Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 180: Introducing Livia Calliste

At 2:30 in the afternoon, Astrid, having dressed again, returned to her room just as Elise and Lyra’s combat training session had ended.

The latter went back to her room to rest, while the former entered Astrid’s bedroom with a freshly printed report.

Seeing Elise balancing a cup of tea in her left hand and a stack of papers in her right, Astrid gently kicked off her high heels, her chocolate-colored stockinged feet stepping into slippers as she walked onto the carpet.

"Miss Astrid, this is freshly brewed jasmine tea. It’s refreshing and especially suitable for drinking after a nap."

Placing the teacup on Astrid’s desk, Elise tidied up the workspace, arranging the documents and books neatly before standing behind the chair and speaking softly.

"The test report for the Empire Monthly is out. Miss Astrid, you can review it at your leisure."

Hearing this, Astrid didn’t rush to look at the report. Instead, she picked up the teacup, slowly lifting the lid with her fingers. Instantly, a sweet jasmine fragrance filled the air.

"Elise..."

Feeling the steam rising from the tea, Astrid brought the porcelain cup to her lips, gently blowing on the surface, causing ripples to form on the calm liquid.

"Has there been any particularly noteworthy news lately? About the two princes, the empire’s new policies, or the fourth princess, Amalia, now known as Livia."

Elise paused for a moment before answering.

"Not for the time being."

"The situation between the two princes remains calm, and no scandals have surfaced yet. As for Princess Amalia, as things stand, no one has taken notice of her existence."

"The explanations regarding the valve purchase have been arranged, and Livia’s identity is being gradually perfected."

Elise hadn’t just tallied the number of merchant caravans entering the imperial capital recently; she had even personally inspected their carriages and the routes they took, ensuring everything was foolproof.

Receiving this response, Astrid took a sip of the tea. It was slightly hot, but that only enhanced its refreshing aroma and sweet taste.

"That’s good."

Mentioning Amalia reminded Astrid of something else.

"By the way, Elise, did you know Amalia came to my room last night?"

"Yes," the head maid nodded, her tone calm.

"The magic circle on the door was triggered. Based on the scan of her physique and mental energy, I determined it was Princess Amalia entering your room."

Astrid often slept with her door unlocked, largely because Elise spent most of her time in a meditative state, able to sense any movement across the hall immediately.

In the mind of this perfect and graceful head maid, Amalia and Lyra were both quite close to Astrid, and they were allowed to come and go freely. If it had been anyone else, Elise wouldn’t have let them enter Astrid’s room.

"My mental energy lingered in the room for half a minute to ensure everything was fine before I stopped the output. If I overstepped, I hope Miss Astrid can forgive me," Elise said.

While she was at ease, necessary caution was still required. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

However, since it was Amalia, the younger sister of the third princess, Elise had actively used her mental energy to observe.

If it had been Lyra who entered Astrid’s room, Elise would have considered withdrawing her mental energy earlier, lest she inadvertently discover something she shouldn’t, which might have caused Astrid considerable embarrassment.

"You did nothing wrong. There’s no need for forgiveness," Astrid shook her head, setting the teacup down.

"In the future, if it’s Amalia, Elise, you don’t need to intervene. Just let her in."

Once it happened once, it was bound to happen again. Given Amalia’s clingy nature, Astrid guessed she would likely have a sweet-smelling, delicate little girl joining her in bed every night.

"What about Miss Lyra?" Elise asked again.

Astrid thought that if Lyra came looking for her in the middle of the night, it would probably be because of something particularly troublesome. Without hesitation, she replied.

"Don’t stop her either."

Elise stood in place, gazing thoughtfully at Astrid’s silver hair cascading down her waist.

It seemed that with Princess Amalia’s arrival at the palace, Miss Astrid might not be able to maintain her usual carefree and casual demeanor.

Completely unaware of the significant shift in her image in the head maid’s mind, Astrid set the teacup down and began flipping through the feedback sheet Elise had brought.

