"Miss Livia... didn’t you just take a bath earlier..."
Lyra sat at the desk, looking at the two empty chairs across the aisle, and turned to ask Elise, who was busy adding to her study notes.
When she entered the room, she noticed a faint scent of soap in the air, and Amalia had already changed into her silk nightgown for bedti, so why was she now following Astrid to the bathroom again?
Elise paused briefly upon hearing this, her quill pen continuing to write. After half a minute, she softly replied, "Perhaps Miss Livia wants to wash her hair again."
As the head maid most trusted by Astrid, Elise naturally understood how strong Amalia’s possessiveness was towards her sister.
This ti, it was likely that seeing Princess Astrid and Miss Lyra return hand in hand had made Amalia feel a bit jealous, hence her desire to get closer to Astrid to ease her longing.
"Oh... I see..."
Lyra nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, leaning forward with her palms on her knees, her white-stockinged legs stretching out quietly.
Elise touched at the pink-haired girl beside her, silently marveling at how Princess Astrid’s charm seed to be growing stronger.
Not only was she constantly being clung to by her once-hostile sister, but even Lyra seed unable to stay away from her.
However, it has been a while since Princess Astrid and Miss Lyra had been intimate, at least as far as Elise had noticed. This ti, they had even deliberately avoided her and Amalia.
Thinking of the way the two had held hands tightly earlier, and the faint blush on Lyra’s cheeks, Elise vaguely guessed at a certain possibility, her pen pausing briefly on the paper.
The Elizabeth Academy of Magic had set up soundproof barriers in every training room to ensure students’ learning efficiency. No matter what happened inside, the sound will not leak outside.
Additionally, there were accompanying chairs and tables, and once the door was locked from the inside, it was nearly impossible to open from the outside.
Could they have...
Co to think of it, it was quite normal for soone of Princess Astrid’s age. Once you’ve tasted sothing sweet, it’s hard to resist it again.
After a mont of thought, Elise stood up and used a magic-powered kettle to boil water, preparing to make a cup of tea for Astrid when she returned from her bath, to help replenish her fluids.
"Lyra, would you like so hot tea?"
"Huh? Sure!"
Seeing the head maid stand up straight, Lyra suddenly spoke up, recalling what had just happened.
"By the way, Miss Elise."
"How much do you know about the duel rules at Elizabeth Academy of Magic?"
Elise pressed the kettle button upon hearing this and replied softly, "I know most of them. What information are you looking for, Lyra?"
Considering Astrid’s relationship with Elise, Lyra chose not to hide anything and recounted everything that had happened that evening. After listening, the head maid thought for a mont and then spoke slowly.
"The Elizabeth Academy of Magic allows students to challenge each other. This rule can be traced back to an ancient custom that existed even before the founding of the Valeria Empire, known as the Knight’s Duel."
"For Lyra to win the match, you need to fulfill one of the following three conditions: one, make your opponent surrender; two, deliver a strike that would have been a fatal blow; or three, render the target unable to continue fighting."
"As for the sparring arena, there are professional healers on duty for twelve hours during the day, as well as large healing barriers. As long as it’s not an instant death, there shouldn’t be any major issues."
Combat between mages is different from regular martial arts sparring.
Knights in duels can wear sturdy armor and use slightly blunted wooden swords, but mages have fragile bodies, and the magic they cast is often highly destructive, high attack, low defense, the classic glass cannon type. Injuries are often unavoidable.
Upon hearing this, Lyra’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she recalled Reneth’s haughty deanor and her particularly petite figure.
A hint of hesitation crossed her mind, but after a few seconds, she let go of that brief mont of doubt.
What she wanted was an apology, not to injure the other party out of anger... As long as Reneth surrendered in ti, it would be fine...
After discussing so key points about practical sparring with Elise, the bathroom door gently opened, and Astrid, dressed in a plain white nightgown and still damp, walked into the room.
