A Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Born into a poor family, Lyra had no extra money to hire a specialized magic teacher.

When she first gained access to magic, she accidentally purchased a magic book with missing pages and sections from a street stall.

Left with no choice, she had to slowly explore the unannotated parts of the book on her own.

Of course, self-study couldn't compare to learning under a teacher's guidance.

To compensate, Lyra privately prepared a notebook dedicated to recording the doubts and difficulties she encountered while practicing magic. She planned to consult a teacher once she entered the academy.

However, she never got the chance to meet a teacher, instead, she found herself detained.

"Did you have any difficulties learning magic?"

When Her Royal Highness Astrid asked her this, Lyra's initial excitement faded as reality set in. She recalled her meeting with Miss Lina earlier that morning. Lina had shared a lot of negative rumors about Princess Astrid, including the fact that she had voluntarily given up her admission to Elizabeth Academy of Magic because she was "too lazy to use her brain."

In other words, Astrid had never formally studied magic.

"Yes, there have been some difficulties," Lyra replied softly.

She assumed Astrid's question was merely casual.

"Can you be more specific?" Astrid pressed.

Lyra hesitated for a moment before recalling a persistent issue she had faced with a particular spell.

"I've been struggling with an entry-level spell called the Flowing Wind Guard..."

The Flowing Wind Guard was a spell that enchanted a weapon with wind elemental energy, making it easier to deflect stray arrows or parry attacks. Astrid had read about it in a wizard's primer but had never attempted it herself due to a lack of proper tools.

"Perhaps I'm doing something wrong... The book says the mental energy cost for the Flowing Wind Guard is minimal, but every time I use it, I find it incredibly draining. It feels much more difficult than other spells of the same level..."

Not only was the mental energy consumption excessive, but the spell's duration and effectiveness also fell far short of the description.

"Show me,"

She raised her hand and pushed open the window, allowing the outside wind to sweep into the room.

Though unsure of Astrid's intentions, Lyra obediently picked up the knight's sword from the corner and quickly entered her elemental vision.

"Free wind element, please grant me the strength to cut through iron."

As the incantation ended, Astrid felt the air in the room begin to stir. Her hair and skirt swayed gently in the growing breeze.

At the same time, Lyra expanded her elemental vision. The knight's sword in her hand became heavily entangled with several light green, filamentous currents of air.

Astrid noticed that the wind elements on the blade's surface seemed to be suppressed by Lyra's mental energy, forced to flow and squeeze in a single direction.

No wonder... She's expending so much mental energy just to control the wind's direction...

Lyra swung the knight's sword slightly, and the blade carried a stronger gust of wind than usual.

After half a minute, Astrid spoke softly, "Stop."

She had identified the problem.

Hearing this, Lyra terminated the flow of her spiritual energy and slowly lowered the tip of her sword to the ground.

"Give me the sword. I'll demonstrate."

Lyra froze at Astrid's words, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes.

Princess Astrid... wants to demonstrate in person?

Her gaze fell on Astrid's hands, delicate, slender, and impeccably maintained, without a single callus. It was clear they had never gripped a sword hilt before.

"...Just treasure your sword?" Seeing Lyra hesitate, Astrid repeated herself.

"I'm not going to break it."

Hearing the coldness in Astrid's tone, Lyra quickly handed over the hilt of the sword, explaining softly, "I... I'm just worried about Her Royal Highness getting hurt."

Lyra was less concerned about her weapon being damaged and more about the silver-haired princess accidentally injuring herself.

Astrid snorted softly, taking the knight's sword without further comment.

The metal hilt felt slightly cool, still carrying the residual warmth of Lyra's palm. Astrid channeled her spiritual energy, beginning to gather the free wind elements in the air.

Through her elemental vision, Lyra observed an occult reaction on the surface of the knight's sword. The previously unruly wind elements became docile under Astrid's control, smoothly flattening against the blade.

Princess Astrid's casting speed... was much faster than hers...

"Free wind element, please grant me the strength to cut through iron."

As Astrid recited the incantation for the Flowing Wind Guard, the light green, filamentous currents of air swiftly wound around the spine of the sword, forming several tiny whirlwinds.

Lyra's mouth opened slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

With the ability to gather wind elements so quickly and achieve such precise control, Princess Astrid was clearly no entry-level novice in magic.

Could she really be the same person rumored to have given up her enrollment at the academy because she was "too lazy to use her brain"?

To help Lyra understand more clearly, Astrid brought the blade of the sword close to her hair.

The gentle wind it generated flowed through her silver locks, soft and soothing.

But when the sword moved away, the wind elements attached to it suddenly turned aggressive. Lyra could even hear the faint sound of air being sliced around her.

After a while, the wind eased slightly, and Astrid held the sword, asking in a cool tone, "Do you see clearly now?"

Lyra nodded. "Yes... I think I understand something..."

Astrid had activated the Flowing Wind Guard, but she hadn't used all her mental energy to control the wind's direction. Instead of forcing the wind elements into a specific path by blocking their movement, Astrid had woven her spiritual energy into a net, sifting through the winds and guiding them where she wanted.

Rather than exerting rigid control, her method was more about subtle guidance, leading each wisp of wind to its intended destination. Even if the wind didn't cooperate perfectly, it never became an obstacle.

Listening to Lyra's earnest explanation, Astrid nodded, her expression as cool as ever.

"Good understanding. No wonder you were admitted to the Elizabeth Academy of Magic."

She didn't need to explain further; Lyra had grasped the essence just by observing.

Truly worthy of being the protagonist of the original story.

On the other hand, when Lyra heard Astrid mention the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, her emotions grew complicated, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment.

If you hadn't gone so far... I wouldn't be in this situation either...

"Your Highness Astrid... Why did you suddenly decide to teach me magic?"

But to return to the point, Astrid's unexpected act of kindness left Lyra puzzled.

After all, because of that dance invitation, Astrid had always treated her as a rival in matters of the heart... Why would she help someone she clearly disliked?

It was all too strange.