Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 504: Trust in Lyra

With Charlotte’s consent, Astrid continued attempting resonance casting. As an Arcanist mage, Charlotte’s reservoir of mental energy was as deep as the ocean. The one who truly needed to consider whether her own stamina could last until the end was Astrid herself.

Furthermore, since Lyra’s mental strength only reached the peak tier Magnus level, they would most likely use spells of that intensity to dispel the plague. Therefore, Astrid did not experiment with spells one tier higher. After several attempts, she finally succeeded in utilizing Charlotte’s mental energy to release Middle tier Magnus-level wind magic.

As for the more complex peak tier Magnus level spells, no matter how hard Astrid tried, she couldn’t release them properly. Their souls struggled to achieve synchronization, some wind element particles always slipped beyond control, escaping at the microscopic level.

The stronger the magic, the finer the precision required in mental control. Such minor escapes already doomed the spell’s success.

After dissolving the resonance state, Charlotte slightly parted her lips. Her normally clear, warm amber eyes flickered with a dazed light, and her exquisite face showed a hint of bewilderment.

Completely following Astrid’s rhythm, being carried along by a familiar presence without exerting effort herself, this state was simply too easy to become enchanted by. It was also the ideal state for the relatively passive partner. If Charlotte maintained too strong a sense of autonomy, it would interfere with spell resonance.

"I’ve tried several times, but I can only release the Middle tier Magnus-level ancient spells..."

As the controller, Astrid exited the resonance state faster than Charlotte. She carefully reviewed the casting process, realizing this level of magic represented their short-term peak.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Charlotte, having regained her composure, softly murmured in agreement.

"After all, spells, like mages themselves, become increasingly disparate with each minor rank the further one advances."

Take Middle tier Magnus-level spells versus peak tier Magnus-level spells, though it seems just a slight difference, both require complex three-dimensional magic spells, the gap in difficulty was like heaven and earth.

"Besides," Charlotte continued after a pause, "Due to differences in experience and personality, my synchronization with Little Astr is naturally somewhat limited."

"Having lived so long and seen so much, perfectly aligning with another’s soul naturally becomes harder."

This was one of the reasons resonance casting gradually fell out of favor through the ages. A mature mage inevitably possessed rich experience and knowledge. Differences in life’s depth affect the success rate of resonance casting.

Thus, those best suited for resonance casting were young, intelligent mages who had traveled together for long periods. Being close in age and intimately familiar with each other, they made ideal candidates.

Upon hearing this, Astrid immediately thought of her unique circumstances and remained silent.

Having lived two lifetimes, her soul compatibility with Charlotte couldn’t possibly be exceptionally high. Even though she was someone Charlotte had watched grow up, there were still secrets she absolutely didn’t know.

This had nothing to do with age. Strictly speaking, combining both lives, Astrid’s age was roughly equivalent to Charlotte’s, perhaps even slightly older.

"That’s true..."

After half a minute, Astrid agreed with Charlotte.

"It seems I haven’t spent enough time with Lady Charlotte in daily life..."

"In the future, I’ll make more time to keep Lady Charlotte company."

Charlotte didn’t expect Astrid to suddenly shift the conversation like this, and she instinctively froze for a moment, her pupils reflecting that head of bright silver hair as radiant as the moon.

Her heart’s softness instantly touched, Charlotte softened her expression as she hugged Astrid’s slender waist, gently swaying her legs as she whispered,

"Why did you suddenly jump to this topic..."

"I meant that I’m already getting old, unlike Astrid who is so young."

That’s why slight dissonance occurs during resonance casting.

Being able to release Middle tier Magnus-level ancient magic already proved their compatibility wasn’t low, showing potential for further refinement.

Feeling the smooth sensation transmitted through her leg, Astrid immediately rejected Charlotte’s words.

"Lady Charlotte is still very young."

"During the day, sitting at the dining table in a deep violet gown, wearing high heels by warm lighting, anyone who saw you would think Lady Charlotte is no more than twenty-five or twenty-six, right at the most charming moment of feminine allure."

