"There’s one more thing... Astrid..."

The heels of her little shoes tapped lightly against the tiles, producing a crisp, rhythmic click. Under the moonlight, the delicate ankles wrapped in sheer white stockings slightly protruded, like a pair of flawless artistic sculptures. Lyra didn’t care whether the leather upper or her smooth calves would get dusty. She simply stretched out both of her silken, snow-white legs, her gentle voice.

"Next time, if we’re ever in a situation like that again, don’t hand me the choice."

"The mere thought that, when you finally confessed, you still considered the possibility that I might leave or reject you... and yet leaving the decision entirely to me... makes me really unhappy."

What if she really had been the kind of Holy Light Knight Astrid imagined, and chose to run away?

"I actually wish that back then, Astrid could’ve been a bit more forceful, done a bit more to keep me."

"Even if it meant sharing your hopes for the future... or saying something embarrassingly sweet..."

Having said that, Lyra seemed to realize how strange it sounded. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she continued holding Astrid’s hand, her tone shifting.

"Of course, that sort of thing must never happen again. Not even the premise should exist."

She understood Astrid meant it out of respect and affection, wanting to give her freedom and choice. But more than that, Lyra wanted, in her moments of hesitation, for Astrid to simply keep holding her hand, warmly, clearly telling her that she was needed.

Love was a product combining emotions and reasons, neither half could be missing.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid fell silent for a moment. Her right hand, resting by her hip, slightly curled. After several seconds, she nodded in response.

"I understand, Lyra."

Perhaps it was concern clouding her judgment, but Astrid had always viewed Lyra through the lens of an independent, free-thinking individual, emphasizing her dignity and rationality, yet, in a way, neglecting emotional care on a human level.

Lyra was merely a twenty-two-year-old girl, newly experiencing love and still somewhat naive. Sometimes, she needed Astrid to express her love and attachment more emotionally, to stir her feelings, rather than leaving her to arrive at a cold, rational conclusion on her own.

Matching Lyra’s posture, Astrid straightened her legs. Her ornate high heels reflect the silvery glow from the sky, tiny specks of light flickering, illuminating the fine texture of her black stockings. The smooth, tender expanse of her bare dark-chocolate foot arch, left exposed by the shoe, appears even more alluring.

"From now on, I’ll express my emotions more directly, especially my feelings for you, Lyra."

Feeling Astrid’s gaze on her, Lyra shifted her eyes from the legs Astrid had just moved, meeting those mysterious, elegant red irises.

Astrid looked at her, speaking once more.

"So, Lyra..."

She parted her soft pink lips slightly, her long lashes trembling gently with her voice.

"...Can you forgive my past inadequacies?"

There was no trace of mockery in her tone, nor was it as stern as when negotiating with others. Facing the pink-haired girl before her, Astrid felt only guilt and a deep desire for forgiveness.

It was Lyra’s strength that had become the decision factor in making everything better.

That statement applies not only to the original story’s plot, but also to this tangled mess of emotions.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra’s heart softened, tingling with a faint electric warmth.

"..."

After half a minute, Lyra leaned forward on her own. Just as Amalia had once fed Astrid during the banquet, she propped herself up with one hand on Astrid’s leg, the other still clasped in Astrid’s.

But this time, instead of food, she offered a warm, sweet kiss from her lips.

Long after the kiss ended, gazing at the thin silver thread snapping in midair, Lyra’s ears turned red. She nibbled her lips and whispered softly.

"...Depends on your performance."

"For now... I’ll temporarily forgive you, Astrid..."

She didn’t even need to say it, her actions alone had already made her feelings clear.

She’d just kissed her. How could she possibly still be angry?

Faced with such a sincere apology from her beloved, anyone’s heart would’ve melted. Especially Lyra, who had long fallen for Astrid.

Hearing the pink-haired girl’s reply, Astrid’s lips curved slightly upward. She faintly felt that ever since they’d become a couple, Lyra had grown even more "girlfriend-like."

