Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 262: Talk About Reneth’s Situation

Staring into those deep, crimson pupils, Lyra held her breath, the muscles in her waist that had just relaxed tensed up again, allowing Astrid to run her fingers across her cheek.

"Does it still hurt?" Astrid asked.

After being treated with a water healing spell, the wound on Lyra’s cheek had stopped bleeding, and it looked no different from before, still delicate and beautiful.

Of course, this was assuming one ignored the bloodstains still lingering on her skin.

Feeling the warmth of Astrid’s fingers, Lyra swallowed, her ears slightly warm, and answered in a soft voice.

"...It doesn’t hurt anymore since the wound has healed."

Hearing this, Astrid gently touched Lyra’s face to confirm that she had been sufficiently healed.

Then, she took a silk handkerchief from her purse and softly chanted a common water magic spell. In just a couple of seconds, the handkerchief was soaked and became cool and damp.

"Don’t move," Astrid said.

Lyra obediently stood still, feeling Astrid’s hand moved down her cheek, gently cupping her chin, while the other hand used the damp cloth to wipe away the bloodstains.

The corridor wasn’t dimly lit, so Lyra could clearly see the pale, delicate hand peeking out from under the handkerchief, the side of the palm stained with a large patch of crimson, creating a stark contrast.

Had Princess Astrid been injured?

Lyra’s heart skipped a beat for a moment, but she quickly realized.

No... it must have gotten on her just now...

Recalling what happened on the duel stage, Astrid had held her hand up to show the audience the wound. The blood must have gotten on her then.

Even though Princess Astrid was someone with a slight cleanliness obsession, who would use wind magic to clean her skirt after sitting on a chair to avoid even a speck of dust, she now didn’t seem to mind her blood-stained hand at all, even taking the initiative to hold it.

Princess Astrid was really good to her... and really liked her...

Although it wasn’t the kind of liking she most desired, at least on the level of friendship, there was no doubt about it.

Watching Lyra lift her face, obediently letting her tend to the wound like a well-behaved puppy, Astrid’s lips curved into a smile, her heart lightly touched by something, her actions becoming even more gentle.

"There are magic cleaning devices and water crystals in the lounge. We’ll deal with the rest of the bloodstains there. Cleaning it now will just make a mess."

Lyra nodded upon hearing this, her gaze still fixed on Astrid’s palm. Seeing this, Astrid blinked her lashes a few times and whispered.

"What’s wrong?"

Hearing Astrid’s question, Lyra paused for a couple of seconds before answering hesitantly.

"...I’ve dirtied Princess Astrid’s hand."

"So? We’ll just wash it together later, won’t we?"

"..."

"But... won’t Princess Astrid be very disgusted..."

Hearing this, Astrid looked at Lyra a few more times, her eyes shimmering, and decided to continue along with her words.

"I would be disgusted."

As expected, upon hearing this, the light in Lyra’s eyes dimmed slightly, and she slightly bit her lip with her teeth.

However, it must be said that the usually obedient pink-haired puppy suddenly looking so pitiful only made her even more endearing.

The innocent destined heroine... really is adorable...

While silently thinking this, Astrid pretended not to understand and continue.

"Lyra, you were my personal maid for a year, so you should know I don’t like touching wet things."

"Even if it’s my own blood, I’d want to get rid of it quickly."

Undoubtedly, Astrid was told the truth, but to Lyra, it didn’t make her very happy.

"But why... just..."

Lyra opened her mouth, but seeing Astrid staring quietly into her eyes, she stopped mid-sentence, not voicing her thoughts.

Continuing to play dumb might have elicited an even cuter reaction, but considering Lyra had just recovered from a state of panic, Astrid decided not to tease her further. She brushed a strand of silver hair back and spoke with a gentle smile.

"Because if I hadn’t done that on stage, the effect of the speech wouldn’t have been as good."

"Compared to a slight cleanliness obsession, I’d rather see Lyra leave the stage unharmed and untainted."

