Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 499: Restrain

After lingering in the restroom for a while, the sexual scenes in her mind seemed to have taken root in the girl’s heart, impossible to suppress. Standing by the sink, Lyra lightly patted her cheeks twice. Her blue eyes, shrouded in mist, stared at the pink-haired girl in the mirror until the blush on both sides of her face faded slightly. Only then did she blink and turn to leave.

Inside the private room, Astrid still sat with her legs crossed at the pristine white, delicate round table. Her dark-colored court gown revealed the alluring curves of the imperial gem, while the lily-edged hem casually draped over her thighs, revealing a small stretch of smooth, black-stockinged legs. Matching slender high heels quietly encased her delicate feet, the side-cut design further emphasizing the wearer’s noble grace.

Unlike when she first clicked, lazily and casually teasing beneath the table with her toes, now the soft, black-stockinged arch of her foot lay fully exposed to view, its elegant curve faintly visible.

Nor was she provoking Lyra as intensely as earlier, lightly tapping the armor like a nimble obsidian jade serpent, hurriedly Lyra’s blood flow.

Astrid simply kept still, as graceful as ever, one slender white arm propping up her cheek. Her lips, soft as petals, were moist and tender, glistening slightly under the light, as if coated with vibrant glaze, appeared even more tempting.

Uncertain whether it was from drinking the juice on the table or for other reasons, Lyra’s neck felt warm. She slowly walked towards Astrid.

Her Holy Light Armor dissolved into specks of light, vanishing into the air. Without the armor’s enhancement, Lyra wore only an outer garment and thermal lining. Below, the skirt previously concealed by the phantom armor now appears, along with white thigh-high stockings wrapped around her slender legs, both protecting against chafing and insulating for warmth.

Seeing this, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes slightly, her red eyes watching Lyra with amusement. A faint smile curved her lips as she spoke softly.

"Lyra feels... this is more convenient, isn’t it?"

The woman’s voice carried a hint of allure. With just one sentence, she pulled Lyra, who had just calmed down after a breath of fresh air, back into an intimate atmosphere.

Thinking back a few minutes earlier, if her armor hadn’t been shielding her, Astrid’s under-the-table antics might have been bolder. Given the woman’s succubus-like tendencies, she might have even reached directly,

Just imagining such a scenario made Lyra’s legs go weak. She sat down in her seat, and her small leather shoes, stored within the Sword of Light, materialized through telekinesis, replacing the rigid Holy White Knight boots and enclosing her now-unshackled white-stockinged feet.

"I didn’t mean it like that..." Lyra replied in a small voice.

That would make it seem as if she was hinting for Astrid to continue treating her that way.

She wasn’t like that... not at all...

Absolutely not!

Astrid softly uttered an "oh," her slender white fingers touching her chin. Her vivid red eyes continued to fixate on Lyra. After a few seconds, her tone carried a slight smile.

"Did you misunderstand what I meant, Lyra...?"

"Isn’t removing the armor simply to make dining more convenient?"

After all, maintaining the Holy Light Armor requires constant mental focus. The clinking of armor always produces a crisp sound and makes delicate actions inconvenient. Leaving the watchtower and entering daily life, it was only appropriate to remove it promptly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid’s lips curled.

"Or... does Lyra feel that..."

"Wearing the armor earlier... wasn’t quite satisfying?"

Just as Astrid predicted, Lyra’s cheeks instantly flushed red, leaving her speechless for a long moment.

Seeing Lyra about to steam up again, Astrid promptly ended her teasing, pressing the back of her pale hand to her lips and softly laughing.

"Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore."

"It’s time to eat."

No matter what she’d been through, Lyra’s reactions were always so adorable.

She truly hoped she could forever retain this purity.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra cautiously glanced at her, then cautiously checked under the table.

"... Okay."

Picking up her knife and fork, Lyra noticed Astrid holding a transparent wine glass, sipping the juice with delicate lips. A faint pang of regret unconsciously rose in her heart, as if her lips still retained the sweet, creamy softness of that kiss, like ice cream.

