A long time ago, on a certain day, Astrid had already discussed with Charlotte about researching magical devices capable of transmitting sound over long distances. Among many considerations, the former provided her with a rather novel idea.

Suppose that wind-elemental particles, easily disturbed by external factors and whose control precision gradually weakens with increasing distance, were ultimately proven unsuitable as carriers for long-distance sound transmission spells after prolonged experimentation, then perhaps the far more readily manipulable and ubiquitous arcane factors might prove more suitable.

Back then, Charlotte had not yet encountered the Magnus tier-level arcane spell [Mimetic Particles], nor had she discussed with Astrid the foundational theories of arcane factors. Thus, she treated that idea merely as one of several research paths, never investing the same amount of time and effort as she had with wind magic.

Now, having containing batches of magical theory instructions from Astrid, and after recently exploring ancient human ruins, during which Charlotte herself had once used a pure torrent of arcane factors to open a spatial rift, her understanding of these transparent particles had deepened significantly, and she firmly believed they harbored immense magical potential.

"Wind elemental particles are flexible and ever-changing, suitable for broad mental guidance, rather than being strictly controlled down to precise individual particles," Charlotte murmured softly.

Attempting such meticulous arrangement and positioning to achieve specific effects wasn’t just time-consuming and labor-intensive, it would also cause the vast majority of elemental particles to attempt to break free the instant mental energy stopped flowing, striving to quickly return to their original state, unlike ice or earth, which could retain their shape once formed.

"As for more fundamental arcane factors, since they haven’t coalesced into any specific element, they don’t exhibit the external properties of wind elements. In other words, they’re better suited as base particles for recording signals..."

Listening to her words, Astrid nodded slightly, her fingers gently intertwining with Charlotte’s bare, snow-white delicate hand, her voice gentle.

"That’s right. Lady Charlotte truly lives up to be a well-versed professor in elemental theory, immediately guessed my idea."

Previously, they had generally fallen into a misconception, attempting delicate operations using inherently unstable elemental particles. In doing so, they had overlooked the intrinsic agency of arcane factors themselves, resulting in taking the long way around, expending double the effort for half the result.

Seeing that Astrid seemed confident, Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke up.

"What is it...? Has Little Astr come up with a new idea?"

So proactively bringing up this topic, could it mean she’d made some breakthrough in research?

Hearing this, Astrid shook her head gently, speaking softly.

"Not exactly. I just have some thoughts I’d like to confirm with Lady Charlotte."

"Hmm? Where should I start?"

"I don’t possess an Arcanist mage-level mental capacity, nor do I have experience channeling mental energy to activate spatial arrays..." Astrid paused slightly, her icy crimson eyes fixed on Charlotte before her.

"Therefore, I’d like to borrow Lady Charlotte’s mental energy for research into magitech devices."

Amalia could technically assist too, her mental capacity had also reached the initial Arcanist mage tier, barely crossing the threshold for precisely manipulating arcane factors.

However, considering the Empress’s extensive casting experience, sufficient theoretical knowledge, and having to deal with vast amounts of state affairs daily, Astrid ultimately abandoned the idea of asking her for help.

For matters like this, a professional was better. With Lyra absent, mid-tier Arcanist mage Charlotte was the optimal choice.

"..."

Charlotte blinked several times, silently processing Astrid’s words.

In other words... Astrid had come to perform joint spellcasting with her...

Realizing this, the dark-haired beauty’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as memories surfaced, the first experiment back at Liya Tower, when they’d lain in bed embracing intimately, soul-to-soul contact with zero distance.

During joint spellcasting, both participants could share nearly every emotion with the other. That sensation of seeming to merge into one being was truly unforgettable for Charlotte.

Now... doing it again with Astrid...

Her heartbeat quickened slightly, blood flowing faster. Charlotte gazed at Astrid before her, her amber eyes shimmering like rippling water.

Truthfully, she didn’t always dislike performing joint spellcasting with Astrid, she even rather enjoyed that warm sense of companionship, as if the latter were beside her, never leaving.

It was just that this felt... overly intimate?