The implied meaning was that the person whose hand Astrid had held was important enough for her to do so.

Understanding Astrid’s words, Lyra’s heart raced, but she restrained herself, sniffing slightly without showing it.

"Thank you..." Lyra said softly.

Astrid shook her head, "No need to thank me."

In a way, Lyra’s current predicament of being maliciously framed was somewhat related to her, so it was only right for Astrid to come and protect her.

Moreover, seeing the pink-haired girl injured in the audience seats had indeed made Astrid feel uncomfortable, which added a bit of anger to her later confrontation with Vorelter.

The two continued walking forward. Lyra tilted her head slightly, shaking it gently to hide her slightly flushed cheeks in her pink hair.

She knew Princess Astrid had been teasing her again, but there was one thing Astrid probably hadn’t expected.

That was, she knew actually Astrid had done it because she liked her, so when she heard the answer, she was only subconsciously unhappy for a few seconds and didn’t take it to heart.

She was just being selfish, wanting to hear Princess Astrid say she had done it for her, to satisfy her heart’s desire for care and affection.

Feeling like she had unknowingly... become a bad girl...

Arriving at the lounge, Astrid and Lyra cleaned off the bloodstains on their bodies.

Due to the significant amount of blood, the latter’s sleeve cuffs were also stained, now a dark red after drying.

However, it wasn’t convenient to clean them now, so they would have to wait until they returned to the dormitory to change.

Sitting side by side on the metal chairs in the lounge, Astrid noticed Lyra’s empty hands and spoke softly.

"Lyra, I’ve already asked Elise to collect the scattered fragments of the sword from the duel stage. If you want to continue using that knight’s sword, you can have it reforged by a blacksmith later."

It was quite a coincidence that in the original story, Lyra’s village sword had also broken during a duel. Although the process was different, the result was quite consistent.

Although it wouldn’t be long before the destined heroine obtained her destined weapon, the Holy Immaculate Sword of Light, making it unlikely she would use this ordinary metal sword again, it was still the first sword she had ever received, holding deep sentimental value.

Hearing this, Lyra’s eyes lit up slightly, and she answered softly.

"Mm, besides Princess Astrid, I’ll also personally thank Miss Elise."

That knight’s sword was specially forged for her by the kind blacksmith when she left home, so its breakage naturally pained her greatly.

Lyra had thought she would have to silently endure this pain alone, but in just half an hour, she had experienced so much, and Astrid had still been so perceptive of her emotional changes and taken appropriate measures.

Princess Astrid was really considerate...

Even though she owed her nothing, she was still so good to her.

Completely unaware that Astrid had acted based on the original story, knowing she would cry over losing the sword in her bed, Lyra, feeling constantly cared for by her beloved, felt her mood brighten. She pressed her legs together under the seat and spoke with a slightly uplifted tone.

"Astrid..."

Seeing that the lounge was empty except for them, Lyra didn’t add the "Princess" suffix, instead using her more intimate given name.

"How did you discover Miss Reneth’s problem?"

Astrid then briefly recounted the process, from noting something was off, to using pre-arranged personnel to search for evidence, to the subsequent potion testing, each step connecting to the next.

"By the way, congratulations, Lyra." Astrid bent down, lifting her foot from her high heels to adjust the wrinkles in her black stockings at the ankle, her voice slightly lower.

"It’s really impressive to defeat a mage close to the level of an early Sorcerer as a peak apprentice."

Strictly speaking, Reneth, who had consumed the spirit cleansing potion, couldn’t be defined as a Sorcerer, but it still didn’t diminish the fact that Lyra’s victory over her was something to be proud of.

Praised so directly by Astrid, Lyra felt a bit embarrassed, her heels under the seat lightly tapping together, making a faint sound.

"There was also a bit of luck involved..."

At the final moment, she had been immobilized by Reneth’s earth element, facing that scorching fire spear. It seemed like everything was about to end, but almost instinctively, Lyra had made a decision she normally wouldn’t have.

