Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 506: Torture

Relaxing her mind, letting her soul experience the five senses in the place of her body, Lyra bit her lip, striving not to feel the smooth sensation from her legs, her eyes quietly closing to avoid the intensely striking blend of black and white from landing on her pupils, forming turbulent emotions that unsettled her spirit.

The head maid was absolutely right, battlefields were indeed the best places for tempering oneself. After such a stretch of military life, Lyra’s threshold for entering a meditative state had clearly lowered, and her control over emotions had become surprisingly mature. Even though she felt hot all over right now, she could still, through sheer willpower, enter a meditative state dominated by her spirit.

Of course, this required Astrid not moving around.

Fortunately, the silver-haired beauty in her arms wasn’t doing this to tease her, but rather to increase the success rate of resonance casting. With that goal in mind, she wouldn’t further stimulate Lyra.

There would be plenty of time to tease the little maid later, right now, they had serious matters to attend to.

Thus, in this incredibly resonant posture, Lyra gradually intimately entered a state of mental projection. A cool, translucent breath, clear like water, quickly enveloped her, and as the depth of fusion gradually increased, she began to exude an elegant yet restrained allure.

In magical theory, the soul and the body were inseparable aspects of a single entity. The soul was nurtured by the body, and the body was controlled by the soul, each complementing and depending on the other.

Therefore, Astrid’s soul was just as it appeared externally: aloof, yet carrying the noble dignity of an imperial princess, with beneath that dignified elegance a subtle charm, intentionally or unintentionally revealed only to those familiar to her.

Especially for Lyra, that sensation was particularly pronounced.

Like plucking at one’s heartstrings, endlessly radiating the charm of succubus.

Shifting perspective to Astrid, this was her first brief soul fusion with Lyra, and she indeed noticed many differences from Charlotte.

Within her consciousness, boundless brightness and warmth formed the main appearance of Lyra’s soul. These gathered lights were like an ocean, without careful observation, one couldn’t sense any darkness or coldness. Even if present, they were merely scattered spots, like sunspots before a solar flare, insignificant to the whole sun.

Yet precisely because these negative emotions exist, Astrid felt that the Lyra in her arms was a real, living person, not just a plot-convenient heroine destined by fate, glowing like divine light at every moment, a mere tool character.

Besides this, Lyra’s emotional fluctuations also caught Astrid’s attention, a flicker of joy naturally erupting deep within her soul due to their intimate contact.

First came intense affection and love, then a protective desire wished her no harm, accompanied by the maidenly shyness and a certain possessiveness, along with a deeper yearning for even more closeness with her.

Lyra offered no resistance to her soul’s intrusion, instinctively accepting her, bashful yet eager to merge completely with her.

Words too embarrassing to speak aloud were laid bare at the soul level.

Continuing her exploration, Astrid’s soul coiled like a nimble serpent around a tree trunk.

In reality, to prevent fully entering the resonance state and accidentally leaning backward due to posture, falling onto the blanket, Astrid gripped Lyra’s hand even tighter, while slightly leaning her delicate body forward.

Indeed, the side-lying position from her trial with Charlotte was more suitable, lying together on the bed, no need to worry about anything else, just focusing on casting magic.

Minute by minute, the soul resonance between the two gradually increased, reaching a brief overlap. At the exact moment their souls tightly fused, Lyra felt her entire body tremble.

Although the temporary soul fusion required for resonance casting wouldn’t affect their future lives, nor cause soul contamination or influence their personalities, this unique sensation of establishing a connection between two distinct souls was still unforgettable for Lyra.

It was just like a gentle poke at the most sensitive spot.

Afterward, Lyra felt Astrid, as if holding her hand, drawing magical channels through the air. Sequence after sequence of circles, positioned for elemental particles, formed neatly.

Lyra didn’t know what kind of spell Astrid was preparing to cast, but judging from the arrangement of light-element particles, it should be some kind of light-element buff magic.

Right now, she was merely a platform for the other’s spellcasting, emptying her mind and leaving everything to Astrid was enough.

In the blink of an eye, the circles were completely drawn. Lyra channeled her mental power at full speed, and the prepared ancient magic was instantly released.

Holy light enveloped both their bodies, illuminating that cascade of bright silver hair. Not only the gemstone pendant and deep-blue brooch on her chest, but even the smooth dark fabric of Astrid’s dress reflected a faint glow.

Lyra felt her body become incredibly light, her thoughts exceptionally clear, her strength, agility, and casting speed all enhanced across the board. If she were wearing a Holy Light Armor right now, its all-element resistance and durability would likely be greatly improved as well.

Judging from the effect, this should be the ancient version of the middle tier Magnus-level light-element spell [Blessing of Holy Light], or perhaps an advanced version with enhanced effects.

To have succeeded so easily on the first try, Astrid was somewhat surprised at how compatible she and Lyra were. Quickly discarding such irrelevant thoughts, she seized the momentum to proceed with the next spell attempt.

If she were to exit resonance casting due to personal soul fluctuations, continuing forward would mean starting over.

Unexpectedly, Astrid didn’t plan to pause even briefly before beginning the next step. Lyra was momentarily stunned but quickly re-entered the state.

Regarding stamina, her mental reserves were far greater than Astrid’s. Besides, in a soul-fusion casting method like this, the one exerting more strain was clearly the dominant controller, Astrid.

When the other party could no longer continue, she would naturally rest.

The next spell was also a mid-tier Magnus-level spell.

............

Lyra had assumed they would spend the entire morning practicing resonance casting, but the result was clear, Astrid’s endurance was insufficient to sustain that.

After successfully attempting a peak tier Magnus-level spell for the fifth time, Astrid keenly sensed her thoughts slowing down, accompanied by a slight dizziness. This was the sign of nearly depleted mental power.

