Although the academy’s final assessnt itself only lasted three days, including the long journey, Astrid and Lyra were actually away from Capital City for more than half a week, and they hadn’t even had the chance to look at the new issue of the Empire Weekly.
So, while it was called a welcoming dinner, the main purpose of the al was for Elise to report the recent situation in the imperial capital to Astrid.
"Internal Minister Gregor proposed a new bill on restricting magic devices at the morning eting with His Majesty the Emperor. The council is also discussing related matters. The specifics won’t be clear until next month..."
"Led by Second Prince His Highness Alistair, the youngest son of the Duke Thomas, Vorelter Redgrave, and the daughter of Marquis Marlote struck a fur trade deal. There are rumors that the two danced and conversed happily after dinner."
"Duke Charles, who is in charge of guarding the northern border, arrived in the imperial capital by carriage yesterday and t with His Majesty the Emperor in the palace. It is possible that they were discussing the empire’s border defense arrangents..."
The sound of a knife slicing through a steak was subtle. Astrid listened to the housekeeper’s clear and logical explanations, her small mouth slightly open, her juice-soaked lips pink and tempting under the candlelight.
After eating a small piece of steak, Astrid took a sip of orange juice to moisten her throat and said softly.
"I didn’t expect so much to happen in just a few days I was away."
Elise’s words were not difficult to understand, and they could be summarized into three points.
First, research on magic devices would be further standardized, and future bills might affect Charlotte’s progress in developing magic-powered weapons.
Second, the Alistair faction was planning to deepen their relationship through marriage to counter the growing political power of the eldest prince.
Third, the neighboring Kingdom of Velys was eyeing them covetously, and the empire’s border issues had beco so severe that Duke Charles, one of the four great dukes, had to et with the emperor to determine the next course of action.
It was indeed a ti of turmoil.
Perhaps for the original Lyra, the first sester at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic was a relatively uneventful half-year, but from Astrid’s perspective, things were quite different.
As the honorable third princess and a noble of the Valeria Empire, she had to admit that the core city at the center of the country was undercurrent. As Hibbort’s health gradually deteriorated, his control over the political situation would only beco more and more strained, and the hidden contradictions beneath the surface would beco sharper.
"Keep an eye on Vorelter; I still have a score to settle with him," Astrid put down her goblet, the transparent glass reflecting her snow-white face.
"As for Gregor’s proposal, I happen to have so ti these days to visit Lady Charlotte and discuss this matter with her."
Charlotte was not only an imperial countess but also a professor of magic circle at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic. The early cancellation of this practical assessnt was closely related to the attacker.
If she could use Charlotte’s connections to draw the academy’s attention and send strong individuals to closely monitor the Monster Mountains, it might have unexpected effects on her understanding of the power that resonated with the Sword of Light.
After listening to Astrid, Elise nodded and then spoke.
"The weekly survey form from last week is out. I’ve screened it in advance and left so that I think are valuable. If you have ti, you can check them yourself."
"Alright, I understand."
Coming back to a pile of tasks, there was really no ti to rest.
Astrid held her knife and fork, looking at the calm Elise across the table, pursed her lips, and slightly shook her head.
Busy as she was, compared to the housekeeper who wore many hats, her workload was indeed not much. The other party was the one who should be the most tired.
After eating a bit more ham, Astrid turned her head to look at Amalia. After not seeing her for almost a week, the little girl had beco even more clingy, not only demanding a hug as soon as she entered the private room but even sitting close to her during dinner, even moving her chair closer.
In front of Lyra and Elise, Astrid reached out and rubbed the black-haired girl’s head. Amalia obediently let her sister touch her head, sitting up straight, her crimson eyes quietly reflecting Astrid’s figure.
Although the ti apart was not long, she still missed her very much.
"Have you been staying in the dorm these days?" Astrid asked Amalia.
The girl nodded slightly, her smooth white-stockinged legs gently swinging under the table, showing the owner’s uncontrollable joy.
