Sylvia stretched her body, twisted and turned. She took deep breaths, clenching her fists.
She also tried breathing and circulating the mana in and out through her body.
But weirdly, no matter what she did, she couldn't feel anything at all.
A few more minutes passed when Mrs. Gruger finally spoke up and decided to intervene.
"Your highness. We can try again tomorrow. No need to rush things."
Sylvia nodded and sat down. There was a bit of disappointment on her face, but she still remained calm and collected.
"Then shall I take my leave and we can meet again tomorrow at this same time?" Mrs. Gruger suggested.
Sylvia nodded. The middle-aged woman prepared to leave when she looked up and muttered. "Mrs. Gruger, what beast do you think I am?"
Ah… The woman stopped. She couldn't help but gaze at the young girl with pity. She sat back down and explained.
"Your highness, it is not possible for others to know what bloodline you possess. Only when you shift your beast will be revealed."
"However, different bloodlines have different biases. For example, almost all my family members are serpentine clan members."
"And…" Gruger paused. "Since you are a daughter of the Akhekh family, your beast will most likely be a draconic descendant."
"You mean dragon?" Sylvia asked again.
"Yes, your highness. But there are different beasts with the draconic bloodline."
"While all of them are more powerful when compared to the majority of other beast clans, they need not essentially be dragons."
Sylvia nodded.
Gruger had expected some sort of reaction from her for at least this information but she was surprised to see the princess still remain indifferent.
She assumed that she probably knew about it beforehand, at least some of it, so she didn't think too much of it.
Shortly afterward, Mrs. Gruger left and Sylvia was by herself in the garden. She stared at her hand and tried to imagine claws instead of her slender hands.
"Why won't you come out…?" She muttered.
The evening sky slowly turned dark and Sylvia sat alone in the garden, still gazing at her hand.
However, unbeknownst to her, in the other corner of the garden, an old man groomed his beard in deep thought and walked back in.
He sat down in his armchair, knitting his fingers together and three men stood in front of him.
"Uske. If someone is not able to shift easily, do you think that the person's soul is damaged?"
The man named Uske bowed and answered. "Your highness, that need not necessarily be the case. Sometimes the bloodline could just be too insignificant and the person could be more human than spirit beast."
Hmmm… Cadmus nodded, though his eyes were quite unfocused as if he was still thinking about something.
After a while, he looked up and asked again. "That brat, Roman… Didn't he have some difficulty shifting too?"
A few minutes later…
Inside the Lycan Lord's castle, Roman was sitting with a few of the Lycan clan elders and having dinner.
He had a cold and aloof expression as he was discussing with the group of men and one woman about harvest moon hunting which was a long-standing tradition.
However, suddenly, the doors opened and a tall and lean man barged inside.
Roman's face instantly changed and his previous lofty and cold demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
He recognized the man standing in front of him to be one of the royal family's lackeys. He had a bad feeling. Even his eye twitched.
"What now?" He muttered, his voice almost a growl.
The person who barged in, Uske, bowed. "Patriarch Cadmus has summoned your highness. This matter is of utmost importance."
Roman's lips twitched. "I am sure it is." He placed his fork down on the table. "But as you can see, I am already in the middle of something important."
"So please inform the patriarch that I will be paying him a visit first thing tomorrow morning."
Ah… Uske smiled awkwardly. "That… That… " He wanted to say that that was not really an option but he hesitated a little to give the young Lycan Lord some face.
One of the elders as well chimed in to advise Roman. "My Lord, please rest assured."
"We can finish the rest of the preparations and I can personally report to you tomorrow with the full details."
Roman almost growled at the man who was taking away his only excuse.
He sighed helplessly and then paused. A couple of seconds later, he once again sighed and stood up.
"Alright. I am heading to the royal palace." He moved the dining table chair with a thud, which it only barely survived.
He then shifted and blasted out of the castle without waiting for Uske to follow him.
Awooo! An angry howl echoed through the otherwise quietly rustling forests.
It didn't take long for Roman to reach the royal palace especially considering that he was raging on the inside.
"This better be a damned emergency." He gnashed his canines and leaped through the gardens, reaching patriarch Cadmus's private quarters.
"Your highness, you had summoned me?" Roman muttered through his teeth, his silver hair messily sprawled like a bird's nest. "May I know what was so urgent?"
The old man glanced at him and then with a serious expression he answered. "I need you to teach my granddaughter how to shift."
Huh? Roman blinked.
He had assumed that it was probably something related to her but he still did not expect this. He furrowed his brows and probed.
"Your highness, may I ask why you requested me specifically for this? Your highness is probably the best person to learn from."
"Hmmm… That might be true but I think you can help her more. Didn't you also have a similar experience when you were younger?"
The old man's words reminded Roman of some unpleasant things and his jaw clenched tightly.
But he did understand why he had been called over and he let out a deep breath, simmering down, as this was not completely ridiculous.
The old man did not go overboard this time. It was somewhat reasonable to have called him over.
He need not have labeled it as urgent, but still... this was something Roman could live with.
He cleared his throat and just as he was about to agree to the patriarch's request, the old man opened his mouth again.
"Besides, how can I ever yell at my dearest granddaughter? She is such a sweet and kind girl. You do it. She won't feel bad if a ruffian like you treats her strictly."
There it was! Roman smiled bitterly. I should have never rescued that damned girl!
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