Princess’s Struggle for Survival

"I understand, sister."

If she ever encountered Astrid again in the future, she might be able to determine her identity by distinguishing her mental power.

Tomorrow, she would start experimenting with that black-hearted maid to see if she could sense someone who hadn't learned magic and couldn't release mental power.

After discussing the key points of magic learning, Livia and Amalia went to the next room. Amalia mentioned that she had painted a new piece and actively unveiled the canvas for Livia to admire.

"Sister, I tried a new painting style."

Livia's blue eyes widened slightly as she saw the contents of the canvas.

Unlike the buildings Amalia was skilled at painting, this was a landscape depicting a night scene. In the vast night sky, countless stars twinkled, and the brushwork and colors were extremely gorgeous.

After staring at the painting for a while, Livia's pink lips parted.

"It's very beautiful. I didn't expect Amalia to paint this kind of work."

This painting deviated from the cold style Amalia usually employed when drawing buildings. The stars swayed, and the Milky Way was radiant. Although it depicted a vast and cold night sky, the overall atmosphere didn't feel lonely but rather a pure beauty.

With the unique use of colors, even the starlight seemed exceptionally soft.

"Sister, do you like this?" Amalia asked.

Livia nodded. "Yes."

"Then what do you think about publishing this painting in the fourth or later issues of the newspaper?"

Hearing Amalia's question, Livia hesitated for a moment, suddenly recalling another matter from today.

After lunch, she followed Elise's arrangements to meet with Hibbort. The man expressed great praise for the first issue's success and also discussed many details about the newspaper's release with Astrid, including considerations for each section and curiosity about the contributors' identities.

Astrid answered each question fluently, also picking up on Hibbort's underlying concerns.

After all, the male protagonist in the serialized novel was a prince, and Hibbort, as a father, naturally knew what kind of person Lucas was. So after reading the article, he immediately thought of his own disappointing son.

If it weren't for Astrid's recent fondness for Tristian, Hibbort might have mistakenly believed that his dear daughter could fall in love with her non-blood-related brother.

Although they weren't related by blood, they were still nominally siblings. Hibbort didn't want Astrid to do anything foolish, nor did he want the daughter of his friend to marry a dashing scoundrel.

While subtly hinting that she had no brotherly affection, Astrid heard Hibbort ask a potentially fatal question.

He asked Astrid who the author of the architectural painting, the mysterious painter who hadn't signed their name, was, which esteemed art professor it might be.

In reality, there was no art professor, only an illegitimate daughter confined by Hibbort, using simple painting tools to depict her own dreams in a lonely castle.

Astrid naturally couldn't reveal her contact with Amalia, so she said it was painted by a friend of hers, a reclusive and low-key person who didn't like to interact with others.

Fortunately, Hibbort only mentioned it casually, seemingly without any intention to delve deeper, thus avoiding putting Astrid in a dilemma.

No one likes to be deceived. On one side was the emperor who doted on the original owner, and on the other was a love-starved girl who saw her as a sister. Balancing the two wasn't easy.

As for getting Hibbort to accept Amalia, that possibility was practically zero. Astrid had considered it a few times in private but ultimately dismissed the idea.

"What's wrong... sister..."

While deep in thought, a cool touch suddenly brushed her cheek. Livia snapped out of her reverie and looked at Amalia before her.

The golden-haired girl knelt on the bed, her feet tucked under her in a duck-sitting position, a slender, soft hand resting on Livia's cheek.

"Is it not okay?" Amalia asked softly, looking into her eyes.

Unaccustomed to Amalia actively holding her face, Livia shook her head.

"Of course not, it's just that the size of this painting is a bit large."

"It's okay, sister. I can repaint it based on this sample."

Feeling the girl's hand gradually withdraw, Livia relaxed her legs, which had tensed up momentarily, and spoke softly.

"Alright, then give it to me when you're done, and we'll publish it when the time is right."

Normally, publishing a painting should come with a fee for the artist, but whenever Livia brought this up with Amalia, the latter always found ways to refuse.

"Sister has already helped me so much; this really isn't anything."

"As long as you like, everything of mine is yours."