It was reminiscent of how she’d been when they first met, slightly hostile toward Astrid, yet delicate and proud, with a hint of tsundere stubbornness beneath her spoiled exterior.

It was a good thing... At least Lyra was becoming clearer about her role as a lover, no longer as submissive as she once was when facing Astrid, no longer like a little girl desperately craving love and attention...

If they had to tiptoe around each other even in a relationship, it wouldn’t be conducive to building a lasting intimate bond.

But speaking of performance...

"Lyra, what kind of performance do you hope to see from me?"

Hearing Astrid’s cool, languid voice echo in her ear, feeling as if she’d reverted in an instant to the noble, bewitching Imperial Princess from the past, Lyra instinctively pressed her legs together, her pearly teeth lightly biting her lower lip.

Astrid... had turned back into that teasing, mischievous woman again...

In the past, Lyra might’ve staggered and been unable to say anything. But now, having confirmed their relationship and realizing she should be more proactive, Lyra wasn’t completely overwhelmed by embarrassment.

"Performance... means that next time we kiss..."

"...You’re not allowed to resist!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Although the difference between resisting or not was dismissible, since the sensation was mostly the same, just imagining Astrid’s smug expression, as if she could predict her every move, made Lyra want to see the dignified princess lose her composure just once.

It couldn’t always be her getting teased.

Astrid blinked, responding with a sultry tone.

"Fine."

As the word left her lips, Astrid continued.

"So Lyra prefers seeing me flustered more than struggling for breath?"

Usually, no matter how intense things got, they’d stop when Astrid couldn’t keep up, kissing for too long was exhausting. It was like licking an ice cream; when the intensity and duration increased, even a frail mage couldn’t last long.

Thus, for Lyra, the biggest challenge was figuring out how, within a limited time, to make Astrid Calliste, the silver-haired Regent who appeared somewhat distantly distant, blush.

"Because it’s always me who gets flustered... Anyway, Astrid shouldn’t always stay so calm and composed..."

She wanted to see Astrid lose her cool too.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid smiled charmingly. Her gloved hand, clad in black silk, rose and gently brushed the girl’s cherry-pink lips.

"Then I’d really like to know just how capable Lyra truly is..."

"...capable of making me willingly surrender..."

Judging by her demeanor, Lyra was still so very inexperienced...

Feeling thoroughly challenging, the normally docile pink-haired girl slightly bit her lower lip. Her straight, white-stockinged legs suddenly shifted to the right, wrapping around Astrid’s high heels, before she leaned in and kissed her sideways.

Astrid... was simply too cruel...

To fulfill her promise, Astrid truly relinquished all initiative to Lyra, offering not even the slightest resistance. Perhaps feeling that wasn’t enough, Lyra’s hand slowly moved to rest on Astrid’s waist.

After a while, even Astrid’s cheeks bore a faint blush, her crimson eyes shimmering with a liquid glow.

"Lyra, you’ve really improved."

Recalling how, in her moment of distraction, she’d accidentally touched the back of the dress, Lyra’s ears turned equally red as she whispered back.

"It’s all because Astrid... teased me like that..."

The lingering sensation of the soft, warm fabric still clinging to her fingertips, the firm, rounded shape seems to transmit through her veins straight to her heart.

Astrid let out a soft hum in response, but within moments regained her usual composure. Lyra, on the other hand, remains flushed, as if still catching her breath.

In both recovery speed and resistance, Astrid far surpassed Lyra.

Probably just a natural difference between mages and knights, slightly weaker constitution, lower endurance.

Not continuing to tease Lyra, waiting for her to return from her steamy daze to normal, Astrid stood up and gently spoke.

"Lyra, come walk with me~"

"In the garden?" Lyra asked.

Where else could they go at this hour?

Astrid shook her head, speaking softly.

"Outside Losterling City."

The war had long moved away from the heartland of the Valeria Empire, and Losterling City had long lifted its military lockdown.

