It's a request please don't read this before Chapter 484. Because it has huge spoilers. So Please.
######
Volume Six Ends here
The Royal War arc is finally completed.
Let me do a volume summary. The main content of this volume focused on the internal power shifts within the imperial capital. The first chapter jumped directly from the previous volume's academy-focused magic tournament arc to the second year after its finals, immediately following the subplot of Hibbort's severe illness, depicting the eve and transition of imperial succession.
I structured it this way because if I had fully expanded the academy section, the overall pace would've become too dragged out.
After comprehensive consideration, I decided to fast-forward directly to the next major plot, the Blonde tyrant's ascension to the throne.
Current readers should already sense that compared to political intrigue or other elements, I preferred focusing on character personalities. Thus, throughout the sixth volume, all plotlines serve the characters, with the core being "Royal War" Amalia Valeria.
For this reason, even a certain fated heroine temporarily exited the capital, heading to the frigid northern frontier to guard the border, a necessary step for Lyra to become the Holy Light Knight, serving as another subtle growth thread besides the capital-focused narrative.
Returning to Amalia, this current Empress of the Empire first appeared in Volume One. In Volume Two, her screen time even far exceeded the main heroine Lyra, making her currently the third most featured character after Astrid and little Lyra.
In the original story, the blonde tyrant wasn't a positive figure. She incited public sentiment, emphasized hatred, and drove the Valeria Empire into full-blown militarism, all so the entire empire and the Valeria royal family could pay for the injustices she suffered.
From resistance to oppression, to bloody massacres targeting civilians, her actions were, in some ways, as bad as King Velys's current ones.
Fortunately, none of this occurred in the current timeline. The golden-haired girl imprisoned in that ancient castle met her own moonlight.
Returning to the current story's Amalia, during her confession to Astrid at the end of this volume, Amalia honestly revealed herself to her beloved sister.
She wasn't a perfect lover, nor the obedient little sister Astrid wanted. She wasn't someone who grew up loved by parents, someone who could truly love the world like the Holy Light Knight Lyra. She didn't have such a broad heart, nor such grand ideals. She simply took her sister's dreams as her own future principles, forcibly imposing them upon herself.
Thus, in terms of genuine feelings, Amalia admitted she fell far short of Lyra, unable to achieve the perfect alignment with Astrid on core values.
She treated life indifferently, didn't care about most things in the world, and lacked a strong desire to protect the people. She's an empty scar, a monster filled with possessiveness.
This quality sets Amalia apart from the near-perfect divine heroine.
Amalia understood herself, deeply aware that she isn't the person her sister hoped for. She wanted to become a warmer person, to radiate heat from her heart like light, but she's merely an ordinary person who accepted her sister's love, forcing herself to light a wick inside glass to emit light.
Childhood scars are hard to heal, just as delayed sunlight can't revive withered sunflowers. Even with double the affection from Astrid, Amalia still carried the shadows and pain from her imprisonment, and her formed personality is extremely difficult to change.
While writing, I also pondered how such a "bad child" could compete with someone favored by fate, Amalia's character design isn't as likable as the pure and harmless Lyra. She's gloomy, selfish, heavy, with a core of yandere, and an intense possessiveness constantly gnawing at her heart.
Even in her interactions with Astrid, Amalia has always been in the position of receiving her sister's attention. She can't provide Astrid with tangible help like Lyra or Charlotte. She's merely a little sister who needs care. The imbalance between giving and receiving has been a major pain point in writing. Astrid did bully Amalia in the past, but compared to the years of tender care since then, it's utterly insignificant.
This imbalance in giving and receiving is crucial to character development. So when I think of Astrid in the basement scenario, the twisted aspects. But if Amalia actually did that, she'd forever lose any chance to compare herself to Lyra.
A bird once caged, upon gaining power, weaving a new prison for the sister who deeply loves and carefully protects her, that would be a great irony, completely destroying Amalia's character.
How could someone saved by Astrid repay her with that, imprisoning her in prison for herself.
Returning to the topic of love, Amalia loves Astrid. Her intense possessiveness and desire to spend her life with the other person constantly reminds her to treasure her sister forever.
On one hand, tortured by an unfortunate childhood, she wants to grasp all love within her hands, a near-morbid control over her lover. On the other hand, Astrid taught her about respect and restraint, and Amalia herself deeply dislikes the concept of "unfreedom."
