Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 261: Let The Dogs Bite Themselves

The speaker seemed to be using a special arcane magic, which made his voice somewhat indistinguishable in tone and spread from multiple angles to the venue, so that even in the noisy crowd, an accurate source of the voice could not be pinpointed.

After listening, a faint displeasure rippled in Astrid’s crimson eyes. She crossed her legs, the sharp heels of her shoes tapping on the floor tiles with a clicking sound, and her pink lips parted slightly.

"Can I interpret this as you questioning the current imperial royal family of the Valeria Empire?"

"Being so secretive about speaking up, not daring to reveal your name, it makes people feel a bit guilty."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Vorelter in the audience. After a brief silence, as the noise in the venue gradually subsided, she continued.

"For such a long time, not speaking up, not having the courage to show your face is one thing, but since someone has brought it up, I will naturally provide my basis for judgment."

"Otherwise, people might think that Princess Astrid only relies on her status to bully others, making judgments without distinguishing right from wrong."

"Don’t you think so, Mr. Physician who helped treat injuries and accidentally activated the amplification barrier?"

Astrid’s words were full of hints and sarcasm.

The man she named froze in place, feeling the strong aura of the imperial princess, and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look into those crimson eyes.

As her voice fell, almost everyone present could hear the implied meaning in Astrid’s words.

The development of this situation was too coincidental, and it was hard to say that there were no other forces behind it.

Some of the misled audience members had already understood the situation, and their suspicions about Lyra were mostly dispelled. Another part, who had some guesses but chose not to speak up, remained silent.

The situation was not yet completely clear, so it was better to wait and see what Princess Astrid would do next before making any decisions.

Astrid keenly sensed the change in the audience’s attitude and knew that her initial goal had been achieved.

Hibbort was still alive, and Vorelter dared not directly attack her, the imperial princess, so he targeted Lyra instead.

The earlier questioning was probably the limit of what he could do. If he went any further, it might lead to a complete breakdown, and then he would be the one in trouble.

Astrid picked up the potion bottle from Elise’s hand and elegantly shook it in the air. The fragile glass appeared crystal clear under the light, with a few drops of nearly invisible blue liquid remaining near the bottom.

"After noticing something unusual about Miss Reneth, I arranged for my personal maid to consult Professor Elowen Velmont, who was working in the teaching building. Through testing the potion residue, we discovered some potion ingredients that only exist in Elf race, including moonlight grass, which can greatly enhance mental power in the short term."

"Professor Elowen is a master in the field of potions and has come into contact with many rare potions. She immediately recognized the true identity of this potion."

Upon hearing Elowen’s name, most of the audience showed thoughtful expressions.

Everyone knew that Elowen was the younger sister of Duke Cedric Velmont, the current head of the Velmont family. Since it was her judgment, it must be correct.

Moreover, there was an even more important point: Elowen had taken a stance in this incident.

Could it be that Duke Cedric was behind this, and does it represent the Velmont family leaning slightly towards the crown prince’s faction to some extent?

For a moment, the situation became even more unpredictable. More people chose to remain silent, while the physician and announcer on the duel platform appeared somewhat uneasy under the many gazes.

Lyra looked at Princess Astrid, who stood close by with her cool demeanor.

Her snow-white, delicate face was turned slightly towards her, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly as her pink lips moved.

She had already found no reason to defend herself and was about to be tainted by the dirty water thrown at her. But at the last moment, everything took a turn. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Princess Astrid... just like a hero in a story...

Constantly observing the changes in public opinion, Astrid continued to speak.

"This potion is called the Mental Cleansing Potion. For elves, it is a miraculous elixir that enhances their ability to communicate with nature. But when used on humans, its effects are quite different, and it has another name."

"The Mental Cleansing Potion, which provides the drinker with an explosive boost in mental power. The downside is that it irreversibly damages the mage’s mental power, which is why Reneth suffered such severe injuries."

