Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 233: Letter

To My Dear Father and Mother,

Time flies, and it has been over two months since I last wrote to you. By the time this letter arrives, I should already be a new student at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, about to begin my formal magical studies.

Now that this day has finally come, I feel the expected excitement.

First, let me update you on my recent situation. The work agreement I had with Miss Astrid was set to last until the opening of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, and that day is almost here.

According to the terms of our agreement, I will no longer be Miss Astrid’s hired housekeeper but a free individual without any constraints.

Although it marks the end of a job, it also means my stay at Miss Astrid’s house has come to a complete end.

To be honest, I feel a bit reluctant to leave... After all, I’ve stayed in one place for so long and have grown quite close to Miss Astrid...

Miss Astrid is very kind. Not only did she patiently teach me magic, but she also taught me how to cook delicious dishes. Her personality is gentle and warm.

I wish I could have stayed with Miss Astrid a bit longer...

But no matter how reluctant I am, life must go on.

Over the past year, I’ve managed to save up a bit of money. You don’t need to send me any more tuition or miscellaneous fees, everything is covered. If I spend frugally and take on some part-time work, I feel like I won’t run out of money during these four years of study.

Sometimes, I even think that staying with Miss Astrid as her housekeeper instead of going to the Elizabeth Academy of Magic wouldn’t be a bad choice. The income is stable, and life is particularly easy.

But of course, these are just thoughts. Since I passed the entrance exam, it means I have talent in this area.

Once I become a mage, I can earn more money, and your lives will improve. In the future, we might even move to a big city.

Moreover, I feel that Miss Astrid paid me such a high salary and gave me such an easy job, which might have been her way of looking out for me.

I can’t keep accepting her kindness forever. At the very least, I should do something for Miss Astrid as a way to repay her for taking me in. She is truly a wonderful person.

Praise Miss Astrid.

Additionally, Miss Astrid will also be entering the Elizabeth Academy of Magic this year. She and I both passed the entrance exam, though I’m not sure if we’ll be in the same class.

I hope we can be in the same class. After all, Miss Astrid is the person I’m most familiar with in the capital, and I want to stay close to her.

I’m a bit excited about the upcoming academy life.

Magic circles, elemental properties, mana arrangement, rune carving, this subject seems much more complex than I imagined.

But compared to when I first left home last year, I’m not as nervous now. With the help of Miss Astrid and Head Maid Elise, I’ve already become a peak apprentice and a peak knight.

I’ve heard that most new students are at the middle stage apprentice level, with only a few reaching the peak stage. I don’t think I’ll fall behind in the courses.

I’ll study hard and strive to come home next New Year, so you can see a different version of your daughter.

Speaking of New Year, I wonder how you spent last year’s New Year’s Eve. Did you buy more ale and beef? Were there fireworks in town?

The fireworks here in the capital are beautiful and grand. Miss Astrid told me that many nobles in the capital even hire mages privately to make the fireworks launched from their mansions the highest, brightest, and largest, so the entire capital can see them.

Although I don’t quite understand why they would spend so much money on such things, this is their way of flaunting their wealth.

It seems I’ll have to learn more fire magic.

Professor Charlotte mentioned that one part of the entrance ceremony is testing elemental affinity. If I have a high affinity for fire, learning related spells in the future will be much easier.

Wishing for fire elemental specialization.

I’ve gone off-topic again. Let me get back on track. Last year’s New Year’s Eve, I spent it in a place you would never have imagined.

Two thousand meters above the capital.

Do you remember the magical airship I mentioned in my last letter? With the help of Professors Charlotte and Elandor, Miss Astrid successfully built a giant airship capable of carrying people into the sky.

It’s eighty-two meters long and twenty-one meters wide, with a passenger cabin larger than the legendary giant ships.

It’s truly amazing. Even ordinary people who can’t learn magic or practice combat skills can use it to fly high into the sky.

Miss Astrid plans to showcase it as a tourist attraction in the future. If possible, I’d like to take you on it to experience what it’s like to look down at the earth from high above.

His Majesty the Emperor also boarded the ship for a tour that morning. He is a very, very... charismatic man...

With golden hair and blue eyes, a strong build, and holding a gem-encrusted scepter that looks very valuable.

I haven’t met His Majesty many times, so I’m not sure how to describe him, but he truly has a commanding presence.

Just standing in a crowd, he stands out immediately, as if he possesses a special ability.

He named the magical airship "The Fearless," after the core ship of the fleet that the former emperor used to open new routes to the outside world.

Perhaps His Majesty is also hoping that this Fearless will brave the winds and waves.

I’ve gone off on a tangent, but before coming to the capital, I never imagined magic could do so many things.

Besides the giant magic airship, there’s geothermal heating for rooms, magic lights for illumination, hair dryers for quick drying, and automatic kettles for boiling water.

Magical devices are truly incredible inventions.

I just wonder when these things will become accessible to more people.

Miss Astrid told me that even a single fire-attribute crystal used to boil water in a kettle is quite expensive, equivalent to more than a month’s salary for me.

I originally wanted to send you a kettle, but then I realized that even if I bought one, you wouldn’t be able to afford to use it. So, I decided to save the money for the kettle and send it back instead.

A fire-attribute crystal that expensive could almost buy half a cow. Using it to boil water seems a bit too extravagant.

By the way, I should have mentioned Professor Charlotte to you. This countess is not only exceptionally powerful but also an innovator and promoter of magical devices.

There’s one thing you probably don’t know: Miss Astrid’s mother, Lady Fanya, was the inventor of magical devices.

