Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 201: "Freedom"

Outside the window, the sound of hooves continued, and the curtains fluttered slightly with the movement of the carriage, letting in a few strands of light that spilled between the seats.

A faint breeze brushed past the hem of the skirt, bringing a cool sensation to the thighs not covered by the maid’s dress and stockings.

Lyra placed her hands above her knees, her fingers tightly gripping the fabric of her skirt.

Her smooth, delicate white-stockinged legs were pressed closely together, and even the heels of her small leather shoes unconsciously pressed against the seat.

What had she just said...

Being stared at by Astrid, coupled with the other’s somewhat cold remarks earlier, Lyra found herself at a loss for words. In the end, she blurted out something she herself didn’t even understand.

"I am your personal maid, right?"

The answer to this question was clearly written in the contract. Lyra Beckett had voluntarily become Astrid Calliste’s personal maid for a period of one year, with no unilateral termination allowed unless unforeseen circumstances arose.

In other words, Astrid could have multiple personal maids, but Lyra could only have one master.

Since both of them understood this, why had she subconsciously asked that in her panic?

What was wrong with her... She felt so different compared to before...

Lyra slowly lowered her gaze, her tangled emotions like a messy ball of yarn.

On the other side, Astrid was also taken aback by Lyra’s question. Her gaze lingered on the girl’s light pink hair and the delicate, almost translucent eyelashes that hung low.

What was this girl talking about?

Mulling over Lyra’s words about being her personal maid, Astrid narrowed her eyes and quickly recalled a recent visit to the Minister of Finance’s residence, where she had tea with Lady Lydia.

She had indeed joked about whether Lydia had taken a liking to her pink-haired maid. Although Lydia had explicitly stated she wouldn’t take someone else’s prized possession, Astrid hadn’t communicated this with Lyra at the time.

Perhaps that conversation had made Lyra think of some unpleasant incidents, like when Crown Prince Lucas had once eyed her.

The law was hard to enforce on nobles. Even though the contract stipulated that Astrid couldn’t transfer her personal maid, if something like that were to happen, Lyra, as a commoner, would still be at an absolute disadvantage.

"Lyra."

Thinking this, Astrid spoke softly.

"You are the personal maid of Astrid Calliste, the third princess of the Valeria Empire."

She had thought that after reading the original work, she understood this heroine who occupied over ninety percent of the novel’s storyline.

But now, it seemed she still didn’t fully grasp the simple yet sensitive heart of a teenage girl.

A casual joke had made Lyra anxious for days. She should have talked to her sooner.

Unbeknownst to both, their thoughts were completely misaligned. However, hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra, who felt she had misspoken, began to feel less tangled inside.

The carriage continued forward, passing the northern restaurant where they had lunch.

Thinking that the next stop was the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Lyra looked out at the bright sunlight and suddenly realized what she had been pondering earlier.

In a little over half a year, her maid contract with Princess Astrid would expire, and she would no longer be her personal maid.

She would no longer be able to spend every day with Princess Astrid, help her with her hair, cook for her, or hear the woman’s cold yet caring words.

Everything she had once possessed would vanish the moment the contract ended. She might never again have the chance to sit so close to Princess Astrid in the same carriage.

Without the identity of a maid, what did Astrid mean to her?

A passerby she had briefly interacted with, or perhaps a classmate with whom she had an ordinary relationship?

Lyra couldn’t find the answer to this question, nor did she know how to bring it up to Astrid.

As the scenery outside the window changed again, this time they passed the west gate of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, only a five to six-minute carriage ride from the palace. Lyra mustered her courage and spoke softly.

"I remember Princess Astrid will also be attending the Elizabeth Academy of Magic next year..."

Her hands moved from her skirt, crossing over her chest as she curled her legs, her slender ankles wrapped in thin white stockings gently twisting together.

"At that time, will we be..."

"Classmates?"

Sensing a slight tremble in Lyra’s voice, Astrid blinked and whispered.

"Yes, you could think of it that way."

"After all, by then, Miss Lyra will have regained her freedom."

Hearing the word "freedom," Lyra felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Although she had initially been forced by Astrid to sign the maid contract, when the other mentioned that freedom would be restored upon its expiration, she didn’t feel happy.

On the contrary, Lyra felt a vague sense of unease.

It was as if this wasn’t breaking free from shackles... but being abandoned...

After a moment of silence, Lyra bit her tongue lightly, stopping her wandering thoughts. Her cherry-pink lips parted.

"Is that so..."

But after all, they had spent so much time together, and Princess Astrid was so kind. It was only natural to feel a bit of reluctance.

Seeming to find a reasonable justification, Lyra pursed her lips and spoke again.

