Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 549: Indeed, being with Astrid was the best.

Due to limitations in technology and materials, the hand-woven coarse pouches were different from the plastic bags Astrid remembered from her past life; they couldn’t fully encase the sweet cakes batter without gaps.

Thus, eating requires careful attention: one had to avoid letting crumbs fall through the holes and dirty their sleeves, and also try not to touch the openwork sections with fingers, which might leave a thin layer of grease on the fingertips.

Lyra strolled through the bustling streets and alleys of Losterling’s inner city. Her pale pink skirt fluttered in the breeze, harmonizing with her soft, waist-length rose-pink hair. Her smooth, stockinged legs stepped gracefully forward and back, while her playful black little leather shoes snugly wrapped around her slender feet, gleaming brightly under the light as she walked.

"I never really noticed before, but the infrastructure in Losterling City is actually quite impressive," Lyra murmured softly.

In her sight, rows of magical streetlamps embedded with light-element magic crystals stood neatly on both sides of the streets. Bright radiation poured down from their tops, casting the shadows of buildings deep into the night.

Compared to the imperial capital, the rate of magical devices here was no lower, in fact, it might even surpass it. There was no distinction between east and west districts, the overall architectural style was relatively uniform, and the density of magical installations showed no obvious disparity, no so-called "slums" existed.

"The lord of Losterling City is a noble who readily embraces new things. Even during the time when Fanya, the pioneer of magical devices, and my mother, was active, he had already introduced various magical devices into his own residence, becoming one of the first nobles in the Empire to enjoy their convenience."

Astrid chewed her berry pie with elegant grace, her voice calm and cool.

"Later, he applied some of the simpler magical devices to the city itself, mobilizing artisans to carry out urban planning reforms. These measures not only made Losterling City cleaner and more sanitary, but also indirectly boosted commercial trade."

"If you see these actions as investments, the city lord has surely reaped substantial rewards by now."

Favorable geographical location, wide transportation roads, convenient nighttime lighting, these factors combined allow Losterling City to stand out among the northern cities.

Upon hearing this, Lyra fluttered her eyelashes gently, recalling the truth Astrid had revealed that night they had disembarked from the airship.

Losterling City lay behind the second defensive line, not too far from that loose network of scattered towns forming a defensive perimeter.

In other words, if the second defensive line were to be breached by the Kingdom of Velys, this very commercial city beneath their feet would be the first to be trampled by cavalry.

"..."

The clicking sound of her shoe heels against the pavement grew more pronounced, the shadows cast by buildings and trees deepening ever further. Lyra pressed her lips together, then spoke after a moment.

"Astrid... are you thirsty?"

Eating without drinking, especially with such a sweet berry pie, made Lyra feel slightly suffocated.

Astrid didn’t deny it, replying softly.

"A little, perhaps."

Although both she and Lyra were ordinary humans with an innate craving for sugar, they weren’t like the tyrant-empress Amalia, whose tastes leaned heavily toward sweets.

Just one piece of pie had completely overwhelmed their mouths with sweetness. Without rinsing with a drink, everything else they ate would probably taste the same.

Upon hearing Astrid’s answer, Lyra nodded, quickly stepping over to a nearby vendor. She touched at the prices written on the wooden board and reached into her shirt pocket, pulling out a few copper coins, though in truth, the girl merely placed her hand lightly against her soft chest; the copper coins were actually stored within the blade-shaped light mark on the surface of her fingernail, not in her shirt pocket.

"Two glasses of lemon juice, please."

"Okay, Miss!"

After receiving the cups from the vendor, Lyra quickly returned to Astrid’s side and handed her one.

Unlike the lemon juice served in the cafeteria at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, this version had a faint green tint. It wasn’t served in transparent glass bottles, but rather in cup-like containers made from a plant material called "Mint Dewgrass."

Because the plant naturally grew in a shape similar to a cup, it became a convenient vessel for holding juice. Combined with its inherent minty fragrance, it gives the drink a unique flavor.

Still, switching from drinking out of glass bottles or fine porcelain to using the most primitive plant materials gave Astrid a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she’d traveled from medieval times to some street in a certain country.

