Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 63: "Everything is normal, Your Highness."

After finalizing the deal with Elowen, Astrid left the Elizabeth Academy of Magic and returned to the palace.

She recorded the perfume's formula, preparation process, and aging method on several pieces of parchment, awaiting the Earl Tristian to arrange for mass production.

In the evening, Astrid, having completed her tasks, strolled leisurely toward her dormitory.

As she passed the garden, she heard the faint sound of a sword slicing through the air, causing her crimson eyes to narrow slightly.

Only two people besides her had access to practice swordsmanship in the private garden: Elise or Lyra.

Weren't they supposed to be on their afternoon break?

As she drew closer, Astrid spotted a slender, pink-haired maid standing in the clearing.

Lyra held her cherished village sword, her arms raised lightly as she executed precise slashes through the air.

Despite the half-day holiday, the two maids hadn't indulged in much relaxation.

Elise had spent the time refreshing Princess Astrid's bed sheets, pillowcases, and room decorations, as well as purchasing clothes for the princess to wear in the coming quarter.

Feeling too embarrassed to burden Elise further, Lyra had opted to practice her sword skills in the garden after a brief nap.

Compared to her early days in the imperial capital, Lyra's movements were now more precise, her strikes faster and more explosive.

Even Astrid, a novice in swordsmanship, could see that Lyra's grip on the hilt was far steadier than before.

The crisp sound of high heels alerted Lyra, who turned to see Astrid approaching.

Her sky-blue eyes brightened momentarily, but she quickly composed herself and greeted softly, "Good afternoon, Your Highness Astrid."

Astrid gave a slight nod, her gaze lingering on the light brown cowhide belt around Lyra's waist, which held the knight's sword in place.

Noticing Astrid's focus on her waist, Lyra's ears flushed red as she recalled the embarrassing incident from before.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Her delicate toes, pale as white jade, curled slightly inside her leather shoes.

"Did you take a nap?" Astrid asked coolly.

The princess stood with her arms crossed, her alluring figure accentuated by the tulle dress she wore.

"Yes, I rested for a while," Lyra replied softly, deftly sheathing her slender knight's sword with a sharp metallic clink.

Astrid observed the intriguing combination of the maid's skirt and the short-handled sword, her mind drifting to the image of the invincible Knight of Light from the tales of the battlefield in the original novel.

Come to think of it, she had never seen Lyra in knightly armor.

She wondered how the future "Barrier of the Valeria Empire" would look clad in such attire.

"Even during a break, you're honing your combat skills. Miss Lyra, your dedication is commendable," Astrid remarked casually, settling into the gazebo.

Seeing that there was still some time before dinner, Astrid continued to observe Lyra's practice, occasionally offering pointers to help her absorb the techniques more efficiently.

By six in the evening, Elise had returned, and the three of them dined together in the dining room.

During the meal, Astrid proposed a visit to Jones Farm.

The retrospective enchantment's recording function had a time limit, requiring the recorded scenes to be transferred to a magic crystal every five days.

Afterward, the enchantment would need to be reactivated to continue recording.

It was the fourth day, and to be cautious, Astrid decided to reactivate the enchantment a bit earlier.

She also wanted to check if Lucas had been up to anything suspicious.

Unlike setting up a new enchantment, reactivating one didn't require a fresh magic circle, only a small infusion of mental energy.

Astrid packed her potions bag and instructed Lyra and Elise to bring their weapons.

Together, they boarded the carriage headed for the suburbs.

Lucas needed to be monitored closely. The deal with the Velmont family was progressing, and soon there would be further dealings with Amalia, not to mention the inevitable battle for the throne.

The original storyline and the deviations caused by her actions intertwined in Astrid's mind as she leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the moon hanging high in the sky. Her eyes gleamed with determination.

Arriving at Jones Farm, the servants of Prince Lucas, who were tasked with securing the area, recognized the renowned silver-haired princess of the imperial capital and promptly made way for her.

It didn't take long for Astrid to locate the core of the enchantment Charlotte had set up previously.

She used a blank magic crystal to export the recorded data, then infused it with mental energy to reactivate the enchantment.