This was the survey list from the previous issue of the Empire Monthly, aimed at understanding readers’ favorite sections and what they hoped the magazine would add in the future.

Skimming through the survey, Astrid noticed that most of the respondents who filled out the feedback were women, making up about 70% of the total. As she had expected, a majority of them showed great interest in the serialized novel section.

"The Overbearing Prince and His Runaway Bride’s Peerless Pampering," this serialized novel had an average rating of 8.5 based on Astrid’s rough calculations. This score indicated that even some male readers had given her work high marks.

What surprised Astrid was that a story she had initially thought would appeal only to women had garnered high ratings from non-target demographics.

It seemed that the upper echelons of the Valeria Empire were quite taken with this kind of love story, which had already been overdone by countless authors in her previous life.

"I hope they get together soon. Waiting two weeks for such a short installment is unbearable."

"The minister’s son is also great. Compared to the prince, I actually prefer this elegant and gentle male lead."

"Every time I buy the monthly, this story is what I look forward to the most. If only the serialized content could be longer. The current amount is just too little."

As she went through the comments, most readers’ opinions centered on the serialized content being too short. Since the survey was anonymous, Astrid couldn’t determine the exact identities of these respondents, but based on their handwriting, she could make a few educated guesses.

For instance, the third comment, with its neat handwriting and gentle tone, bore a striking resemblance to Lydia, the second daughter of the Minister of Finance. Knowing her, Astrid guessed that Lydia would probably prefer the entire Empire Monthly to be filled with nothing but the serialized novel, from start to finish.

"I think it would be good to add more educational sections, like explanations of how certain magical devices work, or introductions to the various races around the empire."

Reading this suggestion, Astrid propped her chin on her hand, her gaze deepening.

Although the Empire Monthly was currently targeted at nobles, she planned to invest more in the future, making the newspaper accessible to a broader audience and thereby firmly controlling the empire’s public opinion from the top down.

Magic and magical devices were topics that only the upper class could access and care about. Introducing them too early into the monthly might hinder the newspaper’s future expansion to the common people.

It wasn’t that servants and farmers couldn’t understand or use such knowledge, but the old nobles within the empire’s system wouldn’t allow this information to circulate freely.

If Astrid included these topics in the monthly, the newspaper would inevitably become a leisure read for the aristocracy for a long time to come.

Unless she published two separate versions, one for the nobles and one for the commoners, with different pricing based on paper quality and content.

Otherwise, not just the four great lords, but even many members of the royal family might take issue with her approach.

After flipping through a few more pages, Astrid found that most of the remaining comments were just requests for updates, with occasional suggestions that weren’t particularly valuable. She briefly considered them before setting them aside.

For now, she would focus on completing today’s work. The rest could be considered later. The Empire Monthly was still in its infancy, and its future direction would need to be carefully navigated. It was important not to aim too high too soon.

"Elise, what has Lydia been up to lately?" Astrid asked.

The girl had mentioned wanting to have tea with her some time ago, but things had been too busy, and the plan had been postponed.

"Miss Astrid, Lady Lydia has been tending to her flowers at home. The rest of her time seems to be spent preparing for next year’s entrance exam to the Elizabeth Academy of Magic."

Come to think of it, Lydia would be seventeen next year, just the right age to take the entrance exam.

"Please ask her if she’s free next week. We were supposed to have afternoon tea a while ago, but it still hasn’t happened."

The connection with the Minister of Finance, Florence, was another key relationship Astrid needed to cultivate.

If everything went smoothly, she could form a potential network of interests, including the Minister of Finance, the third princess, and the Velmont family. This would give her greater leverage in dealing with unforeseen variables outside the novel.

"Understood, Miss Astrid."

Accepting the task, Elise left the room. Astrid picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began writing carefully on the parchment before her.

The early story of this overbearing CEO novel was nearly complete, and the much-anticipated "crematorium" phase was about to begin.

Once this arc concluded, the story would likely wrap up in about six months. By then, Astrid hoped the Empire Weekly, with its faster update frequency, would have become a must-read for noble ladies every week.

