Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 202: First Step to socializing for Amalia

Back at the palace, after a short but fulfilling nap with Amalia, Astrid looked at the dark-haired girl clinging tightly to her arm, unwilling to let go. She gently pinched her little sister’s cheek and spoke softly.

"Time to wake up, Livia."

To avoid slipping up, Astrid had recently been calling Amalia by the name Livia. The latter hadn’t shown any dissatisfaction with this practice; in fact, she had accepted it quite naturally.

Amalia, hearing the voice, replied softly.

"Okay, sister."

Girls always spoke softly when they just woke up, especially a cute little girl like her. Astrid’s heart softened at the sound, and she gently pulled her arm free from Amalia’s grasp, getting out of bed.

"I’ll change clothes, and then I’ll have Elise bring you some tea."

Hearing the rustle of fabric, Amalia opened her eyes to see Astrid removing her silk nightgown, revealing her porcelain-like body. The black undergarments she wore were faintly visible, like a butterfly concealing something beautiful.

After changing, Astrid left the bedroom with the nightgown and went to Elise’s room next door.

The head maid was sitting at the desk organizing newspapers. Seeing Astrid enter, she stood and performed a noble’s greeting, speaking softly.

"Good afternoon, Miss Astrid."

"Good afternoon."

Placing the nightgown in the laundry basket, Astrid thought for a moment and asked Elise for a quill pen. After dipping it in ink, she began to write carefully.

"Elise, keep an eye on these materials during this time. If funds allow, prepare some in advance."

The skin of a Sabertooth wolf, the tendons of a rage bear, wind-infused wood...

Although Elandor had said he would try to find substitute materials, it never hurt to be prepared.

"I’ll get right on it, Miss Astrid."

Seeing Elise about to stand up, and considering how busy she had been lately, Astrid shook her head and spoke softly.

"There’s no need to rush. It’s fine to check in a couple of days."

She could still use socializing as an excuse to have afternoon tea, but Elise was truly working nonstop, like a machine.

"Take a break today. That’s an order."

With that, Astrid left, returning shortly with a cup of tea, which she placed by Elise’s bedside.

Looking at the steaming tea on the bedside table, the dark-haired maid glanced at the door, remaining still for a long time.

A break...

She had gone to the post office in the morning, discussed illustrations with Mary at noon, and organized newspapers while looking after Amalia in the afternoon.

She really had been quite busy lately.

Back in the bedroom, Amalia still hadn’t gotten up. She was just sitting on the bed, gently combing her hair. Seeing this, Astrid approached with a teacup and sat beside the bed to help her tidy up.

Amalia’s hair were very thick, and sometimes they would stick out after waking up. Astrid inserted her fingers into the hair, gently smoothing it out. Amalia closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly towards Astrid, her back relaxed, quietly enjoying the peaceful afternoon time with her sister.

Seeing Amalia tilting her head like a little kitten, letting her smooth out her hair, Astrid twisted her fingers and tied a bow at the end of the black-haired girl’s hair, though it soon came undone naturally.

Such is the downside of having hair that’s too smooth, it doesn’t stay in place easily.

Smelling the faint fragrance in the air, a mix of Amalia’s natural sweet scent and the soapy smell from washing her hair, Astrid couldn’t help but soften her expression and speak softly.

"Livia, Miss Lydia said she wants to meet you."

She had forgotten to mention it to Amalia after their last afternoon tea, but today on the carriage ride she remembered, and thought it would be a good opportunity to talk to this little homebody about socializing.

"Lydia... the second daughter of the Minister of Finance..."

Amalia remembered this person, or to put it another way, she remembered everyone who took up her sister’s time clearly.

"Why does she want to meet me..." Amalia murmured.

Astrid couldn’t possibly reveal her identity to an outsider like Lydia, but aside from her royal lineage, what else was there to see?

Hearing the confusion in Amalia’s voice, Astrid picked up a white ribbon from the bedside table, threading it through the black hair and carefully tying it into a bow.

"Perhaps she wants to see what the Third Princess’s most beloved little sister looks like."

Aside from Lydia, there were probably many other noble ladies who wanted to see if Livia Calliste, with her red eyes, was as beautiful as Princess Astrid.

Though it might sound a bit too blunt, in the upper echelons of the Valeria Empire, whether someone was beautiful or not indeed affected the direct impression other nobles had of them.

