Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 116: She... she’s taking off her clothes too!!

"How are you feeling now, Miss Mary?"

In a bespoke eyewear shop on a street in capital City, Elise looked at the black-haired girl in front of her, who was gently touching the frame of her glasses, her expression dazed. Elise's tone was calm.

"I feel much clearer..."

Hearing Elise's question, Mary nodded, her tea-colored eyes flickering with faint light.

"Thank you, Lady Elise!"

In the Valeria Empire, glasses had always been a luxury that only the noble class could afford.

And lenses that combined practicality with the ability to correct vision were even more expensive.

Without the level of mental control of a magister, it was impossible to achieve the precision needed to craft such lenses.

If Mary had ordered these glasses herself, it would have taken her at least half a year's salary, even if she didn't eat or drink.

"Don't thank me. This was Princess Astrid's idea."

Elise spoke softly, correcting Mary's words.

"Also, there's no need to call me 'Lady' anymore. We are colleagues now, so there's no need for such formalities."

"Understood, Lady Elise."

"..."

After sending Mary back to the palace, Elise turned and headed to the Honeysuckle Chamber of Commerce in the western district of the capital.

This was a commercial guild established by the Velmont family and their primary means of accumulating wealth.

"Here are the drawing paper and paints you ordered in advance. Would you like me to arrange for someone to deliver them for you?"

"No need, I'll take them myself."

Taking the items from the servant, Elise thanked them softly, then made her way through the elegantly dressed upper-class crowd and left the reception hall.

Ever since she learned that Astrid needed high-quality painting tools, Elise had been closely monitoring the quality of various papers on the market and had prepared in advance for any sudden needs.

That's why she was able to prepare the painting supplies for Mary so quickly.

Having served as Astrid's maid for so many years, Elise knew that efficiency was paramount.

The faster she executed orders, the more time Astrid would have to plan and arrange things, making everything run more smoothly.

As the head maid appointed by Princess Astrid, it was her duty to be flawless.

Carrying the purchased items back to the palace, Elise instructed the maids to deliver the painting supplies to Mary's room. She then walked to Princess Astrid's bedroom and gently knocked on the door.

"Miss Astrid, I'm back."

After a couple of seconds, a cool female voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Elise was greeted by the pleasant scent of roses, a stark contrast to the incense in the hallway. The fragrance matched the noble, thorny demeanor of its owner.

As soon as she entered the bedroom, Elise noticed the loafers placed in front of the carpet.

Looking up, she saw Lyra wrapped in a blanket, her pink hair disheveled, her cheeks flushed, and only her smooth, snow-white legs exposed.

Instinct told her that something was off with the person in front of her. Elise subconsciously channeled her mental energy, and the effects of the transformation potion immediately dissipated.

Breaking through the illusion, Lyra's true state was revealed to Elise.

The girl had curled up in the blanket, her delicate legs clad in white stockings pressed together, with only slight wrinkles at the ankles, faintly revealing the joints.

Why was Lyra in Princess Astrid's bed... and in such disarray...

Out of the corner of her eye, Elise saw the maid's dress on the chair. Her expression remained calm, her voice as emotionless as ever.

"Miss Astrid, Mary's glasses have been fitted, and the painting supplies have been distributed to her as per your instructions."

"Well done, Elise. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's my honor to assist you, Miss."

Watching the master and servant exchange words with expressionless faces, Lyra's sense of shame was about to explode.

She lowered her head, tightly clutching the blanket, unwilling to expose any more of her skin.

Being seen by Princess Astrid was one thing, but she couldn't let Elise see her like this.

Otherwise, how would she ever be able to face her again...

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Fortunately, Elise had no interest in Lyra, and the latter was wrapped up tightly, clearly unwilling to be seen. After the initial surprise, Elise continued her conversation with Astrid.

"By the way, Miss Astrid, Mary asked me to inquire if there are any specific conditions or style restrictions for the portrait you requested."

Astrid thought for a moment before responding softly.

