Princess's Struggle for Survival

Bright lights overhead. Nearly every inch of her body was soaked in the warm pool water, and behind her came a touch as soft as cotton candy, accompanied by faint, intoxicating feminine fragrance that slipped into her nose.

There was probably nothing more comfortable than the environment Lyra was in right now.

"Mmh..."

Hearing her lover’s words, the pink-haired girl replied softly. Her arms sank into the water, letting the warm current wash over her skin. A few strands of pink hair that hadn’t been caught by her ribbon fell to the surface like cherry blossoms dropping from the tip of a branch.

Astrid didn’t press closer. She simply slid the hands that had been holding Lyra upward, crossing her smooth lower abdomen and the obvious rise of soft fullness, until her arms came to rest at her lover’s neck, forearms circling forward to hook back over her collarbones.

This way, Lyra didn’t feel tightly restrained, yet she could sense Astrid’s presence to the fullest, especially those two places pressing firmly against her back. She didn’t even need to turn around; just from their shape and softness she could tell how richly, snow-white perfect they were.

"Stay a bit longer before we go to rest," Astrid murmured.

Lyra gave a small nod. Her long lashes gathered a mist of water vapor, making her clear, sapphire-blue eyes look even more dewy.

Soaking in the steaming hot spring, feeling as if every cell in her body were breathing, Lyra thought again of the first few days after she’d arrived in Capital city. Back then, the maid’s room Astrid had reserved for her had a bathtub too, just much smaller than this man-made hot spring.

Even so, that kind of mana-powered device, something installed only in noble estates, had still given Lyra, who’d never enjoyed high-end treatment, a small shock of "upper-class society."

The water didn’t need to be heated or refilled. With a fire-element crystal controlling the temperature, it can stay at a comfortable level for the human body indefinitely.

If the future really turned out the way Astrid said, if element crystals became cheap with the continuous progress of magic studies, and mana appliances became widespread in towns and villages, then most people would be able to enjoy the satisfaction she felt at this very moment.

"..."

No, that wasn’t entirely true.

After all, she had someone by her side who loved her, held her gently, and was both attractive and had a wonderful personality.

Sensing Lyra’s comfort, the relaxation hanging in the air not only wrapped around her but also flowed back to Astrid behind her. The silver-haired beauty curved her lips, her voice tender.

"Want to hear the rest of the story I didn’t finish last time?"

Aside from the bedroom matters that, once tasted, were easy to become addicted to, the imperial princess would often tell her exclusive little knight all sorts of strange, fantastical stories at bedtime, things the latter had never heard before.

Some were novels from a past life, never recorded in the Valeria Empire’s grand library. Some were masterpieces Astrid had read in earnest. Others were adaptations of history and myth, or the random chatters of online forums.

Thanks to the powerful mind of an Arcanist mage, Astrid could extract those fragmented memories buried deep in her soul and retell them in simple terms this world can understand.

At Astrid’s words, Lyra’s ears seemed to perk up, and an imaginary little tail that didn’t exist swished back and forth.

"Okay~"

But considering Astrid hadn’t rested for so long either, Lyra thoughtfully added,

"If Astrid doesn’t feel tired..."

Astrid had also taken part in the siege. The wounded had all been treated and were resting, yet only the Regent had stayed with her that long without sleeping.

"I’m not sleepy. At least, not right now."

As for soaking a bit longer in the pool... that was another matter. A gentle trap could bury heroes, lying in a springlike hot spring with a soft, fragrant beauty in her arms, drowsiness was only a matter of time.

With her arms around Lyra’s neck, Astrid continued in a soft voice from where the story had left off.

Without realizing it, the two of them leaned against the edge of the pool. Steamed by the hot water, Lyra’s face turned a little red; her fair, delicate features looked as if covered in a layer of sunset glow.

Perhaps because her skin was naturally cold-white, Astrid looked much better, only faintly flushed. Her vivid red eyes were damp with moisture, strikingly alluring.

As they lost in story, Lyra turned in Astrid’s arms at once, intending to give warmth, only to overlook the awkwardness that could be caused by turning rashly in this posture.

Just now it had fit perfectly against her back. But as Lyra sank her face lower, it could only press against the back of her head. With the distance from the water unchanged, turning her head now meant she fell straight into cotton.

