"Miss Lyra, here is your salary for this month, a total of ten gold coins. Please keep them in a safe place to avoid losing them."
As Elise handed her the small bag, Lyra felt her palm grow heavy.
The subtle, crisp sound of clinking tal filled the air, as if it had beco the most beautiful lody in the world.
"To prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings, Miss Lyra, it would be best to count the gold coins here."
Financial disputes are all too common, and Elise always adhered to the principle of conducting business ticulously, even when dealing with soone trusted by Princess Astrid.
Hearing this, Lyra nodded slightly, untied the string binding the bag, and carefully poured the gold coins one by one into her palm.
The gold coins glead brightly under the sunlight.
On the obverse, the honeysuckle symbolizing empire and wealth shone brilliantly, while the reverse bore a crown representing royal power, encircled by four branch-like swords.
The coins rested gently in the soft, porcelain-like palm of the girl.
Though these gold coins couldn't possibly weigh as much as a knight's sword, when Lyra held them in her hand, she felt a reassuring weight.
This was her own discretionary wealth, and it was the first ti in her life she had received such a substantial commission.
"Miss Elise, I've confird—it's ten gold coins," Lyra replied softly.
Only then did the sense of unreality in her heart begin to fade, replaced by a surge of excitent and joy.
Ten gold coins!
That was enough to rent several acres of arable land for a year, buy a dozen lambs, or purchase a large quantity of coarse barley that her father could never drink enough of.
At that mont, the crisp sound of footsteps reached her ears.
Turning around, Lyra saw a silver-haired girl with a striking beauty walking into the gazebo.
Her dark black skirt billowed slightly, bringing with it a faint, fragrant breeze.
The hem of her dress revealed a glimpse of her delicate, smooth thighs clad in black silk, and the satin heels adorned with tiny diamonds sparkled as they caught the light.
"I almost forgot that today is the day to pay Miss Lyra..."
Astrid's gaze fell on the gold coins in Lyra's hand, and the corners of her lips curved into a slight smile.
"How does it feel? Working for the Valeria royal family offers more than a little better treatnt than you imagined, doesn't it?"
In the early stages of the original story, Lyra, who had just arrived in the imperial capital, had refused all the possessions offered by Astrid.
To support herself and avoid worrying her family, she had taken up a job at a dessert shop, arranged by Astrid herself.
Lyra nodded earnestly, her face lifting slightly.
Her pink lips pursed, and her sapphire-like eyes narrowed into a soft, contented expression.
"Thank you, Your Highness Astrid!"
Before the words had fully left her lips, Lyra tilted her head slightly to the left.
Her long, pale pink hair swayed gently in the breeze, making her look like a soft, adorable kitten.
Astrid's bright red eyes reflected Lyra's snow-white, delicate face.
Unnoticed by even herself, a faint ripple stirred in the calm lake of her heart.
Kind by nature, stunning in appearance, sincere in her dealings with others, and possessing an impeccable temperant, such a person is naturally endowed with an innate charm.
It's no wonder that so many characters in the story, whether noble or villainous, are drawn to Lyra.
"Don't thank ; it's what you deserve," Astrid said in a calm tone, as though she had done nothing more than a trivial favor.
"Do your job well, and the rewards will never be lacking."
Ten gold coins might be a trivial sum to the noble princess of the Empire, but for soone like Lyra, who ca from humble beginnings, it was nothing short of a fortune falling from the heavens.
Such a small amount of money could bring so much joy to this heroine of destiny.
If Astrid were to give her a few more, would Lyra be moved to think that Astrid Calliste Valeria was the kindest and gentlest person in the world, second only to her parents?
It was a pity, though, that Lyra possessed the sa strong sense of self-respect as many other protagonists in novels.
She would never accept unconditional support without reason.
Otherwise, Astrid could have easily won her over with wealth and kindness, effectively "whitewashing" her own image in Lyra's eyes.
Astrid's thoughts wandered as she secretly sighed to herself.