With just two short sentences, the incident was transformed from Lyra using a forbidden technique to damage someone else’s mental power and maliciously attack her opponent, to Reneth resorting to any means necessary to win the duel, ultimately leading to a tragic outcome of mental damage.

Looking at the changing expressions of the distant audience, Elise gently leaned into Astrid’s ear and briefed her on the part of the duel that she had missed due to leaving the venue.

After hearing this, Astrid glanced at the tip of the knight’s sword that had fallen in the corner and then at Lyra’s palm, which had been slightly cracked by the recoil and was now stained with blood. Her tone became even colder than before.

"I remember that the duel platform has a recording barrier. I also heard some of the earlier comments. If there are still people with ulterior motives making wild guesses, why not open it up and take another look at what really happened in this duel."

After speaking, Astrid turned her head to look at the announcer beside her. Seeing this, the announcer nervously swallowed and quickly informed the staff to project the scene recorded in the magic crystal.

As mental power was input, the scene quickly unfolded, taking them back to the beginning of the duel between Lyra and Reneth.

With the help of the recording barrier, every detail of the battle was truthfully reproduced by the light elements.

Although the recording barrier did not record sound, judging from the lip movements, Lyra did not utter any unfamiliar incantations during the battle. All the magic she used could be found in textbooks.

The images flashed frame by frame, quickly reaching the final stage of the duel. In front of everyone, Lyra used her momentum to dodge the wind vortex, her sharp sword aimed directly at Reneth’s shoulder.

Many in the audience had previously thought that this strike was a miss by Lyra. Now, with the replay and their heightened attention, many discovered the hidden details.

"This angle would definitely hit..."

"Why didn’t she strike? Did she show mercy?"

"Reneth’s frost armor failed. If such a heavy strike had hit, it could have caused serious injury or even death."

In the footage, Lyra’s pupils dilated as she noticed the thinning of Reneth’s ice armor. She bent her wrist with force, causing the angle of the sword tip to shift.

The next second, the knight’s sword slammed into the floor tiles instead of Reneth’s shoulder.

The tip of the sword broke off and flew to the side, and Lyra’s hand, unable to release the force due to the sudden movement, split open at the base of the thumb, staining the hilt with bright red blood.

Witnessing all this, a trace of pity flashed deep in Astrid’s eyes, but it was quickly suppressed as she continued to coldly scan the crowd.

"After watching this replay, the matter should be clear enough."

"Lyra didn’t have time to do all those messy things, and besides..."

As she spoke, Astrid took a step back, reached out, and took Lyra’s hand, showing the wound on the edge of her palm to the entire audience.

"If someone like this is the culprit who used forbidden magic to damage someone else’s mental power, don’t you think it’s a bit absurd?"

From a factual perspective, Astrid had obtained the relevant ingredients of the potion Reneth had consumed, with statements from her roommate and Professor Elowen as evidence. As for the emotional aspect, Lyra’s final action was enough to prove that she was not a two-faced villain.

Accidentally killing Reneth would only face personal retaliation from Viscount Cort, but exposing the fact that she had damaged someone else’s mental power by showing mercy would earn the hatred of all mages.

The difference in severity was clear to anyone, let alone the fact that Lyra had injured her own hand because of this action.

Listening to the whispers around her, Charlotte was the first to speak.

"Princess Astrid is right, Lyra had no opportunity, and it’s even more impossible for her to do such a thing."

With Charlotte as the first to voice her opinion, a small faction of the crown prince’s supporters in the venue began to emerge, regaining control of the public opinion and causing the majority of the wavering middle faction to follow suit.

"That’s true."

"Lyra, being of common birth, logically wouldn’t have access to those things."

"Only a fool would do that in front of so many people."

Astrid looked at Vorelter in the audience, whose face had darkened, and her gaze gradually turned cold.

Her dear brother couldn’t be said to have done nothing, but his current performance was extremely limited.

Logically, at this stage, the one who would attract the most hatred from Alistair would definitely be his rival Lucas. Why would he have the time to target her?

