moment to ensure they could never speak again.

If it were Princess Astrid, how would she handle such a situation?

Hearing Elise's question, Astrid slowly crossed her black-stockinged legs, her red eyes narrowing slightly, her index finger lightly tapping her lips.

"What does Elise think would be the best way to handle it?"

With that, Astrid glanced at Lyra, who was standing straight beside her. The pink-haired maid lowered her eyes, her pink lips pressed into a thin line.

Elise paused for a few seconds before answering, "Coercion and bribery."

"First offer significant benefits, then follow up with threats, including but not limited to Sara's personal safety. The safety of her parents and relatives would also be directly tied to her ability to keep the secret."

This was the best plan Elise could come up with without resorting to killing.

Astrid nodded in agreement, also noticing that when Elise mentioned "the safety of her parents and relatives," Lyra's shoulders had involuntarily trembled.

Was she thinking of Lucasl's previous advances, or did she feel that this approach was somewhat excessive, or perhaps both?

Considering Lyra's character, this young Holy Knight did have a somewhat saintly nature in the early stages of the story. It was only after experiencing the battlefield and a series of political struggles that she would shed her naivety and understand that even the Holy Light could cast shadows.

Justice and kindness were worth upholding, that was undeniable, but in the face of reality, not everything could be so idealistic.

"Elise, give Sara a year's salary and have her return to her hometown, never to set foot in the capital again. She is not to disclose anything she has seen or heard in the palace, especially regarding the fourth princess, Amalia. Otherwise, everything she currently possesses will be taken away, and those she holds dear will suffer torment and hardship."

Having the maid responsible for the fourth princess's daily life resign and return to her hometown to live out her remaining years on familiar soil was a much more natural and less suspicious outcome than her suddenly dying in an accident.

"Understood, Miss Astrid."

"Go ahead. You'll have to work hard again recently."

"It is my honor to work for Miss Astrid."

Watching Elise leave the room, Astrid took a few more sips of her tea. During this time, Lyra remained silent, her head lowered as if she didn't exist.

After finishing the last of her tea, Astrid wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, then looked at the somewhat conflicted pink-haired maid beside her, a faint smile playing on her lips as she extended a slender, jade-like finger.

Forced to lift her chin by Astrid's finger, Lyra met those deep, crimson eyes, her heart skipping a beat.

"You think I'm wrong, don't you?" Astrid said calmly.

Feeling the pressure from the woman's fingertip, Lyra's body stiffened. After a few seconds of eye contact, she responded in a voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"I..."

She wanted to say no, but looking into those blood-red eyes that seemed to see through her soul, coupled with the pounding of her heart, Lyra replied hoarsely.

"...I do think so."

This kind of behavior... wasn't fundamentally different from what the crown prince might have done in that letter to Laina...

Both were about using threats for personal gain, even putting the other person's most important family members on the negotiating table.

Amalia was indeed deserving of sympathy, but that didn't mean everything Astrid did to rescue her was right.

Hearing this, Astrid wasn't angry. She simply chuckled softly.

"Then what if I had Elise kill her? What would Lyra think?"

"Would you think Princess Astrid is a murderer who doesn't value commoners?"

The words, spoken with a faint smile, felt like a sharp knife piercing Lyra's heart.

Would Princess Astrid really do such a thing?

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