Since last night, the topic of conversation between Charlotte and Astrid has been about trivial matters and magical knowledge, then the moment the former mentioned Prince Lucas, the scope of their conversation subtly expanded to the political level.
Although Astrid is informal in many ways, she often thinks about her future.
Once the backer of Emperor Hibbort abdicates, her position will become extremely awkward.
First, she has no blood relation to the royal family, and second, she holds no hereditary title.
She must find her next object of attachment in advance to continue enjoying the glory and wealth she has today.
Among the two contenders for the throne, Lucas is close to Astrid because he has lived in the imperial capital for a long time.
Charlotte knows that Lucas is narrow-minded, tyrannical, and greedy, and is definitely not a good investment target.
Therefore, she does not support Astrid having too much communication with him.
As for the second prince, Alistair, Charlotte doesn't have much contact with him and doesn't know his true intentions, so she has always been reserved about him.
"Lady Charlotte, you don't want me to see him often?" Astrid asked softly.
Charlotte nodded, her expression serious. "Prince Lucas is not a good person to deal with."
She seriously suspected that Astrid's past arrogance was learned from him.
Listening to Charlotte speak like an overprotective mother, warning her not to associate with troublesome individuals, Astrid curled the corners of her lips and once again felt Charlotte's care for her.
The original Astrid actually had many advantages: Emperor Hibbort doted on her, the almost perfect and loyal maid Elise served her, and Countess Charlotte cared for her like her own daughter.
However, Astrid's actions had gradually chilled the hearts of those around her.
"I understand, Lady Charlotte," Astrid replied in a serious tone, her bright red eyes reflecting Charlotte's face.
Feeling the cold demeanor of the girl in front of her, so different from before, Charlotte was momentarily lost in thought.
She quickly snapped out of it, amused at herself for being so serious in front of a junior.
But... Astrid has changed a lot. This change is not only physical but also psychological.
She has become more mature and stable.
Noticing that Charlotte had been staring at her in a daze, Astrid spoke up at the right moment to interrupt her thoughts.
"Lady Charlotte, there's something I might need your help with."
Charlotte tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear and refocused her gaze. "What is it?"
"I'd like to borrow a group of maids from you to fill the vacancies in my maid team."
While she framed it as filling gaps in her maid team, Astrid actually intended to use them for tasks she couldn't handle personally.
Rather than training new maids from scratch or requesting help from Prince Lucas, Charlotte was clearly the better choice.
"It's a simple matter. I'll arrange it when I return to the manor after today's lessons."
Charlotte didn't think much of it. After all, Astrid, the pampered princess of the empire, would naturally feel uncomfortable without servants to attend to her.
"Thank you, Lady Charlotte,"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Charlotte shot her a resentful look, her eyebrows furrowing in displeasure.
"Little Astrid, saying 'thank you' to me?" the woman said in a coquettish tone.
Astrid fluttered her eyelashes a few times and whispered, "My mistake for saying the wrong thing."
"That's more like it."
After chatting casually for a while, half an hour passed in a flash.
When they arrived at the gates of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Charlotte stepped out of the carriage, and Astrid followed suit. She then returned to the carriage where Lyra and Elise were waiting.
"It's time to head back,"
Hearing this, Lyra glanced at Astrid, their gazes meeting briefly in mid-air.
A moment later, Lyra pursed her lips, lowered her head, and silently stared at the Mary Jane shoes in front of her with her sky-blue eyes.
"Miss Lyra, did you not sleep well last night?" Astrid noticed Lyra's lack of energy and asked in her usual cool tone.
After a brief pause, Lyra nodded and replied softly, "I didn't sleep much."
Her Royal Highness Astrid and Countess Charlotte had spoken so warmly to each other earlier... but with her, Astrid's tone was always so distant.
Realizing she was dwelling on something she shouldn't expect, Lyra's voice grew quieter and quieter, almost inaudible by the end.
Seeing Lyra's timid and fragile demeanor, as if afraid of being scolded, Astrid couldn't help but wonder if she had been too harsh on her lately.
"Then rest well when we return to the palace. Practicing absentmindedly will only waste my time and Elise's,"
As the faint scent of patchouli from Astrid's skirt wafted over, a subtle sense of loss flickered in Lyra's eyes, though she didn't even notice it herself. Her pink lips parted slightly.
"Yes, Your Highness Astrid."
Ten minutes later, the three of them arrived at the outskirts of the palace.
As soon as Astrid stepped out of the carriage, she saw someone she had no desire to encounter, Prince Lucas.
"Imperial Sister, we meet again," Prince Lucas greeted with a smile, his loose robe swaying gently in the breeze.
Astrid didn't believe for a second that this was a coincidence.
It was likely that Lucas's spies had detected her arrival in the imperial capital as soon as she entered.
"What a coincidence. Is the imperial brother heading out as well?" Astrid replied vaguely.
She knew that Lucas would be more than pleased to hear she had stayed overnight at Charlotte's manor and disembarked from the same carriage the next day.
After all, her reconciliation with Charlotte was something Lucas had likely been hoping for.
"Yes, there are some matters that require my personal attention on the outskirts,"
After the beginning of spring, a portion of the land near the imperial capital had suddenly become barren and difficult to cultivate.
Emperor Hibbort had entrusted Prince Lucas with the task of investigating the cause and resolving the issue within twenty-five days.
Today marked the twenty-second day of the deadline.
Although the land had shown some improvement, it had recently deteriorated again.
However, Lucas already had a plan in mind and wasn't overly concerned.
When he heard that Astrid had entered the imperial capital, he had waited at the palace gates for some time to intercept her.
"How did the banquet go? I imagine Countess Charlotte must have been full of praise for your gift, Imperial Sister," Lucas said with a smile, carefully observing Astrid's reaction for any useful information.
Astrid inwardly laughed at his probing.
She decided to play along, attributing her improved relationship with Charlotte entirely to the bottle of perfume.
"Countess Charlotte was so delighted with the perfume I made that she insisted I stay at the manor for an extra night," Astrid said with a faint smile.
"Before I left, she even enthusiastically gifted me a batch of maids to fill the vacancies in my team. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted them all."