She actually... hoped Astrid would do more...

More kisses, more hugs, more intimate gestures.

Yet reason reminded Lyra that this wasn’t the best time for such things. They couldn’t possibly satisfy themselves completely in this small room, though, for a girl in love, "satisfaction" was merely a theoretical illusion. Lyra wished she could be with her beloved at all times, pouring out all the longing and affection she’d held for so long.

The knife and fork pressed against the plate, carefully slicing the steak. Lyra began using food to ease her inner shyness.

With the flirtatious pre-dinner atmosphere now gone, Astrid and Lyra’s conversation gradually shifted from personal matters to official business.

Since their meeting yesterday, a sense of excitement had enveloped Lyra all day. Considering this, Astrid hadn’t discussed much official work with her, instead focusing on emotionally satisfying Lyra as much as possible.

Although she enjoyed it too, no matter how freely they expressed their feelings in private, official duties remained an unavoidable responsibility for both the Regent and the Empire’s Bulwark.

At the dinner table, Astrid asked Lyra for her overall assessment of the frontline situation. The latter didn’t hold back and truthfully shared her judgment, she held a relatively pessimistic view on whether they could hold this defensive line and keep the enemy beyond the borders.

"The Church Knights have regrouped. This batch of armored Light Knights are elite among elites. If they continue their assault like this, the walls may not hold for much longer."

As the Knight-Captain standing at top of the walls, Lyra constantly monitored the wall’s condition and both sides’ strength. She suddenly knew exactly what kind of ferocious beasts they were facing.

"Although Duke Charles hasn’t explicitly stated this, we’ve already analyzed contingency plans for fortress fallback."

The snowfield was freezing cold. The Kingdom of Velys’s army could hardly replenish their food supply locally. They had to transport rations from the few suitable farming regions in the kingdom’s southeast. Maintaining warmth for the transport caravans and the daily cost of three meals posed significant challenges.

Extending Velys’s supply lines would greatly increase their logistical costs, while the broad strategic depth would provide the Valeria Empire with more opportunities for ambushes and battlefield maneuvering.

Beyond these human factors, numerous environmental elements could also influence the war. Once the Liya Tower Fortress fell, vast stretches of wasteland lay behind it. For the Kingdom of Velys to invade the empire’s heartland, they’d first have to move north through the narrow corridor between mountain ranges. Although it was a plain passable for heavy cavalry, the issue of long-distance travel remains objectively real.

Another undeniable factor is that it is currently the hottest summer of the year. Even in Duke Charles’s territory, snowstorms persisted. By autumn, and especially deep winter, relentless blizzards would wipe out every living being exposed outside buildings.

This power revealed by nature far surpasses any forbidden spell an Arcanist mage could chant. Even the highest-tier Arcanist ice magic with the widest recorded casting range and greatest destructive power, [Frostland of Severed Vitality], paled in comparison to the might of heaven and earth.

As long as they held out until autumn, Duke Charles’s strategic plan would be considered a complete success. They’d lose their strongest barrier, but left the Kingdom of Velys with a mouthful of tough bones to chew.

"I’ve already discussed the specifics of this with Duke Charles," Astrid said, taking a bite of meat, chewing carefully before swallowing. "If holding the line becomes truly impossible, the new empress will understand the Duke’s decision to retreat. At that time, the Empire Weekly will specially prepare a mobilization article to rally the entire nobility."

Whether this could awaken the old nobles remains uncertain, but at least a wave of public opinion would significantly reduce Amalia’s conscription pressure.

Long before leaving the capital, Astrid had entrusted Elise with handing half the operations of the Empire Weekly to a trusted subordinate, while Amalia managed the other half.

With full control over the imperial scepter, Amalia inherited the intelligence network left behind by Hibbort. With these members bolstering her, the Empire Weekly had already become a colossal entity with roots spreading nationally. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it dominated public opinion completely.

