Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 507: Shame

Although she’d deliberately tried not to think about Astrid, when Lyra carefully reflected, she realized that nearly every thought in her mind was somehow tied to Astrid’s presence.

Arranging a private tutor without charging a single coin, providing a private residence within the palace, offering a job with wages far above average, using her influence to protect Lyra’s parents back in their hometown, and constantly shielding her throughout her academy life.

In those early years upon arriving at the palace, without Astrid’s repeated help, there was no way she could have lived so smoothly. And the only "payment" Astrid ever demanded from her was that glass of red wine spilled over Lyra’s head.

In fact, immediately after the wine-pouring incident, maids had taken her to a room to clean up and change clothes.

That hardly counts as any kind of payment at all...

Thinking about it, she liked Astrid even more.

Opening one eye, gazing at the ceiling above, Lyra held her breath, her arms wrapped around the waist of the beauty in her embrace. After a long while, she gently exhaled.

Astrid’s cheek pressed against her neck. Lyra could feel the smoothness of her skin, lips as tender as flower petals, her petite, refined nose, and long, upright lashes like delicate paintbrushes.

Could anyone truly resist having their beloved lying over them like a cat, nestling their head against their shoulders, letting fragrant strands of hair scatter across their chest?

Lyra certainly couldn’t hold back. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, every cell in her body screaming for action.

Astrid always bullied her like this, wasn’t one act of resistance fair enough?

Right?

A little devil seemed to whisper in her mind. Her nose filled with the pure, delicate fragrance of the girl’s body. Her arms held a warm, soft weight. Silver-white hair contrasted perfectly with the deep black of her skirt, and glimpses of snow-white skin in between formed a third kind of breathtaking beauty.

Seeing that Lyra remained silent for so long, Astrid continued resting in this position. Her knees gently drew closer, her slender legs, sheathed in delicate black stockings, pressed against the outer side of Lyra’s thighs. Her straight, slender calves lay parallel to the bed, shimmering with a soft luster under the lamplight.

Ten minutes later, her depleted mental energy recovered. The dizziness in Astrid’s head gradually faded, and her thoughts grew sharper.

Compared to apprentice-level mages, Magnus possessed greater reserves of mental energy and faster recovery rates. This significantly reduced the duration Astrid remained in a state of magical exhaustion.

Although the recovered energy was only enough to cast one or two spells at the apprentice level, at least it no longer impaired normal thinking or basic life functions.

"Today’s attempt went much smoother than I expected, Lyra."

Lips grazing Lyra’s ear, Astrid whispered softly.

"Aunt Charlotte was right, life experiences truly are a key factor in resonant spellcasting."

If counting experiences from her past life, she and Charlotte combined were nearly eighty years old. With such long life experiences, even with their souls completely open to each other, resonance wasn’t easy.

But Lyra was different. She was truly just over twenty years old. Her life record could hardly be called anything more than a blank sheet. Added to that, for four years at the academy, they had lived under the same roof every single day. Their level was naturally high.

"..."

Fine, talking was fine, but breathing against her earlobe wasn’t deliberately trying to tease her?

Heat kept rising from her head. Lyra tightened her interlaced fingers pressed against Astrid’s lower back and answered in a trembling voice.

"Then... does that mean we succeeded?"

If it ended here, it really was much faster than Lyra had anticipated.

Hearing this, Astrid shook her head and continued.

"Resonant spellcasting with you can release peak tier- Magnus level light-element magic. In terms of quality, that should be sufficient, since it’s already the strongest spell Lyra can currently cast."

"But in terms of quantity, five to seven peak tier spells are far from enough. And even then, that’s only achievable when you and I maintain this close embracing posture."

When they arrived at Siyak Town, they wouldn’t be able to enter a resonant spellcasting state with such relaxed minds.

In other words, they still needed to cultivate more, until Astrid could minimize the mental energy cost of guiding Lyra’s soul to the lowest possible level.

"For the next few days, as soon as my mental energy is fully restored, I’ll immediately find Lyra to train in resonant spellcasting," Astrid said.

