Sold to a Prince!

"I see. I understand your words. She is indeed weak. After all, she was raised as a human, not knowing her powers." King Frederick gruffly muttered and shook his head. "I am sure that destroyed any chance of growth she might have had."

It was not like he had high hopes about this daughter's competency in the first place, but now it was worse than he had imagined. She definitely needed someone strong to be by her side.

"Yes, compared to the other royal descendants, her time in the human kingdom hindered princess Sylvia from progressing as a draconian." Roman agreed.

"Hmmm... Now that you reminded me, I should also assign some royal guards to be by her side at all times." He seemed to be mulling over things on his own, no longer continuing the conversation with Roman.

"I should also send out word for suitable alliances. The girl is not capable of finding her own mate. I should make sure that she is protected and well-guarded by a dependable man."

"However, even that is still a long process. Hmmm... Are there any other options?"

Roman smiled. He felt as if he had accomplished what he wanted.

He didn't particularly care about the marriage part. He had wanted to get a decent-sized personal army for her and that part went smoothly.

After hearing all the rumors, he had always thought that the King was not particularly fond of Sylvia. Perhaps it had something to do with her mother or perhaps it was because of something else.

But looking at his behavior right now, Roman couldn't help but doubt that rumor. He silently observed everything and nodded along as the King continued rambling.

Compared with the other princesses and princes of the draconian kingdom, the fourth princess was in a very precarious state.

When Patriarch Cadmus fell ill, it made Sylvia that much more susceptible to outward influence because there was no one backing her in the kingdom.

This was why Roman wanted to make sure that the king would do something in order to raise Sylvia's chances of survival here in the kingdom.

Seeing her working very hard day in and day out, he thought that this was the least that he could do.

After a while, King Frederick suddenly paused and then loudly exclaimed. "It's settled then."

Lord Roman blinked and raised his head. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

"I think it will take time to find Sylvia a suitable match, and I can't think of anyone who would be the perfect partner for her... I believe assigning royal guards will suffice for now."

Lord Roman sighed inwardly in relief.

He didn't actually want Sylvia to get married this soon and knew that she would probably bite his head off if she came to know that he was the one who had insisted on this.

But he couldn't directly command the Draconian King to assign her royal guards. That was not how things worked. So in the end, he was happy that the man came to this conclusion.

Lord Roman bowed. "I think that is a very wise decision, your majesty."

"Alright, you may leave now." King Frederick nodded dismissively. He wasn't the type to linger on unproductive chatter. "Bring back my daughter once she finishes her training with you."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

The Lycan Lord then walked out of the throne room.

He loosened the top of his robes to give him some more room to breathe. He was feeling constricted and suffocated after the conversation with the king because of what he said.

All those words that he had spoken to the King were lies.

But it was something he did out of necessity because even though the woman was astoundingly strong he did not believe that it was good for her to not have any personal troops.

It was unfair that she wasn't given a lot of opportunities, while the other royal descendants enjoyed a different status. Unlike Sylvia, at the snap of their fingers, they can gather an army.

While it was good to be powerful and strong, as the Lord of the Lycan clan, Roman knew how important it was to have trusted allies and confidantes that were there to support Sylvia.

Even though the Draconians preferred to work alone, having people around and the strength of a pack was a valuable thing that the Lycan kingdom knew and took advantage of.

It pained him to say all of those terrible words about her to the king, but it was because he knew that it was the only way to help her gather more resources under her disposal.

As Roman stepped outside of the throne room, he took in a deep breath and felt a gentle breeze blow past him in the palace's hallways.

He felt light at heart and mind as if a load was lifted away from his shoulders. He had after all pried resources away from the Draconian King which was not an easy feat.

However, just as he took a deep breath, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened as he inhaled a familiar and intoxicating scent.

"This..." Roman stuttered. He moved, his figure visibly blurring. This scent was unmistakably Sylvia's!

It was a mesmerizing unique fragrance that stood out but that was not important right now. There was something else about that scent that drove him crazy, something very specific.

His heart started pounding crazily as his eyes fervently searched for that something and the next instant, he shuddered in shock.

A few feet away from him, there were a couple of drops of black blood on the otherwise pristine marble floor with golden edges.

The sight of this made his heart stop. It confirmed everything. This was the scent of her blood in the air. What he feared the most had happened so soon?!

But how was this possible?

"Is this really Sylvia's?" Lord Roman questioned himself because she was supposed to be in his castle, not here. However, it was impossible for his senses to mislead him.