"Little Astr means... Do we need to move closer?"

Charlotte wasn’t performing joint casting for the first time either, so she naturally understood exactly which variable Astrid’s words were referring to when mentioning controlled variables.

Compared to their past intimacy, merely holding hands with fingers intertwined now was indeed enough.

Hearing this, Astrid softly hummed in affirmation. Her fair, delicate face tilted slightly under the warm lighting as she raised her hand to tuck silver hair behind her ear, revealing crimson eyes.

"At this point, this seems to be our only option."

"Unless, Lady Charlotte, you have another brilliant idea?"

Hearing the cool feminine voice enter her ears, Charlotte slightly pursed her pink lips, remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"Then... let’s follow Little Astr’s idea..."

The people remain the same two individuals, only the physical movements during joint casting differed slightly. Logically, this layer of difference must be the cause.

Both emotionally and rationally, she had no reason to refuse.

Receiving Charlotte’s response, Astrid slightly nodded, then gently drew back her smooth, silky black-stockinged legs from between the former’s knees. The subtle sound of fabric friction amplified in the space, clearly audible to both Charlotte and Astrid.

Watching Astrid’s physical movements while simultaneously sensing the absence of softness against her inner ankle, Charlotte quietly closed her two silk-clad beautiful legs, placing her hands on her thighs. Her slender, fair fingers curled then stretched.

Although she had agreed to Astrid and wanted to be more intimate for the sake of magic-energy machinery research, Charlotte didn’t know exactly how to proceed.

Should they... embrace each other like that night...

Her cherry lips slightly pressed together. The silver-white high heels with side cutouts scraped against floor tiles, producing sharp sounds. The raven-haired beauty softly spoke, feeling she should appear more natural.

"What’s... the first step..."

She felt inexplicably nervous. Movements that used to come naturally when lying on a soft bed now seem completely forgotten to Charlotte. Her hands rested on the smooth, delicate transparent stockings, legs tightly closed with only a tiny gap remaining.

Sensing Charlotte’s tension, Astrid narrowed her eyes, gaining vague suspicions about their previous failed attempt at joint casting just by holding hands.

Could it be that her aunt knew about her sexual orientation, so subconsciously, on the deepest level of her soul, she instinctively showed some resistance, some subtle barrier preventing complete openness?

Uncertain, but highly possible.

Even if this were true, Astrid wouldn’t feel any so-called disappointment towards Charlotte. Simply putting herself in the other’s shoes, when Amalia confessed so directly to her back then, it still took her considerable time to barely complete the transition from imperial elder sister to lover. If Charlotte showed no reaction at all upon hearing this news, that would be truly strange.

She just didn’t know whether this unnaturalness would affect their research. If it truly couldn’t be resolved, their development speed might be severely compromised.

"Lady Charlotte, don’t move, just relax your body," Astrid whispered softly, her crimson eyes reflecting Charlotte’s face.

"As for everything else... leave it to me."

Joint casting, while having high thresholds and difficulty, didn’t require mechanical pilots to achieve 100% synchronization like in some sci-fi movie from her previous life.

Close enough would suffice.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Charlotte slightly leaned forward, even instinctively lifting the arch of her foot inside the silver high heels, creating space between her smooth silk-covered foot and the light brown shoe sole.

Why was she so nervous?

Even Astrid noticed something was off. How could Charlotte not feel it herself?

Could it be because... her past embraces with Astrid were unconscious actions, after bathing, wearing nightgowns, lying under covers while chatting and thinking...

Now they were specifically mentioning it, thanks to properly embracing magic-energy machinery development, both wearing relatively formal noble dresses, naturally creating some awkwardness in her heart.

Charlotte watched the silver-haired beauty stand up before her, hands reaching behind to adjust her skirt, then approach.

The flawless, delicate face appears even more beautiful under the light, skin exposed outside the black dress delicate enough to seem like it would bleed if pinched.

