Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Livia looked at Amalia with a serious expression, blinked, and spoke softly.

"Then I'll wait and see."

A shared topic was crucial for building a connection. That night, Livia gained far more than she had in all her previous visits combined.

After selecting the books she wanted, Amalia said softly, "I'll take good care of them."

There was a lock in her room. To prevent Auri from accidentally damaging the books, she planned to store all the borrowed items in the closet and take them out only when she needed to read them.

Hearing this, Livia's expression remained unchanged. "That's good."

"By the way, leave this gem with me for now and return it to me in a year."

After saying this, Livia handed the white gem back to Amalia.

"Since there's no formal contract here, it wouldn't be proper for me to take the gem in advance."

Taking the gem, which still carried the warmth of Livia's touch, Amalia was momentarily stunned. She then looked up at Livia intently and, after a few seconds, handed the gem back to her.

"It's yours now..."

This approach ensured the fairness of the transaction, or rather, it leaned more toward protecting Amalia's interests.

Livia could come and go from the castle freely, but Amalia could not. The latter was the initiator of the transaction and the more vulnerable party. By doing this, Livia demonstrated her complete trust in Amalia and showed genuine sincerity.

"I borrowed books without offering anything in return, and this piece of gem is just right."

Perhaps part of the reason Livia trusted her so much was that she knew Amalia couldn't escape the gloomy castle, making excessive worry unnecessary. However, regardless of Livia's reasoning, her actions spoke volumes, and Amalia resolved to repay that trust in kind.

Even from a practical standpoint, the pride and honor of Valeria's nobility wouldn't allow them to break their word.

Cheating a fourteen-year-old girl would be an insult to the royal family.

Seeing the determination in Amalia's eyes, Livia fluttered her eyelashes and sighed softly.

"Very well."

If she was going to act, she might as well commit fully. Since she had already shown a strong interest in the gem, further hesitation would only seem insincere.

As Livia accepted the gem, Amalia said softly, "Then... good night."

This was the first time Amalia had taken the initiative to bid Livia goodnight.

"Good night," Livia replied.

Having achieved an initial breakthrough in her relationship with Amalia, Astrid was in no hurry to push further.

Amalia had not completely let down her guard, but her attitude had softened slightly, no longer as cold as before.

Still, it was a positive sign. At the very least, Astrid's image in Amalia's eyes was improving, and establishing a friendly relationship seemed only a matter of time.

Astrid's gaze drifted to the remaining batch of books in the bookcase.

Her thin lips pursed slightly, and her red eyes reflected a faint, flowing luster on the glass surface.

A thought occurred to her: if Amalia could only borrow books from her, Astrid would have control over the kind of information Amalia would be exposed to.

In simpler terms, Astrid could filter out low-quality books, ensuring Amalia wouldn't come across poorly written or harmful content. On a deeper level, she could also curate the selection to include only the books she wanted Amalia to read, subtly guiding her thoughts and perceptions.

As an otaku who had lived in the deep palace since childhood with little contact with the outside world, relied heavily on books for information.

The ideas and perspectives conveyed in those books would inevitably shape her worldview.

For instance, if someone were exposed to books filled with negative emotions during their formative years, when their values and beliefs were still developing, it could easily lead to the formation of a pessimistic, closed-off, and misanthropic personality.

Such traits, once ingrained, could become deeply rooted, creating a self-reinforcing loop of negative thinking that would be difficult to change later in life.

This was precisely why Astrid had chosen to focus on Amalia rather than Lucas or Allistair.

The future tyrant had not yet committed irredeemable acts, and at the biological age of fourteen, she was still malleable.

There was still a chance to reshape her into a virtuous ruler, one who could be loved by her people and ensure the empire's prosperity for generations to come.

Running her fingers over the rough texture of the paper, Astrid glanced at the wall clock. It was almost time.

She reached into her bag, pulled out a bottle of dark green potion, uncorked it, and drank it in one swift motion.

The strange, indescribable taste was a torture to her tongue, but she forced it down.

