Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 195: Emperor’s Decision

Listening to the soft conversation between Astrid and Lydia in the gazebo, along with the faint clinking of cutlery against porcelain, Lyra touched her hair, her thoughts gradually drifting.

In the eyes of others, her relationship with Princess Astrid was very good.

But how did Princess Astrid see it?

It was definitely not the unreserved relationship she had with the head maid. Was it like Lydia, a friend, or something better, like Amalia or Charlotte...

At the beginning, it was just a typical master and servant relationship, and perhaps even a bit worse. But after so many events, Lyra could feel that Princess Astrid treated her differently.

Sometimes she was very caring, and other times she would act very cold, throwing out a bunch of strange questions and options for Lyra to figure out on her own.

Astrid Calliste was truly a strange person.

Thinking of the letter she had hidden at the bottom of her drawer, written in elegant handwriting, Lyra slightly moved her feet, her shoes lightly tapping.

Before, she had to rely on a few words or a short phrase to guess the writer’s identity.

But after Astrid started the magazine, Lyra could compare the handwriting with firsthand materials, and the big stone in her heart had mostly settled.

The letter that protected her parents was indeed written by Princess Astrid.

If Lyra had been fifty to sixty percent sure before, she was now ninety-nine percent certain that the writer was this cold-faced but warm-hearted third princess.

But... why did Astrid go out of her way to be so kind to her?

She didn’t have any particularly outstanding qualities.

A few months ago, when she had just signed the master-servant contract with Astrid, Lyra might have thought Astrid had some ulterior motive and become wary.

But now, she couldn’t associate Astrid with words like exploitation or scheming.

Perhaps, without realizing it, she had already accepted that Astrid was a good person, someone who would never harm her or her family and friends, no matter what she did.

That was enough for Lyra.

The summer breeze rustled the leaves in the distance, and Lyra felt her skirt being lifted by the wind. She instinctively smoothed it down, covering the white garter straps that had almost been exposed.

"I just wonder if the prince will be forgiven in the next issue. It’s best to leave him hanging for a while longer. After all, he was so terrible before."

"Indeed."

"And after thinking about it, I still prefer the minister’s son. Compared to the domineering type, a man with a gentle temperament suits the heroine better."

"I think so too."

As the conversation turned to the serialized novel, Astrid still didn’t reveal that she was the original author, silently listening to Lydia’s feedback as a reader.

After a while, feeling that they had had enough tea, Astrid stood up to say goodbye.

Watching Lydia get up from her seat and walk over to see Astrid off, Lyra maintained her distance, following the two at a leisurely pace.

At the door, Astrid took the packaged desserts, thanked Lydia, and then turned to leave.

"See you next time, Lydia."

"Yes, having tea with Princess Astrid was truly delightful!"

"Likewise."

Watching the silver-haired, black-dressed princess of the empire disappear from view, Lydia turned around and saw a familiar figure.

"Father?"

Florence was also watching Astrid leave. Hearing his daughter call him, he quickly turned around and handed what he was holding to a servant.

"Lydia... what did you talk about with the third princess today?"

"Just some things about fashion. I don’t think you’d be interested, Father."

After listening to his daughter’s response, Florence asked a few more questions, and Lydia answered truthfully, they had indeed just been having a simple afternoon tea.

Looking at his sweet and obedient daughter, Florence adjusted his glasses and softly said.

"Alright, you can go back to your books now."

Hearing the sound of footsteps fading away, Florence took off his glasses, his mind constantly replaying the morning’s meeting.

Hibbort’s final stance seemed to be against restricting the development of magical energy devices, but considering the real risks, he would also adopt some of Gregor’s suggestions.

As a reformist, Charlotte would soon get the news, and given her close relationship with Astrid, what would the latter do?

Thinking of the Empire Monthly at home and the reluctant look in Lydia’s eyes as she saw Astrid off, Florence rubbed his temples and let out a long sigh.

He still had to deal with the conflict between the two dukes. He hoped things in the capital wouldn’t take a complicated turn.

