Chapter 401: Dominance
Perhaps due to the grim atmosphere along the border affecting the climate, or maybe simply because cold air from the northwest mountains arrived slightly faster than usual, this year’s drop in temperature began earlier than ever in the Valeria Empire. By late December, a snowfall thick enough to submerge an adult’s lower legs blanketed the entire capital city.
This wasn’t the first snow of the year, but it was by far the heaviest.
Lyra sat at her desk, intently flipping through the parchment book in her hands. Beneath the table, two legs wrapped in thick white stockings stretched out straight, her delicate, delicate ankles crossed and occasionally swaying slightly in rhythm with her fingers turning pages.
Strictly speaking, Elizabeth Academy of Magic hadn’t yet reached winter break, but both Lyra and Astrid had finished their required courses. Since their residence was close to the academy and considering Headmaster Anthony was currently absent from the capital, leaving no one to maintain the magical array hurriedly mana recovery, they had decided to return home early.
The fire-element crystal operated quietly, allowing a steady warmth to seep through the walls into the room. Despite the freezing world outside, this small corner owned solely by Lyra remained as warm as eternal spring.
Papers rustled softly, mingling with the girl’s steady, prolonged breathing. Occasionally, faint sounds of silk fabric rubbing echoed through the bedroom, like pebbles dropped onto a calm lake, causing slight ripples.
Recently, Lyra had sold out many of the magical ingredient rewards granted to her as champion. Even though most had already been sent home via Astrid’s couriers, the remaining money was still more than enough to purchase several properties within the capital.
Yet, Astrid and Lyra had silently skipped over that topic, and the latter continued living in the Third Princess’s quarters, the very room where they’d first met.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the yellowed parchment. After a moment, she traced a spell formation in the air according to the text, losing track of time. Lyra finally looked up at the clock. Her soft, smooth white-stockinged feet fluttered as they searched for slippers beneath the desk. She slipped them on, stood, and walked to the window.
Snow still fell outside, large flakes like goose down drifting lazily over the capital. In sight, several pointed-roof palaces were covered in scattered jade-like snow, icicles shaped like sharp cones hung from eaves, and misty snow veiled the sunlight, lending it a hazy quality.
Lyra stood by the window, staring at the frost patterns formed on the glass. She lightly wiped the surface, the spreading moisture soaking into her fingertip and sending a distinct chill through her skin.
In the palace’s rear garden, a uniquely shaped snowman stood on the lawn. Branches formed its arms, a carrot served as its nose, and its face pointed outward from the palace.
Fourth Princess Amalia was not only skilled in painting but also seemed to possess considerable talent in sculpting, she even managed to make a snowman far more refined than an ordinary person’s. Not satisfied with just building it, she had actually carved stones to form clothes and a scarf.
Staring at the snowman for a while, Lyra seemed to see the image of two figures standing in the snow after breakfast that morning. Her blue eyes softened, then quickly shifted to contemplation.
Registration for Elizabeth Academy of Magic’s student graduation arrangements for next semester had already begun. The academy required students to submit their chosen programs before leaving for winter break, selecting one to three out of the three available evaluations, to facilitate entry into the subsequent graduation process.
In other words, Lyra didn’t have much time left to decide.
She exhaled softly. A faint mist formed on the windowpane in front of her. Lyra reached out again to wipe it, the transparent glass now reflecting her own silhouette.
Back then, facing Iris, she had broken through mid-battle during the competition, advancing from a peak tier Sorcerer to an early tier Magnus, and decisively defeated her opponent to claim the championship.
Now, over a year had passed, and she had barely advanced one minor tier, her magical rank had just reached middle tier Magnus.
From early tier Apprentice to peak tier Sorcerer, counting the foundational period when she served as the Third Princess’s maid, Lyra had achieved this leap of six minor tiers and one major tier in less than two years. But the transition from Sorcerer to Magnus had stalled her for nearly a year.
The higher the rank, the closer one approaches the essence of magic. The effort and time required to climb further increased accordingly. Even Princess Isis, who possessed royal blood, was merely an early tier Magnus at Lyra’s current age.
