After the battle at White Maple Town, the Regent never again set foot on the front lines. Charles, serving as the public representative of the entire duke’s family, actively collaborating with Arcanist mages to reclaim lost territories. They successfully pushed the battle lines back beyond the Liya tower Fortress, achieving complete control over the entire war zone.

Now, with less than half a month remaining until the blizzard’s arrival, the Church of Light has already lost its best opportunity to advance into urban centers for supplies. The Arcanist mages use earth-element magic to rebuild defensive walls and constantly monitor external developments, eliminating every potential threat in its infancy.

Thanks to Charles’ mature and efficient military management, Astrid no longer needed to divert attention to local battlefield affairs. As the Empire’s Regent, her most important task now was to serve as the communication bridge between Charles and Amalia, ensuring transparent coordination between logistics and frontline operations.

Who else could be more suitable than a royal princess wielding real power in the North?

As for other matters, they are mainly involved accompanying Professor Charlotte in continuing her research on magitech devices, or interrogations of several Church Knights captured in Losterling City to learn more about the inner workings of the Church of Light.

As Monica had said, under the influence of the revised church doctrines by Hebrew, these knights truly believed their actions were fulfilling the will of the Lord, spreading light and warmth into nations devoid of faith. Even under torture, they refused to yield.

Those who obstructed their missionary work were ignorant heathens, blind fools unwilling to open their eyes to divine miracles. One day, they will bitterly regret their own stupidity.

Although Astrid had already anticipated that fanatical believers from the Church of Light would hold such attitudes, actually their voices echo through the room, she still stressed the patience to listen through completely. After a rough listen, she shut off the playback crystal and leaned back in her seat.

Warm light bathed the Regent’s deep black noble gown. The lace trimming shimmered as if edged with gold, harmonizing with her bright silver hair.

Wrapped in warmth generated by fire-element crystals, Astrid gently crossed her smooth, silk-clad legs. The intricate metal heels glinted faintly under the light, revealing a small section of warm, silk-wrapped, jade-like feet.

The Church Knights were a military branch subordinate to the Church of Light. Only the most talented and devout prodigies could join. Asking them about the legitimacy of the war was like asking a passenger on a flight whether they bought a ticket.

The answer was obvious.

The Church Knights didn’t represent the citizens of the Kingdom of Velys. Just as the upper nobility of the Valeria Empire never considered the hardworking commoners beneath them to be the same kind of beings.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have selectively ignored magitech’s advanced nature upon perceiving its potential threat to themselves, treating it merely as a luxury for improving personal quality of life rather than a force capable of changing the world.

Taking a sip of tea to moisten her throat, Astrid picked up her feather pen. Dipping the hard tip slightly into the inkwell, she began writing on the parchment.

With the great battle concluded, it was time to write a report for publication in the Empire Weekly, informing all noble families of the new Empress’ brilliance and extraordinary wisdom. The article would highlight how the victory at White Maple Town crushed Velys’s invasion plot, reclaimed all lost territories, stabilized civilian life, and established the Emperor as a peerless hero of this age.

Writing this kind of praise-laden, propaganda-driven article was far simpler than crafting a fictional story. Besides, what she wrote wasn’t fabricated without basis, it was the truth.

Looking at the entire war, Amalia deserved at least half the credit, if not seventy to eighty percent. She had perfectly coordinated military logistics, communicated with nobles to mobilize Arcanist mages to the front, issued decrees to recruit soldiers, and used imperial treasury funds to train large numbers of troops.

Without any one of these contributions, Astrid’s plan wouldn’t have been so smoothly executed, nor would the Empire have achieved victory so quickly.

As for the other half of the credit, it naturally belongs to frontline officers and soldiers like Charles and Lyra, whose efforts were equally vital.

After writing a long passage, Astrid reviewed it carefully for errors. Satisfied, she handed the paper to Elise, instructing the head maid to proofread it once more. Then she began drafting a letter to send to Amalia.

Its contents mainly covered publishing the article, detailed battlefield reports from White Maple Town, including casualties, supply consumption, and operational plans for the coming period.