"The style must be realistic. I'll make an engraving stone later, imprinting an image for her to reference. She can paint based on that."

Engraving stones were actually a form of magic circle application, and image engraving was one of the intermediate spells that consumed relatively little mental energy. Astrid could barely manage to cast it now.

Compared to standing as a model for Mary to paint, this method saved a lot of time.

Given that Astrid was currently swamped with work every day, time was the one thing she lacked the most. She couldn't possibly spare a few days to pose as a model for Mary.

"Understood, Miss Astrid," Elise replied.

Sensing an indescribable strangeness in the room's atmosphere, the black-haired maid spoke softly after finishing her report.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

Hearing Elise's words, Lyra secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though her cheeks remained flushed, the redness not fading.

"Alright, you may go..." Astrid replied.

"Don't call us for dinner later. Around 6:40, just pack some dishes and bring them here."

Elise glanced at Lyra, who was nervously lowering her head, her ears red, shyly hiding in her pink hair.

"Understood, Miss Astrid," Elise replied respectfully.

As Princess Astrid's personal maid, she was aware of some of the palace's noble gossip and knew that even among the same gender, there could be some undisclosed physical pleasures.

Princess Astrid probably no longer liked Earl Tristian. Could it be that because of this, she had even changed her sexual orientation?

Thinking of Lyra, disheveled and shy-eyed on the bed, and recalling Astrid's recent actions, whether it was raising her salary, daily magic guidance, or the library card that allowed her to borrow books freely, every detail showed Astrid's care and concern for Lyra.

Whether Lyra knew it or not, Elise, who had been with Astrid for so long, was well aware that the once-arrogant silver-haired princess treated Lyra more specially than anyone else she had ever seen.

So, this was why Princess Astrid kept Lyra by her side.

Thinking about it this way, everything made sense. The long-term help and open conversations were only because Lyra wasn't an ordinary maid but Astrid's chosen plaything.

She would never escape Princess Astrid's grasp, so there was no need to worry about leaks.

As for who Astrid liked, men or women, that was her own business.

Elise wouldn't interfere. She just needed to do her job well; the rest was none of her concern and didn't require any commentary.

But... how exactly would two girls do it...

Leaving Astrid's bedroom, Elise glanced at the hallway clock. It was 4:50 PM, nearly two hours before the time Astrid had mentioned.

Not even going to the dining room for dinner... with such a long time, would Princess Astrid's stamina hold up...

Thinking this, Elise quickened her pace, her long legs striding down the palace hallway as she prepared to head to the kitchen herself.

She needed to have the servants prepare some desserts that would help restore energy, along with some juices and fruits that could effectively replenish fluids.

Meanwhile, unaware of the subtle changes in how Elise perceived her, Astrid sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her arms crossed, only half a body's length away from Lyra.

After a long while, Astrid spoke up, "Are you sure you don't want to lie down and rest for a bit?"

Hearing Astrid's words, Lyra trembled slightly, her milk-white, silk-clad feet nervously fidgeting with each other. She replied in a low voice, "I... I'm not tired..."

Even if she were truly tired, the combination of shame and the strange atmosphere would make it impossible for her to sleep.

"If you're not going to sleep, then help me with something," Astrid said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid stood up, the bedsprings bouncing slightly from where she had been sitting, causing the already tense Lyra to let out a soft moan, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"Wh-what is it?" Lyra asked in a small voice.

"Use the engraving stone to record my appearance next."

Astrid walked to the desk, took out a crystal stone free of elemental residue from the drawer, then went to the wardrobe and rummaged around for a while before returning to the bedroom with a stack of clothes.

"I'll teach you how to engrave magic circles later, as a foundation for your future advancement as a Sorcerer."

As she spoke, Astrid placed the items on the desk, then sat down next to Lyra, opening her palm to reveal a pale white crystal stone.

Back and forth, Astrid and Lyra were now even closer. Astrid could feel a few strands of Lyra's soft hair resting on her thigh, the slight contrast between silver and white particularly noticeable at this moment.

