Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 543: Pre Planned by Maid

The fire elemental crystal continuously emitted warmth, filling the cozy bedroom with a refreshing, soothing fragrance. Lyra closed her eyes, one snow-white arm shyly covering her moist gaze, while the other lay limply beneath her near her thigh, delicate smooth fingers resting against the bedsheets.

Overwhelmed with shyness, Lyra dared not open her eyes to look at Astrid. Even after the tide of sensation had receded, her soft, tender body remained in its previous position, lifted by a pair of long, perfectly shaped silk-clad legs, the tips of her feet lightly touching the blanket. The undulating folds in the fabric hinted unmistakably at what had just occurred.

Just having fallen from the peak, her racing heart still hammered against her chest. Lyra breathed softly, her cheeks thoroughly flushed crimson.

Perhaps it was psychological, or perhaps she truly had embarrassed herself beyond measure.

After everything settled into silence, even the air inches away seemed to grow damp.

"Lyra’s performance... was quite unexpected..."

Never imagined she’d be such a responsive type, reacting so intensely, so quickly...

Truly an easily satisfied silly maid.

Astrid loosened her grip around the pink-haired girl’s neck. Her two stockings feet slide from Lyra’s bare, smooth calves, instead using the soft, thin-soled soles to gently press against her ankles.

It was a way of stabilizing her trembling legs, helping her maintain composure, if not entirely.

"Lyra... was this your first time?" Astrid asked.

The Holy Knight wouldn’t include such intimate details in the novel. After all, Lyra Beckett was the heroine destined bathed in holy light, portrayed as someone distant from carnal desire, a pure soul devoted entirely to magic.

Still, based on Astrid’s actual understanding of Lyra, and considering the girl’s performance tonight, it was highly probable that this truly had been Lyra’s first experience of such self-gratification.

Feeling the woman’s warm breath against her ear, the lingering sensation along her spine still vivid, like being nestled against warm jade, Lyra bit her lip and let out a muffled, slightly hoarse hum.

"Mmm..."

So this was what Linda had once felt.

Recalling one afternoon at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, when she had entered the other girl’s dormitory and found a maid disheveled atop the young lady Linda’s bed, and Linda’s slightly flushed face, Lyra’s shoulders tensed slightly, her delicate, elegant collarbone line becoming even more pronounced under the lamplight.

No wonder they’d always been inseparable... even needing to rest together during midday...

It truly was... an experience impossible to forget...

One could say her very soul had trembled.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She continued gently pressing against the girl’s lower back, her pink lips parting.

"So then, Lyra has quite high aptitude~"

To achieve release so easily just by following instructions, no need for hands-on teaching, simply by ’playing the strings’, she had easily expelled exhaustion and worries.

Was praising her with "high aptitude" in this context too embarrassing?

Wait, was this even a compliment?

Instinctively wanting to retaliate against Astrid, Lyra found her body completely limp, devoid of strength. She opened her mouth slightly, just as she felt the woman’s fingers resting beneath her chin, then gently lifted her teeth and bit down.

Sensing Lyra’s small action, Astrid didn’t stop her. The girl’s bite was light; rather than expressing displeasure, it feels more like a satisfied, delightful tease.

Going along with her, Astrid gently wiggled her fingers. The instant they touched something wet, soft, and smooth, Lyra pursed her lips, and two cherry-blossom petals gently brushed against Astrid’s skin.

"Astrid... bad maid..."

The muffled sound of her biting was indistinct, laced with lingering coyness and faint shyness.

Astrid blinked at her words, then gently smoothed Lyra’s hair.

"If my service has any dangers, my master may point them out now."

"..."

How could she point them out... her mind was completely blank...

Recalling everything that had just happened, the euphoric experience fading, the increasingly clear memory of her shameful state before her beloved left her utterly speechless. She could only passively lean against Astrid.

It was too embarrassing... too terrible...

In front of Astrid... like this... making those sounds...

If there had been a crack in the floor, Lyra would have surely crawled into it by now.

As Lyra entered a silent, dazed state, neither spoke. Astrid maintained her previous posture, fingers deftly moving through the pink hair, patiently untangling strands.

Everyone’s first time was like this, especially someone as shy as Lyra. Experiencing such a transformation before her eyes, releasing not only negative energy but also generating fresh embarrassment in her heart.

Putting herself in Lyra’s position...

Her mind briefly flashed to the image of Lyra lifting her legs, and herself being pinned beneath, wrists crossed and restrained. Astrid paused mid-motion, her crimson eyes shimmering faintly.

Forget it. She couldn’t imagine it.

Lyra simply didn’t have that kind of courage.

But if such a thing truly happened, she’d probably care even more than Lyra did, though she’d never show it outwardly.

Whether in public or in private, Astrid Calliste had to maintain the elegant demeanor befitting a noble of the Valeria Empire.

After a while, Lyra’s cheeks still burning, she rubbed her fingers together, then slowly closed her slightly parted legs. Her two ice-cream-like pale feet pressed against the bedsheets, and as she felt a faint dampness, her delicate toes gradually straightened.

"Astrid... hand me the teacup..."

She wasn’t sure if it was from excessive sweating, or the previous activities depleting her body’s moisture, but Lyra felt a slight itch in her throat, her body showing faint signs of dehydration.

Hearing her, Astrid immediately followed the maid’s code, promptly handing Lyra the black tea from the nightstand.

"I shall personally serve my master tea."

Since Lyra was sitting in her lap, feeding her was relatively convenient.

Lyra didn’t refuse. She continued using her arm to hide her face, not looking at Astrid. When she felt the warm approach, she parted her lips and took small sips of tea.