...

Several days later, with Astrid’s help, Amalia had become proficient in the knowledge related to her new identity and could now naturally introduce herself as Livia Calliste.

According to the original plan, Astrid didn’t intend to hide Amalia’s existence.

To her, picking up a commoner with similar eyes wasn’t particularly strange, and lavishing such a person with affection on a whim was something the villainous princess might do. On the contrary, keeping it a secret would only arouse suspicion and speculation.

Elise, holding a laundry basket, watched Astrid sitting at the table with her eyes closed, relaxing, while Lyra stood behind her, brushing her hair. She spoke softly.

"Miss Astrid, are you sure you want to take Livia to the dining hall today?"

Hearing this, Astrid opened her eyes, looking at the exquisitely beautiful girl in the mirror, and nodded slightly.

"Yes."

By now, some people had probably heard that a new guest had appeared in Astrid’s palace, though she had yet to make an appearance, remaining somewhat mysterious. Delaying further would only make it harder for Amalia to reveal her identity.

"However, starting with breakfast together shouldn’t be a problem."

Feeling Lyra’s fingers running through her hair, Astrid tilted her head slightly, allowing the girl to more easily tie the ribbon blessed by Charlotte around her hair.

"She’ll have to get used to it gradually. What would we do otherwise?"

Touching the silver hair by her neck, Astrid tucked it behind her ear, then stood up and changed into her outdoor boots.

"Lady Charlotte should be returning tomorrow. We can introduce Amalia to her then."

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid put on her shoes, pushed open the bedroom door, and walked toward the room across the hall.

Last night, while sharing the bed, Astrid had mentioned today’s plans to Amalia, so the cool and aloof little girl had already begun washing and dressing when Astrid knocked on her door.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Astrid saw a petite, fair-skinned, dark-haired girl standing on the steps, her hair tied in twin tails.

To change her style, Amalia had deliberately chosen a white puff-sleeved dress, a common choice for girls her age, paired with cream-colored silk tights and black Mary Jane shoes with crisscross straps. The overall look made her appear like an utterly harmless and adorable little girl.

The sweet outfit, combined with her cold and aloof demeanor, gave Amalia an air of a princess, while the perpetual loneliness she exuded seemed to remind others of her tragic childhood, orphaned and wandering.

"Livia, are you ready?" Astrid asked with a gentle smile.

Hearing her new name and seeing the slight curve of Astrid’s lips, Amalia exhaled softly and reached out her hand.

"Yes."

In the next moment, Astrid took Amalia’s hand. Feeling the warmth in her palm, she noticed the girl’s slight tremble.

After all, this was the first time she would be accompanying Astrid outside, the first time she would openly bask in the sunlight. Some nervousness was inevitable.

Astrid moved her fingers slightly, interlocking them with Amalia’s. The warmth of her skin seemed to have a calming effect, soothing the chaotic rhythm of Amalia’s heart.

"Don’t be nervous. I’ll be with you," Astrid said.

"I’ll keep an eye out for anyone staring at you, so don’t worry."

Hearing the rhythmic footsteps behind her, Amalia turned to see Elise and Lyra standing there.

Glancing at her and Astrid’s tightly clasped hands, Amalia spoke softly.

"Sister... I’m fine..."

Seeing Amalia’s deliberately tied twin tails, Astrid reached out with her other hand to adjust the hairband, her pink lips parting slightly as she exhaled a fragrant breath.

"Good, then let’s go."

Walking along the carpet to the palace entrance, Amalia noticed beams of light falling at her feet, and warm breezes blew in from outside. She suddenly recalled the morning when Astrid had carried her out of the ancient castle.

Today, they left slightly later, and the morning mist wasn’t as thick.

Feeling the sunlight on her shoulders and seeing the gardeners trimming the flowers and the maids bustling about in the distance, Amalia tightened her grip on Astrid’s hand and stepped down the stairs one by one.

As long as Astrid was by her side, there was nothing to fear.