Of course, there was also one point that might be most important to Amalia personally: when the Regent will return to the capital.

Counting on her fingers, it has been several months since she last saw Amalia. That little blonde-haired girl, who usually clings to her older sister the most, could only communicate through letters now. It truly was difficult for her.

An image surfaced in Astrid’s mind, Amalia wearing a puffy cake dress, sitting in her lap, frilly sleeves circling her neck, two smooth, silk-clad little white feet obediently resting on her thighs, hugging her affectionately. Astrid’s gaze softened with nostalgia.

Undeniably, she missed her adoptive younger sister too.

Yet... between her and Amalia...

That night when the golden-haired Empress sobbed in her arms flashed before Astrid’s eyes again, then transformed into the night of the coming-of-age ceremony, her imperial bedchamber filled with the scent of wine, delicate white gauze and creamy white lace stockings decorated with golden ring patterns and cross motifs.

Such an enchanting scene, like a drunken dream occurring on a midsummer night.

Slightly tilting her head, Astrid’s gaze fell upon the pink-haired girl currently lying on the bed, delicate white-silk-covered calves crossed behind her, reading a book attentively. Her eyes darkened slightly.

As the one standing at the convergence of two emotional arrows, perhaps accepting everything cleanly and completely was the best outcome.

What exactly was she thinking about?

Was it a vague, not-yet-fully-emerged affection for Amalia, lingering from past familial bonds? Or was it her conflicting emotions toward Lyra?

On one hand, she truly felt affection. On the other, because of her understanding of Lyra’s character, she hesitated, knowing what decision the other was likely to make.

Could this be what they called... anxiety over gain and loss?

As if sensing Astrid’s gaze, Lyra simultaneously set down her book, turned her head, and met Astrid’s eyes in mid-air.

Those ethereal red irises gazed quietly at her, deep and unfathomable. Upon closer look, they seemed to carry an indescribable meaning.

"...Is something wrong, Astrid?"

Her crossed legs shifted closer to her silk-covered, shapely backside, unintentionally boasting the girl’s excellent physical flexibility. Lyra brushed her hair aside and spoke softly.

"You’re... suddenly staring at me like that."

A casual glance would be normal.

But... staring this long, and making eye contact...

It felt as if their souls were kissing.

The moment this strange thought appeared in Lyra’s mind, a faint blush instinctively colored her cheeks.

Astrid shook her head slightly, speaking in a soft voice.

"Nothing."

[After the cold wave arrives and the roads between Liya tower Fortress and Losterling City are completely sealed by blizzards, I will return to the capital to govern alongside you.]

The cold, elegant script shimmered with inklight on the parchment. Astrid gently stroked the paper surface before placing it into an envelope and handing it to the waiting head maid.

Elise reached out to take it, then spoke.

"Miss, Professor Charlotte is looking for you."

"Mm, I’ll go immediately."

Professor Charlotte was looking for her?

Although she wasn’t sure of the specific reason, since the other party had summoned her, she might as well go.

Putting on her black top hat, her cascading silver-white hair flowing over her shoulders, Astrid casually told Lyra she’d see her later before walking out in her high heels.

After a five or six-minute carriage ride, Astrid arrived at Charlotte’s residence. She announced her arrival as usual and walked down the hallway into the other woman’s room.

Since it was her private bedroom, Charlotte wasn’t wearing outdoor clothes. Instead, a gentle floral-scented long dress covered her well-proportioned figure. Her dark hair cascaded down to her waist, and her straight calves shimmered faintly with a jade-like luster, seeing enveloped in a transparent gauze. On her feet were silver low-heeled shoes that completely concealed her toes, making it impossible to tell whether she wore stockings.

"Little Astr, thank you for coming."

"What does Lady Charlotte need me for?"

"It’s about the crystal we modified with special magical arrays two days ago, the one related to Mimetic Particles."

The crystal Charlotte mentioned was the focus of her recent research, inspired by the [Mimetic Particles] spell, exploring the possibility of using ambient arcane particles to replace some elemental particles, thus achieving conservation effects.

"Any new breakthroughs?" Astrid asked.