Aside from being slightly petite, Amalia was top-notch in every other aspect. At least in Astrid’s eyes, words like "delicate" and "adorable" weren’t enough to describe this porcelain-like cold beauty.

Moreover, being petite wasn’t necessarily a drawback. Perhaps this was the difference between the world of novels and reality, the main characters were all like paper dolls from a previous life, each more beautiful than the last.

Hearing this, Amalia opened her eyes, gazing at the pale, slender arm moving close to her, and whispered softly, "Does sister want me to meet her?"

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the twin tails was tied, the thin white ribbon close to her ear, standing out against the black hair, the classic black and white combination that never goes out of style.

"...Why are you asking me?" Astrid spoke gently.

"This is your choice, Livia. Whether you want to go or not is entirely up to you."

To be honest, Astrid hoped Amalia would meet Lydia, not just because she was the second daughter of the Minister of Finance, early exposure wasn’t a bad thing, but also because of something she had been considering.

Amalia was too dependent on her.

For instance, if they were to draw a relationship chart, Astrid could draw many lines pointing to others, close ones like Elise, Charlotte, and Lyra, and more distant ones like Elowen, Lydia, and even Tristian. But Amalia’s chart wasn’t that complex.

If considering blood relations, she might be able to mark a few family ties, like being the daughter of Hibbort and the sister of Lucas Alistair.

But if only considering interpersonal relationships, Amalia’s network was so thin that it could be outlined with a single stroke, and that stroke pointed to Livia Valeria, also known as Astrid Calliste.

As a sister, it was good that Amalia liked her, but liking only her might not necessarily be a good thing. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

For the first fourteen years, Amalia was alone in the castle. Now, though her body had left that cage, her spirit still lingered in the past, just moving from that dark castle to the gentle haven Livia had woven for her.

In the end, Amalia still hadn’t broken free from the shadows of her childhood. Her heart was still imprisoned, just moved from one place to another person.

"Sister..."

Amalia fluttered her eyelashes and spoke softly, "I want to meet her."

She could sense that Astrid wanted her to meet Lydia, so she would go.

As she spoke, the other ponytail was tied. Astrid looked down at her handiwork and spoke slowly, "Livia can tell that I actually want you to go, right?"

"..."

If Astrid didn’t want her to go, she could have simply not mentioned it. Amalia didn’t lie, nodding in response, "Mm."

If it was what her sister wanted, she would do her best to fulfill it.

Receiving this response, Astrid released her hand from the hair, looking down at the person before her. Amalia’s crimson eyes reflected only her.

After a long while, Astrid spoke, "Then in a while, I’ll arrange another afternoon tea with Miss Lydia."

"Livia will come with me."

This situation couldn’t be changed just by reasoning. Astrid could only gradually expose Amalia to the outside world, like a mother lioness teaching her cub to hunt by bringing prey to her.

She would give Amalia a gentle push from behind, just like when she took her out of the castle.

Leaning down, Astrid gently kissed Amalia’s forehead, then straightened up and handed her the tea from the bedside table, speaking softly, "Your hair is done. Have some tea and get up."

There was still some time before Hibbort’s death; there should be enough time.

She would try her best to show Amalia the bright spots of this world. It might not be as good as the fairy tales depicted, but it wasn’t as bad as what they had experienced before.

Learn to love the land beneath their feet, and the commoners who truly carried the empire.

Amalia looked at the silver-haired princess with gentle eyes, took the tea, and brought the cup to her lips, sipping slowly.

Finding the temperature just right, Amalia drank it all in a few gulps, then threw off the covers and got out of bed in her slippers.

Noticing that the loosely fitting nightgown of the black-haired girl was slightly too low, revealing her delicate collarbone and a small curve of her fair skin, Astrid reached out to adjust it.

Feeling the movement, Amalia stood obediently in front of the girl, not moving, until Astrid finished arranging and then bent down to hug her.

"Does sister have anything else to do later?"

"Not for now."

She had already handled most of the matters by noon and could relax a bit.

Hearing this, Amalia nuzzled her head against Astrid’s hair, her voice tinged with anticipation, "Then does sister want to..."

"...watch me paint."

Amalia was indirectly asking for more time with her. Astrid hugged Amalia, gently patting her back, and spoke warmly, "Of course."

"My little princess looks the most beautiful when she’s painting."

This wasn’t just to coax the child; Astrid truly believed that when someone was focused on something, it was often when they were most captivating.