Hearing the noise, Lyra turned around and saw Astrid holding Amalia with one hand while gently touching her collarbone with the other, a few strands of silver hair hanging to the side, covering her smooth, delicate skin.
"What were you talking about?"
Hearing Astrid’s question, Elise truthfully recounted their earlier conversation. The woman then gently sat down at the desk, holding the freshly bathed, sweet-slling little girl in her arms.
"The academy’s space is limited, so if you want to challenge soone, it’s best to make a reservation tomorrow afternoon, setting the ti and the specific arena."
Feeling the little girl’s smooth, delicate legs swaying back and forth against her own, Astrid placed her hands on Amalia’s stomach and gently rested her chin on the latter’s shoulder.
Noticing Astrid’s delightful gesture, Amalia naturally leaned back, her snow-white back pressing against Astrid’s breasts, her body completely nestled in her sister’s embrace.
"So... Do I need to find Reneth tomorrow?" Lyra asked.
Astrid nodded, "Yes, booking the arena requires both parties to be present. Reneth must also go."
But if that’s the case, practically the entire academy would know that Lyra, the first-year student who had defeated a teacher in practical sparring, was going to face Reneth Aulwyn in a duel.
The essence of humanity is to seek entertainnt.
Whenever there’s a duel to settle disputes, the arena is always packed to the brim, especially since Lyra was brought into the academy by Astrid and is the imperial princess’s designated best friend. Compared to her original obscurity, she’s now sowhat of a star student.
"By the day of your duel, the entire venue might be overcrowded."
Hearing Astrid say this, Lyra let out a stunned "Huh?" and a look of confusion flashed across her face.
"Huh?? Will there be that many people?"
In her mind, the duel was just a simple sparring match with not many spectators, perhaps only Astrid and her classmates watching.
"Of course," Astrid nodded with a smile, while smoothing out the wrinkles on Amalia’s dress.
"Lyra, are you nervous?"
The woman’s voice, cold yet tinged with a hint of tenderness, hits Lyra right in the heart.
The girl pursed her lips, her hands resting on her knees, her toes hidden in the white fabric curling slightly.
For soone with social anxiety, dueling in front of a crowd would definitely be stressful.
And this was different from the entrance exam. During the practical test, everyone had to take it, and with other students going first, Lyra’s nervousness had been greatly reduced.
Plus, the audience wasn’t there specifically to watch her, so she had perford as usual.
Being the center of attention like this feels so embarrassing.
What if I lose...
Seeing Lyra remain silent, Astrid gently stroked Amalia’s hair and spoke in a soft voice.
"The arena has a soundproof barrier, so you shouldn’t be able to hear the audience."
"So in reality, all Lyra will feel is the gaze of the spectators."
But this was sothing Lyra will often have to face in the future. As the future Shield of the Valeria Empire, a Holy Knight, the eyes from the arena below will be nothing more than a light drizzle.
"I’ll try not to be affected..." Lyra replied.
Astrid reversed at Lyra a few more tis, her pink lips parting slightly.
"Mm, I believe you won’t be."
"Train a bit more in the next few days to prepare for the upcoming challenge."
Encouraged by Astrid, Lyra nodded, her mood relaxed a bit. She then grabbed her clothes and went to wash up.
Seeing Lyra walk away in her slippers, Amalia gently covered Astrid’s hand with her own, her lips close to the woman’s ear, whispering softly.
"Sister..."
"What did you do tonight?"
During the bath earlier, Astrid hadn’t ntioned anything about this challenge.
And when they returned, they had been holding hands so intimately, even though it had always been Amalia who held hands with her sister.
Knowing that Amalia was probably feeling a bit jealous because she had been so close to Lyra, Astrid leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl’s slender waist.
"Actually, there wasn’t anything particularly important, but it’s a bit of a long story."
"I’ll tell you all about it when we get to bed later."
To so extent, this little girl’s possessiveness towards her sister was indeed quite strong.
But considering what Amalia had been through in the past, that cold and lonely life, Astrid felt nothing but a gentle affection for her.
