Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 154: She felt hollow.

"Don't touch me... you... liar…"

The first time she sat at the same table with someone to eat, the first time she went to a place only the two of them knew to see the stars, the first time she hugged, kissed, and shared a bed with her, the first time they bathed together openly, and the first time they bared their hearts to each other.

Everything she had done probably seemed laughable to Astrid.

Like a pitiful, unwanted puppy, tossing her a bone would make her so happy, as if she had met someone who truly loved her, wagging her tail even before meeting.

Thinking of this, Amalia's inner mockery grew stronger. She blamed herself for being so lonely and foolish, so easily giving everything away.

When the heart was still in the chest, it held some value. Once given away, it became worthless, probably not even worth amusing Princess Astrid.

"Why are you still sitting here... do you want to continue laughing at me..."

Amalia leaned against the windowsill with both hands, her body half-supported by the wall, using the window ledge to prop up her shaky body and nearly powerless legs.

"Or do you think you haven't done enough, and want to play with me a few more times?"

Hearing this, Astrid stood up and walked over to Amalia. The latter looked at Astrid, who was nearly a head taller, her eyes struggling for half a second before returning to coldness.

"Amalia, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Then what do you mean?"

Looking up at Astrid, Amalia's gaze no longer wavered. Her pink lips parted slightly.

"If I remember correctly, the full name of that potion is Transformation Potion. According to the book, it's a type of intermediate potion that can create illusions."

"The value of a single intermediate potion far exceeds my current paintings. Lady Astrid, you've been coming to see me every night, spending a fortune."

This was one of the reasons Amalia believed Astrid had ulterior motives.

From their first meeting, Astrid had approached her as Livia, indicating that she had prepared to spend money to get close to her.

Amalia didn't think she had any charm worth making her stepsister, who had hated her for so many years, suddenly spend so much effort to get close to her. The only thing she could think of was that Astrid wanted to amuse herself, to relieve the boredom of her life in the palace.

"If I said I did it because I like you, would you believe me, Amalia?"

Astrid's tone was calm, her vivid eyes showing no hint of mockery. On the contrary, those watery eyes were filled with an undeniable sincerity. For a moment, Amalia seemed to see Livia's shadow.

After half a minute, Amalia mockingly raised her lips.

"Like me?"

Even if a stranger had said this with such a serious expression, the easily swayed Amalia might have believed it a little. But coming from Astrid, the possibility was so low it could be ignored.

She clearly remembered how Astrid had treated her in the past, not only tearing the dress Hibbort had given her but also finding various reasons to slander and bully her.

How could such a person spend a fortune and come to this deserted castle every night because she liked her?

Rather than believe Astrid had a sudden change of heart, Amalia would rather believe Livia was a separate personality suppressed by Astrid, otherwise it would be impossible to explain the drastic change in personality before and after taking the potion.

Noticing Astrid reaching out to touch her, Amalia mercilessly slapped her hand away, her eyes red.

"I said, don't touch me."

Outside the window, the crescent moon had just risen, its silvery light cascading over the golden-haired girl. Through the moonlight, Astrid saw Amalia's trembling shoulders, hidden beneath her golden locks.

The hand that Amalia had pushed away was slightly red, though not as much as the wrist that had been tightly gripped moments ago.

A hint of helplessness flickered in Astrid's eyes as her left hand remained awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

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Amalia was far more cautious than Astrid had anticipated. Originally, Astrid had planned to wait until the following spring, after Lyra entered the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, to gradually reveal that Livia was actually Astrid. But now, everything had been abruptly pushed forward.

This unforeseen turn of events not only affected Amalia but also left Astrid in a deeply conflicted state.

"..."

"...Don't touch me."

Amalia's voice was low, her slender, smooth white-stockinged legs pressed against the wall, her lashes lowered, making her expression unreadable.

"Amalia..." Astrid repeated, refraining from reaching out to touch her.

"I hope you'll hear me out before deciding how to treat me."

There were a few things Astrid wasn't sure about, and the most pressing was understanding the root of Amalia's current attitude toward her.