The cool evening breeze swept through the area, tousling hair and causing skirts to ripple gracefully, revealing glimpses of the maids' fair thighs and the delicate white silk suspender belts above.

Astrid felt her eyelids twitch slightly, and a sense of unease began to creep into her heart.

"Elise?" she called out.

"I'm here, Miss Astrid. What are your orders?" came the calm, cool voice of her maid.

Hearing Elise's response, Astrid felt a slight easing of her tension and asked softly, "Do you feel something... particularly strange?"

This barren land was already eerie enough.

Was she overthinking, or was there truly something amiss?

At this, Elise immediately expanded her mental force field.

After a moment, she shook her head and replied, "I've found nothing noteworthy, Miss Astrid."

Just like Charlotte's initial survey, Elise detected nothing out of the ordinary.

Astrid narrowed her eyes and turned to Lyra, who was pressing her left hand against her chest, her brow slightly furrowed.

"What's wrong with you?" Astrid asked gently.

Lyra glanced at her with a worried expression, her lips parting as she hesitated. "I... feel a tightness in my chest..."

Lyra couldn't explain it. Ever since she had followed Astrid into the field, she had been overcome with a sense of panic, as though some ferocious beast lurked beneath their feet.

Hearing Lyra's words, Astrid's foreboding grew stronger.

She knew Lyra's affinity for light elements far exceeded any measurable standard, making her especially sensitive to the presence of death and darkness.

"Elise, help me locate Velrik Thalric. I need to speak with him,"

Within moments, the head maid completed her mental scan and reported in a steady voice, "Magnus Velrik Thalric is three hundred meters due north. Preliminary assessment indicates he is accompanied by three Knights and two Grand Knights."

At the same time, Velrik received word from his servants that Princess Astrid had arrived for a nighttime visit.

He quickly ended his meditation and signaled his men to prepare for her arrival.

There had been a significant mishap the previous day, and while he hadn't expected Prince Lucas to show up, he certainly hadn't anticipated Princess Astrid's arrival either.

Thinking of the two corpses buried deep underground, Velrik felt a fine bead of sweat form on his forehead.

By the time Astrid arrived at the scene, Velrik was already prepared for work, holding an old fir staff and smiling at the newcomer.

"I didn't expect Her Royal Highness Astrid to come to inspect the work again so soon. I hope you can forgive my shortcomings."

Listening to the man's formulaic opening remarks, Astrid's face remained expressionless.

Her long silver-white hair fluttered in the wind, and her tone carried a chill.

"What is the current situation?"

Although everything appeared normal on the surface, Astrid trusted Lyra's protagonist's intuition.

If the other party felt something nearby that made her particularly uncomfortable, there was a good chance something was amiss with the land beneath their feet.

The corners of Velrik's mouth twitched slightly at her question, but his tone remained steady.

"Everything is normal, Your Highness."

According to the information provided by the servants, Princess Astrid had not come to find him immediately upon arriving at Jones Farm.

Instead, she had first gone to a more southerly location, a place Velrik knew was the core of the magic circle tied to the enchantment.

By now, she should have recovered the relevant images.

As an Arcanist, Charlotte had set up a retrospective enchantment capable of covering the entire barren land.

Velrik had just received news from Lucas that afternoon and had planned to destroy the core of the enchantment tonight to cover up everything that had happened the previous day.

However, Princess Astrid had arrived a day earlier than expected.

This posed a problem. As Lucas's subordinate, Velrik couldn't take any action against Astrid, no matter the circumstances.

He had no desire to become a sacrificial pawn for the crown prince, only to be publicly executed by Emperor Hibbort.

Astrid stared into Velrik's eyes for a moment, faintly sensing his unease. Her own foreboding grew stronger.

"Are you still using sheep to delay the land degradation?" Astrid asked coldly.

Velrik rubbed his staff, his eyes flickering momentarily. "Yes, that's the only method we have for now."

His plan was to send Princess Astrid away first.

Reviewing the images recorded by the magic crystal would take considerable time, giving him enough opportunity to report to Prince Lucas and devise the next steps.