How is it that even his underlings now have the chance to bite?

Noble Prince Lucas... why don’t you show some means to put some pressure on your dear brother...

Glancing at Vorelter, Astrid turned to look at the physician who had spoken earlier, a kind smile on her lips.

"I don’t seem to know your name yet."

"But that’s not important anymore. As a quack who makes judgments without knowing the situation, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you to stay at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic?"

"Or, if you believe your medical skills are superb enough to bring the dead back to life, then I wouldn’t object..."

Astrid, being a princess, though without the authority to decide internal personnel changes at the academy, could easily make it difficult for someone to continue their position unscathed.

Is Princess Astrid implying... that she’s going to deal with him...?

The man broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. After a few seconds, he trembled and replied.

"I understand."

If he really angered Princess Astrid, that person probably wouldn’t protect him either, but would quickly distance himself and treat him as a pawn.

It would be good enough to keep his life in the noble struggle. As for betraying Vorelter, he didn’t even dare to think about it. If he really did that, his entire family might end up in the underground outside the city the next day.

Looking at the frightened physician and thinking of the mastermind still sitting in the audience, Astrid once again looked up at Vorelter, her crimson eyes devoid of emotion, making him feel a chill.

Astrid had initially thought of using the topic to continue her attack, but after some consideration, she decided not to do so for now.

This is the first year of the chosen heroine’s enrollment, and the emperor’s health has not deteriorated to that extent yet.

If the conflict between the two princes escalates without a proxy, directly pitting her, the third princess, against Vorelter, the son of the duke, it would only further intensify the conflict between the imperial power and the nobles.

It’s not the time yet. If it were the fourth year of enrollment, Astrid could have pointed out the mastermind earlier, bringing the internal strife between Lucas and Alistair to the surface, thereby creating an opportunity for Amalia’s succession.

For now, she would write to Lucas and let him deal with Vorelter. When the dogs have finished biting each other, she would come back to clean up the mess.

With this in mind, Astrid shifted her gaze and walked down the duel platform with Lyra. Seeing this, Vorelter snorted coldly, also stood up from his seat, and left, his thoughts unknown.

.....

In the long exit passage, the healing barrier was still active. Lyra felt her body warm, unsure if it was a normal reaction from the water healing spell or a psychological effect.

Princess Astrid looked so dazzling on the platform...

And... the reason she did that was related to me...

Lyra’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, gratitude, affection, and some hazy, indescribable feelings.

Princess Astrid is so kind and gentle, even in front of so many people, she still firmly stood by my side.

I must never, ever let down such a wonderful Princess Astrid...

Lyra secretly vowed. Meanwhile, Astrid, who had not continued to hold Lyra’s hand after leaving the duel platform to avoid hurting her, now saw that the girl was no longer limping and softly spoke.

"Is the injury serious?"

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra was momentarily stunned, returning from her inner world to reality, and whispered.

"No, not serious..."

"It’s just a superficial wound on my hand. Although it bled, it didn’t reach the bone."

To prove her point, Lyra showed Astrid her injured left hand.

"If the wound were deep, I wouldn’t have had the strength to hold the sword on the platform."

That was true. If the thumb had been broken, the hilt would probably have been impossible to hold firmly.

Astrid looked at Lyra’s nimble fingers, which she had specifically shown her, and felt slightly relieved. She then asked about her right arm, which had been paralyzed by the electric current.

"My arm is fine now. The water healing spell seems to be more effective for internal injuries."

As she spoke softly, looking at Princess Astrid before her, Lyra’s heart gradually softened, and the panic she had felt when being accused by thousands on the platform dissipated completely.

Hearing this, Astrid didn’t speak, but turned to look at Lyra. Being stared at by her crush’s eyes and remembering what she had just done for her, Lyra’s heart fluttered, and she instinctively lowered her head.

At that moment, she felt a smooth, delicate finger gently touch her cheek.

Like a feather, softly caressing.