Rubbing his temples, Roman walked out of the patriarch's quarters, and it didn't take long for him to find Sylvia.
She was sitting beside the small pond that had beautiful golden lotuses floating around.
It looked like she was meditating. He saw her calmly breathe in and out, circulating the mana through her body.
The thick mana in the air, the nourishing energy from the lotuses, and the ethereal glow from the stars and the moon in the vast night sky, all together enveloped her, swirling and dancing around her.
She looked like a celestial maiden who had descended onto the mortal realm.
Roman froze, slightly caught off guard.
Even though he already knew that she was quite a beautiful woman, seeing her like this, he couldn't help but take a second to admire her appearance.
The scene in front of him was breathtaking but at the same time, there was something unsettling about it.
Roman frowned. For some reason, he felt as if this didn't suit her at all.
He knew her before this. Maybe not much but he had observed her at least for a little while.
This was not her.
She was not the cold blizzard that cruelly froze everything in sight. She was the warm kind fire that comforted the weak and weary.
He could see that she was hurting and she was only barely hiding it by being so silent and still.
"Why the hell am I babysitting her?" He sighed and then walked over to her side, knowing full well that the old man was probably standing somewhere and watching each and every single one of his moves.
What a troublesome girl! He again sighed.
"Not feeling sleepy huh?"
Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at the familiar figure standing in front of her. She steadied herself and then stood up.
"Greetings, Lord Roman." She gave him a small curt bow.
Roman nodded. "How do you like the place so far?"
"Everything is to my liking," Sylvia answered him.
He realized that the question was for naught considering that it had barely been a day since she got here.
But weirdly… they had already met more than twice. What the hell?!
Roman was neither a fan of the small talk nor was he any good at it. So he didn't beat around the bushes and directly got to the point.
"You are having some trouble with your shifting?"
Sylvia nodded. That was why she had been meditating instead.
She had not been able to shift into her beast form, so she decided to focus on the other thing that she knew.
She was not upset. She was not disappointed. She simply chose to do whatever she could at the moment.
"I see. You don't have to worry about that too much. It is very normal taking into account your history."
Sylvia flinched but nodded nevertheless.
"Would you like me to give you some pointers?" Roman asked, cocking his head to the side. He half-expected her to act stubborn and proud, not willing to take his help.
And if the other party was not interested, there was no point in him trying to help.
But unexpectedly, Sylvia bowed and replied. "I would really appreciate that, Lord Roman."
His blue eyes stared intently at her, unable to read her thoughts.
But one thing was for sure. If he indeed decides to help her, it wouldn't be right under the nose of that annoying old man.
He could almost feel his burning judgmental gaze on his back, making him sweat. It was not like he was going to eat her alive.
Are you going to trust me with your granddaughter or not? Make up your mind, you old bastard. He wanted to snap back.
But unfortunately, he can't…
Swallowing his grievances, Roman muttered. "Let's go for a walk."
He led Sylvia out of the royal palace and the two of them walked over to a forest nearby.
There were acres and acres of wilderness surrounding the palace, so they didn't have to walk for long.
But neither spoke to the other, making it seem very long nevertheless.
"So why do you want to shift into your beast?" Roman was the first to break the silence and he stopped in the midst of tall lush trees.
Sylvia looked up, meeting the man's piercing gaze, and slightly faltered.
She paused for a moment and then slowly moved her lips."It's because I am a beast."
"Heh. Is that so?" Roman did not hold back and sneered at her half-hearted reply.
"Let me stop you right there. If you are not honest with me, this is a waste of both of our time."
Sylvia flinched at his bluntness.
She met his unforgiving gaze again and saw that he was patiently waiting for her to make up her mind.
She paused for a while and let out a deep breath. "I want to become stronger." She muttered, her voice barely audible.
Roman nodded. This time he didn't laugh at her face. "Alright. That wasn't too difficult now, was it?"
"See. Shifting is going to be difficult for someone like you." Roman walked up to a tree and leaned on it.
"I mean you are already what 20 something? And you haven't shifted even once."
"But at the same time, it should also be extremely easy for you. Do you know why?"
Sylvia felt his cold gaze linger on her as if he was seeing right through everything that she had locked away.
"Close your eyes," Roman muttered. "Trust me and close your eyes. Just listen to my words and words alone."
She nodded and did as she was told. There was a sharpness in his voice that made her trust him and listen to him.
A minute of silence passed by and she heard him speak again.
"You are back in that prison cell… " His voice drawled on.
"Your hands and your legs are bound and you are unable to move…"
Sylvia knew that she was not really there and he was simply saying these things to her.
She understood what he was trying to do. She imagined herself being back in that hopeless desolate place... and suddenly...
She felt pressure on her legs and her wrist that made her body shudder.
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