Was it because Astrid had deceived her with the false identity of "Livia" that Amalia found it so hard to accept?

Or was it that Amalia didn't care whether Livia was a fabricated identity, but rather that the imperial princess before her was both Livia and the cruel older sister who had bullied her many times?

Perhaps in Amalia's heart, Livia didn't have to be Livia, didn't have to be a member of the Valeria imperial family, and didn't even need to have any connection to herself. But Livia absolutely shouldn't have been her most hated Astrid Calliste.

"What more is there to say?" Amalia clenched her fingers, the tips of her pale fingers turning even whiter from the pressure.

She wanted to scream at Astrid to get out of her room, but she held back.

Throwing a tantrum would only work on someone who cared about her. Given Astrid's past behavior, if she lashed out, Astrid might not listen and could even stand there watching her lose control like a fool.

That... absolutely couldn't happen…

Moreover, even if she set that aside, the ancient castle was the property of the Valeria emperor, and Astrid was Hibbortr's most favored daughter.

Amalia, in no way, had the authority or status to expel her. As for using force, not only was Livia stronger mage, but there was also a noticeable difference in their physical builds.

Amalia's slender arms and legs couldn't possibly give her any advantage.

Hearing the slight hoarseness in Amalia's voice, Astrid sighed inwardly.

"Using the identity of Livia Valeria to get close to you was a last resort. I didn't mean to deceive you, nor did I do it to toy with your feelings."

"Astrid Calliste has made many mistakes. She isn't a qualified princess, nor a good sister. So, I hoped there would be someone who could do the things I failed to do."

"That's the reason Livia exists."

Astrid didn't expect her words to quickly sway the stubborn Amalia, but by saying them, she hoped to uncover the reason behind Amalia's reluctance to accept the truth.

Amalia remained silent, her head still lowered, staring at the tiles by her feet.

Astrid wasn't that kind of person. The silver-haired princess she knew was pretentious and exuded an aura of unapproachable malice. How could she have suddenly changed?

A year ago, they were still bitter enemies, their relationship at rock bottom. Astrid wouldn't hesitate to spare some time to mock her whenever she passed by the castle, jabbing at her sore spots with every word.

How could such a drastic change have occurred in just over half a year?

Memories of her time with Livia flooded her mind. Amalia thought of the gentle way Livia had wiped her lips, of how Livia would tuck her in every night, and of the arms that had held her tightly to keep her from catching a chill from the evening breeze.

Livia had been kind to her, but that very kindness, when reflected onto Astrid, felt utterly unreal.

If it were anyone else, Amalia might have naturally accepted this explanation, that Livia had simply cared for her and that staying in the castle had been a trivial decision for Livia.

But when this beautiful encounter was tied to Astrid, everything seemed shrouded in a gray haze.

Amalia couldn't believe that Astrid would spend so much money to meet her, let alone endure the nauseating taste of the transformation potion for her sake.

No... it's impossible...

She wasn't worth such concern, nor did she deserve the time, effort, and money spent on her, especially not from Astrid, with whom she had a long-standing grudge.

"Are you done?"

Amalia slowly ran a hand over her face, brushing aside a strand of golden hair that had fallen by her ear, letting it hang freely by her cheek, covering her eye.

"If you're hoping to see me break down further,"

"Then I'm sorry, Princess Astrid, but you won't succeed."

A few minutes ago, she had experienced a fall from heaven to hell. No matter what Astrid said now, she wouldn't have a stronger emotional reaction than before.

She had already been so humiliated. Losing control further in front of Astrid would be like cutting out her already shattered self-esteem and throwing it into the mud, letting it be trampled by dust.

Her gaze gradually lowered, and Amalia saw the gemstone necklace hanging from her chest, a gift from Livia. At its center was a finely textured blue gem, reflecting the moonlight and casting a glow in the golden-haired girl's eyes.

The air fell into silence. Amalia stared at the necklace, unsure of what to think. She felt as if her heart was being tightly squeezed, her chest unable to breathe, a suffocating sense of bitterness raging within her.

She felt hollow.