Practice makes perfect, even resonant spellcasting was no exception.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra’s expression froze slightly. She quickly realized what the other meant.

That meant... similar things would have to be attempted many more times...

Just like right now.

Hearing no response from Lyra, Astrid tilted her head, her voice soft.

"What’s wrong, Lyra?"

"No time... or unwilling?"

Finishing her words, as if to draw Lyra’s attention back to their conversation, Astrid gently squeezed her legs, her voice gaining a hint of allure.

S-She... really was some kind of fairy from a storybook...

"I..." Lyra opened her mouth, her cheeks flushing, her voice unconsciously lowered.

"I have time... and I’m not unwilling."

Her transfer orders had already been secured, so there was certainly no excuse for lacking time. The only concern was who would fill the gap at that defensive position.

"It’s just, Astrid..."

"Who’s currently stationed at the watchtower I used to command?"

Hearing this, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes in mild surprise that Lyra could still think of the frontlines in such a situation. She moistened her lips and replied.

"There’s no need for Lyra to worry about that. We’ve already discussed it during the meeting."

"Duke Charles will personally take command and boost troop morale."

Their top priority now was resolving the epidemic and restoring normal logistical supplies.

Hearing Astrid’s response, Lyra felt slightly more at ease.

"Then I’ll... completely follow Astrid’s instructions."

She’d dedicate all her time these next few days to cooperating with Astrid, striving to achieve optimal resonant spellcasting as soon as possible.

Astrid nodded in approval, her cheek rubbing gently against Lyra’s neck.

"Mm, that’s best."

"But speaking of it, after experiencing such a soul connection with Lyra, I just realized... that Lyra..."

"...likes me so much."

That passionate, genuine emotion was difficult to remain unmoved upon sensing.

Hearing this, Lyra’s cheeks flushed even deeper. She held onto Astrid tightly, afraid to move.

Liking someone wasn’t an emotion one should feel ashamed of, but having that feeling pointed out by the person she loved made Lyra unable to suppress her embarrassment.

"Because... I really do like Astrid..."

She wasn’t sure if saying this counted as a confession. That night by the lake behind Morin Village, she had already expressed her feelings to Astrid. Now, she was simply making that emotion fully known to the other.

"I can feel it, Lyra," Astrid said, her other hand resting on the bed quietly lifting, moving closer to Lyra’s heart.

"Not just the emotions that are hard to conceal on a soul level, but also the physical reactions, completely exposed."

Delicate fingerprints traced circles on breasts, faintly sensing the underlying tremors. Touched at such a sensitive spot by Astrid, Lyra shivered, her ears instantly turning bright red.

Could she really be blamed for this? It was all Astrid’s fault anyway...

Knowing perfectly well how she felt, yet repeatedly teasing her in every possible way.

Although, to be fair, it was she herself who had specifically requested this back then.

"It’s all Astrid’s fault... you’re too cruel..."

Lyra didn’t know how others might react in such a situation. For her, she was constantly experiencing a special state of both enjoyment and torment.

Faced with her beloved’s repeated provocations, she wanted to get even closer to Astrid, yet always remained uncertain about the other’s true feelings.

Astrid certainly didn’t object to her closeness, but if the dominant emotion behind it wasn’t affection, then it meant nothing to her.

She should only take a further step with someone who also liked her in return.

At least from the recent soul connection, Lyra could feel that Astrid harbored some affection for her, but it was still far from the intense, uncontrollable, hopelessly passionate love she felt for the other.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid lifted her head, her body leaning forward slightly, her spine gradually straightening.

Looking down at the pink-haired girl pinned beneath her, blushing, Astrid leaned down again, her lips drawn close.

Eh??

Why was she suddenly... about to kiss?

Faced with the other’s movement, many thoughts flashed through Lyra’s mind. Instinctively, her body tensed. Her eyes closed as Astrid drew closer, her lips slightly parted.

In the bright room, the silver-haired, red-eyed Imperial Regent and the gallant Imperial Bulwark embraced intimately. Two faces of unmatched beauty drew closer inch by inch, like a flawless painting.