No, she was Astrid’s aunt. Why would she have such strange thoughts?

Could it be because Astrid had openly revealed her sexual orientation to her, causing her to become so hesitant and unlike the usual Charlotte?

Swallowing slightly, Charlotte spoke gently.

"I understand."

It wasn’t a big deal. They’d done this before, hadn’t they?

In fact, tracing it back, she and Astrid had performed joint spellcasting even before the Holy Knight Lyra.

Calming her heart with these thoughts, Charlotte continued.

"Still, before doing that, I’d like to hear from Astrid first, exactly how do you plan to operate, and what magical theory are you relying on?"

This wasn’t due to nervousness, but rather a necessary preparatory step.

Hearing this, Astrid’s lips curved into a gentle smile, her tone soft.

"Naturally... Let’s start with the [Mimetic Particles]..."

"In [Mimetic Particles], one step involves gathering arcane factors around elemental particles, mimicking their arrangement sequences and external manifestations."

Astrid’s idea wasn’t difficult to execute. It mainly reused the single array from that spell which fixed the arrangement of arcane factors, simultaneously using mental energy for shape planning, and finally relying on some transmission method to guide the completed signal pattern from one end to another.

"In other words, what it actually transmits is text, not sound," Charlotte asked gently.

Astrid nodded in confirmation, her pink lips parting slightly.

"Lady Charlotte once taught me, haste makes waste."

"Text that can be fixed in place via arranged arcane factors, expressed in specific shapes, is actually easier to transmit than sound."

If wind magic served as the foundation, transmitting sound might indeed be more convenient than conveying text. But changing perspective and choosing arcane magic as the research path, written text would naturally be more suitable for transmission.

"Mm..." Charlotte also understood Astrid’s meaning, lightly pressing the back of her hand against her smooth, pale chin.

"...One shouldn’t expect instant success in anything. Taking time to ponder isn’t a bad thing." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She’d walked too far down this path to not know that the more impatient one became, the less likely one was to succeed.

"Then let’s start with the first step, using mental energy to arrange arcane factors into individual characters."

As the feminine voice fell, Charlotte glanced at a chair in the room’s corner. A gentle breeze lifted it, placing it behind the silver-haired girl.

Noticing this, Astrid smoothed her skirt, elegantly closing her black-stockinged legs together as she sat facing Charlotte on the opposite side, her other hand still holding the other’s.

"Just a moment, Lady Charlotte," Astrid suddenly said.

Considering that joint spellcasting requires both participants to stay maximally synchronized, not only in soul, but ideally in physical contact as well, just like certain anime scenes where linked techniques always require touching limbs as supplementary gestures to successfully unleash the "magic of friendship."

Hearing Astrid’s words, Charlotte froze momentarily, then watched as the cool beauty before she removed the black silk gloves covering her snow-white hands. Her slender, flawless fingers slipped free from the half-hanging fabric, delicate like tender bamboo shoots after rain.

Freed from the silk’s constraint, feeling the cool air brush against her skin, Astrid interlaced her fingers with Charlotte’s, who was still slightly dazed. Astrid’s vivid red eyes reflect the woman’s face.

"Now it’s fine."

Seeing the slight upward curve of Astrid’s lips, Charlotte steadied her emotions, responding in an exceedingly gentle tone.

"Mm."

This point was indeed something Astrid had considered more thoroughly.

Noticing Charlotte and Astrid’s actions, the head maid wisely left the room, simultaneously dispersing all potential distractions around the Regent and the Imperial Marquess’s workspace.

Inside the research chamber, Charlotte, fingers still interlaced with Astrid’s, felt the smooth tactile sensation transmitted from the other’s skin. Her mental energy quietly spread outward, pushing to maintain an open, defenseless waiting state.

After several seconds, a cool, fragrant presence spread across Charlotte’s soul’s surface, drawing closer and closer, until finally making complete contact.

The wall clock ticked steadily. Somehow, both women had synchronously closed their eyes, choosing to perceive each other through their souls, something invisible to the naked eyes.

