Chapter 636: Dragon
Looking at the silver-haired princess pressing down on her, Lyra’s hand, which had been embracing Astrid’s waist, quietly slid lower, reaching between the soft bed and her knees clad in delicate black stockings. The sword-shaped light mark engraved on her index fingernail faintly flickered.
The next second, a light gray scarf appeared before Lyra.
"This is..."
Astrid narrowed her eyes slightly upon seeing it. Her pink lips parted, then she heard Lyra add:
"It’s a scarf I knitted myself...also a gift for Astrid."
The one she loved was the Empire’s Regent, a noble used to luxury since childhood, her material needs were already thoroughly satisfied. She lacks nothing she might desire.
So when it came to giving gifts, Lyra preferred expressing her feelings, small trinkets she made by stringing together shells and pebbles, gloves or scarves for warmth, things like that.
Of course, the main reason Lyra chose a scarf as a return gift was because of Astrid’s gesture when she left, wrapping the scarf around Lyra.
Back then, Astrid had seemed less mischievous than usual, radiating gentleness down to her bones.
Astrid reached out and lightly touched the scarf. Perhaps because it had been kept inside the Sword of Light, the soft fabric still carried a lingering warmth, like the warmth Lyra had left behind while knitting.
She gently sniffed with her delicate nose, faint traces of the giver’s personal scent remained, reminiscent of peach blossoms, yet also slightly citrusy.
"I really like this gift," Astrid said.
Hearing praise from her beloved, Lyra’s eyes sparkled brightly, and the corners of her lips lifted unconsciously.
"Then... Can I wrap it around you?"
"Okay~"
With that gentle reply, Lyra picked up the scarf and gently held its two ends, looping it around Astrid’s long, fair neck.
Feeling a slight tickle on her skin, Astrid leaned her body forward again, making it easier for Lyra’s hands to pass through her silver hair instead of wrapping both hair and person into the scarf.
Due to the positioning, a normally simple act was stretched out for several long minutes.
When it finally ended, gazing at the elegant silver-haired beauty before her, her cold softened by the gray scarf revealing only her snow-white, delicate face, though her smooth, slender neck was now hidden, the long, lustrous silver hair cascading over the upper layer of the scarf effectively compensated, lending Astrid’s inherently cool fashion style a touch of warmth.
"Astrid... truly, no matter how I look at you, you’re always so beautiful..." Lyra murmured softly, her legs covered in fine white stockings gently pressing together.
She was absolutely perfect in Lyra’s eyes...
No, rather, in the eyes of the general public...
After all, her beloved was the empire’s universally acknowledged first beauty, personally appointed by both the former and current emperors, admired by countless nobles.
Hearing Lyra’s praise, Astrid blinked, then brought her face even closer to the pink-haired girl’s shoulder, gently kissing Lyra’s cheek.
"You’re beautiful too, Lyra."
"My dear personal knight, your personality, appearance, and abilities are all flawless."
No wonder she was drawn to Lyra. A near-perfect girl like this probably only exists in novels.
Feeling her lover’s smooth lips glide across her skin, Lyra’s face turned even redder. Then she heard Astrid speak.
"Lyra came back to give me a gift, but I haven’t prepared anything..."
"My dear, is there anything you’d particularly like?"
On one hand, Astrid hadn’t known when Lyra would return; on the other, she truly hadn’t expected Lyra to bring her a gift, especially one handmade, woven with love.
Upon hearing this, Lyra slightly tilted her head and spoke softly.
"I don’t really want anything."
As for gifts, Lyra couldn’t think of anything she particularly desired, her parents could already live in a big house and no longer needed to work so hard every day. As for herself, she didn’t have many special hobbies; just reading books, meeting her beloved, walking around the city, Lyra was content.
Astrid listened, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. She propped herself up with both hands on either side of Lyra’s neck, speaking softly.
"Really... you truly want nothing at all?"
Her delicate fingers shift, lightly brushing against the pink-haired girl’s skin. Seeing her beloved so close, Lyra, whose heart was already continuously heating up, blushed deeper at her ears, softly replying:
"Mm... as long as I’m with Astrid..."