Although Livia had tried to correct Amalia's somewhat obsessive thinking, she always doubted how much of it the girl actually took to heart.

Watching Amalia's eyes brighten after hearing her words, Livia swallowed slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then decided to discuss a sensitive topic with Amalia.

"Amalia, do you hate him?"

In the human common language, the pronunciations for "he," "she," "it," and "they" were different, so when Amalia heard the pronoun Livia used, she immediately ruled out the most likely candidate, Astrid.

"Him... who?" Amalia softly countered.

She didn't interact with many people, and even fewer men, so Livia's question most likely referred to someone high and mighty.

As Amalia expected, Livia immediately mentioned the person she despised the most.

"The current emperor of the Valeria Empire, His Majesty Hibbort."

Livia didn't directly call Hibbort by his name but used "His Majesty" as a suffix, which already revealed part of her stance.

Hearing this, Amalia remained silent for a long time, not saying a word.

If the person before her was Astrid in disguise, then her next words could very well be recorded with magic and used as evidence to slander the current emperor, presented to that cold-blooded "father."

Should she tell the truth, or fabricate a lie that even she wouldn't believe, let alone Livia?

Rationally, silence was the best outcome, at least maintaining the status quo and avoiding mistakes.

Seeing that Amalia seemed unwilling to discuss this topic, Livia was about to give up and get up to fetch the Grand Lord from the desk when the hem of her dress was gently tugged by Amalia.

"If sister wants to know my feelings towards Hibbort Valeria..."

Amalia looked up, her eyes colder than ever.

"I hate him."

The golden-haired girl spoke each word deliberately, her fingers clutching her skirt turning slightly white.

"I never asked him to bring me into this world, nor have I done anything to wrong him."

Seeing Amalia's unusually intense emotions, Livia stopped and gently sat on the soft bed beside her.

The next moment, Amalia continued, "If I get the chance, I'll do everything in my power to make him pay."

If Livia was the light that shone into Amalia's life, then before that, during those long, arduous years, hatred was the driving force that kept her going.

A significant part of why Amalia studied magic was to seek revenge against Hibbort and those who had humiliated her.

Seeing the cold glint in Amalia's blue eyes, Livia momentarily glimpsed the tyrannical girl empress from the original story. She swallowed silently and softly asked.

"Do you want to kill him?"

As a member of the Valeria imperial family, asking such a question was somewhat inappropriate, but Amalia didn't seem to notice, her tone still icy.

"I don't want to kill him..."

"...I just want him to first taste the bitterness of disgrace, then spend the rest of his life in the castle, enjoying the feeling of being alone."

Hibbort, Lucas, Astrid, Amalia wanted these people to experience what she had gone through, the kind of silence that could drive one mad, a dual torment on both the mind and body.

As soon as she finished speaking, Amalia reached out and wrapped her arms around Livia's waist, her head resting on the woman's soft thigh, her golden hair falling, obscuring her expression.

"Sister..."

Amalia paused, her voice somewhat low.

"Does thinking this way make you disappointed in me?"

From the moral lessons in books, children shouldn't despise their parents, no matter what they've done, as they are the ones who gave them life.

Moreover, Hibbort hadn't completely abandoned her; he had merely ignored her, neglected her, and disliked her. All the necessary material conditions were provided, and compared to the days living with her birth mother, life in the castle could even be considered luxurious.

Livia looked at Amalia in her arms, the girl's soft cheek gently resting against the junction of her stockings and skirt. She could feel the warmth of the girl's body and the lashes that brushed against her skin like tiny brushes.

"I'm not disappointed in you, Amalia," Livia softly said after a while.

"His Majesty is your father, but he has never fulfilled his responsibilities."

"Providing basic living conditions is far from the entirety of a father's duty. He should also educate his children in life, giving them care and love."

Raising without nurturing can sometimes be worse than giving birth without raising, and this was especially evident in Amalia's case.

"It's not strange for you to feel this way."

As she spoke, Livia reached out to stroke Amalia's head, smoothing her soft golden hair and revealing the girl's small, delicate ears.

"So, I won't condemn you for anything, nor will I hypocritically demand that you let go of your hatred."