Princess's Struggle for Survival

Chapter 617: City of Sky and Wind God

The next morning, upon realizing the warm presence in her arms was gone, Astrid slowly opened her eyes, greeted by specks of morning light filtering through the window.

Seated before a dressing table was a raven-haired beauty in a deep violet gown, leisurely tending to her long, flowing hair. Sunlight from outside cast upon her dark locks, making them shimmer with a silken, smooth luster that invited touch.

Warm sunlight, fragrant air, a peaceful morning, Astrid, just waking up, had no reason to shatter this tranquil atmosphere. She half-lidded her crimson eyes, her silvery-white hair cascading loosely over the pillow, while her pale, smooth legs stirred faintly beneath the sheets, still sensing the lingering warmth left behind by her aunt.

Through narrow slits of her eyes, she watched delicate hands gently pull up the layered, luxurious hem of the gown, revealing flawless, ivory-white legs bare beneath the fabric. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Perhaps the space beneath the dressing table was too confined for Charlotte to fully stretch her long legs. She slightly turned her body, positioning her voluptuous figure directly in the sunlight, and incidentally facing the bed. Her proud cleavage and full, uplifted curves pressed snugly against the leather seat underneath, accentuated by the form-fitting dress. A thin layer of light gilding her silhouette further enhances the exquisite charm unique to a mature woman.

Unaware that Astrid had woken, Charlotte bent forward slightly. Her ample chest swayed with the motion as her jade-like fingers grasped a length of silk, gently sliding it up her leg.

At once, the room was filled only with the soft, sensual sound of skin brushing against silk. Moments later, the lace top of the stocking tightened around her firm, elastic thigh with a faint rustle. In an instant, her straight, pristine legs were sheathed in delicate, sheer stockings. Light danced across the fine fabric, and the legs, now adorned with sheer silk, appeared even more enchanting than before.

With the meticulousness of a magic researcher, Charlotte smoothed out even the slightest wrinkle along her thigh. She gently swayed her legs, the whisper of silk against skin stirring something deep within.

After one final check of her hair, Charlotte slipped on her slippers and rose, picking up the slightly cooled tea. She walked softly to Astrid’s side and sat on the edge of the bed.

[My chambers will always keep a door open for you.]

Even saying something like that, Astrid really...

Just when she had finally calmed her heart and was ready to fall asleep, Astrid had to go and say those words at the last moment. Any hint of drowsiness disappeared instantly, replaced only by the pounding rhythm of her heartbeat.

Did she really look that much in need of affection?

Her silk-clad legs elegantly crossed, Charlotte placed the teacup down, her hand naturally resting on her thigh. She gently rolled her neck, allowing her smooth, dark hair to spill over the bed and lightly touch Astrid’s hand.

And... for some reason...

Last night, she had dreamed of that one time Astrid spent the night in her room.

At her private estate, on the morning after sunrise, the two of them woke up wrapped in each other’s arms. Still drowsy, Astrid had done that to her...

Astrid later explained it as a morning habit, she always gave her younger sister, the Fourth Princess Amalia, a good morning kiss. That morning, the person sharing her bed wasn’t Amalia, but Charlotte. In her hazy state, she hadn’t realized, and naturally leaned in and kissed.

If it had ended there, Charlotte might not have thought much of it. But in the dream, everything matched reality, except for that final moment when Astrid leaned in.

The intended spot, her forehead, had shifted to her equally soft, pink lips.

Magical studies on dream interpretation remain in their infancy. Charlotte didn’t know what it meant, but the moment she woke up this morning, she instinctively rushed out of bed and went straight to the washroom to freshen up.

In the past, she would have gotten up with Astrid and chatted for a while.

"..."

Was it because she now knew Astrid’s sexual orientation, that she began overthinking?

Or... was it that she truly wasn’t as easygoing as she appeared?

Gazing at the warm, golden sunlight illuminating the fine silk on her legs, every thread of the fabric clearly visible in her tea-colored eyes.

