Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 85: ‘Her Highness Astrid...is finding reasons to be nice to her again…’

There was still some time before the infiltration operation began, and Astrid wanted to continue studying the infiltrator robe she was wearing.

However, Elise reminded her that it was time for dinner.

"Miss Astrid, a clear mind is always inseparable from a sufficient supply of food. Dinner time is almost over."

Upon hearing Elise's words, Astrid felt her stomach growl, and a long-ignored hunger suddenly surged within her.

"Let's go to the dining hall."

After taking off her robe and slipping into flat shoes for ease of walking, Astrid glanced at the black-haired maid with her cool demeanor standing beside her.

The corners of her pink lips curled slightly.

"I thought I had changed a lot during this period, but it turns out Elise is the same."

In the original Astrid's memory, Elise was a stern maid who rarely spoke and showed little emotion.

She strictly followed Princess Astrid's orders every day, to the point where people sometimes wondered if she was an emotionless machine.

If it had been a month ago, Elise would not have repeatedly urged Astrid to eat as she had done recently.

At most, she would have given a brief reminder and then arranged for the maid team to prepare long-lasting desserts for Her Royal Highness to eat at any time.

"Miss Astrid is joking..." Elise responded softly.

Astrid shook her head slightly upon hearing this and chose not to delve deeper into the topic.

Compared to the past, Elise now seemed more like a flesh-and-blood person.

Even when eating her favorite Tallinn cake, her eyes would light up a little.

From a rational standpoint, the original head maid, who only knew how to obey orders, was more aligned with Astrid's personal interests.

However, on an emotional level, Astrid felt there was nothing wrong with Elise becoming who she was now.

Elise should have her own emotions and her own life, rather than spending her days as an appendage to Astrid Calliste Valeria, performing mundane housework.

Once everything was resolved, Astrid would allow Elise to make her own choice, whether to remain by her side or to end their master-servant bond, just as Lyra would a year later.

Thinking of the pink-haired maid who had been so shy and flustered over a simple hug, Astrid parted her cherry lips slightly.

"By the way, hasn't Lyra had dinner yet?"

As soon as she said this, Astrid realized that the maids usually ate after their masters.

Since she had eaten late today, the servants and attendants had likely already finished their meals.

However, Lyra had been staying in her boudoir and probably missed the meal time.

Additionally, there was another important point.

After Lyra drank the transformation potion, her appearance in the eyes of others could not be changed back for at least two hours.

With her gentle and lovely personality, combined with the protagonist's halo and the magic potion's effects, she was sure to captivate the hearts of many.

"Reporting to Miss Astrid, she probably hasn't had time to eat."

"Alright, then bring back some desserts for Lyra to fill her stomach after I finish eating."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After having dinner in the hall and returning to her bedroom, there was still more than half an hour before the potion's effects would wear off.

Astrid knocked on Lyra's door, and when she opened it, she instructed Elise to hand over the prepared desserts.

"These... are all for me?"

The blush on Lyra's cheeks had faded by now.

She looked at the muffins and puffs before her, her fingers nervously curling the hem of her skirt.

"Well, after all, I was the one who asked you to drink the potion. I can't let Miss Lyra go hungry all night because of this."

The silver-haired princess, who saw herself as a villain, was unaware that her image in Lyra's mind had shifted from an arrogant, selfish imperial noble to a kind-hearted person with an eccentric personality.

'Her Highness Astrid...is finding reasons to be nice to her again…'

Lyra accepted the strawberry jam muffin, still warm from the oven, and thanked her softly.

Astrid gave a slight nod in response, then urged her to close the door and rest to avoid drawing attention to the potion's effects.

Hearing this, Lyra quickly closed the door. Her delicate face, half-hidden in the shadows, hesitated for a moment before she spoke softly, "Your Highness Astrid, please go to bed early too..."

Studying, socializing, brewing potions, and engaging in banter with her nominal brother, over time, Lyra had come to realize that even the high-ranking imperial princess was not as carefree as she had once imagined.