"Activate your elemental vision and pay attention to how I engrave."

"...Okay."

Inhaling the sweet scent of Lyra's body, Astrid forced herself to focus. A few minutes later, she began chanting a universal incantation, and her mental energy immediately acted on the surface of the crystal stone.

Lyra watched as transparent traces appeared in the air, the elemental particles floating around seemingly pushed aside by an invisible pen, forming empty paths through which the mental energy transformed into magic flowed.

Ten minutes later, Astrid finished engraving the crystal stone. Feeling a slight headache, she extended her slender fingers and gently massaged her temples.

"How does it feel?"

"It shouldn't... be too difficult?"

"Such a confident statement. This is the first time I've heard it from you, Lyra."

Watching someone do it and doing it yourself were two different things, but in Astrid's view, as long as you memorized the circles, executing them wasn't too hard.

The difficulty of advancing from an Apprentice to a Sorcerer was exponentially greater than from a Sorcerer to a Magnus.

A Sorcerer only needed sufficient mental energy and the ability to memorize circle templates, while a Magnus required a deeper understanding of the circles' essence and more advanced applications.

"Take it. When I say it's ready, you can channel your mental energy to record."

Lyra softly acknowledged, the blush on her cheeks fading slightly as she entered learning mode.

But before she could fully recover, Astrid's next action shattered her composure, her face turning even redder than before.

Astrid, without hesitation, untied the back of her dress and gently slid the exquisitely crafted black gown down, revealing the smooth shoulders and a large expanse of snow-white back usually hidden by the fabric.

She... she's taking off her clothes too!!

As Lyra was still in shock, Astrid lifted her leg and placed the removed dress on the bed.

Although she had just turned eighteen this year, Astrid's fashion sense was completely different from that of a pure girl like Lyra.

Her bra and undergarments were in dark tones similar to her outerwear, with bold designs that contrasted sharply with her fair skin, making her appear even more alluring.

Not daring to look at Astrid's well-developed breasts or more private areas, Lyra's gaze shifted downward, landing on Astrid's black-stockinged legs.

Astrid's thighs were fair and plump, slightly indented by the thin black stockings that reached just above her knees.

The stockings had pure black lace designs at the top, and the deepened color shimmered slightly under the light, creating a striking contrast between black and white that was particularly enticing.

Suddenly feeling a wave of heat and a slight dryness in her throat, Lyra swallowed nervously and quickly averted her gaze, her mind buzzing.

But even as she did so, the image she had just seen refused to leave her mind, swirling uncontrollably and stirring her confused heart.

Her fingers clenched tightly, her heart pounding, and an inexplicable burning sensation rapidly spread through her chest.

Noticing Lyra's state, Astrid slightly narrowed her eyes, her fingers resting on the top of her stockings, gently tugging at the fabric.

To ensure the article was eye-catching, she naturally had to personally model, acting as a proper seller's showcase.

The reason she chose to change in the bedroom was partly because Astrid herself was too lazy to go to the dressing room, and partly to ease Lyra's sense of shame.

People, to some extent, have a herd mentality.

Some things are more embarrassing to do alone, but since they were both girls, there was no need to be so shy about changing clothes.

At most, she would just do the same as Lyra.

The result was obvious: Lyra seemed even more embarrassed, her sky-blue eyes shimmering with moisture, glancing a few times before quickly lowering her gaze, her cheeks red as if they were about to bleed.

Seeing this, Astrid didn't say much, just continued her actions, gently sliding the black stockings down.

Sometimes, the more nervous you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Lyra tightly gripped the crystal stone, her mind in turmoil, completely unaware that the smooth stone was gradually slipping from her hand, eventually flying out due to physical force.

Feeling the emptiness in her hand, the always tense Lyra instinctively lunged toward where the stone had flown, the blanket falling off her body.

Coincidentally, the crystal stone hit Astrid's collarbone, and the next second, Astrid found herself pinned under a warm, soft body, unable to move.