In an instant, her vision was blocked. Warm softness filled her skin. The next second, realizing what had happened, Lyra’s face went scarlet. Her gaze lifted, catching the faint light filtering down and Astrid’s red eyes watching her with a half-smile, her language module crashed on the spot.

"Lyra... you really like doing this, don’t you..."

"..."

Lyra truly hadn’t intended to bury her head completely underwater and become a fish that breathed through gills, but at this moment... she didn’t mind doing exactly that.

Especially because... there was actually a third person in this pool.

The waves her movement stirred spread outward, nudging the flower petals floating on the surface to drift like little boats. Hearing Astrid’s side fall silent, Elise slowly opened her eyes, only to see Lyra, hair half-loosened, burying her face in the imperial princess’s chest.

"..."

Miss and Countess Lyra really do have... quite the refined interest...

Elise closed her eyes and pretended she hadn’t seen anything. She maintained her posture and stopped paying attention to the other end of the pool, avoiding unnecessary awkwardness.

Given what she knew of Astrid, inviting her into the hot spring to bathe together probably wasn’t for indulging any strange fetish.

Meanwhile, Lyra almost completely lost the ability to think. She didn’t even know why, but from Astrid’s embrace she actually felt a hint of maternal presence.

Then, one sentence from the silver-haired succubus dragged her back to reality.

"If you’re thirsty, Elise brought in black tea... and also..."

"There’s milk in it."

Astrid deliberately drew out the last word, as if hinting at something. Lyra immediately felt the pool turn hotter, and her head felt steamed until it was going huff huff huff.

No, no, she hadn’t done it on purpose.

How could that be? It was a misunderstanding. It wasn’t what Astrid thought.

Her hand under the water tried to brace against the tiles, but first it touched Astrid’s legs, smooth as jade. The silky, delicate feel flowed across her fingers, further igniting Lyra’s temperature.

Powered by a shame so strong it felt like it would jump out of her chest, Lyra pushed herself up from her previous posture, her collarbones rising above the water.

And then there was no "then."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. The allure in her smile didn’t fade at all. She even leaned forward ever so slightly, slightly nudging the pink-haired knight.

Astrid knew exactly what kind of person Lyra was, this adorable little maid was a pure-hearted girl who would blush and make her heart race just from watching Astrid change clothes.

Feeling the girl’s delicate body tremble with her movement, Astrid lifted a hand in the reflection of those watery blue eyes and picked up the porcelain cup beside them.

"Here... the black tea Lyra wanted..."

She brought it to Lyra’s lips. The knight’s face was still burning, her lips tightly pressed together; only when the rim touched did she part them slightly.

Astrid fed her a few sips. Lyra’s heart thudded wildly. Seeing the pleasure in Astrid’s eyes, she realized Astrid hadn’t misunderstood at all from the start, she’d just wanted to watch her squirm.

With blood rushing fast, Lyra’s head grew even hotter. The fragrance of black tea lingered between her lips and teeth, along with the delicate mouthfeel of dairy. The hand that had touched Astrid’s leg slid upward, bracing against the marble wall behind Astrid’s back. Then, suppressing the flutter brought by the soft contact in front of her, she leaned in and kissed.

Astrid’s personality was too nasty... always bullied her like this...

If she didn’t do something, Astrid would only get worse in the future.

With that thought, ripples spread across the hot spring, one circle after another.

No one knew how long it passed. When the teapot was emptied and the hot-spring-and-story segment ended, Lyra and Astrid lay down in the room the head maid had earlier had servants prepare, adjusting their biological clocks slightly.

Thinking back to their intimacy in the pool, only one step away from deeper contact, even Lyra herself felt unfamiliar with how bold and proactive she’d been.

Maybe... she’d been shaped into this by being bullied by Astrid for so long...

She wasn’t some girl who could only blush and get shy when teased.

Feeling the soft bedding touch her skin, lying on the bed after bathing, the comfort of soaking in warm water seemed to continue, still lingering all around her.

Lyra took the initiative to part her long, slender, pale legs and gently clamp them around Astrid.

No matter what... her stress really had been swept away by this hot spring trip...

Now, it was time to sleep.

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