Continuing would drastically reduce the success rate, but refilling with Aura Vault... seems unnecessary...

Sensing Astrid’s soul weakening and that faint intention to continue through other means, Lyra immediately expressed resistance.

When mental power is insufficient, don’t force it, otherwise, damaging the soul would be counterproductive.

The instant Lyra showed resistance, their soul connection broke, both exiting the resonance casting state.

Thoughts returning to reality, Lyra slowly opened her eyes and let out a soft breath, suddenly noticing the silver hair close to her chin.

Astrid leaned against her, the hand that had been gripping her back now hooking around it. Her soft, pleated dark dress didn’t cover her rounded shoulders, and glimpses of snow-white skin peeked through the silver hair cascading down.

She had seen Astrid with her hair tied up when they first arrived, how did it come loose?

Only then did she realize her own hands weren’t supporting the bed, but instead wrapped around Astrid’s waist, gently holding her, leaving no chance for the silver-haired princess in her arms to possibly touch the ground.

But... strictly speaking, it could also be called restraint...

Had she been the one who untied Astrid’s hair ribbon?

An unconscious act during meditation.

At this moment, Astrid finally snapped back to awareness. In her state of mental exhaustion, she didn’t want to speak, she just wished to maintain this posture and wait for her mental power to recover somewhat.

The soft breathing sound was amplified in her ears, the warm breath intensifying the heat within.

Previously, Lyra could use the excuse of resonance casting to sink into meditation and avoid paying too much attention to the silver-haired fey sitting on her legs. Now, she could only rely on willpower to suppress her feelings.

Her legs, trapped by Astrid, couldn’t move. The elaborately decorated night-sky-colored lotus-shaped hem covered the delicate white stockings, but the softness and warmth on the inner side couldn’t be ignored, especially toward the back, where Lyra could clearly feel the firm roundness and softness.

This wasn’t a test anymore, it was pure torture.

Thinking about Astrid’s current state of mental exhaustion, Lyra wouldn’t do anything more, nor would she actively ask if she could.

She knew how awful mental depletion felt, asking for permission now would only exhaust the other more.

But... that didn’t mean Astrid could subconsciously rub her legs like this!!!

Taking another critical hit, although Lyra’s mental power was still abundant, being treated this way still left her dazed.

This was a daze naturally bred by the ambiguous atmosphere, just like the fragrance emanating from her beloved’s hair. Although it has a pleasantly sweet, moderately cool floral scent, it still made one’s mind hazy, as if having drunk a large cup of strong liquor, feeling drunk from the inside out.

Luckily, as if some god had heard Lyra’s silent plea, Astrid stopped rubbing her legs and instead leaned on her weight forward, relaxing even more as she hugged the pink-haired girl before her.

This caused her already short hem to rise slightly, revealing the curve of her knees and half of her soft thighs covered in black stockings.

Even more dangerously, Lyra caught sight of a few inches of bare skin not wrapped in fabric, a thin black strap connected to the sheer stockings, the pure dark lace trim pattern resembling butterfly wings or floral patterns, exuding a seductive, alluring style that made the woman before her seem like a nocturnal elf.

Lyra’s breath caught slightly. Her two white-stockinged feet, resting on the soft blanket, were slightly turned inward in a pigeon-toed stance. Her gaze dared not linger, turning instead to the carpet beside her.

The black hair ribbon indeed lay beside Astrid, just a few centimeters from the edge of the bed.

Following the ribbon’s fallen position upward, a pair of black-stockinged feet, pressed against Lyra’s legs and not covered by the hem, rested against the bed. The smooth fabric highlights the delicate softness of the woman’s tender feet. The exquisitely small heels and the black-stockinged soles were smooth and fine, their color resembled fine black jade, their visible softness closer to that of a black forest cake.

To certain people with specific tastes, they would likely be considered a rare and exquisite treasure.

She had originally intended to suppress her inner heat, but now it had only intensified. Lyra’s head throbbed with heat as she tried once again to enter a meditative state.

She knew nothing. She saw nothing.

At the moment this thought arose, Lyra felt her body go limp, tipping backward, Astrid, sitting on her legs, naturally sank down with her.

"..."

The last time she faced this situation, Lyra had been on top with Astrid underneath. This time, it had cleverly reversed.

Even if she didn’t want to speak and just wished to close her eyes and rest, Astrid remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking in response to the sudden movement.

"So you really prefer it like this, then?"

"?"

Like what... being treated like this by Astrid...

Only a step away from losing all coherent thought, Lyra felt Astrid’s hair strands falling by her ear, the warmth and fragrance of her pale neck, even giving her the feeling that burying her cheek here and taking a soft sniff would be absolutely blissful.

No, Lyra, stop daydreaming.

You’re really... really...

Unable to find a suitable word to describe her current emotions, Lyra gave up thinking and whispered softly.

"Astrid... please rest well..."

Thankfully, Astrid currently had no extra energy to tease her further, otherwise, Lyra truly wouldn’t have known whether she’d become strange, completely unlike herself.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid faintly realized the extent of damage her few thoughtless actions had caused. The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she brought her cheek close to Lyra’s neck, gently pressing against it.

"Alright, Lyra~"

"The trial results were quite good. You can also relax, take a good rest."

Resting was easy enough, the key was how to truly relax.

Feeling Astrid’s two black-stockinged legs resting on her waist, Lyra completely dared not remove her hands from the other’s waist, fearing her palms might accidentally touch something.

That would only pour oil on the fire, making things uncontrollable.

Calm your mind, don’t focus on what’s in front of you.

At this moment, Lyra thought of many things, buying her first little booklet on magical knowledge, the entrance exam for Elizabeth Academy Of Magic, and the subsequent academic life.

In short, just don’t think about Astrid.