Princess’s Struggle for Survival

After repeatedly checking Lyra's condition and confirming that her fainting was merely due to excessive mental energy output, Astrid leaned down and gently lifted a strand of her pink hair.

With the hair no longer obscuring it, the girl's fair, delicate face was fully revealed to Astrid. Her usually light and agile blue eyes were now closed, and her long, curled eyelashes resembled butterfly wings or a pair of beautiful small brushes, with scattered specks of light caught within them.

Gazing at Lyra, who looked as if she were asleep, Astrid surveyed the surroundings. Spotting extra chairs in the training room, she turned around and brought over the remaining seats, piecing them together to form a long bench, much like those found in public squares.

Astrid then returned to her original position, slowly sliding one arm under Lyra's arm, and placed her other hand on the girl's soft, smooth, white-stockinged thigh. She lifted the girl onto the bench and then helped put on the small leather shoes that had fallen to the floor. Following this, she chanted the dark element magic [Veil of Shadow], dimming the indoor lighting.

Even though Lyra possessed an exceptional affinity for light elements, it was only proper to turn off the lights when she was resting with her eyes closed, allowing her to enjoy the quiet of the night.

The Sword of Light seemed to acknowledge this as well. It soon retracted its radiance, its form becoming ethereal before finally transforming into a sacred, sword-shaped imprint that merged into the pink-haired girl's index fingernail.

Having done all this, Astrid looked at Lyra, who was lying on the bench with only her white-stockinged legs extending outwards. She vaguely felt that it might be uncomfortable for the girl to lie there without support, so she transmitted mental energy to search the internal space of her ruby pendant.

A few minutes passed. Realizing there were no spare pillows or anything similar, Astrid blinked a few times and quickly came up with a solution. She gently lifted Lyra's head and sat down in the spot where the girl had been leaning.

Astrid recalled that Lyra had once let her rest her head on her lap, and that experience had indeed helped alleviate Astrid's mental fatigue.

Although she couldn't remember if she had ever mentioned reciprocating the favor, doing so now was a way to repay her little maid's sincere and gentle heart.

The only pity was that the recipient of this leg pillow was currently unconscious. If Lyra were to wake up and realize that such a precious opportunity had been used without her even noticing, Astrid wondered if she would feel regretful.

With this thought, Astrid's worried heart finally settled completely. A barely perceptible, mischievous curve formed on her lips. The heels of her high-heeled shoes pressed firmly against the ground, her slender, smooth legs clad in black stockings naturally coming together. She actively accepted the weight of the girl's head, while her palm rested against Lyra's hair, her fingertips playing with the cool, smooth pink strands.

So, what exactly happened to get her into this state?

Could it be that she was so eager to train her mental energy for the upcoming competition...

Astrid mused, stroking Lyra's hair and lowering her gaze.

In the original story, there was indeed a plot where Lyra fainted from overtraining in the training room. However, in the novel, she was not discovered by anyone and only woke up alone in the dimly lit training room after the light element had completely dissolved.

It seemed this silly girl hadn't listened at all to what Astrid had said earlier about not pursuing strength too eagerly and not rushing for victory.

Thinking of Lyra, who had been diligently taking notes and analyzing every move of her opponents from the audience seats not long ago, Astrid pursed her lips and sighed inwardly.

Ultimately, this couldn't be entirely blamed on Lyra. After observing her opponents' battles and realizing the vast gap between herself and the strongest, this knight, who had always wanted to bring her honor, was likely carrying a heavy burden.

In contrast, the heroine destined in the original work, knowing her own limitations, had less of a competitive spirit than Lyra now. She simply enjoyed the improvements gained from each battle and felt no disappointment when receiving ordinary rewards.

Gazing at the still unconscious Lyra, Astrid reached out and gently caressed the girl's left cheek. Her fair fingertips brushed against the skin, lightly tracing her delicate nose, a touch as gentle as flowing water.