"...I’m happy."
Although she would be delighted to receive a gift from Astrid, considering her lover’s political status and the immense effort required for daily duties, Lyra hoped Astrid could reserve more time for rest rather than forcing herself to spend excessive energy on gifts.
Lyra neither wanted nor needed her partner to prove love through methods that overly apply daily life.
Gazing into Lyra’s clear, bright blue eyes, Astrid vaguely understood her meaning. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as her left hand stroked Lyra’s face.
"Alright, I think I understand."
Astrid’s voice was alluring. Before Lyra could speak, she continued.
"The gift Lyra wants... is me."
"..."
Although her previous words, when fully interpreted, did carry exactly that meaning, the way Astrid spoke and the expression she wore now seemed to carry additional implications.
After a pause, pretending not to understand, Lyra softly hummed in agreement, her cheeks as red as evening clouds.
"Astrid herself... is already an amazing gift to me..."
Nothing could surpass Astrid’s companionship and love.
Hearing this, Astrid fluttered her eyelashes slightly, then lowered her warmth, fragrant body completely, gently pressing against Lyra and whispering into her ear.
"Then I’ll spend some good time thinking about it... about how to adorn this gift with exquisite ribbons."
"So that when Lyra unwraps it... she’ll feel even more anticipation..."
The sultry, low voice echoed beside Lyra’s ear, making her entire body melt with weakness.
Realizing she was about to be teased again, Lyra quickly wrapped her arms around Astrid’s waist and back. Her white-stockinged legs, half-leaning against the bed, also tense, coiling like a snake around the equally smooth black silk, restraining the other not to take advantage.
If the empire’s succubus in front of her kept teasing her a few more sentences, Lyra would surely lose all composure. In a few more hours, neither of them will be able to leave this soft, spacious bed.
After feeling the soft warmth in her arms, the alluring fragrance permeated the air, like a prelude to what was about to unfold.
A brief separation surpasses a new honeymoon; having fun thoroughly could wait. Save that for when night falls.
Now, it’s time to discuss serious matters.
On the verge of igniting passion, Lyra bit her lip and spoke softly.
"Astrid... when I returned, something unexpected actually happened..."
"Did you... get hurt?"
"No, I met someone I didn’t expect."
Hearing Astrid’s concerning words, Lyra swallowed her saliva, shook her pink hair, and moistened her throat before speaking.
"Do you know about the northern regions, Astrid? The areas the imperial vanguard hasn’t yet explored?"
"About the intelligent races active in cold regions, for example, dragons and ice-elemental beings."
Lyra had only seen them in books before, until she personally encountered Theresa.
Astrid nodded upon hearing this: "I know a little, though probably not much more than you do."
Besides the necessary knowledge for studying various languages, Astrid had also read somewhat about the development histories of other races, partly for future continental travels.
In the empire’s north, dragons soared, and magical beasts roamed everywhere. It was a cruel arena, yet also the homeland of intelligent dragons.
That Lyra suddenly brought this up, could she have encountered something?
Just as her thoughts began to stir, Astrid heard Lyra calmly recount the series of events that happened before her return to the capital.
"On my way back from Morin Village to Capital City, I followed the flight path provided by Miss Elise. On the first night, I arrived at the transfer city, Greens City, for a brief rest..."
"On the second morning, around a bit past eight, after a simple breakfast I continued flying southwest at high speed, at an altitude of about three thousand meters. That’s when I collided with a... blue dragon... flying at an even greater speed..."
The dragon’s complete form possessed enormous wings, its overall size not much smaller than the imperial palace. Without using mental power to manipulate wind elements, merely flapping its wings once could generate airflow, propelling its body forward.
Listening to Lyra’s description of Theresa’s form, Astrid’s gaze gradually turned serious.
"You’re saying a dragon has appeared within the empire, without any official report?"
Under the circumstances of flight prohibition at the border, only intelligent races capable of flying at high altitudes without relying on elemental particles, relying solely on physical strength and suitable limbs, could slip into the empire unnoticed.