The crisp sound of high heels echoed through the room. The deep blue brooch trembled slightly, enlarging in Charlotte’s vision. The elaborate pure black skirt flaps and bright silver long hair complemented each other, jointly highlighting the elegance and nobility of the Empire’s Regent.

Astrid paused briefly, seriously recalling the posture Amalia often took when sitting in her lap.

If it were Amalia, the blonde-haired, white-dressed Empress would first kick off her little shoes, straddle Astrid’s waist with knees apart, then place her two creamy-white-stockinged little feet on the latter’s thighs. The smooth insteps and small toes will press against the soft leg flesh, occasionally spreading open the reinforced toe of the white silk stockings like feather dusters, playfully teasing the other.

"..."

A typical child’s gesture when asking an older sister for a hug. In their case, she and Charlotte probably shouldn’t be that clingy.

Placing one hand on Charlotte’s shoulder and keenly sensing the person before her trembling slightly, Astrid realized there was no way to press the dress underneath like this, so she simply abandoned this step, merely leaning into her body slightly closer.

Her plump knees, wrapped in fine black silk that faintly revealed flesh tones, actively spread apart as she sat on her aunt’s thighs. The elaborately decorated lotus-leaf-shaped skirt naturally drooped, covering the enticing dark chocolate while simultaneously draping a curtain over the two smooth, pure white silk-clad beautiful legs.

Feeling weight above her legs, Charlotte tensed her back, her clear tea-colored eyes shimmering like rippling water.

Astrid had an average build, her height among young nobles being moderate. However, since she usually wore high heels, she appeared especially tall.

Now sitting on her lap, not heavy nor light, perfectly just right.

"..."

Just thinking that her legs might be separated from Astrid only by black silk and a thin layer of fabric, Charlotte’s earlobes faintly reddened as she took a slight deep breath.

The result was obvious, she could only smell Astrid’s pleasant rose fragrance, her body heat not diminishing but rather intensifying.

On the other side, Astrid also felt a slight unnaturalness. Having experienced all-night deep conversations with Lyra and Amalia, someone who had "tasted marrow and known its flavor," she was no longer the person who could easily suppress all impulses as she once was.

However, this situation might also be caused by the unique advantages of mature women. If it were some flat-chested Empress, when not thinking in those directions, Astrid would only feel affection and concern.

Unlike now, even without thinking, the prominently present areas constantly remind her to pay attention and feel.

Quickly suppressing inappropriate emotions, Astrid embraces Charlotte, her lotus-like arms circling the waist, gently holding.

"Lady Charlotte, please try to embrace me too."

They will soon joint casting, with the main battlefield performing in the mental realm. If they didn’t fix their bodies in place, losing focus momentarily and falling over would be problematic.

Not to mention, both their legs wore smooth silk stockings, creating a small friction coefficient at contact points, requiring extra caution.

Hearing this, Charlotte nodded, her gaze instinctively softened from Astrid’s face down past her fair swan neck, pausing slightly on both sides, the pure black dress sleeves left gaps at the shoulders, exposing the Empire’s gem-like soft, tender shoulders to the air, resembling freshly peeled eggs.

After only a brief pause, Charlotte realized something was wrong. The woman slightly bit her lip, her fair arms encircling the slender waist.

Astrid leaned forward, her side face resting against Charlotte’s neck, transferring her entire center of gravity to her aunt for support.

Although this method still couldn’t compare to even the simplest mortise and tenon structure, at least accidents were unlikely.

"Is it... okay now... Astrid..." Feeling as if even body temperature was being shared, Charlotte whispered softly.

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Astrid gently inhaled the fragrance from the other’s hair, her pink lips near the earlobe, opening and closing.

"Mm... like this..."

Simple words, yet due to being spoken near the ear, seem to gain extra lazy, hazy allure.

Charlotte ceased speaking, merely listening to Astrid’s heels tapping the floor tiles with rhythmic clicking sounds, consciously relaxing her emotions to let mental power become the sole master.

This time, Astrid clearly felt much smoother progress.