This wasn’t flattery from a younger generation toward an elder, nor was it specifically meant to please Charlotte. Arcanist-tier mages already possess the ability to preserve their appearance eternally. To others’ eyes, Charlotte will always remain in her most beautiful form. Aging became an enhancement, like a fine wine, only growing richer and more mellow with time.

People were the same. Rich experiences merely made this dark-haired beauty before her more mature and intellectual, increasingly scientific, and increasingly alluring.

Receiving such straightforward praise, Charlotte’s delicate eyelashes involuntarily trembled. Leaning close to Astrid’s ear, she whispered softly,

"Little Astr always knows how to make people happy."

"No wonder Amalia and Lyra both like you so much."

"I’m not falling for this."

As for whether she actually was, the joy in her voice was naturally the best answer.

Hearing this, Astrid continued, "Then which approach does Lady Charlotte fall for?"

"This one right now?"

As she spoke, the silver-haired girl slightly tightened her arms, embracing the woman whose body constantly exuded a ripe, mature charm.

Compared to embracing a girl, holding a mature woman truly felt unforgettable.

Sensing the pressure at her waist, Charlotte finally realized their posture from resonance casting, bodies drawn close, hadn’t been released after the spell ended.

Their current position was even more intimate than that night they had reconciled.

Understanding Astrid was teasing her as an elder, Charlotte’s cheeks warmed for an instant before quickly vanishing as if they never existed. Her fingers gently pinched the soft flesh near Astrid’s lower back.

"Little Astr... you’ve become so mischievous now..."

Even someone as experienced as herself could barely keep up, let alone younger girls.

Internally marveling at the girl in her arms possessing an unparalleled charm capable of captivating both genders, Charlotte suddenly thought of a certain linguistics professor, Evelyn, who shared a similar style.

Indeed, she really couldn’t allow Little Astr to frequently interact with her, what if she corrupted her?

With this thought, Charlotte didn’t release Astrid but instead pulled her closer, her smooth white thighs lightly squeezing.

"By the way, are you planning to approach Lyra like this?"

"Can Little Astr be certain she’ll lower all defenses completely, meaning fully accept your soul’s intrusion, just as we did moments ago?"

Charlotte naturally knew Lyra and Astrid shared a special relationship. Officially, they were close friends, inseparable best friends, and Charlotte had witnessed their intimate behaviors in the capital.

But resonance casting requires something higher, minimum requirements being mutual trust and affection at the level of family. Close friends and best friends weren’t sufficient.

Astrid hadn’t failed to consider Charlotte’s doubts. From a fundamental standpoint, Lyra wouldn’t refuse her request.

Their goal was to eliminate the plague’s impact on the Valeria Empire and restore logistics to normal, specific actions being benevolent deeds to save civilian lives. Lyra had no reason to object.

As for whether complete reduction of defenses was possible, Astrid couldn’t guarantee it. But she clearly understood Lyra far better than Charlotte did, especially regarding those hidden special emotions in her heart.

"The probability of success is very high," Astrid replied.

At least in her view, Lyra’s trust in her was extremely high, just as Astrid herself believed Lyra wouldn’t use the soul-connection characteristic of resonance casting to do anything malicious to her.

Seeing Astrid so confident, and considering the depth of her relationship with Lyra, something even herself as a partial guardian couldn’t fully grasp, Charlotte didn’t say much. She merely reminded Astrid to be cautious, prioritizing her own safety above all.

"Suppose the plague really can be cleared this way, we might endure the toughest period and reach the cold winter."

Holding Astrid, Charlotte spoke softly.

"By then, the cavalry of the Kingdom of Velys will struggle to shatter the frozen ground. Even the sharpest offensives will be scattered by biting winds and blizzards."

She believed that after enduring a year like this, Kingdom of Velys’s morale couldn’t possibly remain sustained. Internal conflicts would inevitably intensify under snow and wind, ultimately exploding completely.

