Because she was practicing in Astrid's room, Lyra avoided casting spells that were too destructive.
Instead, she focused on entry-level lighting techniques and similar functional magic, such as refractors and Lightning Paralysis.
"Your Highness, why is the spell of Lightning Paralysis more effective on living creatures than on blades or other inanimate objects?" Lyra asked, feeling the tingling sensation of Lightning on her arm.
She had just cast the spell on the bow of her clothes, but the result was unsatisfactory.
Astrid stroked her lips thoughtfully before quickly responding, "You can read this chapter along with the section on Lightning enchantment in the next few pages. Pay close attention to the differences."
The Elders Speech spell for Lightning Enchantment, which draws free Lightning elements from the environment and attaches them to steel, is fundamentally different from the Elders Speech spell for Lightning Paralysis.
The latter is chanted as "detonating the target's own particles of Lightning element."
In simpler terms, there are two key differences between these spells.
First, the source of the Lightning element: the enchantment primarily draws from the surrounding environment, while paralysis extracts it from the target's body.
Second, the enchantment focuses on attaching the Lightning element, whereas paralysis aims to instantly detonate the lightning static potential disorder generated by the Lightning element.
As someone who has received education, Astrid easily grasped the key distinctions by comparing the two lines of Elders Speech.
Lyra flipped back a few pages and cast the spell again, gradually uncovering some nuances.
"Your Highness Astrid, do living beings also have a Lightning element distribution within their bodies?"
Through elemental vision, Lyra observed her body filled with light blue and baby green elemental light, symbols of life and water, alongside the bright blue particles of Lightning elemental fibers.
"Of course, it exists, but it's often overshadowed by other stronger elements,"
Astrid extended her snow-white arm and softly chanted the spell for Lightning Paralysis.
Soon, Lyra saw bright blue particles appear on Astrid's arm, these Lightning elements emerged not from the environment but directly from within the arm.
"Do you understand now?" Astrid asked.
Lyra's mouth opened slightly, and she nodded in reply. "I see."
It was the first time she had realized that Lightning elements were present in the human body.
"Is it the same for other living creatures?"
"Yes, it's the same. Any creature capable of movement will have Lightning elements to some degree,"
Astrid then explained the key points of casting the spell to detonate Lightning elements using mental power.
Lyra listened intently, growing even more impressed as she absorbed the knowledge.
It's no wonder that in yesterday's competition, Princess Astrid completed the Lightning spell so quickly, successfully paralyzing her opponent in place.
She had really been holding back...
Following the steps Princess Astrid taught her, Lyra chanted the spell again.
This time, her mental power consumption was significantly reduced, and the spell's effect was much more pronounced.
She felt a sharp, needle-like sensation when she moved her arm, accompanied by a strong tingling feeling.
Next was the apprentice-level spell, the Water Flow Technique.
Lyra lay on her desk, carefully studying the cup of milk tea in front of her, trying to make it flow.
After a while, Elise knocked on the door and entered. She saw Lyra practicing magic at her desk and glanced at Astrid, who was sitting on the bed.
Astrid gave a slight nod, signaling that Elise could speak freely.
"Your Highness Astrid, the matter is done," Elise reported.
"How did they react?" Astrid asked.
"Perhaps because I was present, there was no noticeable response."
Elise was Astrid's most trusted head maid. Even if she made mistakes, the other maids dared not show any open dissatisfaction.
They were ordinary people with no background or power, and if they spoke ill of Astrid, they couldn't be sure they'd leave the palace unharmed.
"Well done, Elise. Thank you,"
"It's my honor to share Your Highness's burdens,"
Elise then delivered a message that Astrid hadn't anticipated.
"His Majesty learned that you had accidentally eaten seafood and has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. Additionally, he wishes to see you once you've recovered."
The "His Majesty" Elise referred to was none other than the Emperor of the Valeria Empire, the man at the pinnacle of power and the father of Prince Lucas, Hibbort Valeria.
"Father... wants to see me?"
"Yes, he is deeply concerned about Your Highness's health,"
The prospect of meeting the Emperor, a figure of such immense authority, made Astrid's expression grow thoughtful. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.
"I understand."
In Astrid's memory, Hibbort was a tolerant and affectionate father, but that kindness was reserved for the orphan who had lost her parents at a young age.
The true Hibbort Valeria was a decisive and iron-willed emperor. These two traits, kindness and ruthlessness, were not contradictory in him.
Dealing with such a person is far more exhausting than dealing with Lyra.
Fortunately, Astrid has always been highly favored by the emperor.
As long as she doesn't overstep certain boundaries, he will do his best to tolerate her.
After explaining the situation to Astrid, Elise returned to her room to wash up and rest. Lyra, too, was exhausted after a long day of practice and felt her mental power was nearly depleted.
She stood up to bid Princess Astrid goodbye.
However, as she reached the door, she paused, her hand resting on the handle without pushing it open for a long moment.
"Your Highness Astrid... May I ask you something?" Lyra began hesitantly.
"What is it?"
Lyra hesitated, searching for the right words.
"I wanted to know... What happened to the maids who did nothing wrong?"
She had overheard Elise earlier, and it seemed Astrid had taken some harsh measures against them.
"They were fined two months' salary," Astrid answered calmly.
"But... they didn't do anything wrong..." Lyra protested softly.
Hearing this, Astrid looked at Lyra with a hint of amusement, her voice crisp and clear.
"What are you implying, Miss Lyra? Are you trying to teach me how to handle my affairs?"
Her tone grew colder with each word, causing Lyra to tremble slightly. Unconsciously, Lyra's voice softened.
"I just think... they're innocent too..."
Some of the maids had no involvement with the ingredients or the bowl of pea soup, yet they were punished just the same. It didn't seem fair.
"Innocent?"
"Of course, I know some of them are innocent. But that doesn't change the fact that I had to take action."
Breaking away from Prince Lucas's political faction required careful maneuvering, and this was a necessary step in her plan.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Lyra's heart. Silently, she pushed open the door to leave. Just as she was about to step out, Astrid spoke again.
"Lyra, you'll understand why I did this in the future."
Perhaps someday, but not yet.