These twisted past experiences press upon Amalia from two different levels, creating internal conflict, her greed to build a cage, her desire to give her sister true freedom. These two entirely different emotions make Amalia's character full of contradiction and opposition.
This is also why, on that night, Amalia believed she was no different from Hibbort at her core.
She too wanted to deprive others of freedom because of her emotions, a defective product, a bad child still chased by her cold past despite receiving her sister's moonlight-like love.
When writing the Imperial Scepter oath scene, I had already decided on the plot where Amalia helps Astrid the contract. The latter doesn't mind the binding nature of this contract because she's certain she won't disappoint Hibbort or betray Amalia. But for Amalia, who learned the truth, this became the greatest shock.
An opportunity presented itself, actualizing her possessiveness, even finding suitable reasons to drastically reduce her internal guilt.
Just pretend she doesn't know. Then the one building the cage for her sister would be her dead father, not her.
But in the end, Amalia still chose to honestly reveal everything, returning freedom to Astrid.
She wasn't born with a naturally clear mind, as pure as wind and moonlight. But in this moment, Amalia struggled to suppress the dark thoughts screaming within, making her decision based on both actions and intentions.
The Imperial Scepter's shackles on Astrid, honestly revealing her own inappropriate hesitations, baring her truth, despicable self to her sister.
Love is wanting to touch yet letting go.
Even considering her sister might not like her dark personality, even knowing this hard-earned warmth might be taken back, Amalia still told Astrid everything.
Only when afraid can a person be brave. Only between the limitations and possessiveness named love can one find respect and restraint.
The Royal War arc concludes with Amalia, whose character has obvious flaws, finally making a move that only Lyra would normally make.
Not because she was born with sufficiently noble moral principles, but because she grasped rationality amid drowning desires, defeating her despicable, selfish self, thus illuminating Amalia's character arc.
So strictly speaking, like Volume Two, the Royal War arc was also essentially the younger sister's main stage.
After discussing Amalia's character development, let's talk about Astrid's storyline. I deliberately accelerated the pace when finalizing the writing.
For example, the final chapter of Amalia's confession went through several revisions before achieving a relatively satisfactory effect.
But overall, it remained within controllable limits. The only thing Astrid did after accepting was actively giving Amalia kisses, trying to love Amalia as a lover. Yet even at the volume's end, her feelings toward Amalia remain familial love surpassing romantic love, overwhelmingly so.
A parenting mindset can't change that quickly.
Besides this, another possible reason for the fast pace is Amalia's absolute initiative.
From kissing to escalating, the white-stockinged girl indeed demonstrated execution and initiative several times stronger than Lyra. However, Astrid's attitude toward these matters remained overly conservative. Therefore, even though Astrid has already changed into her decisive appearance within an extremely intimate atmosphere, she still didn't take the final step with the girl who used to be her little sister, merely guiding her carefully as an elder.
Before completing the ultimate breakthrough in their relationship, this was the highest level Astrid could accept, allowing her sister to experience pleasure without excessively increasing her guilt.
Also I am sorry I can't write intimate scenes I tried but I suck. For me, writing about love is also very hard. So again sorry for that I will not write intimate scenes.
The rest can only be left in time. Once Astrid's heart walls completely dissolved, Amalia will experience something several times more intense than now.
After finishing this volume, let's discuss the next one.
The Royal War arc temporarily concluded. Next comes our fated heroine, the pink-haired knight Lyra, who has been developing outside the capital for a long time, taking center stage.
The younger sister has already caught up in progress, even slightly ahead. As the official heroine, Lyra naturally won't fall too far behind.
A long-awaited scenario of the bad woman teasing the pure knight, I really enjoy writing about the teased and bullied pink-haired girl.
Then there's Professor Charlotte. As a mature woman, her story content will also increase significantly.
Additionally, thank you all for your continuous support.
I rant too much and don't accept erotic scenes from me sorry.
Also I am considering giving a Commission of Character arts so please vote which one you want to see. The highest number of votes will be commissioned. I will commission two characters because that's only what I can afford in my budget for now and they will not be Ai but real human drawing. You can also recommend artists. I will give commission after 15 Dec till then you can vote.
1: Astrid
2: Amalia
3: Charlotte
4: Lyra
5: Elise
6: Monica