Faint rustling sounds echoed through the room, the sound of Astrid’s legs unconsciously straightening with the flow of mental energy, her alluring black-stockinged thighs rubbing against the translucent silk stockings covering her pale, tender skin, even the slender high heels tilting slightly, resting against the solid wooden floor.

This kind of physically intimate gesture, which might normally seem overly suggestive, naturally remained preserved at this moment when neither paid it any mind.

Minute by minute passed. Realizing she still couldn’t merge with Charlotte’s soul, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes slightly, continuing to try.

On the other side, Charlotte also sensed something missed, Astrid’s soul seemed to remain only at the surface, never delving deeper.

That warm sensation of seeming to become one, where consciousness briefly unified, had also failed to arrive as expected.

"..."

What was happening?

Although faintly puzzled, out of caution for spellcasting, Charlotte didn’t rashly end her defenseless state. Instead, she waited quietly as before, not even allowing her thoughts to drift excessively.

Another quarter hour passed. Astrid opened her eyes, softly sighing as she spoke gently.

"Lady Charlotte... something feels off...."

Hearing Astrid speak, and simultaneously feeling a faint breeze brush past her hair, Charlotte lifted her eyelids. Instinctively, she noticed something, between her own legs, a smooth, delicate piece of black jade had appeared.

Her eyes warming slightly, Charlotte immediately averted her gaze, her glistening eyes locking onto Astrid as she spoke softly.

"What’s wrong, Little Astr?"

She’d also vaguely sensed something was off, but as the relatively passive party, her experience wasn’t as direct as Astrid’s.

Astrid gazed quietly at Charlotte, remaining silent for a moment before speaking.

"I... seem unable to enter a state of mental sharing with Lady Charlotte..."

"I’ve tried repeatedly, but none have succeeded."

Once or twice might be coincidence, but failing three or four times meant they had to find another cause.

"Can’t enter the state?" Charlotte repeated softly, surprise flickering in her amber eyes.

Mental sharing was a crucial prerequisite for joint spellcasting. Without this step, casting a unified spell was simply impossible.

"The procedure should be correct, same as our previous experiments..."

As the feminine voice ended, seeing Astrid hesitated as if wanting to speak, Charlotte moistened her lips and spoke gently.

"So... is it because of me?"

Astrid fluttered her eyelashes, then spoke after two or three seconds.

"At the moment... quite possibly...."

The entire casting process had no oversights. As the active party, her mental energy was fully extended, yet no matter what she did, she couldn’t achieve soul resonance.

During that past experiment, she and Charlotte had achieved flawless, intimate coordination. Now, everything on her end was normal, so the change was most likely on Charlotte’s side.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Charlotte unusually bit her lip, and her hand, still interlaced with Astrid’s, tightened slightly.

The delicate Regent Princess naturally sensed this subtle change in pressure. Her refined ankle, resting beneath Charlotte’s pale knees, swayed slightly. The tapping of high heels echoed through the space, like drumbeats striking the latter’s heart.

The most important aspect of joint spellcasting is that both parties shared sufficient intimacy and near-total openness with each other. Similar life experiences were secondary.

Moreover, it had been less than half a year, what significant experience could outweigh decades of accumulated memories in changing a person?

Something they’d once accomplished easily, why couldn’t they do it now?

"..."

Could it be... deep down, she was still troubled by what Astrid had said...

The little girl she’d watched grow up, suddenly declared she liked girls.

Or perhaps... there were even deeper factors...

Those things she dared not think about, didn’t want to ponder too much.

Seeing Charlotte’s conflicted expression, Astrid paused briefly before speaking, interrupting.

"It’s hard to say for sure, after all, experimentation relies on controlled variables."

"Our current state really is different from that night."

"Isn’t it, Lady Charlotte?"

That night, they’d finished bathing, bodies fragrant, lying on the soft bed, embracing intimately, nearly every inch of skin not covered by their nightgowns touching the other.

Now, she and Charlotte were simply holding hands. Perhaps that was exactly why the spell had failed.

Perhaps a more intimate posture would yield results.