Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 242: Elise doesn’t want to embarrass her master

Elise was busy with other matters and hadn’t returned yet, leaving only Lyra and Amalia in the dormitory.

These two, who were supposed to be enemies in the original story, were now getting along surprisingly well.

The white light fell on the book in her hands, Lyra opened her elemental vision, watching the free-floating light elemental particles in the air, gradually relaxing.

After about ten minutes, there was a soft sound from the bathroom door, and Astrid walked into the room in a black nightgown.

The thin fabric, damp from the steam, slightly translucent as she moved, faintly revealing her graceful figure.

Her two long, snow-white legs rubbed against each other, her skin glowing as if it could be squeezed to produce water.

"Who’s next to shower?"

Astrid spoke as she ran her fingers through her hair, letting the silver strands fall loosely behind her.

Smelling the faint scent of hair and the unique rose fragrance that only Astrid carried, Lyra, holding the prepared clothes, softly asked,

"Would you like to shower first, Amalia?"

Amalia glanced at Astrid’s slightly damp hair, suddenly thinking of something, and shook her head in response.

"I’ll wait until Lyra is done."

As soon as she finished speaking, the dark-haired little girl took a comb from the drawer, stood up, and walked behind her sister, asking Astrid to sit down.

Realizing Amalia was going to comb Astrid’s hair, a task that had always been her duty as a personal maid, Lyra felt a mix of emotions, holding the clothes and softly saying, "Alright."

After Lyra left, Amalia softly chanted a wind elemental spell, drying the moisture from Astrid’s hair while carefully combing it through.

Once she was done, Amalia put down the comb, wrapped her arms around Astrid’s waist from behind, buried her face in her neck, and took a deep breath.

"Big sister... you smell so good..."

It wasn’t the first time. This soft little girl loved to bury her face in Astrid’s neck after she showered, sniffing her like a cat. Astrid was used to it, gently stroking Amalia’s head.

"Are you looking at the exam questions?"

"Yes, the ones Lyra wrote."

Meanwhile, Lyra stood under the showerhead, feeling the warmth enveloping her body, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Though she knew the warmth came from the steam, smelling the air filled with Princess Astrid’s scent made her feel a bit uneasy.

Activating the fire attribute crystal to warm up the water attribute crystal, Lyra stood under the showerhead, letting the liquid drip from her head, flowing over her curves and eventually dripping down her legs to the ground.

She was really living with Princess Astrid now...

Though not in the way she wanted, it was enough.

The warm water soaked her hair, feeling like a soft hand caressing her. Smelling the sweet fragrance so close, Lyra suddenly thought of something, her ears slightly warm.

This afternoon... Princess Astrid...

She had pinched her ear...

Recalling the woman’s slightly raised lips and the mischievous glint in her eyes, Lyra pursed her lips, gently patting her cheeks with both hands.

Princess Astrid was perfect, except she sometimes loved to tease people too much!

After taking her time showering, Lyra returned to the dormitory, just as Elise came back with some desserts.

"Miss, have you and Amalia and Lyra all showered?"

Elise saw the pink-haired girl coming out of the bathroom and glanced at Amalia sitting on Astrid’s lap, pointing to the small cake in her hand.

"Would you like some? I passed by Felice Bakery on the way back, and this is the last batch of freshly made berry cakes."

Having chewed on clean grass earlier, it was hard to taste sweets immediately after. Both Astrid and Lyra shook their heads, declining.

Only Amalia, who loved sweets and hadn’t showered yet, ate a small piece. The rest was stored by Elise using ice magic for her breakfast the next day.

After Elise and Amalia had showered, the large clock in the Imperial Clock Tower chimed deeply, signaling it was time to rest.

Lyra lay in bed, curling up under the covers, only her hands clutching the blanket, her eyes silently staring at the ceiling just a meter and a half above her.

So this was what living in a student dormitory felt like.

With several layers of padding beneath her, the bed felt only slightly harder than the one in the palace.

Lyra curled her legs, then naturally stretched them out after half a minute, her sky-blue eyes gazing at the foot of the bed, where the head maid lay facing her.

Compared to Lyra, who hadn’t seen much of the world, Elise seemed much more composed.

The woman half-closed her eyes, her hands naturally under the covers, in the same sleeping posture Lyra had seen in the Countess’s manor.

After watching the head maid for a while, Lyra adjusted her pillow, wrapped the blanket around her body, and leaned against the wall, her back separated from it by a layer of cloth.