She was the one who combined heating crystals with runes to create the prototype of the kettle, laying the foundation for the development of magical devices.

Lady Fanya was an incredible person... It’s just a shame that her current whereabouts are unknown...

After talking about the magical airship, Miss Astrid’s Empire Monthly is also expanding its issues, from twice a month to once a week.

With more content to fill each month, I often see Miss Astrid busy in her bedroom, writing articles and serials for the magazine.

Miss Astrid seems to know everything. Many of the topics covered in those articles are things

I’ve never heard of, but she can write about them effortlessly, and her writing is excellent, very pleasant to read.

I wish I could be as smart as Miss Astrid.

By the way, when you receive this letter, you should also get a package. Inside are some paintings I asked Miss Livia to create, including a depiction of the room I used to live in.

There are also some prints from the monthly magazine about the magical airship.

Although the images on paper are impressive, they can’t compare to the excitement of experiencing it firsthand.

Additionally, there are some portraits of Miss Astrid.

The Empire Monthly has a section dedicated to fashion, where beautiful noble ladies or handsome noble gentlemen are periodically featured, wearing outfits that align with the capital’s mainstream aesthetics, to lead new trends or promote certain accessories.

Miss Astrid is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and she is widely recognized as the capital’s top beauty by every noble in the capital. Even His Majesty the Emperor was once astonished by Miss Astrid’s beauty and grace, calling her the most dazzling gem of the Valeria Empire.

Those two portraits are also prints I took from the monthly magazine, and they were provided by Miss Astrid for the first issue of the Empire Monthly.

Silver-white hair and bright red eyes, a combination that should clash, but on Miss Astrid, it looks surprisingly harmonious.

Sometimes I even think that if Miss Astrid had different hair or eye colors, it would look strange.

Isn’t she stunning?

But paintings are limited to paper, and Miss Astrid in person is many times more beautiful than any portrait. She also has an incredible presence.

Like His Majesty, she stands out just by being there, but Miss Astrid’s presence is distinctly different, she has a cool, elegant demeanor, exuding politeness and grace.

I’ve heard that many people are pursuing Miss Astrid...

It makes sense. Miss Astrid is outstanding, not only is she beautiful, but her personality and abilities are equally remarkable.

During my time as Miss Astrid’s maid, I’ve met many nobles of the empire, but none of them could compare to Miss Astrid.

She personally cooks her own meals, while the most skilled among the others only make desserts or prepare afternoon tea, still far from preparing full meals.

Besides cooking, Miss Astrid also creates perfumes. The perfumes she collaborates on are very famous throughout the capital, and every time a new batch is released, it causes a frenzy of people rushing to buy them. I’ve included a bottle in the package I sent back.

Moreover, Miss Astrid’s personality is the best I’ve ever encountered. She doesn’t act superior to her servants.

When a servant makes a mistake, she patiently points it out, and sometimes she even overlooks minor errors caused by carelessness.

Of course, Miss Astrid isn’t endlessly gentle. When it comes to serious issues, she handles them strictly, such as dismissing a maid who made a major mistake.

But afterward, she also shows concern by providing a generous severance package.

It’s truly wonderful to be Miss Astrid’s friend.

I didn’t realize I’ve written so much, the paper is almost full. Let me return to myself. That’s all for my recent updates. I’m doing well in the capital, and everything is moving in a positive direction.

For this year, I plan to focus on studying magic at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic. During the summer break, I’ll work part-time at a pastry shop or somewhere else in the capital.

The cost of living here is generally higher than in our town, but the wages are also higher, which should cover any additional expenses beyond tuition. I’ll come home during the winter break.

I was indeed worried before about whether I would meet the graduation requirements of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, or if I would fail to advance to the level of a low-level grand knight or low-level sorcerer within these four years.

But now I’m less anxious. Miss Astrid said that I’m the most talented person she’s ever seen.

In just one year, I went from a complete low stage to a peak apprentice, so my future achievements are bound to be significant.

Although Miss Astrid might have been encouraging me, it’s also true that many noble ladies study for a year and only progress from a beginner to an intermediate apprentice, with some not even reaching the intermediate level.

I’m not a top-tier genius, but at least I’m not mediocre.

Miss Astrid also said that a soldier who doesn’t aspire to be a general isn’t a good soldier, and the same applies to learning magic. If I set my goals too low from the start, it will be hard to achieve much in the future.

Perhaps if I push myself a bit more, I can achieve what I want, not just as a sorcerer or grand knight, but as an Arcanist and Crusader.

If I ever reach that point, I’ll be able to repay you and Miss Astrid, who has always been so kind to me, to the fullest.

By the way, how is everything at home? Is everything going well?

If you need money, let me know. I still have some left here. The Elizabeth Academy of Magic provides food and accommodation, so my expenses won’t be too high. Don’t worry too much.

If things get really tough, there’s always Miss Astrid. She’s very good at taking care of people.

Another thing is about the town near our village. I want to know if anything has happened there in the past year since I left. Is it the same as before, or are there new changes?

Once I become a mage and start earning money, I’ll bring you to live in the town, if you’re willing to leave the village.

If you really can’t bear to leave everyone, staying in the village is fine too, but you don’t have to work so hard. You can relax a bit.

If I can earn enough money, I plan to open a pastry shop or a flower shop in the town, selling cakes and flowers every day, or maybe even ice cream, which isn’t available here.

I think that would suit the future me better.

I didn’t realize I’ve written so much again. I seem to be getting more and more talkative...

I miss you, and I miss Grim and Fang. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you when I return.

Take care of your health. Everything is fine here.

Sincerely, your loving daughter, Lyra Beckett.

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