"I hope so."

Astrid nodded slightly, casually replying.

"If I get the chance, I’d really like to meet that Light Saintess again, to see how her work is progressing."

During the previous magical exchange competition, she’d discussed many things with Monica, including this inevitable war and the sacrifices Kingdom of Velys would need to make to end it.

"Meeting her... is practically impossible now..." Charlotte replied softly.

With war declared, relations between the two countries had entered a glacial period. As Regent of the Empire, Astrid couldn’t have any private contact with Monica, the Light Saintess, unless the latter wanted to be charged with treason.

"Normally, that’s certainly true," Astrid said calmly, gently nuzzling Charlotte’s dark hair with her nose.

"But in reality, I have other means of contacting her. The key is whether Monica has the ability to receive it."

"I believe she already knows I’ve arrived at the Empire’s border."

Although Astrid hadn’t publicly announced her journey to the north, the Regent personally arriving at the front lines was something impossible to conceal easily.

As long as Kingdom of Velys’s intelligence department wasn’t composed of gluttonous good-for-nothings, they definitely already knew.

"Contact methods?" Charlotte slightly narrowed her eyes, puzzled.

"Magic isolation barriers now exist between the Valeria Empire and Kingdom of Velys. Even wind magic supporting short-range audio transmission struggles to locate individuals and deliver effective messages."

Moreover, the crucial point was that such magic could be intercepted, possessing extremely poor confidentiality. If exposed, Astrid, as Regent deeply trusted by Empress Amalia, wouldn’t face imperial punishment. But Monica, the Light Saintess, was different. In that fanatical domestic environment, privately communicating with a foreign political figure might very well lead to her being burned alive on the execution pyre.

"Naturally, I’m not referring to that form of communication," Astrid softly denied, then slightly teased.

"I’ll explain the details to Lady Charlotte only after it succeeds."

It was intelligence she’d obtained in her dreams, the actual success depending on Lyra.

"..."

Charlotte remained silent for a long time, simply hugging Astrid’s back, her voice gentle.

"Little Astr’s secrets are truly increasing."

"Just handle them yourself. If anything comes up or you have problems, come find me anytime. I’ll help you to the best of my abilities."

"Just like tonight."

Thinking carefully, Astrid coming to her wasn’t merely out of longing, part of her purpose was likely to consult about the difficulties of resonance casting.

But it didn’t matter. During their soul connection, she’d felt Astrid’s attachment and concern for her. Just that alone was already deeply satisfying for Charlotte.

Perhaps due to aging and lacking someone nearby to share her loneliness, she’d become increasingly attached to this younger companion she’d watched grow up, now blossoming into the Empire’s beautiful, elegant jewel.

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Astrid curved her lips, her voice cool and clear.

"I will, Lady Charlotte."

"Thank you for spending so much time with me tonight. You must be physically and mentally exhausted."

Glancing at the clock, it had already passed the bedtime Lyra mentioned for Professor Charlotte. Astrid maintained her previous intimate posture, showing no sign of loosening.

"Rest now, Lady Charlotte."

Tonight ends here. Tomorrow she’d go find Lyra to discuss resonance casting.

Seeing Astrid made no move to withdraw her arms or release her legs, Charlotte also kept her limbs still, continuing to embrace intimately.

"Good night, Little Astr."

"Good night."

The lights turned off, the air lingering with each woman’s distinct body scent. Soon, over time, they blended together, forming an even sweeter fragrance.

Meanwhile, Lyra, having returned from the front lines, had just finished bathing. Changed into casual clothes, she lay on her bed.

The bedroom is deprived of Astrid’s presence.

Realizing this, the girl’s mood inexplicably felt a bit lost. Perhaps due to last night’s contact, Lyra had developed the illusion that Astrid would come find her to sleep together every night from now on.

But in reality, the other hadn’t promised anything like that.

Her slender legs, covered in thick white stockings, quietly bent, knees slightly together.

She’d simply hoped so deeply in her heart.