Princess Astrid, like ordinary people, carried her own worries and pressures.

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As a maid, Lyra felt it was her duty to serve her well.

"I know."

Though Astrid's tone remained cool, it softened slightly in response to Lyra's concern.

Watching the door close slowly until it clicked shut, Astrid turned and made her way back to her bedroom.

With Lyra taken care of for now, it was time to turn her attention to the poor little Fourth Princess.

In her boudoir, Astrid paused as she was about to don the infiltrator robe, a strange thought suddenly crossing her mind.

'What I'm doing feels like the behavior of a promiscuous playboy who, after a sweet moment with his girlfriend, hangs up the phone, pats his thigh, and goes off to flirt with another lover.'

'Tsk...what nonsense…'

Shaking off the absurd thought, Astrid slipped into the robe and continued briefing Elise on the details of the operation.

When the time was right, the two left the palace under the cover of night, heading for the deep castle where Amalia was imprisoned.

Compared to the heavily guarded Emperor's palace, the security around Amalia was relatively lax.

Elise, under Astrid's orders, had been observing the guards for some time.

She knew which routes were least patrolled and where the weak points in the defenses lay.

They encountered no obstacles along the way and soon arrived at a high wall outside the castle.

"You can stop here. Thank you for your help, Elise."

Astrid retrieved a bottle of potion from her bag and drank it, suppressing a grimace at the bitter taste.

The servants responsible for attending to the nobles typically woke between five and six in the morning.

If Astrid entered at ten o'clock, she needed to leave by half-past five to avoid the morning rush and reduce the risk of exposure.

"Miss Astrid, please be careful."

Elise glanced at the three remaining bottles of light green potion in the bag, her mental detection field continuing to expand.

The entire operation would take about eight hours, meaning Astrid would need to consume four bottles of the transformation potion each time she visited Amalia.

Four bottles of the potion cost eighty gold coins, or forty at a 50% discount.

Over a month, these expenses would add up to a staggering sum.

If Astrid hadn't struck a perfume deal with the Velmont family, even someone of her status would have had to tighten her purse strings, unable to indulge in dresses and jewelry as she pleased.

But no matter how costly, it was a necessary expense to get closer to Amalia, not a waste.

Astrid couldn't help but wonder how Lyra would feel if she ever discovered that the potion she drank was worth more than a month of her salary.

Adjusting the pure black silk headband on her head, Astrid let the wind element, blessed by Charlotte, obey her commands.

At the same time, she murmured the spell for lightness, feeling her body grow weightless as currents of air subtly supported her movements.

After watching Astrid leap over the high wall and disappear into the darkness, Elise waited for half a minute to ensure no unexpected incidents occurred before retracing her steps.

Astrid's task for her was to provide external support.

Elise needed to ensure that the security personnel near the princess's bedroom remained unaware of their infiltration.

...

In the quiet royal castle, Amalia, fresh from her shower, sat by the window with a slender paintbrush in hand, her gaze fixed intently on the nearly finished painting before her.

The canvas depicted a uniquely styled architectural scene.

A dark-toned classical castle stood solemnly under the night sky, bathed in cold silver moonlight that spread across its shadowed walls.

Overgrown weeds and rusted fences at the edges of the scene added to the sense of decay and desolation.

The high-hanging waning moon, the gloomy pavilion, the clean outlines of the castle, and the untamed lawns and flower beds, every detail of the painting exuded a haunting loneliness, a silence born of the passage of time.

As Amalia completed the final stroke, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

Carefully setting down the paintbrush, she cradled her sore right wrist with her left hand, gently massaging it.

Her smooth, slender arm glowed faintly in the moonlight.

Just as she was about to stand, she felt a warm, furry touch against her ankle.

A small, bushy orange cat lay curled up by her feet, its dainty white paws resembling tiny, perfectly crafted socks.