"Be safe on the road, and rember to write a letter back when you get to the academy."
"Yes, I know. You should also rest more and not overwork yourselves."
After celebrating the New Year, Lyra, who had stayed at ho for more than a month, packed up various local specialties and once again boarded the carriage to the imperial capital.
"It’s actually not long until sumr vacation. I’ll be back soon!"
The girl’s sweet voice blended into the early spring morning breeze, and even the sound of horse hooves couldn’t completely drown it out.
Looking back at her parents who were seeing her off at the village entrance, Lyra’s lips curled into a smile, her blue eyes filled with a hint of reluctance.
"Next ti I co back, I probably won’t be alone..."
As she thought this, the wheels of the carriage hit a bumpy stretch of gravel road. Lyra exclaid and quickly steadied the suitcase beside her.
The road from the village to the town hadn’t been properly maintained, so the carriage kept jolting along the way.
’When sumr vacation cos, I’ll have to remind Princess Astrid first.’
Looking at the trees receding outside the window, Lyra held onto the suitcase with one hand while the other rested on her knee. Her black leather shoes reflected a soft glow.
When Lyra arrived at the imperial capital, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
After storing her belongings in the dormitory and settling in, Lyra first took a shower in her room, making herself sll nice.
Then, carrying the specialties her parents had asked her to bring, she left Isabelle Magic Academy and arrived at the palace gate.
"Hello, I’m Lyra Beckett, a friend of Her Highness Astrid. I’m here to visit."
Lyra had often accompanied Astrid before, so the guards naturally recognized this ordinary-looking pink-haired girl. After reporting her arrival, they let her in.
"Thank you," Lyra said.
Walking through the majestic yet familiar royal palace, listening to the crisp sound of her heels against the tiled floor, Lyra hugged the wooden box in her arms.
The hem of her lotus-leaf skirt swayed in the wind, and her white-stockinged legs, as tender as lotus roots, moved in rhythm with her light steps, as if she were on her way to et the most important person in her life.
In a sense, that was indeed the case.
Turning the corner and passing through the palace’s main gate, the warmth from the Third Princess’s quarters dispelled the chill around Lyra. In the corridor, a sweet fragrance mixed with a familiar scent quietly drifted into Lyra’s nostrils.
When she arrived at the door of the room she had been longing for, Lyra raised her hand to knock but suddenly hesitated. She turned and saw the tal bowl filled with incense.
The silver-white tal surface reflected her face. Lyra cald her heartbeat, adjusted a few stray strands of pink hair behind her ear, and then bent down to smooth out her skirt.
"Knock knock..."
The rhythmic knocking sound made Astrid, who was sitting at the table reviewing docunts, raise an eyebrow and ask softly.
"Who’s there?"
Elise was in the palace, so if the person outside had ill intentions, she would sense it imdiately. Amalia was even less likely; Astrid had long told her to enter her room directly without knocking.
As for guests visiting... Elise had no reason not to inform her beforehand...
As she thought this, Astrid heard a timid female voice from outside the door.
"It’s ... Lyra..."
"..."
That made sense. The only person who could pass the head maid’s security check without needing to report to Astrid was Lyra Blackley.
Was Elise trying to give her a surprise?
Astrid put down her pen and slowly stood up.
The door opened, and a faint fragrance wafted in. Lyra saw a silver-haired, red-eyed beauty standing in front of her, wearing only a black lace nightgown.
"It’s been a while... Astrid..."
Not having seen each other for nearly two months, Lyra suddenly felt a bit shy. She tightened her grip on the box, her fingers fidgeting unnaturally.
Not to ntion the familiar yet strange feeling of not seeing each other for so long... just Astrid’s current outfit alone was a bit too revealing...
Since she had just been taking a nap with Amalia, Astrid naturally dressed for comfort.
Her nightgown was extrely light, with a simple strap design that exposed her smooth, delicate shoulders.