"There’s no flight here. Before returning to the capital, I’d like to see this city I stayed in for nearly a month one more time." Astrid said.

Who knew when they’d be back again.

Lyra nodded slightly, straightening her legs as well.

Okay.

As long as she was with Astrid, whether chatting idly in the garden or exploring the city together, she would be happy.

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

Five minutes later, Astrid carefully examined the silver broom conjured from Lyra’s Sword of Light, then nodded.

"This shape... should be just right..."

It perfectly resembles the flying props from magical girls of her past life, a magical broom capable of carrying someone into the sky.

"Astrid, why are you so fixed on using a cleaning broom?"

Lyra looked at the pure white broom before her, her voice laced with confusion.

Whether it was manifesting physical wings through projected mental energy, or chanting wind-element spells to create powerful wings of wind, does not require a household broom as a flying vessel.

If she had to argue aesthetics... it still seemed a bit of a stretch...

Although, the Sword of Light itself transformed into an object wasn’t inherently bad either.

Astrid didn’t offer much explanation, merely saying she’d dreamed of it, before lightly seating herself at the top of the hovering broom.

Surrounding wind element particles naturally stabilized her posture. Her layered, night-sky-colored skirt flowed down, concealing her black-stockinged legs. The silver-haired, red-eyed beauty of the Empire sitting on the broom didn’t look like a magical girl, more like their opposite: an elegant sorceress wielding dark, destructive magic.

Seeing Lyra still standing motionless, Astrid reached out her hand. The clueless pink-haired knight, trusting her, took the hand of the broom-riding sorceress.

Her white-stockinged legs parted and wrapped around the broomstick. Since they weren’t high off the ground, Lyra instinctively leaned forward, bending her knees. Wind-controlled air currents pressed down the hem of her short skirt, perfectly preventing any accidental exposure. Behind her, Astrid sat sideways, legs together and angled to the side, her right arm lightly circling Lyra’s slender waist.

Feeling the long, hard object beneath the dress and stockings, Astrid suddenly remembered something. She leaned her lips close to Lyra’s ear, whispering softly.

"Lyra... Did you forget to disable the sensory link?"

The Sword of Light was an extension of Lyra’s body and soul. Under normal circumstances, she could feel whatever the blade touched, just as she would with her hands or legs.

In other words, at this very moment, Astrid sitting on it meant Lyra could perceive directly exactly where she was being touched.

Lyra froze upon hearing that, her ears rapidly turning red as she stammered.

"T-That... of c-course it’s off."

The Sword of Light’s primary use for Lyra was combat. By default, she kept sensory sharing disabled to prevent soul damage from blade collisions.

Now that Astrid had brought it up, she remembered, what an awkward thing to overlook.

Seeing Lyra’s reaction, Astrid knew she hadn’t disabled it. She leaned forward slightly, pressing her soft, ample chest against Lyra’s back. Accompanied by a scent of cool roses, her seductive voice resonated in the girl’s ear.

"If Lyra wants... you can turn it on now, you know."

With that, the silver-haired girl deliberately bent her knee, pressing her smooth, black-stockinged calf against the long handle of the broom, gently rubbing it.

"???"

What kind of bizarre, perverted idea was that?!

Imagining the smooth sensations she might feel if she turned it on, Lyra’s face flushed completely red, her sky-blue eyes brimming with shyness.

Seeing her successfully teased, Astrid softly exhaled through her delicate nose, resting her cheek against Lyra’s back as she spoke gently.

"If you’re uncomfortable, it’s fine..."

"Let’s go, Lyra."

"Let’s go see the moon together."

The flowing wind gently swayed the pure white broom before softly providing lift, tenderly carrying Astrid and Lyra away from the ground.

The mansion below gradually shrank in view, the entire layout becoming visible. Then, a black-haired, mature woman in a maid outfit flapped her mental energy wings, following at a moderate distance behind.

Under the silvery moonlight, their long hair danced in the wind, silver and pink intertwining like a tangled painting.