Watching Lyra’s flushed face, and her white silk nightgown clinging tightly to her body from a light sheen of sweat, Astrid carefully served until she finished drinking. Then, she gently adjusted the strap that had slipped down to the girl’s arm, the fleeting glimpse of snow-white skin immediately covered again by fabric.

Once Lyra had finished, Astrid activated the mana-heated water kettle, ready to refill the cup at any moment to replenish her fluids.

Meanwhile, after drinking some tea, Lyra felt the dryness in her throat quickly fade. She opened her eyes; hazy light filtered through the gap between her arm and cheek, faintly revealing the ceiling.

Her chest rose and fell gently. Her thighs unconsciously rubbed together. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the delicate white silk stockings on Astrid’s legs, the lace-trimmed tops snugly hugging the soft flesh, the exquisite white buttons perfectly connecting the fabric above and below.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Coming back to her senses, Lyra pressed her lips together, one hand clutching her skirt hem as she spoke softly.

"Astrid... was this intentional...?"

To do so much to her, playing the role of a maid, passive kisses, sipping red wine, by nightfall, she had already decided not to do anything to her maid, yet Astrid kept escalating the situation, as if personally teaching her how to act upon her.

If not for her final moral restraint and rationality holding her back, alcohol might have long since shattered her inhibitions, revealing the primal instincts buried deep within every soul.

Hearing her, Astrid nodded gently, speaking softly.

"Hmm, Lyra noticed?"

How could she not notice? Ever since Astrid wore that maid outfit in the morning, Lyra had known she was hiding something.

After a soft acknowledgement, Lyra continued.

"Why... suddenly do this...?"

They had often kissed before, and engaged in somewhat intimate gestures, but had never gone this far.

Strictly speaking, Astrid hadn’t actually participated, she had merely guided softly on how to proceed, and provided stimulating elements for her imagination.

Like the intoxicating, pure floral scent lingering in her nose, the smooth softness supporting her back, silver-white strands of hair brushing her neck, and the silk-stockinged legs pressed against her skin, soft as velvet cake.

For Lyra, with zero practical experience, this relentless series of stimuli was indeed beyond her level.

Hearing her words, Astrid paused briefly. After a moment, she spoke gently.

"Because I’m always teasing someone, leaving her hanging~"

"I feel a little guilty too."

Thinking about it, the silly maid before her, facing repeated provocations from her beloved, even physical intimacy, had managed to maintain the knight’s code, suppressing desire beneath morality. Her endurance was truly ironclad.

Lyra’s cheeks flushed slightly, clearly struck right at the heart by Astrid’s "leaving her hanging" comment.

But on the other hand, facing the empire’s most beautiful woman freely displaying her charm, how could anyone remain unaffected? Especially someone who had long harbored admiration.

It’s not... that I’m shallow and obsessed with looks...

"So that’s why..."

Lyra whispered in response, though her voice carried a faint trace of indescribable disappointment at the end.

Just out of guilt for teasing her too much... she specially picked this day to play the maid...

Part of her was happy for Astrid’s tenderness, but another part felt disappointed, was she really not someone particularly special in the other’s heart? These fleeting emotions flickered through Lyra’s mind, causing her lips to press so tightly they turned slightly pale.

Sensing Lyra’s disappointment acutely, Astrid continued.

"It’s not just that reason."

"It’s also because... Lyra has seemed a bit down lately."

Although Lyra tried her best to appear normal, Astrid had lived with her for over four years. She notices every subtle change in daily life.

Ever since the defense of Liya Tower Fortress, Astrid had sensed something off in Lyra’s mood. The severe trauma accumulated from war was continuously pulling at her, already affecting her normal life.

Even if her strong, optimistic personality completely masked the pessimism, numbness, and apathy, those hidden inner wounds still influencing her.

"Lately, you haven’t truly rested..." Astrid said.

Being away from the front lines had indeed granted Lyra a brief vacation, but that didn’t mean her war-scarred heart could fully escape its shadows.

It needed time to heal, outlets to release, and care and love from others.

"So, I had prepared them red wine... and asked the head maid to prepare the outfit..."

Getting thoroughly drunk once might help, or simply spending a beautiful moment together, no matter the angle, it would somewhat alleviate Lyra’s inner pain, helping her recover faster.

What happened tonight was a good start. With alcohol’s assistance, her body moved subjectively under emotional impulses, releasing fully in Astrid’s arms, both physically and mentally achieving a degree of catharsis and satisfaction.

It was effective, though for Lyra, this method was excessively shameful.

"..."

"In other words... Astrid planned from this morning that tonight I would..."

Would... end up in such a terrible state...

Astrid gave a slight nod, her tone playfully amused. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Of course."

"I’ve already completely figured out your body’s [threshold]~"

Threshold? Did she mean the breaking point, when teasing pushed her from endurance to snapping back?

Or the time it took, from the first touch to the end...

Thinking of some inappropriate images, Lyra’s face instantly burned. Her two pressed-together pale feet tried to wriggle free, but were immediately pinned at the ankles by a pair of soft, silk-covered feet from behind. The smooth fabric rubbed against her skin, resembling two cool, silvery moons.

"What threshold or no threshold... Astrid’s teasing again..."

Could such things even be spoken of?

She quickly averted her gaze. The slightly lighter-colored bedsheets beside her caught Lyra’s eyes. Before more indecent images could surface, the pink-haired girl, ears flushed red, spoke softly.

"But... Astrid still hasn’t answered me..."

The answer to that question.

Even if she truly felt down, truly needed release, needed affection,

Why do all this for her? Was Astrid doing this merely out of friendly concern?

And the kisses... had Astrid allowed her to take the initiative before just for the same reason?

To give her an outlet for war-related frustration, so she wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed by negative emotions.

Lyra wanted to know, this result, so crucial to her.