Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 510: Maid Duty

Back when she studied at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Lyra had read many extracurricular books, including some historical records, and learned about several major plagues once referred to by the Valeria Empire as the Dark Ages.

Wearing bird-beaked masks, placing blended herbs in nasal filters, changing clothes daily and soaking and washing them with hot water, these hygiene-based epidemic prevention measures could indeed hinder the spread of plague to a certain extent.

Astrid wasn’t wrong.

Staring at the woman’s legs, no longer wrapped in silk, appearing now even paler and more delicate under the carriage lights, Lyra fluttered her eyelashes and froze in place.

As the brightest jewel of the empire, the Third Princess Astrid, once sought after by millions of people who would have done anything for a single kiss, every part of her seemed like a masterpiece meticulously crafted by the Creator. Her face, carved like fine jade, her perfectly proportioned curves, her slender waist as delicate as willow branches, and her long, beautifully shaped legs were nearly identical to someone stepped straight out of a painting.

Seeing that the other didn’t speak, Astrid stopped rolling the suspender stocking from her other leg. Instead, she tilted her gaze toward Lyra, her cherry-pink lips parting slightly.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Although phrased as a question, Astrid’s voice was soft and melodious, accompanied by a gentle breath through her delicate nose, carrying an innate, natural charm.

"Am I that beautiful to look at?"

After speaking, Astrid slightly rose onto her tiptoes. Her fingers reached down to the top of her left thigh, once again finding the lace-trimmed top of the dark stocking, skillfully undoing the strap.

Then, her pale fingertips slipped into the gap between fabric and skin. The soft flesh of her thigh slightly indented, while the smooth silk gently stretched outward, revealing even finer and clearer stocking patterns.

Feeling Astrid’s gaze upon her, Lyra instinctively averted her eyes, her slender fingers gripping the edge of the seat, knuckles turning slightly white.

"N-no... I’m not."

What exactly she was denying, Lyra she didn’t know. She merely instinctively rejected Astrid’s teasing remark.

If she continued along this conversational path, she knew she’d be thoroughly teased, possibly devoured entirely.

This instinct guided Lyra’s response, but clearly, Astrid wasn’t satisfied.

"Then, Lyra means..."

Astrid’s fingers gently fiddled with the stocking’s rim, her cold crimson eyes half-lidded as she looked at the pink-haired girl with her legs pressed tightly together.

"...that I’m not beautiful?"

The word "no" had come from Lyra’s own mouth. Astrid had every right to seize on that.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra quickly shook her head, her knees lightly rubbing together, the thick white stockings making faint rustling sounds with the movement.

"Astrid... you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen..."

This was both a survival instinct and a heartfelt truth.

After all, even Emperor Hibbort Valeria, who had seen countless beauties, had praised Astrid’s beauty and officially declared her the most beautiful woman in the empire. How could a village girl like her possibly have seen someone more beautiful than Astrid?

Even Monica Angelis, revered as the Saintess of Light and considered the closest to a perfect woman in appearance, seemed far less beautiful than Astrid in Lyra’s eyes.

Now that she thought about it... perhaps no such person exists in the entire world...

Astrid glanced at Lyra a little longer, then slowly peeled off the thin dark stocking from her other leg. She placed both rolled-up stockings beside her skirt. The red gem on her chest flickered slightly, and two new dark thigh-high stockings appeared at her knees.

"In that case..." Astrid drew out her words slightly, her bewitching crimson eyes reflected Lyra’s face.

"...can Lyra help me put on a new set?"

After speaking, as if recalling something, Astrid added:

"Lyra was a maid for such a long time, yet you’ve never done something like this for me before."

Actually, this had nothing to do with whether Lyra had fulfilled her duties as a maid. Astrid simply wasn’t accustomed to having others put on her stockings, such small, intimate matters were better handled personally.

Originally, upon hearing Astrid’s fairy-like words and seeing the thin dark stockings resting on her bare legs, Lyra’s ears had already turned completely red, leaving her stammering and speechless.

Fortunately, Astrid quickly followed up with, "Lyra was a maid for such a long time."

That’s right... she used to be Princess Astrid’s personal maid...

In the Valeria Empire, maids helping their employers dress and apply makeup was quite common. Helping her former mistress with such things now wasn’t a big deal.

It should be fine... right, Lyra?

"Astrid..."

The girl gently poked her thigh, asking tentatively.

"Really... Do you want me to do it?"

But even back then, the most intimate thing she’d done as a maid for Astrid was giving her a massage or standing behind the princess to fix her hair.

Astrid responded with a nonchalant nod, her breath soft and fragrant.

"What else? Do you think I’m joking?"

"If you don’t want to, I won’t force you, Lyra. After all, you’re no longer my maid."

Hearing that, Lyra felt a pang of discomfort in her chest, as if the bond between her and Astrid had weakened slightly over time.

Looking at the woman’s bare, smooth legs, Lyra bit her lip and leaned slightly toward Astrid.

"Then... I’ll give it a try?"

Astrid relaxed and lifted her hand, lightly brushing aside her silver hair, revealing her pale, slender swan neck and small, delicate collarbones.

"Mm."

Then she turned slightly, her high heels pointing toward Lyra’s little leather shoes. Being so close, the delicate elegance of Astrid’s ankle and the slightly wrinkled, milky-white silk of Lyra’s stockings looked similar in sheen, making Astrid’s skin appear even paler and more delicate.

The imperial princess wore dark every day, creating a stark contrast with her skin. The whiteness seen in her legs wasn’t necessarily true white, it might just appear so due to being emphasized by the dark dress and stockings.