Half a minute passed, yet there was still no contact she longed for on her lips. Lyra trembled her eyelashes, this tiny movement naturally caught by Astrid.

"Lyra thought I was going to kiss you?" Astrid gently exhaled through her nose, her voice exceptionally alluring.

Hearing Astrid say this, Lyra instantly realized she’d been tricked again. She opened her eyes indignantly. And the very next second, as she met those cold, crimson eyes, Astrid leaned down and kissed her.

A cool, smooth sensation bloomed on her lips, carrying an intoxicating fragrance and gentle sweetness. Astrid lingered for over ten seconds before pulling away, gazing at the pink-haired girl beneath her with lingering desire.

"Well then... congratulations..."

"You guessed right."

Finishing her words, Astrid even extended her pink tongue, lightly licking her moistened lips, as if she had just finished eating a delicious ice cream cone.

Got caught by that wicked woman again... but...

So this was what it felt like... seeing the other’s face during a kiss...

In her memories, those crimson eyes tinged with allure seemed to have left an indelible mark on her heart.

Princess Astrid, no, now it should be Regent Astrid.

She was just too skilled.

Dazed, Lyra didn’t speak again, merely lying still on the bed, her pink hair naturally spread out.

After a moment, it was Astrid who spoke first.

"I didn’t notice earlier, Lyra has become this bold now?"

"Your hands actually... went to that place."

Huh? Where?

It took half a minute to understand Astrid’s meaning. Lyra lowered her gaze to her hands, and in an instant, her blue eyes broadened.

Earlier, she indeed had her fingers interlaced, gripping Astrid’s lower back. But due to Astrid’s series of movements, her delicate body had shifted upward slightly. As a result, her arms, which had originally been wrapped around the waist, naturally slid downward, ending up supporting that softer, more voluptuous area.

Although covered by fabric, what was a thin layer of silk to a knight with heightened senses?

Her palm felt like it touched scorching fire, instantly jerking away. Coincidentally, this trajectory happened to glide across Astrid’s two silk-clad legs, which were bent down and pressed against Lyra’s waist.

The slippery, smooth sensation along her palm and fingertips immediately ignited her inner fire, sending Lyra’s "Steam Knight" persona into full boiling mode.

Then, she simply overloaded and crashed.

If anyone who knew Lyra found out about this, they’d probably believe their Holy Light Knight was doomed to fall forever beneath the Regent’s feet.

Seeing Lyra’s face completely flushed red, Astrid promptly moved off the girl’s waist, lying down beside her instead, ceasing further teasing.

Her magical energy had only recovered a little. Continuing to torment her little maid at such intensity, she wouldn’t know when she’d fully recovered.

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

In the following days, aside from meals, Lyra and Astrid stayed almost constantly in the room. When their magical energy was full, they practiced resonant spellcasting. When it wasn’t, they entered meditation, slowly waiting for their energy to replenish.

Gradually, the news spread through the military that the Regent and the Imperial Bulwark shared meals at the same table and slept in the same bed. Soldiers marveled at the harmony between ruler and subject, deeply moved by Astrid’s willingness to remain at the freezing border for inspection.

Who would have thought that the seemingly graceful and delicate Regent would care so deeply for her people, choosing to stay at the frontlines with them rather than in the warm, comfortable capital, enduring the biting cold winds every day?

This modification reinforced the authenticity of Astrid’s previous calming efforts. Everyone knows now the Imperial Regent cares deeply for the nation and its soldiers, an exceptionally capable prince.

Morale remained stable, but Astrid couldn’t afford to relax. According to messages from Duke Charles, the plague’s spread was no longer confined to Siyak Town. Even distant supply towns had begun reporting symptoms of coughing and fever.

The plague was spreading too fast, already nearing the point beyond their control.

If all the outer supply towns fell to the plague, they might have to rely solely on airships for transporting supplies.

But doing so would further widen the shortage of elemental crystal stones.

Unless they abandon Liya Tower Fortress right now.