Using light magic to purify the mud on her legs, thus gaining the opportunity to evade the attack.

From the subsequent results, this move was indeed correct, but from Lyra’s perspective, it still feels somewhat strange.

Her affinity with light elements was so low, yet using related magic felt particularly easy, and she had felt this way more than once or twice.

Another strange thing was that in the moment of crisis, her first thought wasn’t of other elements with similar purification effects, but specifically of the light magic purification spell she rarely used.

It was as if this combat instinct was ingrained in her bones, knowing that doing so would yield the optimal solution.

"Luck?" Astrid repeated, her black-stockinged legs elegantly crossing, the sequins on her high heels sparkling in the light.

Lyra nodded slightly, voicing her inner confusion.

"Logically, my light element affinity is poor, so I shouldn’t have been able to break free in time..."

"...But I still did it."

It was strange. Could the affinity testing crystal ball at the academy also be wrong?

Hearing this, Astrid’s expression remained unchanged as she slowly spoke.

"As I’ve said before, Lyra, you should try using light magic more."

"Don’t rely too much on the results of elemental affinity tests. They’re just references after all. If you feel comfortable using a certain spell, then use it. Let the actual feedback guide you."

Although she said this, Astrid’s actual thoughts were quite different from this advice.

As the author’s chosen Holy Knight, Lyra’s high light element affinity would be a waste if she didn’t delve deeper into it.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra nodded in agreement.

She will try it again another day. Using light magic feels comfortable, and it might become her mainstream magic in the future.

After sitting in the lounge for a while, feeling that her injuries would heal enough to recover on their own in about ten minutes, Lyra suddenly thought of another person, her sky-blue eyes showing a hint of conflict.

"Astrid..."

"Hmm?"

"How is Miss Reneth doing?"

Hearing this, Astrid slightly raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised that Lyra mentioned her.

Her thoughts shifted from how to deal with Lucas back to the noble lady who had collapsed on the stage, and she spoke gently.

"The mental cleansing potion severely damaged her mental power. It’s likely that Reneth will at most become a Sorcerer in the future, with little chance of further advancement."

Before taking the potion, Reneth was a peak apprentice, and becoming a Sorcerer was only a matter of time.

Unfortunately, after this ordeal, her mental power was greatly impaired. Once a mage’s core was damaged, their development potential was essentially capped.

It could be said that Reneth had permanently left the stage of strong performers due to consuming that potion.

"The academy’s class placement exams are highly competitive. Getting into Class B was already quite an achievement, but with Reneth’s current level, even if she doesn’t drop out, she might be demoted to a lower class."

Hearing this, Lyra lowered her eyes, seeming deep in thought. After half a minute, she spoke softly.

"Once that potion is consumed, is there absolutely no turning back?"

Sensing what Lyra might be feeling, Astrid paused for a moment before speaking in a neutral tone.

"That’s not necessarily the case."

"After consuming the mental cleansing potion, there’s a period before it takes effect. During this time, drinking another mental calming potion can partially neutralize its effects. Combined with other medicinal ingredients that can slowly draw out mental power, achieving a gradual release like flowing water, the effects of the first potion can be greatly reduced or even nullified, avoiding severe side effects."

"Even during the duel, if Reneth hadn’t used up her mental power so quickly and had called for medical assistance earlier, the consequences wouldn’t have been so dire. At most, she would have regressed to the level of a middle stage apprentice, accumulating mental power again. Her potential would have been weakened but not by much."

Hearing this, Lyra pursed her lips, her hands resting under her thighs, the soft and smooth flesh gently pressing through the fabric.

Reneth had many opportunities to save herself, but she had given them all up.

It was unclear whether she was unaware of the consequences or simply thought defeating her was more valuable than her own future.

The more she thought about it, the more unsettled Lyra felt. She lowered her head, her voice complex.

"Astrid."

"...That night, should I not have been so emotional?"