Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 97: “I… May I?”

Astrid held two dark brown books in her arms and paused slightly when she saw Lyra standing at the door in her nightdress, her pale legs exposed and her expression uncertain.

"What's the matter?" Astrid asked softly.

Hearing her voice, Lyra fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before looking up and handing Astrid what she was holding.

"Your Highness Astrid… My family sent me something…"

"I wanted to share some with you…"

Astrid glanced at the small metal box in Lyra's hand, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

"What's inside?"

Lyra hesitated, biting her lower lip before replying, "Some beef jerky and wheat cakes made by my family."

As if suddenly remembering something, she quickly added, "When they sent it, they packed it with water-absorbing grass. Please don't worry, Your Highness, it's definitely not spoiled!"

Water-absorbing grass could absorb excess moisture in food and reduce bacterial growth, acting as a natural desiccant to preserve food effectively.

Seeing Lyra's cautious demeanor, Astrid took the metal box with an expressionless face, gently weighing it in her palm.

"If Your Highness Astrid likes it, I still have more in my room."

Sensing the anticipation in Lyra's tone, Astrid opened the metal box.

Inside, several wheat cakes were neatly arranged, with small pieces of dark brown jerky placed on either side. The jerky looked glossy and well-preserved.

Originally, the wheat cakes and jerky had been wrapped in coarse cloth.

While the outer packaging might have looked old, the contents were perfectly clean. Worried that Astrid might find the presentation unappealing, Lyra had taken the initiative to repackage them in a more presentable manner.

"Can this be eaten directly?" Astrid asked.

Lyra nodded quickly. "Yes."

As soon as she finished speaking, Astrid glanced down at her gloved hands. Removing the gloves, washing her hands, and then eating would be a bit troublesome at this hour.

"Have you washed your hands?"

Lyra blinked in surprise at the question but replied promptly, "Yes, I've washed them… I even took a bath earlier."

Astrid tilted her head slightly and pushed the box back toward Lyra.

"You feed it to me."

As a maid, serving meals to her mistress was part of her duties.

Looking at the metal box in front of her and Astrid's calm, ruby-like eyes that seemed to hold no ripple of emotion, Lyra unconsciously pursed her lips.

"I… May I?"

Was Princess Astrid really asking her to feed her?

Recalling how Astrid had once fed her snacks and even potions with a natural, almost commanding grace that still carried a hint of girlish delicacy, Lyra felt her ears grow warm.

Her small, delicate toes curled slightly inside her sandals.

"Otherwise, am I not speaking clearly?"

"..."

Standing in place, tangled for a moment, Lyra swallowed and, with restrained movements, picked up a piece of jerky from the box.

She extended her slender arm, holding the jerky delicately between her fingers, and brought it to Astrid's lips.

As her jade-like fingers drew closer, Lyra could feel the faint, warm breath from Astrid's nose.

The princess's lips, delicate and glossy, resembled soft petals, exuding a kind of mesmerizing charm.

In the next moment, Astrid parted her lips, revealing her pearly white teeth, and gently bit into the jerky.

Watching the princess's elegant movements, Lyra's wrist trembled slightly, her cool fingertips brushing against Astrid's lips in a fleeting, almost imperceptible touch.

Instantly, Lyra pulled her hand back as if shocked, leaving Astrid to hold the jerky between her teeth to keep it from falling.

The scene now was one of Astrid holding the jerky in her mouth, her sparkling ruby eyes silently fixed on the flustered pink-haired maid before her.

'What are you doing? Can't you handle such a simple task?'

Interpreting the unspoken question in Astrid's gaze, the flustered Lyra reached out again, this time grabbing the other end of the jerky.

Astrid: "..."

Lyra: "..."

After a brief pause, Astrid gracefully chewed the jerky, her cheeks moving delicately as she savored the flavor. She couldn't help but wonder why the girl seemed to be getting clumsier by the day.

Lyra, her head lowered, felt her heart racing. She had watched as Astrid's soft lips held the jerky, eating it bit by bit with an almost feline grace.

'Princess Astrid eats like a cat.'

"It tastes good," Astrid murmured softly after finishing the jerky.

Hearing the praise, Lyra snapped out of her daze, her knees pressing together as she replied in a low voice, "Your Highness Astrid... if you like it..."

The fact that her mother's cooking had earned Astrid's approval filled Lyra with a quiet joy, though it was overshadowed by the lingering embarrassment of the moment.

