Sylvia walked into a palace that was several times bigger and majestic than the King's castle back in Kalindor.
And unlike that castle, this one barely had any guards. Only a grand and ornate empty entrance welcomed the two of them.
Sylvia looked around, her cold eyes wandering the empty hallways, the marble floors, and the golden pillars which were studded with strange amber gems.
"There are no guards here." Roman muttered as if he read her thoughts.
"We are not like those vain humans. Our royal family needs no guards. There is simply no one strong enough to overthrow them."
"I mean we do have an army, but they are scattered throughout the wilderness, rather than hanging around the palace like decorative sculptures."
His boots clicked on the floor next to Sylvia, making loud noises, unlike her bare legs that softly padded along.
As they walked further in, they halted in front of a huge hall.
There was a single throne at the far center of the room, a brilliant gold structure that looked as if it was on fire.
Two guards standing at the entrance of the hall rushed towards Roman as soon as they saw him and bowed. "Greetings, Lord Roman."
Sylvia's calm and steeled eyes flitted over to glance at the men when she noticed the pair of strange horns on their heads. Her eyes slightly widened but then returned back to their sharp coldness.
"I seek an audience with his highness. It's an important matter of the highest priority." Roman muttered, waving his hands at the two guards, who then bowed once again to him and scurried away quickly.
"Don't mistake your family. They are not here to welcome you because they don't know about you yet." Roman chuckled, turning around and explaining to Sylvia.
He didn't notice that he was being more talkative than usual. The other party's demeanor made him feel as if he needed to fill the silence.
However, it didn't do much good as Sylvia only nodded without saying anything else. It seemed as if she had no expectations.
Roman sighed and shook his head.
A few seconds later, another pair of footsteps echoed in the distance and suddenly, a suffocatingly powerful aura filled the entire throne room.
"Why do you insist on seeing me in the middle of the night, Roman Boris?" A voice thundered in.
Sylvia, who was silent and distant up until now, suddenly froze. The familiarity of the voice made her tremble, evoking vague memories which she couldn't recollect.
She looked up and saw a tall and lean figure walking in, his eyes and mane, bright golden.
Just as her eyes gazed into his, the man as well looked at her, and his movements paused. The intimidating domineering aura disappeared the next instant.
"Who do we have here, Roman?" He asked, his golden irises fixated on Sylvia.
Roman bowed slightly and then answered. "I think you already know, your highness."
He clearly had a much more personal relationship with the King as his mannerisms were more informal rather than formal.
"Don't talk to me in circles, boy." Frederick Akhekh grimaced. He looked like he wanted to strangle Roman.
"Ha ha. As you wish, your highness." Roman chuckled.
He then made an exaggerated gesture to the woman standing next to him and muttered. "I present you, your daughter Sylvia."
The King stilled. Though he already had an inkling of who the person standing in front of him might be, he didn't want to believe it.
"How do you know that?" He asked Roman, who was taken aback by the King's words.
"Huh? Her aura is bright red with a golden tinge, your highness." He paused and then added. "And she is a spitting image of your… "
"Hmph. Looks can be deceiving." Came the unexpected reply, which made the Lycan clan Lord even more surprised.
Sylvia shifted her gaze away from the stern and cold look of the King, her supposed father.
He didn't want to accept her? It was fine. Somehow his words that should have been cutting and cruel had very little effect on her.
An awkward silence filled in the giant hall as no one muttered anything else. The King's behavior was completely unexpected that even Roman was speechless.
The silence continued to prolong like the last breath of a sickly woman when Sylvia finally put an end to it. "I will be taking my leave then, your highness."
She bowed once towards the King and once towards Roman and did not wait for anyone to respond as she turned around and started walking out.
"Miss Sylvia." Roman called after her, but she kept walking, not intending to stay in a place where she clearly did not belong.
She had already done that enough and she did not want to live like that any longer.
The King's golden irises trailed her figure and just as she was about to step out of the palace, his voice thundered. "Stay the night and then leave."
Sylvia paused and turned around. Her eyes stared at the man's back who was now retreating to his chambers.
Only Roman walked towards her, feeling a bit apologetic. "He just needs some time." He said and Sylvia nodded.
"Why don't you come and stay in my castle in the meantime?" He asked and then added. "I insist."
Sylvia once again silently nodded. All she needed was a place to sleep. It didn't matter where.
She followed him as Roman walked towards the giant griffon bird.
"The Lycan territory is just a few hundred miles away. We should be there in a few minutes."
The two of them climbed on top of the bird and then the bird alighted, soaring high up into the sky.
The wind whipped her face and her hair and the cool refreshing wind felt exhilarating.
This time they flew at a lower altitude and Sylvia could clearly see the lush forests and the tall trees underneath.
Soon they arrived at another huge clearing and the bird once again landed in front of a majestic castle.
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