Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 246: "My bedroom is usually unlocked, Your Highness, feel free to come in.”

Chapter 246: "My bedroom is usually unlocked, Your Highness, feel free to come in.”

Rumors from ancient times say that the goblins once possessed several incredibly prosperous cities.

They built sturdy city walls and cannons using powers different from magic, and through merchant caravans, sold their exquisite clockwork creations across the continent.

Having developed a different technological tree, historical records show that the goblins did not overly rely on magic. In fact, it could be said that most of their kind despised magic.

Yet, despite being a magic-averse race, they had their own magical language.

From the translated results, the magical incantations chanted by these goblins were strikingly similar to the improved versions of Elders Speech made by Gemini, the greatest human mage and the Spellcreator.

"Without a doubt, this is an extremely abnormal situation, and similar occurrences have happened with the Demi-humans as well," said Evelyn, her snow-white hands crossed and gently resting on her smooth, delicate chin.

"The Demi-humans are a brute race that relies on physical strength to carve out their living space. They retain a relatively primitive tribal system, living in the forests and wastelands on the empire’s borders, with very limited access to information."

"Nevertheless, they have developed their own magical system and can communicate with the elements by chanting in their demi-human language, enchanting their weapons or various body parts."

From Evelyn’s perspective, she sees Elders Speech and the common human language as two versions of the same magical system, akin to the difference between modern assembly language and high-level language.

The former is closer to the essence of magic, dealing with elemental particles and world rules, while the latter is more human-oriented, relatively simple and easy to understand.

"Professor Evelyn..." After listening to the woman, Astrid noticed a glaring blind spot. "Since the magical incantations of various intelligent races are similar, why can’t we assume that they directly borrowed from the common human language?"

The likelihood of a common origin seems higher than recreating an entirely new magical system.

Moreover, with the common human incantations, such horizontal translations shouldn’t be too difficult.

Evelyn shook her head gently and said, "It’s not that simple. Because before the common human incantations appeared, these races had already learned how to use magic. These incantations either came from the Elders Speech used by ancient humans or were developed by their own research into spell systems."

"But even so, no matter which one it is, I feel there are many doubts."

The elves are easier to explain, as they are the darlings of the elements, with a keen sense of magical energy. It’s quite normal for them to develop spell systems. But how did the other magic-averse races know the content of each elemental incantation?

Hearing this, Astrid leaned her arm on the table, her eyes silently fixed on Evelyn. After a few seconds, she whispered, "Actually, I’ve always had a question."

"Since the common incantations humans use to cast magic were translated and improved by Lady Gemini, and she was already the Spellcreator by the time she did this."

"Without a complete magical system, how did she do it?"

Whether the Spellcreator came first or the magical system did, this chicken-and-egg question might seem meaningless, but in the current context, it’s an important point of doubt Astrid wants to understand about Elders Speech.

Hearing this, Evelyn sat up slightly straighter. Under the desk, her long, slender legs clad in transparent stockings rested against the wooden chair, one in front of the other.

"This involves the academic discussion about Lady Gemini’s identity..." she began. "The mainstream view is that Lady Gemini was not a modern human but an ancient human who survived the catastrophe..."

Catastrophe? Survival?

After a moment of silence, Astrid spoke softly, "Professor Evelyn, are you referring to the calamity that swept across the continent?"

Legend has it that on the day the old era ended, the sky was torn apart by lightning, the sun fell into the deep sea, and the earth split into pieces.

The dragons that once soared through the skies had their wings broken in the thunderstorm, the elves’ fountain of youth dried up and spewed lava, the goblins’ cities were destroyed in the tremors, and all living beings became small and fragile before that disaster.

Noticing that Astrid’s focus wasn’t on the ancient humans but on the apocalyptic calamity, Evelyn nodded, her tone calm.

"I originally thought that the history Your Highness was exposed to was only the well-recorded human history of the Valeria Empire, without any gaps. But now it seems that’s not the case."

The oldest history humans can trace back to is the Valeria Empire and the predecessor of the Kingdom of Velys, the Lorin Empire. That catastrophic disaster occurred before the establishment of the Lorin Empire, during a period with almost no references, a blank in history.