Looking down, there were her exquisite collarbone and a soft expanse of snow-white skin, blending with the deep, night-like silk fabric, creating a strong visual impact.
Not to ntion the dress only reached above her knees, revealing a pair of smooth, white legs from under the lace hem. Her delicate feet were clad in silver low-heeled sandals, tied with thin crossover straps, accentuating the beauty of her ankles.
"It’s been a while, Lyra."
Perhaps due to her innate noble temperant or the good upbringing she had received over the years, compared to Lyra’s nervousness, Astrid appeared much calr.
Looking at the flustered Lyra, Astrid’s srizing red eyes slightly shifted, and she moved aside to make space for her to enter.
"What are you standing there for? Co in."
Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra was montarily stunned, then quickly entered the room.
"Oh... okay..."
Astrid’s bedroom was almost the sa as when she had left, as if everything had been preserved from two months ago.
Following Astrid’s steps to the desk, Lyra glanced back at her and, after receiving permission, placed the box on the table.
"These are so specialties my family asked to bring. There’s dried at, stuffed pastries, and specially made berry jam."
Using the conversation to ease the tension of not seeing each other for so long, Lyra unwrapped the packaging, revealing the glass jars wrapped in cloth and the small iron boxes containing the dried at.
Seeing this, Astrid nodded, took the jar of jam from Lyra, and examined it carefully before softly responding, "You’re very thoughtful."
"I’ll personally thank them on my next visit."
Though she couldn’t see much by just holding it, treating others’ gifts with respect was part of her etiquette. This basic courtesy was deeply ingrained in Astrid’s character.
Feeling that Astrid seed to like what she had brought, Lyra’s eyes sparkled slightly, her heart brimming with satisfaction. She softly spoke.
"I’m glad Astrid likes it."
Seeing the person she loved happy was also sothing worth being happy about.
Hearing this, Astrid glanced at the glass jar in her hand a few more tis, then turned to look at Lyra.
"Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Elise try adding it to the bread and see how it tastes."
"Also... it’s been so long since we last saw each other. Don’t you have anything to say to ?"
Not having teased her little maid for a while, seeing Lyra’s easily flustered appearance now, Astrid’s mischievous side stirred once again.
Things to say...
Hearing this, Lyra’s legs unconsciously tensed, and her hands almost completely hid in her sleeves, leaving only a few slender, fingertips exposed.
She had originally thought of... giving Astrid a hug when they t...
But with Astrid dressed like this, she felt a bit too shy to do so.
"I..."
Opening her mouth, Lyra took a deep breath and spoke in a soft voice.
"I missed you, Astrid."
Though two months wasn’t particularly long or short, her longing had been growing day by day.
She wanted to see Astrid, to have als with her, to attend classes with her.
Anything was fine, as long as it was with Astrid, she would be happy.
Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid slightly tilted her head, revealing her snow-white, delicate neck.
"Oh, is that so?"
"..."
As the woman’s voice fell, the room fell into silence. Lyra looked at the silver-haired beauty before her, her lips trembling slightly.
"Then... What about you?"
"Hmm? What about ?"
Astrid seed not to understand what Lyra ant, her eyes showing a hint of confusion.
However, those crimson eyes were always clear, and now, with a deliberately feigned confusion, it felt sowhat out of place.
"You..."
Lyra curled her fingers, as if mustering all her strength to ask.
"...Did you miss ?"
Hearing this, Astrid didn’t say much but instead answered Lyra with her actions.
She reached out and gently wrapped her arms around the pink-haired girl’s waist, pulling her into a full embrace.
Her smooth hair and the fabric of her clothes pressed against Lyra’s skin, bringing a particularly comfortable touch.
Astrid’s lips curled into a soft smile as she spoke.
"Welco back to the Capital, Lyra."
Feeling the woman’s soft body pressed against hers, her smooth cheek against her neck, Lyra’s expression stiffened slightly, and her legs stood straight.
Noticing Lyra’s reaction, Astrid’s delicate nose let out a soft breath, her warm breath brushing against Lyra’s neck.