Noticing another seat in front of the desk, with a cup of hot tea placed upside down, clearly left for her, Astrid kicked off her high heels and followed Charlotte into the room.

"Mm, take a look at this, Little Astr."

Charlotte pulled out a chair and sat down with legs crossed.

"I’ve installed a new fixed-magic array on the crystal’s surface. I’ve finally managed to anchor the initial operating position of the [Mimetic Particles]. The moment the crystal is activated, it synchronizes and functions accordingly."

"It can thus simulate corresponding elemental particles, taking effect simultaneously with activation."

"However, limited by casting space and the crystal’s size, the elemental particles it can ultimately replace amount to roughly one-fiftieth of total output."

It didn’t sound like much, and in reality, it wasn’t. It merely extends the lifespan of a single magic crystal by a corresponding value.

"...One-fiftieth?"

Astrid rubbed the ice-element crystal, carefully sensing the cold within using her spiritual energy.

"This figure requires the focused craftsmanship of an Arcanist-mage-level Lady Charlotte."

Their goal was to use crystals as affordable energy sources, a necessary condition for magitech devices to spread to the bases.

If a single crystal required so many steps and consumed so much human effort just to gain such a minor durability improvement, it seemed hardly worth the cost.

"For now, this is as far as we can go." Charlotte wasn’t discouraged at all, though her tone wasn’t calm.

"At least, compared to our past aimless wandering, we now have a research direction we can continue pursuing."

Just like the test flight of the Fearless, having a ready-made prototype allows for subsequent improvements and cost reductions.

Charlotte wasn’t afraid of spending time. Half her life had already been dedicated to researching magic devices. A little more time didn’t matter.

"Little Astr, follow the rhythm of my spiritual energy... This part of the array mainly serves a limiting function..."

Spiritual energies intertwined and touched, transmitting all knowledge about the crystal before them. After nearly an hour of discussion, Astrid’s tea was finished.

Sensing both were growing tired, Charlotte promptly ended the exchange, speaking gently.

"By the way, Little Astrid..."

"There’s another matter I wanted to talk to you about today."

Astrid fluttered her eyelashes, ending the spiritual energy transfer.

"What is it?"

The moment the words left her mouth, the woman pulled out a metal pendant from her drawer. A vivid red gemstone on it shimmered with brilliant luster, just like Astrid’s deep, translucent red eyes.

"When you detonated the gem, the head maid managed to capture some fragments that weren’t swept away by spatial turbulence and marked them with spiritual energy."

The red gem in Charlotte’s hand was slightly smaller than Astrid’s previous one, but judged by its luster and familiarity, it was indeed the unique, one-of-a-kind piece, a keepsake left to her by Fanya.

Meeting Astrid’s gaze, Charlotte spoke softly.

"Afterward, Elise attempted to recover these fragments. Her idea coincided perfectly with mine. So after you left, I used wind to inspect the entire White Maple Town ruins, locating most of the gem fragments. Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly I searched, some pieces were missing, leaving gaps that couldn’t be filled."

The spatial turbulence had opened a rift and consumed some matter. Smaller gem shards had already disappeared into oblivion.

"My skills aren’t refined enough to reconstruct the internal spatial magic array, so I used simple binding magic to fuse the gem components together and polish them smoothly."

"In other words, this gem no longer possesses spatial storage capabilities. It’s just a special stone now."

"If Little Astr doesn’t mind... it’s rightfully yours..."

Charlotte raised her hand. The clinking sound of metal echoed through the air.

Astrid stared at the all-too-familiar red gemstone embedded in the metal casing. After the dazed sensation of regaining something lost, she slowly reached out.

The cool casing settled into her palm. The smooth gem surface bore faint, barely visible fine lines, unless examined closely, one might never realize this gem had once been shattered.

"..."

It could no longer store items.

But compared to the deeper significance it carried... This fact seemed unimportant.

Spatial storage devices can be made again. But keepsakes left to her by Lorian would likely diminish one by one with each loss.

It was a mother’s love, transcending time and space, passed down to her daughter.

Staring at the gem for a while, Astrid spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Thank you, Lady Charlotte."

This was a gift... completely beyond her expectations.