This position faced Astrid’s bed, and Lyra noticed that Astrid’s blanket was noticeably larger.

Looking at Amalia’s bed, the neatly folded bedding was placed to the side, and the person who should have been lying there was nowhere to be seen.

Though she had guessed it, seeing Amalia pop out from under Astrid’s blanket, Lyra couldn’t help but marvel at the deep sisterly bond between the third and fourth princesses.

If only... she could be as close to Princess Astrid...

As Lyra thought this, she suddenly noticed Astrid looking her way and quickly lowered her head, pretending to stare at the floor beneath the bed.

After giving the little girl in her arms a warm goodnight kiss, Astrid saw Lyra staring at the floor and softly spoke after a moment,

"Tomorrow there is no scheduled class because the academy hasn’t finalized the class assignments yet. We new students can move around freely."

"If you’d like, Lyra, you can explore and familiarize yourself with the environment, since we’ll be spending the next four years here."

Hearing Astrid speak to her, Lyra openly shifted her gaze back to her, softly replying, "Okay."

"Will... Princess Astrid also go?"

Lyra’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of hope, which even Astrid could sense.

"Are you hoping to go with me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid felt two warm, soft legs wrap around her knees.

Amalia wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand running through her silver hair, her forehead gently resting on Astrid’s shoulder.

"I..." Lyra stammered, her face lifting just in time to meet Astrid’s teasing gaze.

She... she... Princess Astrid was teasing her again...

"Has Miss Lyra been a maid for too long, following me everywhere?"

Lyra was momentarily speechless, finding no reason to refute her.

She had indeed gotten used to it. As a personal maid, for the past year, wherever Astrid went, Lyra would follow. Suddenly being apart made her feel a bit uneasy.

Noticing Lyra’s hesitant gaze, Astrid’s desire to tease her slightly subsided, and she softly spoke,

"Pfft, I was just joking."

"After all, Miss Lyra still calls me... Your Highness..."

"It easily reminds me of the past."

Listening to the conversation between Astrid and Lyra, Elise opened her eyes, her gaze slowly falling on the pink-haired girl across the room.

With the faint light in the room and her superior vision as a high-ranking executive, Elise saw the slightly reddened ears beneath Lyra’s pink hair, understanding the situation and choosing not to intervene.

Since Princess Amalia was rescued from the castle by Miss Astrid, the number of nighttime encounters between her and Lyra had significantly decreased. Elise had thought their relationship had returned to that of normal friends.

Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

A strange thought flashed through her mind, but Elise chose to remain silent, continuing to be a head maid who wouldn’t embarrass her master.

On the other hand, the teased Lyra curled her pink toes, her long eyelashes fluttering. After a moment, the girl softly replied,

"Then... will Astrid go?"

As a friend, she hoped Astrid would accompany her to explore the academy.

Astrid thought for a few seconds, then softly responded,

"Sure."

After all, she had nothing to do tomorrow, and letting the protagonist wander alone might lead to unexpected plot developments.

But then again, Lyra’s greatest enemy in the academy arc no longer existed, the original Astrid Calliste, who was supposed to constantly oppose her after a dance invitation from Earl Tristian.

Without this villainess, it was uncertain whether Lyra’s life would become simpler or if her protagonist’s ability to attract enemies would bring forth another mindless foe to hinder her growth.

It shouldn’t... after all, Lyra was brought in by her...

Who would be so blind as to mess with someone brought into the academy by the imperial princess?

"In the morning, we’ll tour the different academy areas, and in the afternoon, I’ll take you to see the first-year elective courses."

"Let’s sleep now. You must be tired after a day of exams."

Hearing this, Lyra indeed felt both physically and mentally exhausted. Her energy, mental strength, and stamina had been in high demand all day, and even someone made of iron would be worn out.

"Okay, Astrid should rest too," Lyra said.

After bidding each other goodnight, the light attribute crystal under the bed was extinguished by Elise’s mental power.

The silvery moonlight shone through the window into the dormitory, falling on the marble tiles.

Looking at the crystal-clear high heels under Astrid’s bed and the notebook Amalia had mostly filled, Lyra pulled the blanket up, her gaze shifting to the neighboring bed, where only half of Astrid’s face was visible.

Was this her upcoming academy life?

Looking at the snow-white, delicate face of the person she loved, Lyra unconsciously curved her lips, slowly closing her eyes.

It felt... quite promising...