As Astrid's personal maid, Lyra knew that her mistress had been busy writing articles recently, and that Astrid was using a novel thod called serialization to write stories.
She was quite curious about what kind of work Princess Astrid would create.
However, she was neither Professor Elowen, who could provide comrcial assistance, nor Countess Charlotte, who could affectionately call Astrid "Little Astr."
Even if she was curious, she could only keep it to herself and let it silently fernt.
However, Lyra never expected that Princess Astrid would take the initiative to involve her in the newspaper printing and even give her access to the original manuscript. She was completely stunned when she saw it.
The story Astrid wrote was completely different from any she had read before, whether in terms of plot or setting. There was a strong sense of conflict.
The handso and domineering imperial prince, the delicate yet resilient noble lady, a love story filled with physical and emotional tornt.
Undoubtedly, the inexperienced Lyra was montarily stunned, and her ntal energy fluctuated slightly, causing so ink to lose its guidance and drip onto her skirt and stockings.
"What's wrong, Lyra?"
Astrid's voice ca from beside her. Lyra swallowed and continued to control the ink, shaping it in mid-air and transferring it onto the paper.
Once this section was printed, Lyra sighed in relief, looking down at the black stains on her white stockings as she softly replied to Astrid.
"Your Highness, I lost control of my ntal energy for a mont, so so ink spilled."
Replication Spell wasn't difficult; as long as one had enough ntal energy and focused, it could be done well. Astrid looked at Lyra in front of her and spoke slowly.
"Please stay focused, Miss Lyra."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Continuing to channel her ntal energy into the ink, Lyra held her breath and carefully transferred the content onto the parchnt.
This prince's behavior seems quite similar to Princess Astrid...
Reading about the domineering prince who often sneered and mocked, Lyra blinked a few tis, unconsciously comparing him to Astrid.
Princess Astrid was sowhat domineering in her own way, but her domineering nature was different from the prince in the book.
The latter had an arrogance that Lyra particularly disliked, believing that everyone should love him.
Princess Astrid wasn't like that. Although she could be domineering at tis, she also had a noble and elegant deanor.
Lyra didn't dislike this; instead, she felt that this temperant complented Astrid's stunning beauty, adding a touch of cool elegance.
Princess Astrid was the type who wouldn't admit things openly but would secretly do good for others.
Except for the incident involving Earl Tristian, where she did sothing that made Lyra very angry, Astrid was almost perfect in every other aspect.
She would stand up for Lyra in front of other noble ladies, provide generous severance pay for the maids who lost their jobs, and personally visit the barren lands to observe the situation, solving real problems for the people.
Princess Astrid was truly beautiful and kind-hearted. If only she didn't like Earl Tristian, it would be even better.
A thought that had once crossed her mind suddenly resurfaced. The ink in mid-air trembled slightly before being gathered back by her ntal energy. Lyra pursed her lips and continued with the printing.
Why did she have this thought... Was it because Princess Astrid had done sothing out of character for Earl Tristian...
Recalling the wine that had been poured over her head at the banquet and the words Astrid had said to her in the bedroom at night, Lyra felt a faint sense of dissonance lingering in her heart.
This dissonance ca from Princess Astrid's seemingly contradictory behavior.
Could such a gentle person really do sothing as extre as taking her academy admission spot?
Lyra had once heard her aunt from the village ntion that her uncle was a very smart man, except when it ca to her, when he always seed to lose his wits.
Curious, Lyra had asked why, but her aunt had mysteriously replied that it was because love made people foolish. If she ever t her true love, she would also beco very different from before.
Princess Astrid must have acted out of character because she loved Earl Tristian.
This was the only explanation that fit Astrid's current state and explained why Lyra didn't want her to like Earl Tristian.
If loving Earl Tristian would make Princess Astrid lose herself and beco less gentle, then Lyra sincerely hoped that Astrid could let go of that man.
It must be so... Otherwise, she had no reason to oppose Princess Astrid's pursuit of love...
Having given her inexplicable thoughts a seemingly reasonable definition, Lyra steadied her emotions and began to focus entirely on the printing.
Twenty minutes later, five peak apprentices had replicated a total of twenty unbound newspapers, averaging one copy every five minutes per person.
