After Grandpa Cadmus left, Sylvia returned back to her quarters and rested for a while. Despite having eaten her fill and a good night's sleep, she was still tired, so she fell asleep quickly.
Only when the maid nudged her in the evening, she stirred awake. "Your highness, the instructor has arrived." Lola hesitantly muttered.
Sylvia nodded and calmly got out of the bed. "Bring her to the garden." She then took a few seconds to freshen up and walked over to the garden as well.
A middle-aged woman was sitting there waiting for her. She had a distinct pair of gold-rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of her pointy nose, giving her a stern tutor-like look.
As soon as Sylvia walked out, she stood up from the table and bowed.
"Good evening, your highness. I am Mrs. Gruger. If it pleases your highness, I will be handling your training and basic education."
Sylvia bowed as well and paid respects to her. "I am grateful for your help, Mrs. Gruger."
The instructor smiled after seeing Sylvia's polite mannerisms and humble attitude. Though she gave off a reserved vibe, she already had a very good impression of her.
"Please, take a seat. I first wanted to discuss with you a few things before starting." Gruger pulled a chair for the princess and then sat down herself.
She was someone who usually dealt with kids and royal family kids were a lot less intimidating than the adults.
"Ummm… Your highness… So patriarch Cadmus has briefly filled me in about your special circumstances."
"He told me that only recently you became aware of your beast side."
"Yes, Mrs. Gruger." Sylvia answered.
It seemed like her grandfather had taken care of everything, even making sure she didn't have to explain anything to anyone.
"May I please know if you have ever shifted?" The instructor probed further, for which Sylvia could only shake her head helplessly.
She did not even know what that meant.
"Ah. I see. I see. That is indeed a pity." Being a member of the beast clan herself, Gruger could sympathize with her plight.
For people like them, not being connected with their beast was like losing half their limbs and being paralyzed.
"No need to worry, your highness. We will get started with that as soon as possible." Gruger paused for a moment and then continued. "Then… I think we should first start with a brief introduction."
"We beast clan members are blessed naturally. Our bloodline is special and we are able to shift to our ancestral beast God."
"For instance, your highness, I am from the serpentine clan. I am able to shift into a venomous snake. Would it please your highness to witness my transformation?"
Sylvia listened intently and nodded. Her eyes never left the middle-aged woman as she curiously watched her stand up and walk to the side.
The next instant, without any warning, the tall lean figure of Gruger disappeared and her clothes fell down into a loose puddle.
But amidst this puddle, something moved. Shiny black scales shimmered under the glow of the moonlight as a long coiled snake slowly slithered out.
Sylvia gasped. Even though she had already seen Roman doing the same thing, she was still unable to get used to this sort of mysterious magic.
"This is my beast body, your highness." The snake hissed, but instead of mere hissing sounds, Sylvia could hear Mrs. Gruger converse with her.
She dazedly stood up, and walked over to the snake coiled on the lawn and knelt beside it.
She raised her hands and without any apprehension to the snake's venom, she caressed the beast, running her fingers on its coarse scales.
Mrs. Gruger was completely taken aback. For someone, not used to being around beasts, Sylvia was very quick to adapt.
Moreover, touching another beast like this was something very intimate and generally not condoned, except for their immediate family members or partners.
But Sylvia was doing it so innocently that Gruger couldn't bring herself to get offended. She only coughed awkwardly.
"Your highness. Please wait a moment while I change back." Lola hurried behind Gruger carrying the woman's clothes and both of them went back inside the castle.
After a few seconds, they once again returned. "Ahem. Ahem. Did you have any questions about the demonstration, your highness?" Gruger asked, changing the topic.
She decided to instruct Sylvia later about the etiquettes and customs as she didn't want to embarrass her by bringing it up immediately.
Sylvia's sharp and cold eyes were widened like a dove's and she looked like she had a million questions.
"Mrs. Gruger, how… how did you just do that? I mean is there a magic spell? How can the body change like that?"
The instructor chuckled. "No, your highness. There is no particular spell. Just like we are able to breathe, this is also an instinctive ability."
Sylvia's lips curved into an O and she nodded. "Then how is it possible for me to…"
"The patriarch mentioned something about a seal placed on your soul. That could have prevented you from sensing your beast."
"A seal placed on my soul," Sylvia repeated her words as her mind wandered to a place she didn't want to visit.
"Then, your highness. Would you like to try and shift now?" Snapping her out of her thoughts, Gruger's words pulled her back into reality.
Sylvia nodded and stood up. She bit her lips and stood still for a moment or so. She fidgeted with her fingers and looked at her hands and legs.
However, nothing changed and she still remained human. How the hell was she supposed to shift?
Mrs. Gruger who observed Sylvia's actions had to stifle her laughter back.
Since she didn't know what Sylvia had gone through, all she could see was a grown woman with almost a constipated look on her face. It was quite hilarious.
But she was a trained tutor after all. So she managed to keep a straight face and gave the princess some time and privacy to fully understand her body.
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