But at least judging from the vendor’s actions just now, cleanliness and hygiene seemed somewhat assured.

"Thanks for treating me, Lyra," Astrid said after taking a sip, speaking softly.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra quickly shook her head, her light pink hair swaying, revealing her small, delicate ears.

"It’s just a tiny expense, nothing at all..."

After all, she was an imperial baroness, and had been receiving several months’ worth of border garrison pay. Treating someone she liked to a drink was effortless. Besides, Astrid wasn’t the type to drain her completely dry.

"I’ll cover everything tonight," Lyra declared.

Earlier, when buying the berry pie, she’d hesitated about whether to hold hands first, and Astrid had beaten her to it. From now on, she’d leave it all to Astrid.

Seeing Lyra acting like a wealthy woman who’d returned home in glory, immediately treating her family to fine food and drink, Astrid curled her lips into a light smile and accepted the proposal.

"Since Lyra said so, I’ll go all out then~"

"Mm, as long as Astrid likes it."

Whether driven by affection or by gratitude for Astrid’s help over the years, Lyra will never be stingy with money.

After all, she was practically Astrid’s princess already. What did a little money matter?

After finishing the berry pie and using water magic to lightly clean her fingertips, Lyra held her disposable cup in one hand, her gaze fixed on Astrid’s night-sky-colored skirt fluttering in the wind. One pale, delicate hand rested beside her thigh, her fair skin glowing softly under the moonlight.

After a long pause, Lyra spoke cautiously.

"Astrid?"

"I’m here."

"Would you... like to hold hands...?"

Since they were outside, in a place where many people could see them, Lyra wasn’t sure whether she could hold Astrid’s hand.

After all, the silver-haired, red-eyed appearance was unique throughout the entire Empire. Even commoners who had never seen Regent Astrid Calliste would find it hard not to associate such a beauty, peerless in appearance, with an aloof and noble aura, with the legendary Regent Princess.

If any rumors start, she’d only end up troubling Astrid again.

Facing Lyra’s whisper-soft voice and expression like a pink puppy nuzzling its head against its master, Astrid slightly narrowed her beautiful eyes. Her left hand lifted and approached Lyra’s elbow, which was covered by a white silk sleeve.

"Huh?!"

Lyra, who had been blankly staring at her shoe tips while waiting for Astrid’s reply, froze for a moment, then felt the other’s hand glide slowly down her arm, over her wrist, smoothing the lace-edged cuff before gently taking her hand.

Their cool, warm palms pressed tightly together, five slender, nimble fingers firmly interlaced. Astrid answered her question not with words, but with actions.

It was just holding hands, no need to be so cautious.

It wasn’t as if they were passionately kissing on the street in front of everyone.

Feeling the warmth, Lyra wiggled her fingers slightly, her pale fingertips resting on the back of Astrid’s hand. The skin of the woman was thin, and to her, it felt like gently tapping on water.

Couples who hold hands even while shopping must walk far together, right?

Her mood gradually brightened, and even the cold night air no longer felt piercing. Lyra quietly activated her mental energy to wrap around Astrid, striving to shield her from the biting wind.

On the brightly lit street, two beautiful women of different styles and fashions, yet equally stunning, walked side by side like a breathtaking sight. Even the merchants selling goods occasionally pause their work to glance their way.

Fortunately, there were no arrogant nobles from novels losing their senses and approaching to flirt in hopes of winning a smile from the beauties, nor any thugs creating drama so a hero could save the damsel. The natural elegance, noble aura, and powerful, distant presence radiating from Astrid were enough to keep everyone at bay.

Offending such a clearly influential high-ranking noble, one might not even know how they died the next day.

Precisely because of this, Astrid and Lyra’s outing encountered no disruptions. They strolled around like an ordinary young couple, occasionally buying snacks and sharing bites, here a mouthful, there a mouthful, or browsing through book stalls, searching for anything interesting.

After nearly an hour and a half, they were mostly full from the night market snacks. Lyra held Astrid’s hand and whispered,

"Hey... it feels like Astrid’s been leading me around book stalls the whole time..."

