Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 254: Rewards for Challenge

After tidying up the books and leaving the training room, Astrid, who was about to knock on the next door, paused when she saw several people standing in front of her room.

The heel of her high heels made a sharp, piercing sound due to the force.

Noticing the rare anger in Lyra’s sky blue eyes and her cherry-pink lips bitten pale, Astrid frowned slightly, her gaze shifting.

Has Lyra been bullied to the point of losing her temper?

The last time she saw such strong emotions from the other party was at the beginning of last year, when Lyra was provoked to tears by her words. At that time, Lyra probably hated her to death.

Shifting her gaze to the person opposite the pink-haired girl, Astrid’s eyes turned cold as she slowly spoke.

"What are you all doing here? Is there something?"

The words that were about to be spoken were interrupted by Astrid’s door opening. Lyra didn’t continue speaking but looked at the silver-haired beauty nearby. After a moment, her pink lips parted.

"I was challenging this distinguished lady."

Turning her head, facing the noble lady who had just spoken rudely, Lyra took a deep breath, her voice exceptionally firm.

"Rather than worrying about getting your hands dirty, you’re more concerned about being defeated by the so-called country bumpkin, especially in public."

"That... would be quite embarrassing, wouldn’t it?"

Hearing Lyra’s words, the woman’s pupils slightly contracted, and her facial muscles stiffened for a moment. All of this was noticed by Astrid.

"Oh? So the two of you want to have a good sparring session?" Astrid said.

Feeling the tense atmosphere around her, Astrid quickly constructed in her mind the plot of a villainous female supporting character being displeased with the protagonist, standing by and making sarcastic remarks, and she believed she had guessed it pretty accurately.

"I remember this lady is the youngest daughter of Viscount Cort, Reneth Aulwyn."

Hearing this, Reneth swallowed her saliva silently. After a few seconds, she whispered.

"Princess Astrid... good evening."

Without seeing the person, Reneth could muster the courage to say some unpleasant things.

But now, standing in front of the third princess of the Empire, Astrid Calliste, and being stared at by the latter’s imposing eyes, the pressure instantly overwhelmed her.

That cold gaze, and the powerful aura naturally exuded by the woman, seemed to grip her heart and suppress her breathing.

"Good Evening, Miss Reneth..." Astrid responded coldly, her tone devoid of any fluctuation.

"Although I just arrived and didn’t fully understand the situation, I have roughly guessed part of the truth."

"Since we are all here at the academy for the common purpose of learning magic, we should share a common identity, that is, students of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic. And it’s quite common for students to spar with each other, without any distinction of status or rank. Otherwise, the academy would have already arranged classes according to status, don’t you think so, Miss Reneth?"

Astrid’s words were undoubtedly the most straightforward protection of Lyra.

The latter’s practical combat results ranked first among all freshmen, and once she accepted the challenge, defeat was almost a foregone conclusion.

Reneth looked up at Astrid, who stood quietly, her long legs covered in thin black stockings standing straight, exuding an aura of authority.

Looking up further, Reneth saw that snow-white, delicate face half-hidden in the shadows, the crimson pupils tinged with the night, adding a touch of coldness and indifference, looking at her as if she were an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

"What, does Miss Reneth think my words are unfair?"

Astrid stared quietly at Reneth, slowing her tone and lowering her voice when she said the last few words, with a strong warning, as if she was about to turn hostile the next second.

Never having been treated with such an attitude by others, Reneth’s voice was intermittent.

"No, no..."

"Good." Astrid nodded and lightly mentioned another seemingly unrelated matter.

"I heard that Viscount Cort has been busy with art transactions recently and has made a lot of money in the past few months. I really envy such a smart person with such a sharp business acumen."

As the daughter of Viscount Cort, Reneth knew that her father’s actions had some unsavory aspects. Astrid’s mention of it now was clearly a threat.

If that matter were exposed in the Empire’s monthly publication, although the family’s financial loss wouldn’t be too significant and wouldn’t be a major blow, the damage to her father’s reputation would be immeasurable.

As a noble of the Valeria Empire, what they cared about most was precisely their reputation and status.

If Reneth had been well-informed and knew about Astrid’s earlier supplement to Lyra’s identity, she probably wouldn’t have dared to provoke Lyra so easily.

Is this bitch... so valued by Astrid...

Worth bringing up such a matter...

As if making some kind of decision, Reneth turned to look at Lyra, her tone carrying a hint of reluctance.

"I... accept Miss Lyra’s challenge..."

Since it was a challenge, there would be corresponding rewards and consequences for victory and defeat. Lyra looked at Reneth, who had bowed to power, and slowly spoke.

"If I win, Miss Reneth will apologize to me in public."

"If I lose..."

Before Lyra could finish, Astrid spoke for her.

"If she loses, maybe I will accidentally knock over the inkstone one afternoon and destroy some hard-earned information."

Reneth wasn’t so foolish as to not understand what Astrid meant. Even Lyra, who hadn’t fully grasped it before, finally understood at this moment.

Princess Astrid had caught a handle on Reneth’s father and used it to force her to accept the challenge.

Hearing Astrid say this, Reneth knew she had no room for maneuver.

But if she backed out now, it was possible that an article about her father would appear in the Empire’s monthly publication next week, becoming a laughingstock for every noble in the Empire.

No, that would not only damage the family’s reputation but also lead to her father’s punishment.

After a moment of silence, Reneth responded with difficulty.

"...I agree."

After speaking, she lowered her eyes, and when her gaze swept over Lyra’s skirt, a trace of resentment appeared.

What kind of potion has this lowly commoner given Astrid? They were enemies not long ago, but now Astrid is so protective of her.

"Princess Astrid, if there’s nothing else, I will take my leave..."

