Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 548: Exploring Losterling

Losterling City was a typical northern trading city, located exactly at the heart of Duke Charles’ domain. Vegetables, berries, and seafood from the northeast traveled here via major transportation routes, adding a rare touch of color to the otherwise barren northern tables.

Likewise, furs, coarse wheat, and certain valuable minerals produced in the northwest were transported through merchants and guilds toward the imperial heartlands. Additionally, rare magical materials were also sourced here, ermine whiskers from the tundra, shells of ice-toothed turtles, whole specimens of frostgrass, and large quantities of Ironwood branches. This material had once been used to connect the hull and gasbags of the "Fearless," possessing greater flexibility than steel cables while matching their strength.

Thanks to its thriving commerce, Losterling City was more liberal and diverse compared to other imperial cities. There were fewer rules, and the streets were filled with hunters selling their games, merchants peddling wares, and occasional bards with harps playing songs and reciting tales at street corners.

Losterling City enforced no curfew, nor had it established any aerial restriction zones.

After accompanying Astrid into the carriage, Elise murmured something to the maid beside her, who immediately materialized her mental energy and dashed ahead at a speed far surpassing that of the carriage, heading straight for the mansion.

To please the visiting Imperial Regent, the lord of Losterling City had spared no effort, going beyond mere arrangements for domestic servants, he assured Astrid’s security was handled with utmost care.

There were only three attendants in the Lord’s possession who reached the rank of Early tier Master Knight. The sole female among them had been assigned to Astrid’s maid squad, just in case.

It was said that the newly ascended Empress doted deeply on this radiant silver-haired Regent. If anything were to happen to her within his jurisdiction, he would never be able to shoulder the blame when the Empress came calling.

Meanwhile, at the temporary mansion where the Regent was staying, Lyra fluttered her eyelashes upon receiving the maid’s message, ending her mental communication.

"Astrid... Her Highness invited me to join her on an evening stroll?

"Yes, my lady. That is exactly what Her Highness intended. The carriage should arrive at the mansion gate in about ten minutes."

"...Understood. I know."

Going out for a walk... with Astrid, through Losterling City...

Lyra watched silently as the maid shut the door properly behind her. She stood still for a moment, then walked to the washroom, splashed her face with water, tidied her attire, and headed to the entrance. Her two white-stockinged feet gently slipped into small leather shoes, and she hooked her fingers around the heels, smoothing the leather snugly over her socks.

Back when she was a personal maid, Lyra had accompanied Astrid through Imperial City. Later, as a student, she would occasionally walk the streets alone during breaks when Astrid had no free time.

Five years was enough time to become familiar with a city, but as for Losterling City, Lyra had never truly taken the time to see it.

Ever since arriving here, she seemed to have stayed cooped up in the mansion, walking no further than from bedroom to dining room and back.

Since Astrid had time tonight, why not go together?

Arriving at the mansion entrance, the sun had already set. Darkness, thick as ink, stained the sky, dotted with scattered stars.

Lyra waited quietly on the steps. Soon, a lavishly decorated carriage pulled up before her. The head maid, clad in loafers and white silk stockings, stepped down first, then extended her hand to assist Astrid. The sharp, bright tap of elegant high heels striking the stone pavement echoed clearly.

"Good evening, Lyra~" Astrid’s voice was gentle, her refined features glowing under the light.

Lyra replied softly, "Good evening, Your Highness."

Using casual names without honorifics in private didn’t matter, but in public, noble etiquette had to be observed. Just as Astrid would never address the blonde-haired girl wielding the imperial scepter as Amalia during imperial meetings, she always referred to her as Her Majesty the Empress.

Hearing Lyra’s soft reply, Astrid’s lips curled slightly upward. Her legs crossed delicately, and her bewitching red eyes fluttered gently.

"Lyra, you look quite refreshed this evening."

Strictly speaking, it was their first meeting today.

"Perhaps... it’s because I slept in..."

After releasing yesterday’s stress, Lyra had unusually slept in, taken a hot bath after sweating, and lying in bed, she felt every cell in her body relax, easing her previously tense mind.

Astrid’s smile deepened at her words, her jade-like legs shifted slightly as her crimson eyes blinked softly.

"It seems the maids in the mansion have taken good care of you."

She didn’t need to emphasize the word "care", simply stating the fact was enough to make Lyra blush.

Who else could have taken care of her yesterday, if not Astrid Calliste?

After a brief silence, Lyra whispered, her cheeks warm.

"The maid... is very good at serving..."

Undeniably, Astrid’s maid had done an excellent job, even without counting the intimate, private acts reserved solely for personal attendants.

And of course, if those were included, it would be a complete and utter victory over Lyra.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid nodded with quiet amusement. She glanced back at the deep night, her tone calm.

"I heard from the maid that Lyra hasn’t had dinner yet."

"Let’s go. Let’s take a stroll through the inner city."

............

Walking along unfamiliar streets with only the silver-haired Regent by her side, the head maid had disappeared at some point, now maintaining a vigilant watch at a discreet distance.

Watching the pale pink dress sway gently with each step, and the soft gleam reflecting off the black leather shoes, Lyra spoke softly.

"Astrid, don’t you have other work to attend to tonight?"

"Not for now."

"I see..."

Normally, even after returning to her room, Astrid would still have to deal with piles of documents left over from the day, barely having time to exchange a few words with her.

Lyra did want to help, but unfortunately, she had invested all her skill points in magic and combat techniques rather than politics. After a few failed attempts, she gave up, better to focus on magic and do what she could well, rather than make things worse.

Astrid... actually has free time...

Listening to the pleasant echo of high heels beside her, Lyra pressed her lips together.

"Isn’t this... forcing yourself too much?"