Lyra even had the vague feeling that, at her current rate of mana renewal, it might take several more years just to reach peak tier Magnus. As for the even stronger Arcanist Mage, without decades of cultivation, such a level seemed impossible to attain.
Astrid was right, she excluded neither book knowledge nor understanding of light magic. What truly limited Lyra were experience, wisdom, and the slow, step-by-step enhancement of her mana capacity.
"..."
As she pondered, a gust of wind swept snowflakes against the window. Lyra snapped back to the warm interior, suddenly feeling a deep yearning well up from within.
Astrid’s nap should have ended by now... so what was Princess Astrid doing at this moment...
She wanted to see her.
The thought flashed through her mind. Lyra glanced at the open parchment book on her desk, gently biting her lower lip with small, pearly teeth before silently making a decision.
Just to take a quick look...
Stepping outside, the temperature dropped slightly, but thankfully Lyra was wearing a sweater and thick white stockings on her legs, so she didn’t feel cold.
First, she asked the head maid and learned that Astrid had woken up. Lyra then stood at the door, gently knocking.
"Who is it?"
"Astrid, it’s me."
Hearing the girl’s soft reply, Astrid lightly brushed the silver hair before her chest and rubbed the smooth, delicate cheek of the little girl in her arms.
"Come in."
The door opened. Lyra’s first sight was the black-haired little girl clinging to Astrid.
Amalia’s arms encircled Astrid’s waist, her pretty face pressed tightly against the front of the other’s nightgown. From Lyra’s angle, Amalia’s face was obscured, she could only see their tangled hair.
As for Astrid, the Imperial Princess wore a close-fitting pure black lace nightgown today. Since the room was equipped with a fire-element crystal, the temperature was comfortable, so the style she wore was relatively light and bold, a strapless type. Two thin black straps hung from Astrid’s rounded, smooth shoulders, revealing delicate collarbones and snowy skin.
Such a vivid, sensual scene alone was enough to quicken Lyra’s heartbeat. But when she noticed the faint marks on Astrid’s neck and the slight flush on her cheeks, her throat suddenly felt dry.
This is... they did something...
Wasn’t she supposed to be taking a nap?
Lyra’s ears burned at the realization that had surfaced from her dreams. Her legs instinctively pressed together as she hastily shook off those chaotic thoughts.
Maybe they just hugged tightly, so she got warm and blushed. As for the hickey on her neck, Princess Amalia had always been clingy with her older sister, she knew that much.
That should be a reasonable explanation, right?
Seeing Lyra standing motionless, Astrid gathered her hair behind her head and slowly sat up.
"Did you need something?"
Still groggy from her nap, Astrid’s mind wasn’t fully alert yet. She needed time, or a cup of strong tea, to properly wake up.
Hearing the question, Lyra pursed her lips and answered quietly.
"Not really. I was just curious about what Astrid was doing."
"Just that?"
"Mm-hmm."
She certainly couldn’t bluntly say she missed her.
Meanwhile, upon hearing her sister’s conversation with Lyra, Amalia raised an eyebrow but didn’t react outwardly. She merely loosened her arms around Astrid’s waist slightly.
The silver-haired girl let out a soft "oh" and then lifted the blanket. Two slender legs slide down beside the bed, her bare feet stepping onto the soft carpet.
On the table was strong tea prepared earlier by the head maid. Astrid picked it up and took a sip. As the warm liquid passed over her tongue and down her throat, her sluggish mind finally began to gather itself.
"Has the snow outside stopped yet?" Astrid asked.
Lyra shook her head. "Not yet."
Although she hadn’t gone outside personally, judging by the intensity, the snow would likely continue for a long time, possibly not stopping even by nightfall.
Astrid nodded slightly and continued sipping her tea with her head lowered.
She had originally planned to visit Lydia in the afternoon, have some tea, chat about her serialized work, and perhaps learn about the recent relationship between the Velmont family and the Finance Minister. Since the snow hadn’t ceased, those plans would have to be temporarily shelved.
An uncommon heavy snow also brought Astrid rare leisure.