Don’t dwell on it. There’s work to do today.

Breathing in the faint fragrance in the air, Charlotte exhaled softly and turned to look at Astrid.

The silver-haired beauty lay half-bared, her delicate collarbone rising and falling gently with each breath. Her snow-white skin contrasted against the nightgown, with a faint pink mark along the edge.

Likely from last night’s intense scuffle at the entrance. The Empire’s First Princess was delicate, and her recovery was relatively slow, so traces still remain.

Feeling her eyes grow warm, Charlotte lifted her gaze, meeting a pair of glistening crimson eyes, like raindrops rippling across a still pond.

The light in the silver-haired girl’s eyes reflects her own face, just like the adorable little girl in a white nightgown from her childhood.

"Awake?" Charlotte asked softly.

Astrid nodded, her voice quiet.

"Mm. I’m awake."

"Have some tea then."

Okay.

After a few sips of hot tea, her mouth felt less dry. Charlotte watched Astrid’s lips, now even pinker from the tea, and murmured, her breath sweet.

"When did you open your eyes?"

"When Lady Charlotte was sitting there just now."

So Astrid has been awake since she started changing?

Charlotte blinked rapidly, her pink lips parting slightly.

"Peeking at a lady changing isn’t very ladylike, Little Astr."

Even she felt a little flustered.

Astrid faintly and placed her teacup back on the nightstand.

"It wasn’t on purpose."

"But... Lady Charlotte is just too beautiful. When I first woke up, I was dazed and couldn’t help staring..."

Had she been fully aware, Astrid would likely have considered her own orientation and chosen to avert her gaze.

Although they were close, there should still be boundaries, though sharing a bed perhaps erased most of that distance.

Charlotte chuckled softly, gently curling a strand of Astrid’s hair around her finger.

"There, there, I know Little Astr always has sweet words..."

"...Want to sleep a little more?"

No, I’ll get up.

"Alright. I’ll go find Elise and have her arrange breakfast."

With that, Charlotte left the room, leaving Astrid with full privacy to change.

After finishing her tea and getting out of bed, Astrid had just completed her morning wash when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Astrid said.

The footsteps were light, small heels tapping against the floor, graceful, clearly not Charlotte who’d just left.

"Sister... changing clothes?"

Amalia’s voice came from outside the wardrobe. Astrid softly hummed in response, then heard her sister speak again.

"Can... I come in?"

"..."

Astrid looked at herself in the mirror, just out of her nightgown, about to change into day clothes. She quickly slipped on an underdress.

"Come in."

So early? Probably here for her morning kiss.

At her words, the golden-haired, blue-eyed white-stockinged girl pushed the door open. Unlike Astrid, who was still changing, Amalia was already dressed, her pale blue ribbon, pure white princess dress, lace-trimmed long sleeves, and pristine white thigh-highs tied with blue bows at the top.

The only difference from usual was her pair of red, finely crafted patent leather shoes, shiny, round-toed, utterly adorable. With her soft, delicate silk-stockinged feet tucked inside, they looked like a pair of luxurious gift boxes holding a white chocolate cake.

Seeing the ravishing Regent of the Empire before her, Amalia fluttered her eyelashes, stepping closer, her little fangs peeking as she whispered.

"Sister... I want my morning kiss..."

Astrid, of course, didn’t refuse. She sat on the wardrobe chair, pulling the golden-haired princess into her arms and giving her a loving morning kiss.

A few minutes later, Amalia blushed, licking her lips slightly, her blue eyes shimmering with ripples, reflecting every movement of her sister.

In this state... one morning kiss just wasn’t enough...

Maybe... they could do some morning exercises together...

"Sister, let me help you put on your stockings~"

Amalia sat beside Astrid, pulling out the bottom drawer of the wardrobe, retrieving the suspenders and black stockings prepared earlier by the head maid, and gently laying them across Astrid’s snowy thighs.