If the tyrannical blonde ruler from her previous life had possessed such power, the militarization speed of the Valeria Empire would have been several times faster.

After discussing more official matters with Lyra, Astrid shifted the topic to the other’s strength.

"Lyra, you’re still at the peak of peak tier Magnus?"

Hearing Astrid ask this, Lyra nodded, softly replying.

"Yes, but I vaguely feel I’m nearing the point of breakthrough."

"Does Astrid remember the time I mentioned in my letter, when I swung my sword?"

Astrid nodded slightly, her tone was calm.

"The first time confronting Church Knights?"

Lyra responded softly with an "mm," her left hand gently stroking the nail of her right index finger, the warm-glowing, sword-shaped light mark.

"To this day, I still remember that moment I swung my sword, the mystical sensation as if the heavens and earth themselves had changed color."

At that point between light and dark, light-elemental particles transformed into waves, adhering to the translucent Sword of Light. Even space itself seemed, in that instant, to become paper easily torn through.

Light and darkness were severed by a single stroke. Clarity rose, murkiness sank. Lyra faintly felt she had touched the essence of mental energy and stood before the door blocking her path to a higher life form.

"I think, if I could fully understand that state and unravel the relationship between light elements and mental energy, I might successfully ascend to Arcanist Mage," Lyra said.

Lyra had been stuck at the Peak tier Magnus level for a very long time. During this period, she’d witnessed countless soldiers’ sacrifices. Her determination to grow stronger had never been stronger.

Even if Lyra ascended to Arcanist Mage, military regulations and consequences would force her to hold back her full power in combat, once an Arcanist mage released devastating magic on the battlefield, a chain of reactions would throw the entire war into chaos.

Once such a flexible nuclear bomb demonstrated its power, domestic nobles would fiercely condemn Lyra’s unauthorized actions. To them, previous fighting merely killed commoners, but once an Arcanist mage entered the fray, their own precious lives would face threat, a point absolutely unacceptable to the nobility.

But regardless, as long as she completed the ascension and gained sufficient capability, she could always save more lives at the right moment.

Gazing at Lyra’s face, Astrid blinked, then spoke after a moment.

"Duke Charles should have told you about the various limitations of Arcanist mages joining the battlefield?"

Lyra nodded, her voice was soft as she answered.

"Yes, I know."

"...Then Lyra doesn’t find this somewhat absurd?" Astrid asked.

Arcanist mages possessed power yet were restricted by rules, unable to fully protect their comrades without constant hesitation.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra’s gaze dimmed slightly. After a moment, she lifted her eyes again, speaking softly.

"It is absurd..."

"But... not incomprehensible."

After all, if Arcanist mages went all-out, taking turns launching magical barrages, the war’s scale would never be confined to just the northern defensive zone of Duke Charles’s territory.

The key point was that an Arcanist mage’s offense differed from fixed-position mana cannons, it had extreme flexibility. Any location in both empire and kingdom could face sudden attacks, and such assaults would be devastating. When facing an Arcanist mage, civilians were like ants trying to shake an elephant. The mere collateral damage from destroying an army would be enough to shatter countless common families, leaving them destitute and separated.

In a sense, not using Arcanist mages was a mutual restraint between both sides, an inevitable measure to prevent the war from escalating into an irreconcilable, white-hot conflict. Only if one side truly reached the point where their nation faced impending destruction without deploying high-tier combatants would they possibly lose composure and use Arcanist mages first.

Moreover, the nobility will never want to see Arcanist mages enter combat. To them, it was like having a sharp blade suspended over their heads, ready to test whether their necks were strong enough.

If Amalia declared the empire would directly deploy Arcanist mages in war, the first to condemn her wouldn’t be the King of Velys, but the empire’s internal nobles seeking to protect themselves.

"So, if I, as an Arcanist mage, acted recklessly and used that level of power, plunging the empire into deeper turmoil, it would only cause more innocent lives to be lost..."

Lyra pursed her lips, her eyelashes lowered, her tone more complex than ever.

"I can’t always just think about myself..."