A Good Massage

"Miss Astrid, you don't seem to be looking well..."

Elise looked at Astrid in front of the desk with a frown and spoke softly.

"Do you need me to give you a shoulder massage?"

Seeing that Astrid was not in good shape, Elise raised the teacup, pressed her red lips against the edge of the cup, took a sip of black tea, and whispered.

"Then you can press it for me..."

Astrid did feel inexplicably sore in her shoulders, probably due to the sleeping position in which Charlotte had hugged her last night.

Since the psychological exhaustion was difficult to eliminate for a while, she thought it best to at least let her body not overwork.

Listening to Astrid's words, Elise walked slowly behind her, gently resting her palm on her shoulder, and started pressing rhythmically.

Feeling the crisp, numbing sensation of the massage coming from her shoulders, Astrid closed her eyes and relaxed, her two slender legs naturally straightening.

It should be said that Elise is worthy of being the ideal perfect maid.

Not only is her massage technique excellent, but the strength is also just right, which once gave Astrid the illusion of soaking in a bathtub.

"Elise..."

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and Astrid's beautiful eyes were half-narrowed, watching the faint light fall from the gap into her pupils, her palms resting weakly on her hips.

"I'm here."

"It's nice to have you around..."

There was a sudden pause in the movement of Elise's fingers, but she quickly adjusted, her cold, inky pupils rippling for an instant.

"I'll always be here,"

The corners of Astrid's lips lifted slightly when she heard this: "I know you won't lie to me."

"A maid who can massage, make tea, is beautiful, loyal, and can also fight... Such a maid is probably only found in novels."

"By the way, what is Lyra doing?" Astrid asked.

"She was practicing her skills in the garden earlier, and now she should be back in her room reading."

"And when will she be promoted?"

"In two or three days at most. Miss Lyra is very proficient in controlling her mental power, and her physical strength is about to reach the threshold of Grand Knight."

Elise's daily training is tailored to Lyra's needs.

As someone who has crawled out of a sea of blood step by step, Elise pays special attention to the practicality of combat skills.

Every move she taught was aimed directly at the opponent's vital points.

Since it is difficult for a knight to break through the defense of another knight without using mental power, Elise does not transmit mental power throughout the entire process.

Even if the wooden sword hits Lyra's neck or chest, it is bounced off by the girl's mental power defense.

Under the baptism of this high-intensity training, Lyra's mental power and combat skills have greatly improved.

"Not bad."

Astrid praised softly, both admiring Lyra's extraordinary talent and affirming the quality of Elise's teaching.

The strength of the Protagonist at this stage has already diverged somewhat from the original text.

This is just the beginning. Before entering the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Astrid hopes that Lyra can be promoted to a Master knight and, ideally, reach the level of an apprentice in Magic.

This way, she can keep up with the pace of the academy's teachings.

After a while, Astrid felt that her shoulders were no longer sore.

She signaled Elise to take a break and was about to stand up when she suddenly saw the latter pick up the solid black heels she had worn today and kneel in front of her.

Elise reached out and gently held Astrid's foot, clad in black silk, carefully guiding her toes into the shoes.

Feeling her ankle gently grasped by a warm hand, Astrid's delicate body trembled slightly.

Her red pupils dilated, and her slender feet subconsciously stretched straight, nearly tearing the tips of her socks.

Realizing her reaction was a bit exaggerated, Astrid quickly relaxed her calf muscles and placed her other foot on the edge of the chair, allowing Elise to help her put on the shoes.

Once both shoes were on, Astrid stood firmly, her cherry lips parting slightly.

"Elise... You're treating me like a child again..."

Elise straightened up, placed her left hand on her chest, and bowed slightly.

"It is my pleasure to take care of Miss Astrid."

Whatever Astrid asked of her, Elise would execute without hesitation.

Astrid chuckled as she approached Elise, gently tucking a strand of the maid's long hair behind her ear.

"Let's go, it's time for lunch."

In the next room, Lyra was engrossed in a magic book, an open notepad and an ink-stained quill on the desk beside her.

"Miss Lyra, it's time," Astrid reminded in a calm voice.

Lyra quickly put down her book and stood up to straighten her clothes.

"Yes, Your Highness Astrid."

For the past few days, Astrid had been preparing lunch with Lyra.

The latter had been learning Earthly cuisine from her for a while and was now quite skilled.

The three of them made their way to the kitchen.

Elise assisted, Lyra took charge of cooking, and Astrid observed, occasionally offering guidance.

In less than an hour, Lyra had prepared a couple of well-presented dishes: pork chops, creamy mashed potatoes, omelette and some other sides made by Elise.

Originally, it was not proper for a maid to dine at the same table as her master.

However, Astrid casually suggested that the meal needed to be tested for poison, and so she divided the dishes, allowing Lyra and Elise to sit beside her and eat together.

After lunch, while waiting for the two maids to clean up the dirty dishes, Astrid looked thoughtfully out the window with her left arm around her chest and her right hand on her cheek.

The monster is located directly east of the imperial capital which was a once-thriving barley-producing area.

It can be said that 50 percent of the city's ale is made from raw materials provided by these farms.

She doesn't know if Lucas did the hurtful things mentioned in the book at this time, and if it was still too late for her rescue operation.

Feeling the midday sun shining straight down, her hair burning slightly, Astrid turned her gaze, and her delicate face was hidden in the shadows of the room.

In fact, she had another idea: to let it go for the time being, and when she was sure that Lucas had really made an unforgivable mistake, she would show up at the right time to solve the problem and seize the other party's leverage.