Coincidentally, the time Gemini was active was during this historical gap.

She suddenly vanished without a trace, disappearing from the world until the collapse of the Lorin Empire.

"From the existing literature, it is highly likely that Lady Gemini was an ancient human. Based on this, it’s no surprise that she could decipher Elders Speech."

The Spellcreator indeed exists, and Lady Gemini is the proof.

This is why the Valeria Empire and the Kingdom of Velys, despite never having a Spellcreator, still chose to establish this rank.

"I see," Astrid said, putting down her crossed leg and leaning her arm gently on the table.

This explains the chicken-and-egg problem.

However, with only these clues, it’s still impossible to deduce how the magical incantations of those magic-averse races came into being or whether they are related to Elders Speech.

Seeing Astrid deep in thought, Evelyn regained some confidence as an academic teacher and returned to the soft, alluring tone she had during their first meeting.

"Besides the elemental symbols I revealed earlier, I have some new discoveries that need time to verify. If Your Highness Astrid is interested in Elders Speech, feel free to come and talk with me more in the future."

She has gathered the strengths of many linguists, comparing and analyzing their research and data step by step.

The conclusions she has drawn could be called the crystallization of human wisdom. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Thus, Evelyn has the right to say that there is no one in the entire empire who understands Elders Speech better than she does.

Hearing this, Astrid smiled faintly, her voice carrying a hint of meaning: "Any time?"

Evelyn nodded, her fair and slender fingers gently brushing across her full, red lips.

"Yes, anytime Your Highness wishes."

Perhaps Astrid was mistaken, but she seemed to see Evelyn’s tongue lightly lick her lips, a quick motion that disappeared in an instant, leaving only the bright and vivid petals.

Seeing this, Amalia lowered her eyes, pretending not to notice, but her hands hidden in the white puffed sleeves clenched unconsciously, and the tips of her small leather shoes quietly pressed together.

"What if I come at night?" Astrid asked.

" 33 Gris Street, my residence. I’ll tell the servants today that if Your Highness Astrid comes, let her in directly."

After saying this, Evelyn smiled charmingly and added, "My bedroom is usually unlocked, Your Highness, feel free to come in."

After hearing Evelyn’s words, Astrid lifted a strand of silver hair that had fallen by her shoulder and whispered, "For safety’s sake, it’s better to lock the door. But Professor Evelyn can place the key in a secret spot only I know."

Evelyn blinked at Astrid, leaning forward slightly, her ample bosom swaying gently.

"Alright, then I’ll place it behind the painting next to the room. When Your Highness comes, just take it and open the door without asking me."

"Not giving a heads-up and just coming in feels like it would be more surprising~"

That sentence felt a bit strange.

Glancing at Amalia beside her, thinking that she’s still young and probably wouldn’t understand the subtleties.

Astrid’s lips curled into an alluring smile as she spoke in a low voice, "Then I’ll accept your kind offer."

The girl’s silver-bell-like voice fell into Evelyn’s ears, making her eyes curve slightly as she spoke slowly, "Let’s stop here for today. I have some matters to attend to, and we can talk more in the future when I have time."

"Alright, see you next time, Miss Evelyn."

"Goodbye, Your Highness Astrid, and Miss Livia."

After bidding farewell, watching Evelyn stride out of the reading room, Astrid immediately felt a warm, fragrant softness in her arms. Amalia wrapped her arms around Astrid’s neck, her eyes silently gazing at her, as if saying nothing yet everything.

Knowing that this cold, proud little girl was slightly jealous, Astrid comfortingly patted her back, then leaned down to kiss her forehead affectionately.

"I was just saying it casually. I won’t go looking for her at night," Astrid whispered close to Amalia’s ear. "After all... I still need to sleep with my most precious little princess..."

There’s plenty of time during the day to go learn from Professor Evelyn, why bother choosing a nighttime slot?

Moreover, although Evelyn’s words could easily be misinterpreted, Astrid could tell that she just had a slightly mischievous personality, enjoying teasing people just like herself, with no other intentions.