Still, Lyra didn’t mind this process of rummaging through old books, the damaged books might not be collected by nobles, but the stories recorded within were interesting enough to be worth reading. Besides, the reason Lyra had first encountered magic was thanks to a fragmented scroll she’d bought from a book stall. She held a special fondness for it, a sort of "thank goodness I had the habit of digging through books."

If she hadn’t gone to the book stall in the neighboring town that day, if she hadn’t happened to find that fragment of a magic book, she might still be doing odd jobs in a small town, never having met the noble imperial princess Astrid far away in the capital.

"Because I wanted to see if there might be any unexpected treasures at the book stalls here in Losterling," Astrid replied.

To see if she could dig up any lost ancient spells or special materials not recorded by official sources.

Of course, her main thought was that Lyra, as a heroine blessed with extraordinary fortune, should easily encounter some rare luck and acquire valuable items.

Just like in most online novels, where the protagonist grilling meat might attract an ancient dragon, raise a dog that would one day become a heaven-devouring demon hound, meet a ragged old man who turned out to be a legendary mage, or buying a fragmentary scroll that would later become the key to a secret realm.

But unfortunately, they hadn’t found anything tonight. Astrid hadn’t discovered a single ancient spell, and the books Lyra bought were merely ordinary knight novels and travel tales.

"I see..."

Satisfied with her curiosity, Lyra nodded, then spoke up.

"Then let’s keep browsing."

She roughly understood what Astrid was looking for. Finding a useful magic spell among a pile of messy old books was just like finding a beloved novel, it gave a sense of achievement not unlike treasure hunting.

They wandered around for another hour. The pedestrians on the streets gradually thinned. Located in the northern frontier, and in the deep autumn when days were short and nights long, the night market operated from six to nine-thirty. Beyond that, the sudden onset of cold winds made strolling no longer pleasant.

Finally, after digging through a stone stall and buying a palm-sized raw gemstone, Astrid and Lyra sat on a bench across from a magical fountain. Seeing no one around, the pink-haired girl with neatly closed white-stockinged legs used light elements to form a small dagger, gently cutting along the edge of the raw stone.

Then, bit by bit, the inside of the stone was exposed, completely hollow, not even a speck of blue gem dust inside.

This nearly shattered Astrid’s conclusion that Lyra was someone favored by fate.

Maybe... her luck didn’t lie in such minor matters?

Rubbing the pink-haired girl’s head gently, comforting her that it was just occasional bad luck, effectively addressing the gambler’s mentality that had been crushed before it could even grow.

"Besides this small little disappointment at the end, did you have fun tonight, Lyra?"

They browsed books, ate many night market snacks, bought specialty spices grown only in Losterling, watched a tavern farce through yellowed windows, and listened to a bard’s tale of the hero fighting an evil maid.

Different people lived different lives, hiding different stories. And tonight, walking these streets filled with light and warmth, their lives briefly intersected before quickly diverging onto entirely different paths.

Hearing the question, Lyra softly hummed in affirmation, setting down the stone fragment in her hand. Her white-stockinged legs gently swayed, the tips of her black leather shoes touched the ground, causing the bright white steps to faintly glow. The delicate wrinkles forming around her ankles in the thin stockings seemed to tell everyone that this was no ice-cold cream popsicle just taken from the freezer, but a maiden’s tender, soft, slender feet wrapped in silk.

Receiving Lyra’s reply, Astrid’s crimson eyes shimmered with gentle light, her voice warm.

"That’s good."

"You should come out and stroll occasionally. Staying cooped up at home alone, your mood will inevitably sink."

Although Lyra’s low spirits weren’t entirely due to this, it was certainly better than her sitting alone in a corner, trying to process everything by herself, compared to being patiently guided by the person she loved.

Lyra fluttered her eyelashes again, her other hand, unheld by Astrid, lightly rubbed the fabric of her skirt.

"Hmm, I know."

"I did think about walking around the city before, but for some reason, I ended up giving up later."

Walking alone through an unfamiliar city... perhaps she would’ve been interested in the past, but now, she doesn’t have much enthusiasm...

The only reason she’d come out today was because Astrid had invited her.

But... the overall experience had been wonderful...

Indeed, being with Astrid was the best.