"Yes."
Tonight, she could finally sleep with her sister again.
Thinking of this, Amalia blinked, and the feeling of unease in her heart slightly receded.
The sll she slled earlier was probably just from sitting in the sa carriage, so it got on her.
That must be it.
It was just a short few days of assessnt; it was unlikely that anything happened.
Thinking this way, Amalia withdrew her peripheral glances at Lyra and focused on Astrid.
"Sister, I’ve learned a new magic."
"I can show it to you tonight."
The air was filled only with the soft conversation between the sisters and the crisp sound of knives and forks touching the plates. Lyra looked at the silver-haired princess with a gentle expression in the candlelight and soon lowered her head, eating in small bites.
Perhaps it was because of the love filter.
Lyra felt that the stewed chicken here was far inferior to the one she and Astrid roasted and ate around the campfire that night, chatting aimlessly.
.........
After dinner, the four of them returned to the dormitory. Astrid first dealt with the weekly report docunts Elise ntioned. After flipping through a few pages, she found many annotations made with a quill. From the handwriting, it didn’t seem like the efficient housekeeper but rather her dearest sister.
"Amalia, did you write all these?"
Astrid asked softly, holding the parchnt. The black-haired girl, who was holding clothes and about to go to the bathroom, nodded and said softly.
"Yes, I wrote them when I had nothing to do."
Those annotations were mostly Amalia’s personal opinions, combining the newspaper content with Astrid’s previously ntioned future plans, making them quite a good reference.
"Thoughtful," Astrid said.
Her little princess was always thinking of doing sothing for her.
So cute.
Receiving Astrid’s praise, Amalia’s usually expressionless face shows a rare touch of gentleness, and she said softly.
"As long as it can help my sister."
"I’m going to take a bath."
Originally, she wanted to bathe with Astrid, but considering the other party had things to do, she ultimately gave up.
When they get into bed at night, she will have plenty of ti to express her longing, so she will let her sister rest for now.
The only thing Amalia didn’t expect was that she waited until 10 PM. Astrid finished her bath, changed into her nightgown, and the clock’s hour hand was almost pointing to eleven.
"Sister..."
As soon as she laid down on the bed, Astrid imdiately felt a warm, soft body pounce into her arms. Amalia gently hugged her waist, her lips touching her collarbone, unsure if it was just a touch or a series of light kisses.
"I’m here."
Astrid also hugged Amalia back. The latter was wearing a pure white silk nightgown tonight, and whether it was the fabric of the dress or her smooth white legs peeking out from under it, they felt equally smooth.
Indeed, compared to Lyra, Amalia’s body temperature was slightly cooler, more suitable for hugging in the sumr.
Burying her head in Astrid’s shoulder, she gently bit the other party’s collarbone, then moved up along the beautiful curve of her neck, kissing the woman’s smooth and delicate swan neck.
With her inner desires satisfied, Amalia’s breathing slowed, and after a while, she asked softly.
"Sister, was the assessnt smooth this ti?"
She was curious about what Astrid had done during the ti she was away.
Hearing Amalia’s question, Astrid shook her head: "It wasn’t exactly smooth..."
She briefly told Amalia about her and Lyra’s hunting of magical beasts and their experiences inside the Teklar Mountains. The girl listened intently, her fingers drawing circles on Astrid’s back.
"So, sister and Lyra spent the night in the mountains?"
"Yes."
"Did you take turns keeping watch?"
"Sort of."
Hearing this, Amalia narrowed her eyes, her warm breath gently spraying on Astrid’s neck.
"Sort of?"
What did that an?
Sensing a slight change in Amalia’s tone, Astrid thought of the other party’s overly obvious possessiveness and paused for a few seconds before answering.
"Because Amalia wasn’t by my side, I didn’t sleep well."
"Lyra was mostly on night watch."
’So, my sister couldn’t sleep without holding her either.’
A sense of what she thought was despicable joy welled up in Amalia’s heart, and she didn’t continue the topic.