Staying here would only humiliate herself. She had already been made a fool of by her friend today. If Princess Astrid remembered something else later and made new demands, it would be really troublesome.

Astrid gave a low hum, watching as Reneth turned her back and quickly walked to the corner, then spoke coldly.

"I have a piece of advice I’d like to give Miss Reneth."

"Before doing anything, it’s best to think more. My brother will return to the capital soon. Even if a decision has been made, don’t be in a hurry to be the one to step forward. Your father, Viscount Cort, probably doesn’t want to become a scapegoat for no reason."

Hearing the warning, Reneth instinctively stopped, and the next second realized what a foolish thing she had done tonight, breaking out in a fine sweat.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince have been competing for the throne for a long time, each gathering many political forces.

Although her father is a noble, he is just an ordinary viscount with little influence.

Even if he sided with Alistair, it was only to seek benefits after his ascension, and there was no need to confront the Crown Prince’s faction directly.

If Astrid really wanted to deal with her, the Second Prince, lacking sufficient interest, probably wouldn’t protect her, at most doing some superficial work to appease the other small and medium nobles who depended on him, and then let it go.

"I understand, Princess Astrid."

Reneth secretly decided that after this matter was over, she should not casually involve herself in the internal power struggles of the royal family, and even avoid offending those close to Astrid.

Her power is too small... she can’t even get on the chessboard, and acting on her own would only drag down the entire family...

Watching Reneth and another noble lady walk away, Astrid reached out to Lyra.

The latter, seeing the snow-white, delicate hand hanging in mid-air, was stunned for a moment before raising her hand to hold it.

Astrid’s hand felt very soft to the touch, and her body temperature wasn’t particularly warm, holding it tightly felt like a cool, smooth pudding.

"Princess Astrid..." By her loved one’s side, Lyra restrained the sharpness she had shown earlier, her voice soft and gentle.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Reneth is a noble, and Lyra is a commoner. The legal codes written by nobles would inevitably favor their own interests.

Even if she went to court to file a lawsuit, it would be difficult to get the result she wanted.

Moreover, the other party hadn’t actually named names, leaving a lot of room for defense.

As for the challenge, as long as Reneth insisted that dueling with her was a disgrace, she would never hear the former’s apology.

If Princess Astrid hadn’t stepped in this time, she would never have been able to resolve it so easily on her own.

Hearing this, Astrid smiled slightly, thinking of how she had protected Lyra from Sally a long time ago, and simply used the words she had said back then.

"Has Lyra forgotten what I once said?"

"My people, only I can bully."

Having written a domineering CEO novel herself, saying such words now felt unexpectedly embarrassing, but fortunately, Astrid’s acting skills were always on point, and not a trace of this emotion leaked out.

Hearing Astrid say this, Lyra’s heart unavoidably skipped a beat.

When she first became a maid, Lyra didn’t have such strong emotional fluctuations upon hearing such statements.

But now, a year later, hearing it again from Astrid’s mouth, the feeling was completely different.

She was no longer Princess Astrid’s personal maid, but the latter still considered her one of her own.

Even earlier, without understanding the full situation, Princess Astrid had stood by her side without reason, speaking up for her.

Princess Astrid... is really good to her...

Walking on the quiet spiral staircase, it was too late, and there weren’t many students left in the training tower, making the sound of footsteps particularly noticeable.

"So, Lyra, aren’t you going to tell me what happened?"

"What did Reneth say to you?"

The cool female voice brought Lyra out of her daze. Smelling the faint, cold fragrance of hair around her, the girl pursed her lips and softly explained what had happened earlier.

Astrid had been curious about how someone as gentle as Lyra could be provoked to anger, but after hearing Lyra’s explanation, everything became clear.

What Reneth had said was indeed too much, no wonder Lyra was so angry.

"It seems I was too lenient, I should have made her remember better," Astrid said.

Hearing this, Lyra shook her head and said softly, "Princess Astrid has already taken special care of me, I’m very grateful."

Actually, this is not bad. Compared to Princess Astrid using her power and status to directly demand an apology from Reneth, Lyra would rather use her own strength to defeat Reneth fairly.

Looking at the long, transparent shadow at her feet, Astrid blinked a few times, her voice soft and low.

"Then I wish Lyra a smooth victory over Reneth in the challenge."

"Good luck."

Hearing this, Lyra raised her face and said softly.

"I won’t let Princess Astrid down."

Whether for herself or for Astrid, she would give it her all.

"But... was Princess Astrid intentional in doing this..."

"Intentional about what?"

"Just... letting me handle this matter myself..."

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid looked at her somewhat surprised, a subtle emotion rising in her heart.

She felt that Lyra was getting smarter.

"Hmm."

"Since it’s a conflict between you and her, naturally you should resolve it yourself."

Using power to resolve power wouldn’t make Lyra truly happy, but might instead harm her not yet fully mature self-esteem.

She only needed to provide an opportunity or a platform, and leave the rest for Lyra to handle herself.

"Is that so..."

Feeling that her thoughts had rarely kept up with Astrid’s, Lyra felt a wave of warmth in her heart.

Princess Astrid is really gentle and considerate, the best noble she has ever met.

Although most of Reneth’s remarks were indeed very infuriating, there was one thing she didn’t say wrong.

She really wanted to please Princess Astrid, but not for the sake of promotion or other material things the other party mentioned. What she wanted was more greedy.

Princess Astrid’s love, and... her lifelong companionship... but these things were beyond her reach for now.

Unknowingly, they had reached the dormitory door. Lyra took out the key and gently opened the door.

Sitting at the table, Amalia in a white nightgown heard the noise and immediately turned her head to look at the door.

What greeted her were the tightly clasped hands of Astrid and Lyra.