Lucas, who did not know much about Charlotte and her people, was still indulging in the illusion that the other party might support his ascension.
He was completely unaware that Charlotte had repeatedly stressed to Astrid in the carriage that she should stay away from him, an arrogant prince who was narrow-minded and only knew how to fight for power.
"It seems that Countess Charlotte really likes the perfume you gave her..."
The corners of Lucas's lips were raised, and his short blonde hair shone in the light.
"I don't know if I have the honor in the future to also receive a gift made by my Imperial Sister herself."
'Of course, there will be gifts, but I am afraid that when the time comes, you may not be so happy to accept them.'
Astrid reached out to touch her lips, and her beautiful cheeks smiled lightly, "If I have the opportunity, I will definitely give my imperial brother a big gift."
For example, a ticket to a single room in Beléry Prison, complete with arm-thick silver leg cuffs and a luxurious package that drains all your mental energy.
The siblings exchanged a few pleasantries, and Lucas looked up and saw Lyra standing behind Astrid, his eyes filled with a hint of fire and greed.
It's been more than half a month, and Astrid hasn't gotten tired of playing yet?
Sensing Lucas's ill-intentioned gaze, Lyra lowered her eyes, letting her long pale pink hair cover her ears, and her snow-white legs quietly shifted closer behind Astrid.
"Is there anything important about the Imperial Brother's departure from the city this time?"
Astrid frowned imperceptibly at this, her voice still remaining sweet.
Hearing the voice, Lucas slowly withdrew his gaze from Lyra's cheek and touched the collar of his robe with his fingers, his tone unusually easygoing.
"Some time ago, father asked me to deal with the problem that the land in the suburbs is not suitable for farming. The situation had improved somewhat, but it has suddenly rebounded in the past few days."
"I need to go see what's going on there."
Many people know about this, and Lucas doesn't want to hide it from Astrid.
After all, the latter has never been sensitive to political matters and is still one of the supporters who want him to be on the throne.
If necessary, he had to arrange for Astrid to do some dirty work so that she could be firmly bound to his ship.
Hearing this, Astrid quickly put on a confused look, as if she understood but didn't fully comprehend. After a moment, she bowed her head slightly and responded softly.
"I see, the Imperial Brother is really working hard."
"The Imperial Sister is too kind. Sharing the worries of our parents is what children should do. Father has many responsibilities, so I should naturally share some of the burden for him."
Lucas seized the opportunity to deliver another high-sounding speech.
Astrid was inwardly annoyed but remained silent on the surface.
When the man had finished speaking, she replied with a few polite words.
Five minutes later, Lucas felt that he had stayed in the palace long enough.
He bid farewell to Astrid, got into the carriage surrounded by servants, and drove out of the city.
Looking at the small black dot that disappeared at the edge of her vision, Astrid's eyes deepened. She vaguely grasped some key information in her mind.
The original novel completely follows Lyra's point of view, and there are not many descriptions of Astrid and Lucas.
If it weren't for her changing the plot, the heroine of Destiny at this moment should have found a job baking bread with the help of Lina, working as a salesperson during the day and exercising her mental power at night.
She would not have had the opportunity to come into contact with too many royal secrets.
In the original timeline, during her year in the imperial capital, Lyra would often show kindness by giving out the unsold bread from the day to the wanderers for free.
At first, everything went well.
However, after a certain period of time, the number of wanderers on the streets dropped sharply.
Lyra was puzzled for a long time and conducted several investigations.
Finally, she learned a shocking truth from the mouth of a wanderer with a broken leg.
The wanderers who disappeared did not die of cold or starvation.
Instead, they were packed into sacks by a group of men dressed in black and transported out of the city at night, never to be heard from again.
At that time, Lyra had no power, no intelligence sources, and her own strength was insufficient.
She was unable to uncover this mystery early.
It wasn't until her second year at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, when Lyra was promoted to Grand knight, that a major event shocked everyone outside the imperial capital.
Several corpses were dug up from the ground on the outskirts, and Evil spirits roamed the fields, spreading panic and despair.
In less than a week, they slaughtered a dozen small nearby villages, causing the Emperor Hibbort to fly into a rage and dispatch his army to clean up the threat.
The clean-up operation lasted for a month. It wasn't until Lyra, accompanied by Charlotte, ventured underground that they finally discovered the source of the contamination in a giant lair.
It was a sarcoma-shaped monster composed of countless souls filled with deathly resentment.
Nourished by human essence and blood, it had become bloody and violent.
The thick tentacles on the surface of the sarcoma were enough to blot out the sky and sun once fully extended.
With the help of Charlotte and the rest of the soldiers, Lyra managed to slay the sarcoma and completely destroy its ability to regenerate using the magic of the Holy Light.
According to the timeline, this is likely the embryonic period when the monster had not yet fully developed.
The reason the land outside the city could not be cultivated was that once seeds were planted, they would be absorbed by the monster, preventing them from sprouting and growing.
Could it be that Prince Lucas failed to solve the problem within the specified time limit and then temporarily suppressed the sarcoma through some special means, leading to the eventual catastrophe?
The plot doesn't delve deeply into this part of the story.
It mainly serves to showcase Lyra's extraordinary talent in holy light magic.
It is precisely because of this incident that Lucas, as the mastermind behind the scenes, becomes one of Lyra's sworn enemies.
His accomplice Astrid is also implicated, though her involvement is minimal, and she ultimately ends up in prison.
Walking into the majestic Imperial Palace, the bright sun shone on the girl's long silver-white hair, giving it a soft, warm glow.
Astrid's steps grew heavier and heavier as her thoughts raced.
Considering all this, her speculation was not far from the truth.
Lucas must have discovered that using living creatures could temporarily enhance the fertility of the land.
As a result, he had been carrying out similar sacrifices to cover up his failure.
To him, nobles and commoners were two entirely distinct beings.
As for the wanderers who lived beneath them, in Lucas's eyes, they were nothing more than piles of rotting flesh wrapped in rags, worth less than a loaf of bread or a glass of cheap ale.