Putting off work and leaving it all for tomorrow often leads to a vicious cycle, work piled up, growing endlessly.

Astrid changes sideways at Lyra, her tone lifting slightly.

"Maybe. But accompanying Lyra through Losterling City is more important."

As expected, the moment those words left her lips, Astrid saw a flicker of surprise in those clear, bright blue eyes, followed by a faint uneasiness and concern.

"Then... maybe we could just walk a little, grab something to eat, and head back..." Lyra suggested.

More than accompanying her shopping, she truly wished Astrid could finish her work sooner and go to bed early.

After all, whether Astrid was strolling with her or working at her desk, they will still be together. Although the frequency of their conversations differed greatly, as long as they were under the same roof, Lyra was happy.

"I knew you’d say that."

Astrid gently placed her hand on Lyra’s shoulder, brushing aside a stray strand of pink hair. She glanced around, the natural, unforced aura of a high-ranking noble radiated from her, intimidating enough to keep onlookers from meeting her gaze. Taking advantage of the moment, she poked the soft cheek of the pink-haired girl with her fingertip.

"I rarely go back on decisions I’ve made. Lyra, don’t feel uneasy. Just enjoy yourself and rest well."

"Besides, there really isn’t anything particularly urgent I need to handle tonight. I also wanted an excuse to explore Losterling City with you."

The first half was sincere. The second was eight parts truth, two parts falsehood.

Not having urgent work didn’t mean the workload was light. Astrid’s personal desire to tour Losterling City was, in fact, less compelling than the temptation to finish work early.

She offered this exact explanation to let Lyra enjoy herself without carrying too much guilt.

Looking into Astrid’s eyes, the vivid red orbs bright and captivating, as if holding a pool of spring water, Lyra was deceived by Astrid’s convincing performance and believed the first half of her words.

The hand hanging beside her skirt stretched out, then curled back, wanting to touch something, but ultimately resting silently against her soft, silk-clad thigh, pressing gently against the hem of her dress.

Lyra continued walking with Astrid, arriving at the lively night market of Losterling City.

The imperial capital bore the honorific "City of Glory," yet its night markets operated only in the eastern district, the commoners’ quarter. In contrast, Losterling City, one of the northern commercial hubs, did not follow this rule. It was divided simply into inner and outer cities, the boundary drawn along the city’s river system rather than social class.

Treading on roads paved with gray stone bricks, the rhythmic tapping of heels and delicate feet echoed all around. The air gradually filled with the aroma of food, along with spices rarely encountered in border town night markets.

"Such a delicious smell..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Following the scent, Lyra spotted a vendor pushing a metallic, barrel-shaped food cart. The heating vent beneath was slightly blackened, likely from prolonged use and accumulated soot, faint red flames glowing inside.

With elemental crystal prices remaining high and mana-powered devices not yet widespread among the public, combined with the new Empress’ tax policy on crystals, farmers and merchants rarely use crystals for their operations.

Astrid noticed Lyra’s gaze and took several silver coins from her noble pouch, speaking softly.

"Two portions, wrapped."

The vendor froze for a moment upon seeing the long silver-white hair cascading to her waist and those distinctive crimson eyes, then quickly bowed his head and retrieved two sweet syrup cakes from the oven.

"Noble lady... one silver coin is enough. Let me give you the change..."

He placed the cakes into a roughly woven vine basket and handed it to Astrid. Then, carefully wiping his hands with coarse cloth nearby, he handed her four copper coins.

One sweet syrup cake costs three copper coins.

Thankfully, Astrid had earlier invited Elise to bring some change. Otherwise, if she had paid with a platinum coin, she might not have been able to buy anything tonight.

Looking at the vine basket in Lyra’s hands, Astrid was once again reminded, this was a medieval world without plastic bags or cheap synthetic materials. She accepted her cake, her thoughts drifting momentarily.

In her previous life, a handwoven vine basket like this would likely cost more than the syrup cake itself.

"How does it taste, Lyra?"

Seeing Lyra take a bite, her delicate lips smeared with a faint red berry jam, Astrid asked gently.

Lyra quickly chewed, ensuring her words would be clear before answering.

"The syrup cake has plenty of jam, and the fruit aroma is especially rich. It’s very delicious."

"Astrid, try it too."

If Lyra, who had eaten at the noble restaurant of Isabe’s Magic Academy, was praising it so highly, the taste must not be bad.

Astrid raised the vine basket, parted her lips, and took a bite.

The cake’s shell was crisp, still warm from the oven. The hot fruit jam surged into her mouth as her teeth gently bit through.

Indeed, as Lyra said, the jam flavor was intense, carrying a noticeable sweetness.

Chewing the cake with elegant grace, Astrid’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if detecting something familiar in the fruit’s scent. She then took out three copper coins and handed them to the vendor, whispering something softly.

Moments later, the two walked slowly away with their baskets, continuing deeper into the night market.

Half a minute later, the head maid Elise, who had been silently following Astrid, passed by the same syrup cake vendor along the same path.

"Noble lady," the vendor said, "the guest just now mentioned that a beautiful girl dressed as a maid, with black hair and black eyes, would pass by shortly."

"She asked me to give this to you. Enjoy it while it’s still warm."

Elise paused, then turned her head to see a berry cake placed inside a woven vine basket.

The young mistress’s intention?

Accepting the cake the vendor offered, Elise scanned it thoroughly with her mental energy. Finding no issues, and reminding Astrid’s words, "enjoy it while it’s warm", she immediately abandoned her initial thought of storing it in her bag.

Just like Lyra, she carefully took a small bite. The familiar berry flavor instantly spreads across her lips and tongue.

Just like the one she had tasted so long ago, back in her hometown.