Along with the intimate gesture of their cheeks touching, it instantly turned Lyra into a blushing ss.
She had planned to take the initiative and hug Astrid... but now, upon eting, Astrid had taken the lead.
Her hands stiffly wrapped around Astrid’s waist, and through the thin nightgown, Lyra could clearly feel Astrid’s slim and soft figure. She gently bit her lip.
But this feeling of fullness that ca with a hug wasn’t bad at all... it didn’t really matter who initiated it...
She had indeed returned to Astrid’s side and was warmly embraced by her. That was more than enough.
Noticing the faint scent of soap on Lyra, likely from her recent bath, Astrid chuckled and softly spoke.
"Your hair slls so nice, Lyra, with a faint scent of soap."
"Did you... take a bath just to see ..."
Hit right on the mark, Lyra fell silent, not refuting, and simply enjoyed this hard-earned mont of warmth.
After holding her for a while, feeling that her little maid didn’t react as amusingly as she had expected, Astrid blinked, her long eyelashes brushing against Lyra’s skin, making her feel a bit ticklish.
The next mont, Astrid placed her hand on the soft flesh at Lyra’s waist. Thanks to the knight’s daily training, there wasn’t much excess fat there, making it feel particularly smooth to the touch.
"You didn’t gain any weight after the New Year."
As she spoke, Astrid’s fingers moved downward, reaching the hem of Lyra’s skirt and lightly touching the stocking’s edge.
Her fingertips traced the line where the stocking pressed into the skin, slowly drawing a semicircle.
Feeling the flesh slightly compressed by the stocking, Astrid’s voice carried a hint of amusent as she continued.
"Wait... maybe not entirely?"
Her fingers moved between the outer thigh and the stocking, pulling the fabric slightly, making it semi-transparent. As her fingers moved, the fabric returned to its original state, like a soft cream pudding.
This kind of action... might be a bit too much...
Just as Lyra was thinking this, a soft moan escaped her throat.
Astrid had withdrawn her hand, and the elastic of the stocking snapped back against her thigh with a soft sound.
"..."
"...I have only gained a little weight since I left."
This was indeed true. Since realizing her feelings for Astrid, Lyra had been controlling her calorie intake to ensure she didn’t gain too much weight.
Though she didn’t know if Astrid liked girls, it was always good to make herself look more pleasing.
"Is that so?"
After a mont of thought, deciding it might not be appropriate to continue, Astrid gave up on investigating whether Lyra had gained weight and withdrew her hand, which had been about to reach for her perky bottom.
"It doesn’t matter. You weren’t fat to begin with."
After giving her a big hug, Astrid let go of Lyra, and the sense of distance that had built up over the long separation vanished with that embrace.
"Astrid... how have you been recently?"
"Sa as usual, nothing much has changed."
Sitting at the desk and crossing her legs, Astrid looked at the docunts on the table and gently rubbed her temples.
If there were any changes, it would be that her brother, Lucas, had taken an interest in the potential of the Empire Weekly’s influence and wanted a share of it.
After much negotiation, she had used the excuse that the Velmont family controlled important raw materials like parchnt, and changing the contract terms might affect their cooperation, to reject Lucas’s attempt to gain a share of power.
As part of the eldest prince’s faction, Astrid enjoyed so political protection but was also subject to corresponding constraints.
These constraints would peak as she approached her final move, turning into a cage the mont she betrayed Lucas.
Now, it was ti for her to consider how to quietly leave Lucas’s faction without him noticing, continuing to use the eldest prince as a shield while subtly guiding so of Lucas’s supporting nobles from supporting a specific person to "supporting a ruler who would et their needs." This was the foundation for Amalia’s rise to power.
Though she wasn’t entirely sure how Astrid had been these past two months, her expression seed to suggest she was doing well.
Lyra looked at the woman’s smooth, delicate nape and softly spoke.
"I’ve already told my family."
"Miss Astrid will be visiting during the sumr vacation."
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