Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 214: List of Guests

"Your Highness... I’m not tired yet..."

For some reason, she felt that Princess Astrid was unusually gentle tonight, making her want to be close.

Perhaps it was the change in her mindset. As the time to leave her life as a maid drew nearer, Lyra increasingly felt the growing reluctance in her heart.

She wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Once her term ended and she entered the Elizabeth Academy of Magic for further studies, and even later when she graduated and left the capital, she might never see Princess Astrid again in this lifetime.

Seeing Lyra’s persistence, Astrid didn’t press further. She gently opened the window a crack, feeling the cool breeze pass through her fingers.

After half a minute, Lyra spoke up, "Your Highness, are you nervous now?"

Astrid fluttered her eyelashes slightly, her tone calm.

"Nervous about what?"

Lyra answered immediately: "The magic airship tomorrow. Your Highness has been preparing for it for a long time..."

Though it was clear Astrid was confident about the test flight, such things were like exams.

Until the results were truly out, there would always be a hint of nervousness.

When Lyra took the entrance exam for the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, though she believed she performed well, the waiting period was still agonizing. Only after receiving the admission notice could she finally relax.

After a moment of silence, Astrid didn’t lie but answered truthfully.

"A little."

For this test flight, she had built up significant momentum in public opinion.

If it failed, the already precarious state of magic devices would become even more dangerous, and future plans would be difficult to implement.

She needed this success to open the door for Hibbort, who couldn’t do so directly.

She needed this epoch-making aerial beast to win the support of the few remaining neutral factions.

She needed the development prospects of magic devices as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Velmont family.

Moreover, as a junior, she sincerely hoped Countess Charlotte could go further in the career she most desired.

Lyra was right. With so much pressure weighing on her heart, even a near-certain outcome left Astrid with a faint sense of nervousness.

"Is it because... you’re not confident?" Lyra asked.

Astrid shook her head. "On the contrary."

It was precisely because the likelihood of success was so high that she feared failure, feared that less than one percent risk.

Lyra was momentarily puzzled by Astrid’s words, but looking at that snow-white, delicate face, she quickly understood her current thoughts.

"Your Highness..."

"Yes?"

"It will succeed."

Hearing Lyra suddenly say this, Astrid tilted her head and looked at her quietly. After half a minute, she spoke.

"Can I interpret this as Miss Lyra cheering me on?"

Never expecting that she would need encouragement from the silly maid who always followed her around, Astrid’s eyes curved slightly, her tone lazy and casual.

Lyra pursed her lips and whispered.

"Your Highness can interpret it that way..."

"Though I don’t understand much about arrays and engravings, I think the magic airship shouldn’t have any problems..."

As if realizing her words lacked credibility, Lyra’s voice grew softer, but Astrid heard her clearly.

"Miss Lyra, are you saying... intuition?"

"Yes, intuition."

Lyra nodded, her voice low and gentle.

"Your Highness will definitely succeed."

In her eyes, this silver-haired princess, so different from the rumors, was almost omnipotent. This time would be no exception.

Gazing into those clear, azure eyes so close to her, feeling Lyra’s unwavering trust in her despite having no basis for it, Astrid exhaled softly. Her peripheral vision caught the large smiley face on the glass.

Intuition from a destined heroine, who knows if it’s good or bad.

But... this feeling of being believed in isn’t bad...

"Dong dong..."

The clock struck twelve. The silver moonlight stretched the shadows of the two by the window long.

After a while, Astrid reached out and wiped away the sad face next to the smiley, her pink lips parting.

"Go rest, Lyra."

With that, the woman turned and left the corridor. Lyra watched the figure blend into the moonlight, silently praying.

Tomorrow will go smoothly.

--------

The next morning, Astrid finished her makeup and arrived at the northwest corner of the manor, where Charlotte had assembled the magic airship.

Besides the countess, who had been waiting there for a long time, Professor Elandor Ferras of magic devices and his skilled craftsmen were also present, conducting final checks on the airship in an orderly manner.

Today’s ceremony was divided into two parts. The first part involved gathering all the nobles interested in this aerial behemoth, allowing them to observe the airship’s exterior up close while explaining its functionality and working principles.

The second part was the test flight. Astrid had previously requested Emperor Hibbort to temporarily lift the capital’s no-fly ordinance, to which he readily agreed.