"That... Your Highness Astrid..."

"Hmm?"

"Are you going out?"

In an attempt to divert the conversation and ease her own discomfort, Lyra brought up the question that had been on her mind.

Astrid pursed her lips, placing the metal box into her satchel. She tilted her head slightly, her fingers brushing the corner of her mouth as she replied thoughtfully, "What, do I need to report to Miss Lyra before I go out?"

"I didn't mean that..."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I..."

Lyra took a deep breath, the emotions bubbling inside her finally breaking through. Her lips parted, and she spoke softly but earnestly.

"I just wanted to care about you, Your Highness Astrid."

Looking at those pupils as clear as rubies, Lyra's lips trembled slightly, and she soon realized what she had said.

Her ears quickly heated up, her snow-white skin turned red, and her pretty face, framed by shoulder-length pink hair, became even more charming.

She, she, she... what had she just said?

She had only meant to show concern for Princess Astrid, but her words were misunderstood as an unreasonable desire for control.

The sudden feeling of grievance overwhelmed Lyra, and she urgently wanted to explain herself to Astrid.

Though her words had indeed expressed her true thoughts, phrasing them so directly made her feel deeply ashamed and embarrassed.

It felt like Lura loved her parents dearly, and they loved her too, but they never said "I love you" outright to one another.

Too awkward... The more Lyra thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.

Her surging emotions rushed back, and she clenched her delicate fingers tightly, her head buzzing with heat.

The most crucial point, however, was Lyra's somewhat awkward identity. As Astrid's supposed love rival, she had just expressed a desire to care for her.

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No matter how you looked at it, the situation was undeniably strange.

What would Princess Astrid think? Would she believe Lyra was being deceitful?

A whirlwind of complicated emotions churned in Lyra's heart, and she even considered escaping, thinking she should have returned to her bedroom and delivered the items to Princess Astrid tomorrow.

In truth, her anxious state of mind was clouding her judgment. If Lyra had calmed down, she would have realized that Astrid hadn't even avoided her when speaking to Charlotte, so why would she doubt such a trivial matter?

Astrid gazed at the innocent maid before her, who stood with her head lowered, trembling slightly.

A faint glimmer of light flickered in Astrid's eyes as she pursed her cherry lips, her expression unreadable.

If she heard correctly, this protagonist, who was supposed to have an irreconcilable feud with Astrid Calliste Valeria, had just said something entirely unexpected.

"I just want to care about Her Highness Astrid."

It seemed that the progress on Lyra's side was much faster than she had anticipated.

Not only did the other party not feel disgusted with her as in the original story, but she had instead shown a completely different, friendly attitude.

This shouldn't be the case... Astrid hadn't shown any obvious signs of goodwill toward Lyra yet, so why would she feel this way?

Astrid, who had no idea that the words she wrote on the potion bottle had been revealed, blinked and gently rested her delicate hand on her smooth chin.

Could it be that her recent behavior had earned Lyra's recognition, prompting the latter to express concern for her?

Thinking about it carefully, given Lyra's grateful nature, simply teaching her magic every day would have been enough to earn her favor, not to mention the subsequent land deactivation incident. Her actions aligned perfectly with Lyra's inner thoughts.

Astrid, who partially understood but hadn't fully grasped Lyra's motives, raised the corners of her lips and spoke gracefully.

"Caring for one's master is a compulsory duty for every maid. There's no need to single out Miss Lyra..."

"But this reason sounds quite good. I'll assume that's what you truly think."

Astrid's words not only eased Lyra's current shyness but also maintained her cold and aloof demeanor.

The blush on Lyra's cheeks faded slightly upon hearing this, and her rapid heartbeat gradually steadied amidst the faint ticking of the pendulum in the corridor.

Although Her Highness's tone sounded somewhat reluctant, based on Lyra's understanding of Astrid, the underlying meaning was that she believed the concern in her words was genuine.

A faint sense of joy welled up in her heart but was quickly suppressed by another thought. Lyra lowered her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

Though Princess Astrid had clearly understood her, she still greedily wished that Astrid could understand a little more.

The reason she cared for Astrid wasn't because of their roles as maid and master, nor because of the ten gold coins Astrid paid her each month.

It was because of the small moments they shared in their daily lives.

These moments made Lyra want to grow closer to her, and she genuinely hoped that Astrid could live a relaxed and comfortable life forever.

This was simply a small, personal wish of Lyra's, unrelated to anything else.