Hearing her sister’s words and feeling the hand that held her thigh, adjusting the position of the white stocking, Amalia raised her face and kissed Astrid’s forehead as well.

Just when Astrid thought this kiss would be as brief as before, Amalia didn’t hurry to move her lips away. Instead, she slid down from the forehead, past the eyelids and the bridge of the nose, barely noticeably brushing against them.

A fleeting coolness touched the corner of her lips before she could react, and Amalia buried her head in Astrid’s neck, breathing softly.

"Sister is the best," Amalia said.

Hearing this, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes a few times and said softly, "You too... Let’s go have some dessert later..."

After such a long time together, the people of the capital had grown accustomed to seeing Astrid with this petite, black-haired, red-eyed little girl by her side. Their close relationship and the fact that they called each other sisters were no secret.

After the initial period of identity sensitivity, the likelihood of Amalia being exposed had decreased significantly.

Given the original owner’s attitude towards the fourth princess, wishing her dead, no one would ever associate the current Miss Livia with Amalia.

The eldest and youngest princesses being at odds was a consensus among the nobles who knew of the emperor’s illegitimate daughter.

.......

Meanwhile, a certain pink-haired girl who was nearly forgotten walked among the books, the lotus-leaf hem of her skirt swaying slightly with the movement of her white-stockinged legs, carrying a faint fragrance.

Lyra’s gaze swept over the titles on the bookshelf, her pink lips lightly pursed.

Half an hour ago, she had found a knight’s manual and had been reading it for a long time without realizing it. When she came to her senses, she had been standing in the same spot for quite a while.

Indeed, even though turning eighteen and becoming an adult made her a grown woman, she still couldn’t resist this kind of knight’s tale full of hardships, battling dragons, and ultimately marrying the princess.

She’d take it with her; it would be something to read when she was tired. Princess Astrid had said that balancing work and rest would improve learning efficiency.

But where had Princess Astrid and Amalia gone? She had seen them earlier.

After searching around without finding them, Lyra walked to the third floor, planning to borrow another book. Just as she passed the spiral staircase, a strange, profound feeling flashed through her mind.

It was as if a light had appeared before her eyes, like lightning, fleeting but leaving a lingering sense of unease in her heart.

It seemed that in that moment... she had felt something...

Her hand gently covered the left side of her chest, feeling her heartbeat through her skin and clothes.

This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar, as if she had experienced it before.

But... when had it happened? She couldn’t remember...

Following the lingering intuition, Lyra arrived at a certain bookshelf and looked up, her gaze falling on the category label in the upper right corner.

[Light Attribute Magic Related]

The books here... were all about light attribute magic...

Remembering that her elemental affinity test from yesterday showed she was weak in both light and dark attributes, Lyra’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

Her hand, which had instinctively reached out halfway, froze in the air, hesitated for a few seconds, then naturally dropped back down.

After a moment, the feeling of being called completely disappeared, and Lyra’s heartbeat returned to its normal pace, as if everything that had happened half a minute ago was just an illusion.

"..."

What was wrong with her? Since entering the library, she had felt strange.

After a brief thought, no longer feeling anything unusual, Lyra left the light attribute magic section and went to look for books on spiritual manipulation and knight techniques.

If Astrid were here, she might understand the source of Lyra’s current feeling.

The Holy Immaculate Sword of Light had sensed the presence of the chosen heroine, but with Lyra’s current mental power, it wasn’t enough to awaken it.

Even as the protagonist, one couldn’t easily receive the gifts fate bestowed.

Finding the book she wanted on the initial externalization of mental power, Lyra walked to the library entrance and saw Astrid standing on the steps, softly conversing with Amalia.

Astrid glanced at the items Lyra was holding in her arms. One book was related to knight training, while the other was pressed underneath, its cover obscured by her arm, seemingly protected.

"Lyra, want to go have some dessert together?" Astrid touched her hairband, her pink lips parting gently.

Considering that Lyra might be concerned about the tuition she had worked hard to save for a year, Astrid added softly, "Think of it as accompanying a good friend. It’s my treat."