They would pilot the magic airship from the northwest to the southeast, traversing the entire capital, and circle the city walls once, marking the airship’s maiden flight.

"Did Little Astr have breakfast?"

Seeing Astrid approaching with a black-haired girl holding hands, flanked by two maids, Charlotte turned around and spoke softly.

"I just received news that His Majesty will arrive after the morning meeting. Our ceremony might be delayed by an hour or two."

After all, the journey from the capital to the manor took some time, even if flown entirely.

Astrid had anticipated Hibbort’s arrival and nodded with a smile.

"A slight delay is fine. We can start the ceremony between 10:30 and 11:00. After the speeches and tour, we can arrange for the guests to dine in the restaurant."

"More time for assembly and checks is always good."

If any ill-intentioned guests tried something during the tour, they could use this time to counter it.

Not all guests were here to witness the flourishing of magic devices.

A small group of conservatives likely hoped the airship would fail, turning Astrid’s earlier promotions into a joke and halting the reform plans for magic devices. Both sides were well aware of this.

Charlotte nodded slightly in agreement.

"I think so too."

For this test flight, they had prepared for over half a year, from selecting materials to drafting blueprints, from experiments to implementation.

Everyone’s sweat and effort were poured into this magnificent magic behemoth, and nothing could be overlooked.

With that, Charlotte took a stack of papers from her bag and handed them to Astrid.

"This is the finalized guest list, totaling 193, far below the airship’s maximum capacity. Little Astr can take a look first."

Taking the list, Astrid noticed Charlotte had divided the names into three categories, though not explicitly marked, the segmentation clearly indicated Charlotte’s deliberate classification.

Minister of Internal Affairs Gregor, Chancellor Edmund, Duke Thomas’s second son Vorelter, Duke Cassian’s daughter...

Astrid quickly understood Charlotte’s classification criteria after glancing at the first row.

These were staunch conservatives who believed the development of magic devices would severely impact the nobility’s status in the empire.

Their stance was unlikely to change significantly in the short term.

Further down were familiar names: Emperor Hibbort Valeria, Minister of Finance Florence and his daughter Lydia, Count Tristian of the Velmont family, and Professor Elowen of Potions. These were clearly neutral, at least on the surface, and their numbers slightly exceeded the conservatives.

As for the reformers who shared Charlotte’s vision, there were only a few lines, with Astrid recognizing only two or three. Their numbers were far fewer than the first two groups.

This disparity was expected.

Astrid couldn’t help but sigh at the stubbornness and greed of these conservative nobles, unwilling to accept any risks brought by reforms, even if they could benefit from them.

If not for the war with the Kingdom of Velys as a catalyst in the original story, the development of magic devices in the Valeria Empire would likely have stagnated for years.

After glancing at the guest list for a while, Astrid exhaled softly, her breath forming a thin white mist that dissipated in the wind, leaving her wrist, not covered by silk gloves, slightly chilled.

Noticing Charlotte was fully immersed in her work and hadn’t realized she was underdressed, Astrid took off her fur coat and gently draped it over Charlotte’s shoulders.

As warmth touched her neck, Charlotte was momentarily stunned, then caught the familiar scent of roses.

The soft fabric carried Astrid’s residual warmth, and a few strands of animal fur brushed against her earlobes, standing out in the cold wind.

"Aren’t you cold?" Charlotte asked after a moment of silence.

Seeing the silver-haired princess in a black dress and tights, her figure delicate and graceful, Charlotte felt a warm surge in her heart, followed by concern in her eyes.

Astrid shook her head and replied softly, "I’m about to greet some familiar guests in the reception hall. It’s much warmer indoors."

As a half-host, she couldn’t ignore her friends.

Charlotte blinked a few times, then said, "Then don’t just stand here. Go back."

"Alright, Charlotte, stay warm."

"I will."

Watching Astrid’s retreating figure, Charlotte adjusted the coat on her shoulders and slipped her arms into the sleeves.

Astrid’s frame was smaller, so buttoning it was out of the question, but simply wearing it wasn’t uncomfortable.

As she put it on, Charlotte thought about Astrid’s earlier response and smiled slightly, her nervousness easing a bit because of this small interaction.

As an Arcanist level mage, knowing some basic warming spells was normal. How could Astrid forget that?

But wearing this coat... Charlotte did feel much warmer...