Chapter 677: I Wasn’t Using Water Magic

The night was deep. The doors and windows of the private home where Astrid was staying were shut tight; the howling cold wind stopped at the threshold, leaving only the occasional faint tremble of the transparent windowpanes to barely remind the travelers inside of its presence.

Small warming stones placed in the four corners of the bedroom continuously gave off heat, making the entire room warm and comfortable.

Under the dim light, a captivating silver-haired beauty sat at the edge of the wide bed.

The thin gauze nightdress she used to cover herself was semi-transparent, heavy enough up top to support the sheer fabric, while lower down it revealed a smooth, flat belly.

Bathed in the lamplight, it artfully showcased the wearer’s delicate, alluring curves; "voluptuous" and "slender," two words that should have contradicted each other, achieved perfect unity on the Empire’s number-one beauty.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra’s already-pressed-together knees drew even tighter.

Her snow-white silk-clad legs rubbed faintly against each other, making a pleasing sound in the warm room.

"W-what... touch what...?"

Her soft voice echoed through the bedroom, laying bare a young girl’s shyness and reserve.

If it were Amalia instead, faced with her deliciously alluring elder sister right now, she’d most likely have already spread her knees and climbed onto Astrid’s lap, two smooth, delicate white-stockinged feet pressed to Astrid’s thigh, letting her body feel as much of the other’s presence as possible.

Not like Lyra. Even after sitting beside her, she only dared rest her hand on the soft bedding, lightly touching the bright silver strands of hair scattered across the sheets.

She was afraid even moving her fingers might accidentally brush somewhere she "shouldn’t."

Astrid blinked her lashes a few times. Those red eyes brimming with seductive allure fixed on Lyra, watery light swirling within.

"Don’t you really like this?"

Before her words even finished, the woman’s hand slid down from her own leg, catching Lyra’s snow-white, delicate hand that had been gently combing through her hair. Feeling Lyra’s slender body shiver with it, Astrid’s lips curved slightly upward.

Then Astrid guided Lyra’s hand along the hem of her pure-black silk skirt and in, so that what had been exposed to the air was now likewise wrapped in a layer of thin black gauze.

On the back of her hand was the cool, satin touch transmitted through the nightdress. In her palm was a faint warmth, like a cloud, like jade; an exquisite blend of silky and soft.

Completely letting Astrid control her, the pink-haired girl’s pale fingertips pressed lightly on the ink-jade-like black-silk thigh under gravity.

Even through the veil, Lyra felt as though she could see the skin give slightly beneath her fingertips and rebound, showing not only fair tenderness, but remarkable elasticity.

For a moment, Lyra’s ability to speak short-circuited. Even after Astrid withdrew her arm, Lyra’s hand remained in that same position, lightly resting on her lover’s smooth, well-proportioned black-stocking thigh.

Because it was right at that near-absolute-territory spot, the left side of Lyra’s hand wasn’t covered by silk at all, but made direct contact with Astrid’s leg. most silk textures, the sensation of skin there was unlike clearer, and even smoother.

If she had to say... both were really comfortable. Each had its own strengths.

"..."

No, what nonsense was she thinking?

Lyra’s face, already burning from the moment Astrid took her hand, was now red as an apple.

Her other hand, which had been hanging by the edge of the bed, had somehow fallen between her legs; as her snow-white silk-clad thighs pressed tightly together, her right hand was firmly trapped.

It was just that, perhaps because she wasn’t focusing on it psychologically, the sensation was far less vivid than she left.

But that makes sense. Touching herself could never feel as intense as touching someone she liked.

The instant that thought surfaced, Lyra’s ears turned crimson. Overwhelmed by bashfulness, she completely stopped daring to look at Astrid, only lowering her flushed, pretty face to stare at the blanket in front of her.

Seeing Lyra like this, the smile in Astrid’s eyes deepened. Along with a refreshing, intoxicating fragrance, she leaned toward her lover of her own accord.

"How does it feel...?"

The moment the woman spoke, Lyra immediately felt a warm, scented breeze brush her earlobe.