"Just... like you used to do for me..."

................

After sharing breakfast with Amalia and Astrid in the palace, it was nearly time to go. Amalia headed to her study to attend to official duties, while Astrid escorted Charlotte to the palace’s internal mana workshop.

Although much smaller than her private estate outside the city, the workshop was reasonably well-equipped. Charlotte inspected it briefly, mentioning only the need for more staff, the rest was sufficient.

"Where are you headed next, Lady Charlotte?"

"To Elizabeth Academy of Magic to finalize my promotion, then back to the estate to continue developing mana devices."

With that, Charlotte handed Astrid the spatial ring she’d discovered the previous day, speaking softly.

"I’ll drop off those texts to Evelyn on my way to the academy. It’ll save Little Astr an extra trip."

Was that really the only reason? Or was she just trying to spare her the trouble?

Astrid pursed her pink lips slightly, replying gently.

"Then I’ll leave it to you, Lady Charlotte."

"I’ll keep up with the mana device project as well. As for that ancient human ruin..."

"If Lady Charlotte wishes to explore further, just send word. I’ll come immediately."

It wasn’t safe for her to go alone, even if Charlotte was a mid-tier legendary mage.

At the very least, she needed someone by her side who understood ancient languages and could adapt on the spot. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Charlotte nodded, exchanged a few more words with Astrid, then left the palace for Elizabeth Academy of Magic.

................

Several days later, on a certain morning, Astrid received partial translated texts from Evelyn.

Truthfully, the linguistics professor truly had an exceptional talent for translation. Previously, she’d deciphered the meaning of [fire] in Ancient Magic Language under world constraints. Now, within just a week, she had cracked the ancient human language.

Even with her great-grandfather Rowen Protheus’s translation methods as aid, and the fact that ancient human language closely resembles modern human speech, this was still a remarkable feat.

Along with the texts, Evelyn had included a few lines.

"If the Regent is interested, we could discuss the contents in greater depth at a later time."

"I am quite interested in their origins... and by you, Your Highness."

Some things never changed, she was still the same as she was before Astrid graduated. But now that Astrid was a married woman, she had no intention of paying a late-night visit to someone else’s residence.

How would she even explain it to Amalia? "Sorry, I can’t sleep with you tonight, I’m going to learn a foreign language at Professor Evelyn’s place"?

The girl would probably clench her teeth in misery and immediately start plotting ways to "assign tasks" to Professor Evelyn.

Sitting in her private study, Astrid gently crossed her black-stockinged legs. Her soft slippers dangled loosely from her toes, swaying gently with the motion of her legs, like a piece of rich, tempting dark chocolate.

She took a sip of tea from the cup handed by the head maid, then, facing the morning breeze, opened the book. The first page contains a disclaimer.

[Private translation by Evelyn Protheus. For reference only. Do not accept blindly. Readers are encouraged to think critically. Errors are inevitable, corrections welcome.]

[Primary method: Reverse inference from Modern Human Common Tongue, using character similarity and coherence testing. Contains significant subjective interpretation.]

Quite the thorough disclaimer.

Flipping to the second page, a perfect replica of the original book’s imprint appears, though the text underneath was now in the Human Common Tongue.

"A rootless city suspended above the earth, near the sun, morning winds, twilight, and stars, the Sky City."

"Centered on the World Tree, extending southwestward, somewhere high above the Western edge of the Endless Sea, residence of the Wind God, Veyrith."

"A city floating in midair, bearing no land, bound by no chains, sustained by divine omnipotence. The vast area around it is perpetually wrapped in flowing winds, which provides the force that keeps the Sky City aloft."

"Only during the brief transition between winter and spring, when earthly beings offer tribute to the gods, does the Wind Barrier of the Sky City temporarily lift. Only then may our travelers enter, record all they witness, and allow all to hold the magnificent City of Winds, and the great Wind God Veyrith."

"And then... witness the cruelty and indifference of the divine."