The disparity between the living standards of the common folk and the nobility in the Valeria Empire was staggering.
The crumbs that accidentally fell from the nobles' dining tables could sustain a low-inco family for over half a year.
So people were simply born into privilege.
"Well, I'll work hard, Your Highness Astrid," Lyra replied, carefully storing her hard-earned coins back into the bag.
The gratitude in her eyes remained undiminished, and Astrid, seeing her so happy, felt a rare softness creep into her usually cold tone.
"Given that we've just been through a major conflict, and considering that the contract has been signed for a full month, I've decided to give you and Elise two days off starting tomorrow. No work during that ti."
Lucas had received orders from Emperor Hibbort to handle an external assignnt, and he had delegated the necessary arrangents to his subordinates before his departure.
The remaining tasks required his personal attention, so he wouldn't be leaving the imperial capital imdiately.
Elowen's potions would also take a day or two to prepare, giving Astrid so ti to relax, gather her thoughts, and prepare for the next phase of her plan, venturing deeper into the palace to make contact with a certain blonde girl who had been imprisoned for years: the fourth princess, Amalia.
"By the way, this is an order," Astrid added pointedly.
The last ti she had given her maids a day off, one had continued working, and the other had spent the day studying magic after a brief nap.
Anyone observing might have thought Astrid was exploiting them, forcing them to work overti under the guise of a holiday.
"Understood, Miss Astrid."
"Hmm..."
After receiving Elise and Lyra's acknowledgnts, Astrid settled into a stone chair, gesturing for the maids to prepare her a cup of black tea.
She then turned her attention to the sparring match between the two martial artists nearby.
Though Astrid was a mage, a high-damage, low-defense class, she didn't technically need to master lee combat skills.
However, it never hurt to observe and learn.
After all, before a mage could establish a safe distance from a knight, they often found themselves in close-quarters combat, where a single misstep could lead to disaster.
In such situations, a mage needed to react swiftly to avoid being struck down, or worse, killed, by a single blow.
Astrid, with her relatively limited ntal fortitude, was particularly vulnerable in these scenarios.
Even with Lyra and Elise by her side, they couldn't protect her every mont of every day.
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
By observing these battles, Astrid hoped to gain a better understanding of how to handle such situations should they arise.
The events of the previous night had served as a stark reminder: her own strength might be lacking, but she couldn't afford to fall too far behind.
...
After a full day of skill training and magic practice, Lyra felt that her strength had significantly improved compared to when she first arrived at the imperial capital.
This enhancent was not only evident in her combat skills but also in her ntal power.
Especially after the battle in the underground lair, Lyra could clearly sense that her fully recovered ntal strength had grown, and its total capacity had expanded by more than half.
After dinner, Lyra approached Elise to assess her current strength.
Elise instructed her to channel her ntal power into a full-strength attack, after which she would evaluate the results.
Lyra poured all her recent training into this assessnt.
She focused every strand of ntal power on key areas like her shoulders, wrists, and lower back, then unleashed it simultaneously with her movents.
Elise stood still, her slender, well-proportioned legs clad in white silk firmly planted.
She allowed the sharp knight's sword to strike her arm, her delicate fra unwavering.
With a crisp "clang," the blade t her arm, but instead of a bloody scene, the sword was deflected by an invisible force, leaving Lyra's hands numb from the impact.
The gap between a senior executive and a low-level knight was vast, encompassing two major and two minor levels.
As long as Elise willed it, her ntal power could envelop her entire body, making it impossible for Lyra to breach her defense.
Knowing this, Lyra had struck with all her strength, holding nothing back.
"From the force of the attack, Miss Lyra's strength has reached the peak of a low-level Knight," Elise remarked calmly, glancing at her unscathed arm.
Hearing this, Lyra lowered her sword, her expression slightly downcast.
Her pink lips pressed together, and a hint of disappointnt flickered in her eyes.
She had hoped that after such intense training, she would have progressed further.
Yet, she remained at the level of a low-level knight, still short of breaking through to the interdiate-tier.
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