The drive for victory in youth... who knows if it's a good thing or a bad thing...

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

After an unknown period, Lyra slowly regained consciousness. The faint light that met her slightly narrowed eyes, along with the dullness that accompanied the depletion of her mental energy, still lingered in her mind.

'What time is it... Where am I…'

It felt as if a grand clock were inside her head, its swinging pendulum incessantly struck her mind. In a daze, Lyra thought she was still in her familiar room in Morin Village. The dim surroundings were like the deep night sky before dawn, experienced when waking up in the latter half of the night.

'Should I get up and do something... or can I keep sleeping…'

'So sleepy... the pillow is so soft and fragrant…'

Lyra subconsciously turned and nuzzled against what she was resting her head on. Her hand tried to slide underneath the pillow as it usually did when she slept, but it met only empty air. She could only rest her forehead against the woman's thigh.

Although she could still continue sleeping, her previous actions made Lyra feel something was slightly off.

'Why... can't I sleep with my hand underneath…'

Astrid, who was in a state of resting with her eyes closed, didn't notice Lyra waking up at first. However, the slight movement on her thigh quickly alerted her.

She opened her eyes and saw the girl lying on her lap gently trembling her eyelashes. Astrid didn't speak immediately, but simply watched her until those eyes fully opened. As the slightly hazy, mist-filled blue eyes looked up at her, Astrid finally spoke slowly.

"Are you rested, Lyra?"

Hearing the familiar female voice, Lyra's body trembled. She looked up again at the training room ceiling, which was only partially visible, blocked by a magnificent mountain range. Her previously muddled consciousness suddenly cleared, and she realized where she was.

The training tower... she had been practicing light magic earlier...

Her last memory was of a blinding light. Lyra opened her mouth, and the smooth sensation on her cheek and the warmth so close to her told her that what she was resting her head on was not a pillow, but someone's leg.

"Princess... Princess Astrid?"

Hearing Lyra speak, Astrid blinked, her hand moving away from the girl's cheek. Her pink lips parted slightly.

"Princess... Hmph, are you still groggy from sleep?"

The gentle voice, accompanied by the sweet fragrance from her skirt, and the incredibly beautiful features before her, completely enveloped Lyra's four senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch.

Realizing her address was too formal, Lyra rubbed her flushed ears and added softly.

"Astrid..."

"...Why are you here?"

It was just... so sudden...

Waking up to find herself resting on the lap of the person she cared about sending her heart into a flutter.

Hearing Lyra's words, Astrid's beautiful eyes narrowed, the crimson pupils reduced to mere slits as she scrutinized Lyra.

"You should be asking yourself that, Lyra."

"Normally, at this time, we would be back in the dormitory, washed up, and ready for rest."

Hearing Astrid say this, Lyra's mind, which had been a bit slow due to the sudden leg pillow and the excessive use of mental energy, finally caught up.

She must have used too much mental energy while experimenting with the magic earlier, exceeding the safe limit, and subsequently fainted.

She shook her legs, confirmed her shoes were still on, and swallowed hard, confessing in a low voice.

"Astrid... I've delayed your rest..."

"I'm sorry..."

The girl's voice was as faint as a mosquito's. Astrid raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, her fingertip moving to gently poke Lyra's forehead twice.

"Me staying up half an hour later won't kill me, so you don't need to apologize specifically for that."

"Avoiding the main issue is not the act of a knight. That's not what I'm referring to."

It was rare for Astrid to address her as a knight. Lyra's cheeks flushed, her delicate toes beneath the thin white stockings curling slightly, and the heels of her shoes unconsciously pressing against the woman's leg.

After a moment, she understood the seriousness of Astrid's words and replied in a more serious tone.

"I'm sorry... I overdid it this time..."

Both Elise and the academy professors had repeatedly emphasized the potential dangers of excessive mental energy consumption. A brief fainting spell was a minor issue; if it became serious, it could damage the very foundation of one's soul.