In the mental realm invisible to the naked eye, she submerged her consciousness, experiencing warmth like tides filling the surroundings. Faint fragrance lingered, as if her entire being had lain in an ocean of flowers.

Distinct from Lyra’s ever-radiant "little sun" type, and clearly different from Amalia’s soul stream always carrying slight coolness, Charlotte’s soul’s base color was soft woody fragrance, possessing obviousness, accompanied by noble, dignified, mysterious scholar-noble qualities.

"..."

Why was she getting dazed too? Was this really the time to perceive these things? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The brief connection period ended. Astrid, utilising the powerful mental force provided by Charlotte, began arcane factor traction and shaping.

Thankfully, the head maid had previously dismissed all bystanders. Otherwise, if others saw the Empire’s Regent and the respected pioneer of magic-energy machinery not discuss official matters but simply embrace face-to-face like this, it would be somewhat inappropriate.

In elemental vision, semi-transparent arcane factors gathered through individual binding arrays under Astrid’s silently recited Divine Language, forming gradually fixed-shaped characters.

As long as they continued fixing, they could soon obtain what they wanted... Hmm?

Suddenly feeling unstable at the soul connection point, coupled with abnormal difficulty in micro-controlling Charlotte’s mental force, Astrid was taken aback.

How could it... suddenly fail...

Astrid calmed her mind, lowered her soul’s peripheral defenses, approaching Charlotte with purest contact, attempting to perceive even the slightest emotional fluctuations.

Then re-tracing, capturing intangible arcane factors.

An indescribable sense of stagnation crept into her mind, preventing Astrid’s "pen" from smoothly writing ink on the "paper" that was Charlotte. Frequent pauses made her mental force unable to connect continuously, like puddles scattered across uneven ground.

If they continue in this state, not only will character inscription be impossible, but maintaining joint casting itself will quickly fail, forcing them to disconnect soon.

On the other side, Charlotte also noticed this situation. Successfully connected to Astrid’s soul, she made the same choice, maximizing soul contact while minimizing mental defenses.

In the quiet laboratory, soul contacts occurred silently. Waves of magic and mental force emitted fluctuations like a tug-of-war, rippling through emptiness, keeping the two women in embrace from relaxing even for a moment.

After brief attempts, Astrid realized that relying solely on mental-level connection likely wouldn’t achieve their desired results. Her bright red eyes reopened, gazing at the nearby black hair.

Their souls remained connected, but the disconnection speed was fast, within a dozen seconds, only residual warmth would remain in their minds.

They had to try doing something. If souls wouldn’t cooperate, they could only deepen connection through external stimulation.

Her fingers touched the soft dress fabric hiding the mature woman’s willow-thin waist. Astrid didn’t linger excessively, merely feeling the warm, fragrant softness supporting her in the embrace, making her breathing slightly weakened.

If they were to act, they had to do it quickly. Missing this opportunity and allowing the soul link to break will make reconnection difficult.

For someone like Lady Charlotte, a straight woman... would this be going too far...

"..."

But... given their relationship, non-romantic intimacy wasn’t impossible. After all, this was just for the experiment...

After her next breath ended, the silver-haired, crimson-eyed Imperial Eldest Princess narrowed her eyes. The two black-stockinged beautiful legs the woman’s knees tightened inward as she despondently slightly tilted her face resting against Charlotte’s neck.

Thus, what inherently contacted the long swan neck directly glanced from Astrid’s side face to her tender, petal-like pink lips.

The mental connection hadn’t yet broken. Besides the smooth tactile sensations truthfully transmitted to her brain at the physical level, Charlotte also clearly sees everything happening externally through Astrid’s soul, simultaneously understanding the other’s momentary hesitation and the purpose behind this action.

The soul connection was gradually weakening. They needed to find a way to reverse this situation.

Thinking exactly like Astrid, Charlotte offered no resistance, silently remaining whatever would happen next, solely to ensure this experiment’s success.

Quickly understanding her aunt’s intention, Astrid gently placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder blades, touching carefully through the fabric, then...

The lips already resting against the neck pressed forward.