"So, what did sister an by not smooth?"
The attack was over, and there was no need to specifically hide it from Amalia. Astrid recounted the general situation to her, and after listening, the girl bit her pink lips and tightened her arms.
"It’s good that sister is fine..."
So, during the ti and place she didn’t know, sister encountered such a big trouble.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
Understanding Amalia’s concern for her, Astrid patted the girl’s back and said gently.
"This ti, it was also thanks to Lyra, otherwise I might not have made it."
The Sword of Light was undoubtedly the key to breaking the situation.
After hearing this, Amalia opened at the bed across the aisle, just in ti to et Lyra’s gaze looking in their direction.
Caught by Amalia on the spot, Lyra panicked for a mont, inexplicably feeling like she was caught doing sothing sneaky, awkwardly looked away, and pulled the thin quilt up over her.
Seeing Lyra’s reaction, Amalia’s heart was filled with even more suspicion, but rembering what Astrid had just said, she felt a bit more goodwill towards Lyra.
After all, the other party had saved her sister, and she should be grateful.
But... why...
She had a subconscious feeling that her most precious thing was being eyed by soone, a subtle sense of unease.
"Sister, what happened next?"
"Then we released a defensive barrier and waited for the academy’s rescue..."
"And then..."
"We returned to the temporary inn, and later in the evening, the academy professors announced the end of the assessnt."
"..."
Perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other for so long, Amalia was a bit talkative tonight, wanting to ask everything. Astrid could understand her, so she patiently answered her questions.
However, regarding the matter of sleeping with Lyra, Astrid didn’t tell Amalia but chose to gloss over it.
First, Amalia didn’t ask, so she didn’t need to bring it up. Second, the other party’s personality was a bit extre. If Amalia misunderstood that she had a new best friend and didn’t want her as a sister anymore, or that Lyra was here to compete for her sister’s affection, it might make their relationship difficult to normalize.
On one side was her sister, and on the other was her good friend. Astrid, caught in the middle, sotis had to consider both sides’ feelings, especially Amalia, who lacked love in her childhood.
Although this little emperor was very sensible and had gradually let go of her pathological possessiveness under her guidance, matters of the heart were sotis not sothing that could be controlled by reason. Even if Amalia knew she wouldn’t abandon her, she would still feel sad.
Leave it to ti, and when Amalia truly grows up, everything will be fine.
On the other side, the pink-haired girl under the quilt couldn’t hear the sisters’ almost whispering conversation. Back in her familiar bed, Lyra felt relieved but also a bit lancholy, and a sense of uncertainty quietly grew in her mind.
She rembered last night when she and Princess Astrid lay in bed learning a foreign language. The other party’s soft body and cool hair fragrance seed to have so kind of magic, and even tonight, she still rembers it vividly.
If only the assessnt could have lasted a few more days...
Her snow-white feet gently fiddled with the quilt, and Lyra stretched her legs, feeling the softness of the bed, her mood particularly complicated.
Humans are indeed greedy creatures.
Before, when she hadn’t slept with Princess Astrid, she thought she could sleep comfortably alone.
Now that she had one, she longed for two, and with two, she longed for three or four, or even more, so much so that now lying alone would bring an uncontrollable sense of loss.
She wanted to share a bed with Princess Astrid... to hold her...
Just like Princess Amalia...
"..."
Burying her head in the quilt, she took a deep breath. The quilt was filled with the scent of soap from the bath. Lyra closed her eyes, trying to suppress the envy in her heart.
By the way, the Elizabeth Academy of Magic had a final assessnt every sester.
That ans... in another half year, she could be with Princess Astrid again...
Thinking of this, Lyra, despite her disappointnt, regained her motivation.
Wait a bit longer... Lyra...
At least Princess Astrid doesn’t dislike hugging her or sleeping with her.
Perhaps one day in the future, they could kiss like lovers.
This was the most intimate act that the still young Lyra could think of.
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