Seeing Lyra's good attitude in admitting her mistake, Astrid softened her tone slightly.

"How did you get into this state?"

Normal mages should have a grasp of their remaining mental energy reserves when casting spells. As a peak tier Sorcerer, Lyra should know whether she had enough mental energy left to complete the spell incantation.

Lyra pursed her lips at the question. After a long pause, she cautiously replied.

"It's just... Astrid, you know I released that magic called [Light Cascade] using the Sword of Light earlier.."

"And then?"

"Then today, I tried to guide light particles myself and release them without using the light element particles stored in the Sword of Light."

"And you failed, and used up all your mental energy?"

Astrid's delicate brows furrowed at this, and she continued.

"You wouldn't have started doing this from the beginning. You would have performed your usual magic training first, and only after releasing [Light Cascade] once, would you have tried to replicate it with your own power."

Although Astrid's mental energy reserves were average, her intuition for identifying the crux of a problem was always accurate. Lyra's mental energy reserves were far higher than those of her peers. It was unlikely for a normal magic experiment to go so disastrously wrong.

Being pinpointed by Astrid, Lyra nodded slightly, her tone lowered again.

"Yes, Astrid is correct."

"I'll be careful next time."

This sudden fainting state was indeed dangerous. Fortunately, she was in the training room, and only Astrid had the key to the room, making external dangers unlikely.

Seeing Lyra lower her head with a good attitude in admitting her mistakes, Astrid decided not to press her further, but gently admonished her.

"Remember, never take such a risky action again."

She herself had such significant mana issues now, likely a result of Fanya forcefully casting forbidden magic during her pregnancy, which damaged the fetus's soul.

With such a living example before her, Astrid naturally did not want Lyra to repeat her mistake.

Lyra nodded at this, responding softly.

"I know, Astrid."

Although her tone was quite serious, she could feel Princess Astrid's concern for her.

And speaking of which... As soon as she woke up, Princess Astrid was by her side...

Her suddenly fainting must have frightened the other party as well.

A mix of guilt, worry, lingering fear, the joy of being noticed by the person she liked, and the sweetness of seeing her the moment she opened her eyes, various emotions intertwined and collided in Lyra's heart.

After a while, Astrid asked her.

"Are you working so hard on magic for the competition in a few days?"

Lyra paused at this, her voice gentle as she replied.

"Yes, that's part of the reason."

The gap was too large, so she could only hope that diligence could compensate for lack of natural talent.

"..."

Astrid fell silent for a few minutes. Just as Lyra thought she was still angry, she nervously pursed her lips and then playfully nuzzled against Astrid's leg with her hair.

"Astrid... what's wrong..."

Was it too childish in Astrid's eyes to get herself into such a mess for this reason?

While lost in her thoughts, Lyra heard Astrid speak.

"Lyra, I never asked you before, after watching so many matches, what kind of ranking do you hope to achieve in this competition?"

In online novels, protagonists often achieve their set goals. Astrid was actually curious about what kind of results Lyra wanted to achieve.

Was it to be the strongest person below the Magnus, or did she aim for the position that all contestants dreamed of?

After a brief hesitation, Lyra answered truthfully.

"It might sound like overestimating myself... but, Astrid..."

"...I want to win the championship."

For a peak tier sorcerer to stand out among contestants who were generally Magnus level and successfully win the championship would sound like wishful thinking to anyone in the imperial capital.

The gap was too vast. Even some professors within the academy who knew of Lyra's exceptional affinity for light elements would not believe she could succeed.

After Lyra finished speaking, the air fell into a moment of stillness. Astrid did not speak, but merely lowered her head to look at the pink-haired girl resting on her lap.

"..."

Half a minute later, Lyra turned her head, peeking at Astrid's eyes from the corner of her vision.

Those ruby-like eyes looked down at her, both cool and incredibly alluring.

"If it's Lyra..."

After a long pause, Astrid spoke faintly.

"I believe you can do it."