But right now, without the enhancement of dark silk, her legs simply exposed to the air, were truly blindingly white.

"Are you planning to keep spacing out like this?"

Not feeling the silk wrapping her legs, Astrid lightly tapped her lips with her fingertip, her toes hooking the stiletto heel, gently swaying it.

"My knight lady~"

Hearing Astrid call her by that name, Lyra’s ears flushed red again. She picked up the two pieces of silk from Astrid’s knee and gently put down one of the high heels.

Lyra had assumed that wearing high heels for long periods would affect the feet, but Astrid was clearly an exception. Just looking at the smooth feet before her, no one would imagine that, as a noble of the empire, she had to wear stilettos daily to express her status.

For some reason, Lyra suddenly recalled that summer trip to Morin Village, when Astrid, wearing a simple white dress and silver-strapped high-heeled sandals, sat on a hay bale.

Pausing slightly, realizing that if she didn’t continue, Astrid would tease her again, Lyra bit her lip and carefully aligned the stocking’s opening with the princess’s toes, slowly pulling it up.

This time, the pace was as slow as the night Astrid had poured wine on her, when Lyra sat on the bed, staring at the maid uniform handed to her by the maid, lost in thought while putting on the dress and white stockings.

Watching the pale white skin gradually covered by dark silk, the woman’s smooth, straight calf transforming into something resembling a tempting dark chocolate bar, Lyra pulled the stocking up past the knee. Then, carefully smoothing out the wrinkles around the ankle, she aligned the end of the stocking with the toes.

Astrid calmly watched the pink-haired girl before her, occasionally feeling the girl’s fingers through the silk gently touching her leg, sending warm, delicate sensations.

She didn’t dislike Lyra’s closeness at all. On the contrary, Astrid took pleasure in teasing her this way.

It was like watching a pure, resolute knight of holy light gradually turn crimson-faced, finally biting her lip and reverting back into that innocent girl she once was.

It was adorable. It drew the gaze. At least, when Lyra’s cheeks flushed red, Astrid couldn’t help but stare.

For both of them, such ambiguous actions always carry an indescribable... sense of surrender?

Unaware, the stocking climbed past the knee. The soft dark fabric covered most of the leg, and Lyra’s hands finally approached Astrid’s skirt.

Only one step remained until the stocking was fully worn: using her nimble fingers to fasten the clasp that connected the top and bottom.

This meant that simply pulling the stocking up like regular thigh-highs wasn’t enough. Lyra needed to find the clasp hidden beneath the layered skirt fabric.

Realizing the key point, Lyra’s cheeks turned even redder, appearing dewy and alluring under the warm carriage lights.

She had forgotten, Astrid wasn’t wearing ordinary thigh-highs today, but a different style that required clasps.

Lifting her head, she met Astrid’s gaze directly. From those bewitching crimson eyes, Lyra read the word "continue." Her hand, usually steady from gripping a sword, trembled slightly this time.

"A...Astrid..."

Lyra whispered, her fingertips still tingling with the warmth from the thigh.

"About the clasp... should you do it yourself..."

Continuing further would be too intimate.

Hearing Lyra’s words, the silver-haired princess leaned against the carriage wall gently shaking her head, her lips curling slightly. Her hands, previously resting at her sides, now moved.

She grabbed her luxurious skirt, fingers pinching the fabric, and then, right before Lyra’s eyes, slowly lifted it.

"Is it easier to find now?" Astrid asked.

Above the pale thighs, a dark clasp became clearly visible. Such a simple movement instantly amplified the allure to its peak. Lyra even felt as if her breath had stopped in that instant.

From the rising sun to the flowers at the bedroom window, to the dog rolling at her feet, to the books at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, to the town’s large clock ticking with gears.

Countless things unrelated to the current scene flooded her mind, eventually dissolving into the eternal white of a snowfield.

Lyra didn’t know how she managed to fasten the front clasp for Astrid. She only remembered failing several times, her rounded nails accidentally brushed against the other’s leg.

But clearly, the test wasn’t over. After all, the Valeria Empire’s textile technology was limited. Suspender stockings wouldn’t have just front clasps. Earlier, Astrid had specifically reached under her leg to unfasten the back clasp before placing the stocking down.

Next step: connect the back clasp.

Astrid didn’t release her grip on the skirt. Instead, she bent her knee, lifting her calf from in front of the seat to onto it, her heel pressing into the soft cushion.

"..."

If before she could claim it was "a leaf blocking the view," and deliberately focused on the clasp to avoid noticing, this angle perfectly illustrated the meaning of "half-concealed, half-revealed."

Dazed, she finally fastened the last clasp. Astrid lowered her legs, adjusted the fit, everything confirmed was fine, then signaled Lyra to continue.

The process was the same as before. Whether numbed by stimulation or using some knight technique to forcibly empty her mind, the blushing girl mechanically repeated the actions, helping Astrid neatly put on the other dark stocking.

"L-like this... it should be okay now..."

After finishing, Lyra finally exited in relief. Meeting Astrid’s eyes, she noticed the half-amused, half-smiling expression in those crimson eyes, suddenly realizing the truth.

If Astrid was changed... Did that mean she had to as well?

In the carriage?

Lowering her head, looking at her pleated skirt resting on her thighs, Lyra’s gaze shifted to the sword-shaped light mark on her fingernail.

Just then, Astrid finished putting her shoes back on and spoke gently.

"Lyra just helped me. Now, shouldn’t it be my turn to help you?"

H-help... me?

Her already sluggish mind short-circuited for a few seconds. Thinking of her own thigh-highs pulled up to her waist, Lyra’s head began buzzing.

Was Astrid... going to do the same thing to her?