Charlotte received the results of the weekly meeting discussion the next day.

After finishing breakfast and ending her short vacation, the professor of magic circles donned her mage robe and hurried to Elizabeth Academy of Magic.

Just as she sat down and took a sip of tea, she immediately learned the latest news about magical energy devices from a servant.

After discussions among the councilors, Hibbort ultimately decided to impose restrictions on magical energy devices.

However, his approach was not as extreme as Gregor’s. According to his expressed intentions during the meeting, he would arrange for the drafting of relevant legislation, requiring that the development of magical energy devices must ensure safety and privacy, with clear classifications and regulations for the resulting products.

Upon hearing this, Charlotte lowered her gaze, her tea-colored eyes silently fixed on the calm surface of the liquid in the porcelain cup.

The Council of State, though called a council, did not have direct control over the empire’s various laws and systems. They were subordinate to the Emperor of the Valeria Empire, Hibbort Valeria, and functioned more as his private think tank.

The empire’s four ministers, the Grand Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, also derived their power from the Council of State.

Their appointments were made by Hibbort himself, and they could, to some extent, handle state affairs on behalf of the emperor, but they were required to remain loyal to the royal family for life.

Thus, regardless of the weekly meeting’s outcome, the final decision-maker was still the lofty emperor.

His decision indicated that Hibbort also harbored concerns about the potential harm to his interests from the continued development of magical energy devices.

Even if Hibbort did not think so, he had to consider the voices within the country and could not act entirely according to his own wishes.

Compared to the conservative nobles who were unwilling to accept new things, there were very few who were truly willing to push for reform. Even the emperor had to carefully weigh objective laws and multiple interests.

"I understand," Charlotte waved her hand, signaling the servant to leave.

The process of drafting, revising, and implementing a bill usually took between six months to a year.

If Hibbort was particularly concerned about this matter, the time could be shortened to a few months.

Conversely, if the emperor was indifferent, or if the decision was merely a superficial compromise, it would not be strange for it to be postponed to the following year.

Currently, the most urgent task was to discern Hibbort’s true intentions, which was also the most difficult to achieve.

After finishing her tea and organizing her teaching materials, Charlotte picked up her staff and left the office, heading towards the familiar classroom.

The sudden bad news was like a bucket of cold water, dousing the good mood Charlotte had from visiting Astrid’s palace the previous two days.

However, despite her disappointment, as a teacher, she could not let her negative emotions affect her students.

Charlotte only had two classes in the morning, and by the time they were over, it was already noon. Returning to her private office, she saw an unexpected guest standing by the window.

"Little Astr, what brings you here?" Charlotte’s lips curved slightly, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.

Although the visitor was facing the window with her back to her, the silky silver-white hair and the black silk dress that hugged her graceful figure clearly revealed her identity.

Coupled with the pink-haired maid by her side, there was no need to guess who it was.

Hearing this, Astrid turned around, tilting her head slightly and smiling softly.

"Didn’t I say on the bed that I wanted to spend more time with Lady Charlotte? I don’t want to break my promise."

Although she said this, only a day had passed since their last meeting, and Charlotte had not expected Astrid to visit at this time.

Seeing the teaching materials and staff in Charlotte’s hands and glancing at the blazing sun high in the sky, Astrid gently touched her hair ribbon and spoke softly.

"I asked around, and Lady Charlotte only has classes in the morning today, with the afternoon off."

"Would you do me the honor of joining me for lunch?"

Hearing Astrid speak to her in such a polite and formal manner, Charlotte put down her teaching materials and replied leisurely.

"What if I were busy, little Astr?"

"Then I would have to return to the palace alone for lunch, and see if I could invite Lady Charlotte out for dinner later."

Alone? Everyone knew that the third princess’s palace had recently been home to a little sister named Livia, whom Astrid doted on, keeping her by her side for every meal, never leaving her side.

"I might not be free in the evening either."

"Tomorrow is also fine. As long as Lady Charlotte is free, I will try to arrange my time accordingly."