After a moment of stillness, ensuring she wouldn't gag or spit it out, Astrid turned and left the room.

"Knock knock..."

The sound of knocking interrupted Amalia, who was seated at her desk, engrossed in a book.

She paused, then called out in a low voice, "Who is it?"

It was probably Livia, but she had to be sure.

"Livia," came the familiar female voice from the hallway.

Amalia rose from her seat and walked to the door, opening it just a crack.

"What is it?"

Livia was about to speak when Auri, who had been curled up in the corner, suddenly crawled out of her nest and trotted over to the space between the two.

Amalia noticed the orange cat attempting to dart out of the room and instinctively raised her snow-white leg to block the crack in the door, preventing her from escaping.

Livia, observing the girl's subconscious movement, maintained her composed expression and spoke softly.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to remind Miss Amalia not to stay up too late. It's not good for your health."

"You can always continue reading tomorrow. There's plenty of time, and reading at night strains your eyes..."

Her gentle voice echoed softly in the quiet corridor, and even the cold moonlight spilling onto the brick floor seemed to soften, becoming as tender as water.

Amalia listened quietly, her lips pressing together a few times as a dark tide stirred in her eyes.

"You... came just to tell me this?"

At first, she had assumed Livia had forgotten to mention some other condition or request, and her heart had begun to sink with unease.

Livia nodded. "Yes. The castle is cold, and Miss Amalia should take care of herself, especially since you're alone here."

Having lived in solitude for over eight years, Livia couldn't imagine how Amalia had endured it.

The book had only briefly mentioned this period, but it was undoubtedly the most difficult time in a person's life.

"..."

Amalia fell silent for a long while, her gaze gradually lowering.

Only when Auri grew restless and tried to slip past her ankles did she slowly raise her head and respond in a subdued tone.

"I see..."

"You should take care of yourself too, Miss Livia."

The door closed, and the orange glow of the room vanished from sight.

Astrid remained standing outside Amalia's bedroom, lingering for a while.

When the door had opened, she hadn't heard the sound of a latch being pulled, which meant Amalia hadn't actually locked it.

This small detail was telling.

It seemed her gains today were greater than she had anticipated.

Meanwhile, Amalia, now seated back in her chair, folded her legs together and stared at the yellowed pages of the book before her with her blue eyes.

'Staying up late is not good for your health...'

'Reading at night hurts your eyes... You should take care of yourself...'

When was the last time someone had shown such concern for her?

Amalia narrowed her eyes, her teeth biting down tightly on her pink lips.

The mother in her memory would never have gently urged her to go to bed early.

Instead, she would force her to close her eyes through scolding and beatings.

Later, her so-called father didn't care about her at all, not just occasionally, but never.

He had shown her less concern than this strange woman who had known her for barely over a week, a woman who was generations apart from her.

Even if Livia's concern was nothing more than polite hypocrisy... the warmth Amalia felt at this moment couldn't be fabricated.

'Livia Valeria, if only you weren't from the Valeria family...'

If that were the case... she wouldn't have to struggle so hard to force herself to hate her.

After a few minutes, Amalia reopened her eyes, the conflict and turmoil within them now gone.

That night, instead of heeding Livia's advice and resting early, she lit the lamp and read through the night.

Only when dawn broke and she heard the faint sound of footsteps in the corridor did she slowly set the book down and walk to the door.

The sharp clack of hard boots against the tiles gradually faded into silence.

Once the sound had completely disappeared, Amalia pushed open the door.

The faint scent of flowers and plants lingered in the air as she quietly made her way up the stairs.

The stone steps spiraled downward, and a graceful figure with blonde hair and a white dress descended step by step toward the gate.

Noticing what seemed like a gaze from behind, Livia glanced up. The guardrail on the sixth floor was empty.

'Was it just my imagination?' Astrid wondered, her fingers brushing against the headband on her forehead as she prepared for her next move.

Back in her room, Amalia, exhausted from staying up all night, closed the door.

Her delicate form slipped under the quilt, and she slowly closed her eyes.