"Okay."
Amalia agreed softly, then raised her head and planted a kiss on Astrid’s forehead.
As she moved, her slightly disheveled silver hair revealed the woman’s delicate, snow-white collarbone, where a freshly planted, butterfly-like love mark lay.
.....
The next day, after class, Lyra and Reneth went to the venue to book the arena.
The duel required a one-gold coin fee, but the benefit was that if soone got injured, as long as the fee had been paid, they could imdiately receive treatnt from the on-site physician without any additional cost.
"Sunday afternoon at 4 PM, Arena 2, Lyra Beckett versus Reneth Aulwyn."
After paying the fee and filling out the necessary forms, the process was completed, and all that was left was to wait.
As Astrid and the others left the venue, news of Lyra’s challenge to Reneth spread like wildfire throughout the academy.
In a third-year student dormitory, the youngest son of the Duke Thomas Redgrave, Vorelter Redgrave, listened to the report from his servants, his legs crossed and a mocking expression on his face.
As a friend of the second prince, Alistair, and a conservative noble, Vorelter had long felt displeasure and disgust towards the once-useless princess, now a prominent figure in the capital.
Both her political stance and recent actions had severely hard his interests.
If it wasn’t for her position in the palace and the emperor’s favor, Vorelter would have already taken action against this thorn in his side.
Of course, even as the son of one of the four dukes, harming a royal family mber was a capital cri.
What Vorelter wanted to do now was to suppress Astrid to so extent, to dampen her recent rise in popularity, and Reneth’ appearance happened to fulfill his needs.
Astrid had once ntioned that Lyra was her best friend, so striking at her would also be a blow to the imperial princess.
Thinking this, Vorelter tapped his seat and softly urged, "Invite Miss Reneth to the Earl’s Restaurant tonight. Tell her I’d like to have dinner with her."
It was clear that Reneth had likely been warned by Astrid, and she might even surrender imdiately once on the duel stage.
That wouldn’t do. Losing to Astrid’s best friend would be worse than if the duel had never happened.
He needed to have a good talk with Reneth.
Two hours later, at the Earl’s Restaurant, Reneth, now realizing she was in a difficult position, entered the private room, her eyes avoided the dark-haired man in front of her.
"Miss Reneth, I heard you’re going to have a practical duel this weekend with Lyra, Princess Astrid’s forr personal maid?"
Vorelter crossed his hands under his chin, a cold smile on his lips.
Reneth sat down across from Vorelter, nervously swallowing.
"...Yes."
After being warned by Astrid, Reneth had spent the night unable to sleep, the more she thought about it, the colder her heart felt.
Although Astrid had said that if she won, the evidence she had collected would be destroyed, that didn’t an defeating Lyra was the best solution.
On the contrary, if there was even the slightest chance she could defeat Lyra, even if the bet was settled, she would have truly offended Princess Astrid, and there was no telling when retaliation might co.
Princess Astrid’s reputation for holding grudges was well-known. Why had she been so foolish to provoke her in the first place?
Compared to the rise and fall of her entire family, personal pride was insignificant.
Reneth had already prepared to let go of her pride, put up a token defense on the duel stage, and then surrender, apologizing to Lyra, or more accurately, showing weakness to Astrid.
But just then, Vorelter had approached her.
Reneth knew who he was and understood that his father, Duke Thomas, was close to Prince Alistair. She had already guessed what Vorelter wanted her to do before she arrived.
Defeat Lyra.
"So, Miss Reneth, how confident are you about winning this challenge?"
Looking into the man’s cold eyes, Reneth shifted uncomfortably, hesitating for a few seconds before answering.
"Miss Lyra is very strong... I probably can’t beat her..."
"Oh?"
Vorelter’s eyes narrowed, his fingers lightly rubbing his gloves as he leaned back, his smile unchanged.
"Well, what if I said I have a way to help you win?"
"Can you do it?"
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