"On that day, I’d like to invite Princess Astrid to have dinner with me..."

"...I’ll cook it myself."

As a farewell to her brief maid career.

Astrid glanced at Lyra, her gaze falling on the girl’s sky-blue eyes. Feeling the direct stare, Lyra’s ears soon turned red. Just as her eyes lowered slightly, she heard Astrid speak.

"Don’t you already cook for me often?"

Since learning a few dishes from her, Lyra would often cook them herself and have her cooking teacher taste them.

To be fair, Lyra’s culinary skills were quite good, and she picked up recipes quickly, getting the taste right after just a few tries.

"That meal will have a different meaning."

Lyra’s voice was soft, her pink hair drooping slightly.

"There’s something I’ve always wanted to tell Princess Astrid..."

Hearing this, Astrid raised an eyebrow slightly, resting her hand on her knee as she leaned back in her seat.

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

"During the time I’ve been Princess Astrid’s personal maid, I..."

Lyra lifted her head, meeting those bright red eyes. The ruby on Astrid’s chest rose and fell slightly with her breathing, its reflections dazzling.

"I... I’ve been very happy..."

Though it was work, after deducting study time, it wasn’t tiring at all. In fact, Lyra often felt it was much easier than her previous job at the pastry shop, not to mention the difference in pay between the two.

"Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

"...Yes."

Hearing Lyra say this suddenly, Astrid blinked a few times, leaning forward with her cheek resting on her knee.

"It seems I’ve been assigning you too little work."

"Starting tomorrow, you’ll handle all the kitchen ingredients, clean the palace tiles, maintain the decorative sculptures, and find time to wash the carpets."

"Oh, and clean the palace windowsills once every two days. How does that sound, Lyra?"

Lyra thought seriously for a few seconds before suddenly realizing, "Huh? All... all of it for me?"

The third princess’s palace was notoriously large. Even the entire maid team took a whole day to clean it. If it were left to her alone, she’d probably collapse from exhaustion.

Hearing the tremble in the girl’s voice, Astrid curved her lips, her tone still carrying a hint of mischief. "Of course, I’m just kidding. I just enjoy seeing Miss Lyra flustered."

"It’s quite amusing."

Realizing she’d been teased again, Lyra bit her lip, her fingers gripping her thigh tightly.

Although Princess Astrid was teasing her, when the other mentioned liking her, her heart had skipped a beat.

If only there hadn’t been that suffix... Thinking this, Lyra’s gaze dimmed slightly.

"Speaking of the academy, there’s something I need your help with, Lyra," Astrid said softly, looking at the pouting pink-haired maid.

"The Elizabeth Academy of Magic allows each student to bring one companion. I plan to give my spot to Livia."

"But if I do that, Elise won’t have a spot, so I’d like you to designate her as your companion."

As a princess, Astrid could easily bring an extra companion without much fuss, but the more rules she broke, the harder it would be to mend things later.

What she aimed to do would inevitably clash with the values of most nobles. It was best to leave as few handles as possible. Besides, Charlotte probably wouldn’t want to see her flaunting her princess status over avoidable matters.

Lyra nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

She couldn’t afford a companion anyway, so leaving the spot empty would be a waste. Might as well give it to Elise.

"You’re agreeing so readily?"

"By then, I won’t be a maid anymore. Even if I refused, it wouldn’t matter."

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra shook her head gently.

"I know."

"But I want to do something for Princess Astrid."

Whether it was an order or a request, she simply wanted to help, that was all.

Looking at the pink-haired maid sitting upright with a serious expression, Astrid’s lips curved slightly, and the deliberate coldness in her gaze softened for a moment.

It seemed the future Holy Knight’s affection for her was at least at the level of a good friend.

As Astrid pondered this, the carriage suddenly came to a halt. Neither of them had been paying attention to the outside world, and the inertia caused them to lean in the same direction.

Lyra, being a knight, reacted faster and quickly stabilized herself. Astrid, however, wasn’t as quick. She had been holding her legs, making it harder to control her body. With the sudden jolt, she tumbled into Lyra’s arms.

Looking at the silver hair cascading like a waterfall over her chest, Lyra stiffened, soon feeling a warm touch on her thigh.

Before she could think further, Astrid sat up as if nothing had happened.

"Let’s go."

"...Okay."

Lyra stepped out of the carriage first, the blush on her cheeks gradually fading.

Turning around, she reached out toward the carriage. A slender, gloved hand emerged from the carriage, allowing Lyra to gently hold it.

"Tap, tap..."

With two crisp sounds of high heels, Astrid steadied herself and then let go of Lyra’s hand.

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