Together with what Astrid had said when she sat down earlier, she was swallowed unconsciously.

What did "I was wearing it for you" even mean?

Astrid openly admitted that everything she was doing now was deliberate.

No, more than deliberate. Intentional. Purposeful. specifically to bully her.

Noticing Lyra’s blushing face, her constantly trembling lashes, and her gradually sliding throat, Astrid narrowed her eyes.

The arm she’d released earlier returned to her waist, once again covering the back of Lyra’s hand like before.

Only this time, she wasn’t interlacing their fingers and gently leading her.

She pressed close through the nightdress, letting Lyra feel more directly what her palm was touching.

And with that, the silky sensation from Astrid’s right leg became even sharper within the young Arbiter’s keen perception.

Just as Astrid had expected, Lyra’s waist stiffened instantly.

Even the pair of white-silk lotus feet that had been resting in slippers lifted slightly; the pure white fabric wrinkled at her delicate ankles, adding an inadvertent hint of realism.

And as her toes pushed against the sock surface, slipping away from the shoe sole, they revealed a tempting, pale-pink sole.

Perhaps because warming stones were placed in the room, the temperature was higher than outside.

Lyra had faintly broken into a light, fragrant sweat. Her legs beneath the white silk shows the faintest blush, like vanilla ice cream on the verge of melting.

When Lyra still didn’t speak for a long time, Astrid gave a soft hum.

"Mmh~"

That lazy, seductive tone paired with her provocative movements made Lyra feel as if ants were crawling wildly over her heart, her limbs both hot and itchy.

Closing her eyes, Lyra drew a deep breath. Her pink lips, kept moist by a tender tongue, parted slightly as her voice trembled.

"It... it feels really good..."

There was no denying it. As the brightest jewel of the Valeria Empire, every part of Astrid Calliste was flawless.

Especially since she was skilled at dress and presentation, combined with the noble temperament cultivated over years, she always kept herself in an impeccably graceful state.

Even now, sitting together on the bed and speaking private lovers’ words, the first impression Astrid gave Lyra, beyond allure, was still that bone-deep elegance.

Hearing Lyra’s answer, Astrid smiled sweetly. The bewitching curve at her lips deepened as her body tilted, letting her fullness press against the girl’s arm, still covered in pink-and-blue long sleeves.

"Then don’t be so reserved, Lyra."

"My dear knight~"

As she spoke, Lyra watched Astrid’s crossed lower legs. The black-stocking feet on the fluffy carpet shifted slightly, the soft instep brushing through a fine pile like two pieces of delicately textured Black Forest cake.

Then Astrid lightly used those ink-jade little feet to hook around Lyra’s ankles, like tying a pretty knot on the surface of cool ice cream, or like a pure-black butterfly settling on snow.

No matter how she looked at it, it was beautiful.

After that, all Lyra could hear by her ear was the faint sound of silk rubbing. Her heartbeat sped up in her chest, thump, thump, thump, as if it might jump out the next second.

If she didn’t do something, her partner might start thinking she was cold in that regard.

Not needing to worry about how she’d just removed her holy light armor, about the everyday clothes beneath, Lyra raised her watery blue eyes to the silver-haired beauty at her side. Her two white-silk snow legs slanted together, and she kissed her with force.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps Astrid liked her better like this too.

After all, so many strange things were taught to her bit by bit by this silver-haired princess right in front of her, through words and personal demonstration.

Like how the gift itself was wonderful, yes, but the exquisite wrapping, the layers of twine knots, and the card filled with blessings and affection were also an indispensable part of the whole process.

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

No one knew how much time passed.

When the sounds in the room finally died down, and after embracing her lover and lingering for a while, Lyra stored the short outer skirt scattered on the blanket into the Sword of Light.

Looking at the pure-white stockings at the corner of the bed where threads had been snagged, her cheeks, still not fully free of their blush, grew even more tenderly vivid. Her ears were red, she packed them away too.

When passion surged, it really was hard to control the strength. Even the poised, beautiful Princess Astrid had moments of losing composure.