This efficiency was already as low as it could get compared to the printers of her previous life.
"Can we go any faster?" Astrid asked softly.
The leading woman responded, "Yes, once the initial replication is done, the subsequent identical steps will only get faster."
Astrid had noticed this. Apart from the initial ti spent shaping the ink with ntal energy, the rest was mostly chanical.
Once they beca proficient, the ti needed for the printing process would greatly decrease.
"That's good," Astrid said.
Compared to the printing technology she wasn't familiar with, having such a convenient magic as an alternative was excellent.
"You'll be printing the publications here for the ti being. If you run out of materials, inform the maids. In five days, I want to see two thousand five hundred copies of these newspapers."
"I'll arrange for Elise to discuss the salary and benefits with you, ensuring a proposal that satisfies everyone."
The monetary system of the Valeria Empire had gradually improved over its long history.
The value conversion from high to low was one platinum coin equivalent to one hundred gold coins, one gold coin equivalent to one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equivalent to ten copper coins.
After careful estimation, Astrid figured that one gold coin in this world had a purchasing power roughly equivalent to over five hundred dollars in her previous life.
Large denominations like platinum coins were generally not circulated in ordinary markets but were more often used to trade magic crystals, magical instrunts, or so rare noble luxuries.
Even the peak apprentices working for her now didn't earn one platinum coin a month.
After speaking, Astrid left Elise to discuss the wages and took Lyra out of the workshop.
She had given Elise a rough psychological price range, and this efficient head maid knew what to do.
Whether in terms of ability or loyalty, Astrid could trust Elise one hundred percent.
.....
Ten minutes later, in Lyra's bedroom, the pink-haired maid looked at Astrid, who had followed her into the room, her sky-blue eyes slightly dazed.
"Your Highness... is there sothing else..."
Astrid, who had been contemplating the plot of her novel, snapped out of her thoughts and saw the sowhat unfamiliar room in front of her. After a mont's pause, she smiled and said.
"Can't I just co and sit in Miss Lyra's room for a bit?"
Lyra's bedroom was right next to Astrid's. Lost in thought about the plot, Astrid hadn't noticed she had entered the wrong room.
However, hastily retreating now would seem strange, so Astrid decided to go with the flow and gently sat down at Lyra's desk.
Apart from their first eting, she hadn't really visited this silly maid's private bedroom.
Watching Astrid sit on the chair, crossing her long, slender legs, Lyra quickly shook her head and softly said.
"No, no..."
"...Your Highness can stay as long as you like."
The entire palace belonged to her; how could Lyra refuse?
Astrid crossed her arms and calmly looked at Lyra.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a shower and change?"
The ink that had fallen on her skirt wasn't much, but it wasn't negligible either.
From Astrid's perspective, the creamy, smooth white stockings on the girl's legs now had a few black ink spots, making them quite noticeable.
"Then I'll go take a shower..."
Lyra raised her hand, her jade-like fingers pointing towards the bathroom as if seeking permission.
She had a slight cleanliness obsession, and when sothing got on her legs, she instinctively wanted to clean it off.
However, with Astrid sitting here, she couldn't just leave in front of her mistress.
That would be too impolite.
"Go ahead," Astrid replied softly.
Lyra pursed her lips, took a clean maid uniform from the wardrobe, and walked slowly into the bathroom.
Hearing the sound of running water from behind the door, Astrid propped her arm up, her crimson eyes slowly scanning the room.
Unlike Amalia's sowhat empty bedroom, Lyra's room was quite cozy.
Besides a few magic books on the desk, there were various small items she had brought from ho, such as ceramic figurines or delicate wind chis with intricate patterns.
Although there were many items, Lyra kept them very tidy, everything in its place, exuding a sense of refinent.
The tablecloth was also a pink-and-white girly style, and near the window sat a potted plant with two pale purple flowers quietly blooming, occasionally swaying in the breeze, emitting a faint floral scent.
Feeling the strong sense of life in the room, Astrid gently rubbed her legs, the thin stockings producing a sandpaper-like sound that was particularly pleasant in the semi-enclosed space.
Turning her head, she saw a silver-white knight's sword leaning against the corner. Lyra had once ntioned that this was the best sword in her village.
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