With nothing pressing, staying in a warm room and enjoying a moment free from social obligations and deep thinking, just for herself, wasn’t a bad idea either.
"Lyra, do you have anything else planned?"
"Ah?" Lyra blinked, then quickly replied.
"I don’t think so."
She had been studying ever since she finished building snowmen with Astrid that morning. Aside from meals and her nap, she’d only had brief breaks when using the restroom.
Following Astrid’s previous advice, maintaining intense study for too long would overstrain her spirit, which was actually counterproductive for growth. So Lyra had planned, after seeing Astrid, to return and pass some time reading a novel.
"If you’re free..." Astrid touched around, spotting the long-unopened "Landlord" game on her desk. She spoke softly.
"Do you want to play a round of Landlord later?"
Now that she thought about it, it had been a long time since they’d sat down together for a game.
Hearing Astrid’s suggestion, Lyra bit her lip, glanced at Amalia still in the bed, and whispered, "Sure"
She quite enjoyed playing it, but had never had the time or enough people to gather.
Astrid nodded, set down her teacup, and gently parted her pink lips.
"Then, Lyra, could you please call Elise? We’ll play here."
"I’ll go wash my face and put on my socks."
Almost immediately after speaking, Astrid paused, then added,
"If you’re free, could you also help me fold the blanket?"
There wasn’t a suitable table in the room to lay out the Landlord game. Sitting on the carpet wasn’t convenient either. After considering various options, the bed seemed the most suitable.
After all, Amalia’s first time playing had also been on the bed.
Lyra softly hummed in agreement, then watched as Amalia and Astrid left the room and headed to the nearby washroom.
Her gaze returned to the large bed before her. The pure white cotton blanket, trimmed with golden threads, lay quietly in place, resembling a soft marshmallow.
Lyra summoned her courage and reached out, feeling the lingering warmth inside the blanket. Combined with the faint scent of body perfume in the air, her palm grew slightly warm.
Perhaps a shift in mindset had triggered physiological changes.
Back when she first became a maid, she hadn’t found these tasks so embarrassing, nor had touching Astrid’s personal belongings caused such intense shyness.
Under the bad woman’s subtle influence, Lyra was no longer the innocent girl she used to be.
She had... completely returned to that past self no longer...
...........
Ten minutes later, in Astrid’s bedroom, the bed had been neatly folded, leaving a large open space for activity.
Astrid and Lyra sat facing each other. To the side were Amalia and Elise, with the Landlord game board and various event cards spread out in the center.
Thanks to Astrid’s multiple subsequent improvements to the map sections and the addition of numerous unexpected events, the game has become far more interesting and unpredictable than before.
Apparently, Astrid even planned to publish it in newspapers and sell it to other nobles in the near future.
Lyra pressed her knees together, her waist slightly bent as she wrapped her arms around her two soft, smooth white-stockinged legs. Her gaze fixed on the silver-haired girl directly opposite.
Astrid still wore the same pure black silk nightgown, although her lower half was no longer bare, instead, she wore two thin black thigh-high stockings. It was an unspoken rule of Valeria nobility etiquette: except for sleeping, one should wear socks when sitting on someone else’s bed, avoid direct skin contact with their bedding.
Yet Astrid strictly followed this even on her own bed, her politeness and dignity were truly engraved in her bones.
Silently marveling, Lyra picked up her wooden figurine and gently placed it on the starting point. The back of her hand accidentally brushed against Amalia’s fingertip as the latter simultaneously placed her game piece.
Lyra lifted her eyes, instinctively glancing at the black-haired little girl beside her.
Amalia merely blinked calmly, said nothing, and then leaned even closer to Astrid, almost as if claiming ownership, despite already being pressed tightly against her sister.
Due to her "duck-sitting" posture, as the distance closed further, the cold, aloof little girl’s white-stockinged feet, covered in sheer silk pressed against Astrid’s leg, then naturally draped over her ankle. The stark contrast of white and black was particularly noticeable.
Seeing this, a mischievous thought instantly flashed through Lyra’s mind.
Is this... a display of dominance towards her...