After tidying the bed a bit and going to the washroom for a bath, the two of them relaxed and lay back down on the large bed, holding each other, though this house, like Duke Grant’s estate, lacking convenient magitech appliances, both Astrid and Lyra were powerful early tier Arcanist mages. Using water and fire elemental motes drifting in the air to make warm bathwater was hardly a challenge.

"Feeling more relaxed now?"

Looking at Lyra beside her, Astrid spoke softly.

On campaign, for ease in battle and to maintain a more imposing image, Lyra usually tied up her waist-length pink hair, sometimes in a ponytail, and hid herself in light Holy armor.

She looked thoroughly valiant, making it easy to forget she was only a young woman in her early twenties.

As for the Lyra sleeping with her now, not only had she removed that sacred armor, her entire body was left with only a pure-white nightdress.

Her soft, silky pink hair spread over the pillow; in her bright blue eyes there was no sharpness at all, only springwater-like tenderness.

"Mm..." Hearing Astrid’s question, Lyra answered in a small voice.

"After... doing that with Astrid... and then taking a bath, it feels like my body and mind are both so much lighter..."

Ever since Duke Charles left the main army and headed to Kaelrent City, the actual command of the entire army had fallen to Lyra.

As the supreme commander bore the lives of all officers and soldiers, the pressure Lyra faced was undoubtedly immense. Every decision, every order, could kill someone who shouldn’t have died.

Under such crushing weight, of course Lyra had little mood to get too deeply involved with her lover.

First, everyone was striving against the enemy, while she indulged frequently; she couldn’t sit right with it.

Second, some intimate acts between lovers, especially matters of the bed, truly consumed a great deal of time and energy.

From their time together in Capital City, once it started there was no telling when it would end, hours and hours of nonstop working, easily compressing sleep time.

She was an Early tier Arcanist and Crusader, with a strong physical constitution; it might not affect her work much the next day. But Astrid was a delicate princess, losing a few hours of sleep, and the next day she’d be truly tired.

A mage focused on the mind simply couldn’t compare to a knight in that regard.

Astrid knew this as well, so every night she only held the pink-haired girl and talked, using embraces and words to ease Lyra’s inner anxiety.

Tonight was their first such deep intimacy since the Valeria Empire’s expeditionary army surrounding Coldwind City. Unknowingly, hours had passed.

But the effect really was outstanding, Lyra felt all the pressure in her body melting away in her lover’s closeness.

Astrid blinked and said softly, "It shows. Lyra seems to really enjoy the Empire’s Regent personally serving her, so comfortable you’re speaking in fragments. I can’t even catch the full sentence."

Hearing Astrid, Lyra, fresh from the bath, lying in bed, pressed her lips together. The surging shame seemed to have been exhausted by earlier exertion; rarely, she asserted in a small voice.

"That... Astrid’s the same..."

Even Princess Astrid, who did everything as if nothing could ruffle her, had moments where she usually replaced words with breathy filler sounds, moments of emotions slipping out of control.

Although overall she herself surely performed worse, Astrid absolutely didn’t get away unscathed either. Those times when her black-stocking legs clamped tight at Lyra’s waist, and the toes braced hard to strengthen the sock tips, were proof.

Finding that the easy-to-bully pink-haired puppy had started to fight back, Astrid found it amusing, and her mischievous urge to bully her only intensified.

"Is that so?" she asked softly.

Lyra nodded like a woodpecker, earnestly. "Of course."

The truth proves that even someone as strong as Astrid wasn’t completely unbeatable.

Astrid’s smile deepened. Her snow-white face drew close, red eyes meeting Lyra’s at short distance. Then she parted her pink lips.

"Then I suppose it is..." She didn’t deny it, only added another explanation.

"But no matter how you look at it, it was Lyra being so weak that made me let my guard down... halfway through I almost thought you’d become distracted and used water magic. Turns out you weren’t."

"???"

So embarrassed by Astrid’s shameless words that her mind went blank, Lyra blurted out instinctively, "I wasn’t using any water magic!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lyra realized that saying it like that only made it weirder. Under the quilt, her smooth bare legs clamped even tighter.