In that case, it wasn’t necessarily their defensive net that had failed.
Lyra nodded slightly upon hearing this, adding softly:
"Mm, she calls herself Theresa, and entered the human empire with friendly intentions."
"After meeting me, Theresa first expressed her apologies for trespassing into the national borders without permission."
From the first impression, Theresa gave Lyra a fairly good feeling, at least unlike many books described, she didn’t display arrogance toward all intelligent beings other than dragons.
After explaining to Astrid how Theresa could understand and communicate in the human common tongue, Lyra proceeded to fully reveal the other’s current situation.
"According to her description, she came all the way to the Valeria Empire because she sensed a powerful spatial fluctuation."
"Miss Theresa wishes to speak with the empire’s upper echelons, to discuss the magical principles behind the spatial fluctuations."
Spatial fluctuation?
Catching the keyword, Astrid narrowed her eyes, her red irises calmly reflected Lyra’s face.
As for spatial fluctuations, perhaps nothing was stronger than the half-destroyed spatial magic array she and Charlotte had experimented with before.
If the other wasn’t deceiving Lyra, then this blue dragon who called herself Theresa was very likely heading here for that reason.
Seeing Astrid fall silent, seemingly deep in thought, Lyra paused briefly, then continued.
"Then, Theresa demonstrated the dragon language magic of the intelligent dragon race. She reduced her massive body, transforming into a human-sized form."
"Out of safety concerns, I didn’t let Theresa enter the capital. I only allowed her to stay in a town near Capital City."
After all, Theresa was a dragon. If she lost control and unleashed her original form in the capital, the property damage alone would give Amalia a headache. Not to mention the possibility of casualties.
"..."
After brief contemplation, Astrid asked Lyra:
"What was your impression of her?"
Having gone through border wars and numerous trials, Lyra was no longer the naive, innocent girl she once was, she wouldn’t believe everything others told her.
As the first human to meet Theresa, the fated heroine around whom plots revolved, Astrid truly wanted to hear Lyra’s opinion.
"Theresa... since I met her on the first day, we’ve basically been moving together these past few days..."
"My impression of her isn’t bad. At least during this time, Theresa hasn’t harmed anyone. The food she eats is similar to ours, just in slightly larger quantities."
"As far as I can see now, she doesn’t seem like a bad person... um, bad dragon..."
Of course, Lyra also understood the principle that bad people don’t wear their intentions on their faces. Therefore, no matter what, she will always maintain a slight guard against Theresa.
Hearing Lyra’s opinion, Astrid pondered briefly, then asked about the strength of Theresa’s aura.
"As for magical aura... she’s probably equivalent to a middle tier Arcanist mage..." Lyra answered.
Even for a dragon, whose physical capabilities far exceeded humans, this level of strength wouldn’t seriously threaten Lyra, who wielded the Sword of Light, or Astrid herself, who had just broken through in strength.
Moreover... her lodging was located near the capital...
With Amalia, Elise, Charlotte, the imperial steward Trin, and Academy Head Anthony all present, even if Theresa was hiding her true strength, she couldn’t possibly defeat all of them.
"..."
"I see."
Rising from atop Lyra, her black-stockinged legs, wrapped in soft, snow-like silk, naturally knelt on either side of her slender waist. Astrid’s hand slides across Lyra’s smooth abdomen, speaking softly.
"If Theresa is so eager to speak with the empire’s upper echelons, then we shouldn’t turn away a distinguished guest’s wishes."
"Let’s go talk. We have time. I’ll arrange for someone to inform Amalia right away."
Doing something first and reporting later, this kind of thing, throughout the entire empire, only the Regent Princess dared do. But then again, the current Empress was truly obsessed with her sister; Even if Astrid wanted to take her throne, Amalia wouldn’t refuse.
"Eh, now?"
"Of course."
Finishing her words, Astrid gazed at Lyra, whose cheeks still bore traces of redness. A smile curved her lips as her fingers slid upward again.
"Or... does Lyra want me to stay and keep you company a bit longer, be a little delightful?"
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