Sold to a Prince!

Gazing at the distant tree gently swaying in the wind, Sylvia wiped her mouth after finishing breakfast.

She gently placed the napkin down on the table and asked one of the maids standing near her. "Is there a library in the castle?"

"Yes, your highness." Evie bowed and was quick to answer. 

Her mother had lectured her a lot about the old patriarch and how every order that he issued was to be taken extremely seriously. 

And right now, his orders were for her to serve the young princess to the best of her abilities. 

So the maid was very eager and enthusiastic. "Would you like to visit the library, your highness?" She added.

Sylvia nodded after a pause and then stood up from the table. 

Evie immediately bowed and brought her over to the library which was actually located not that far from Sylvia's new quarters.

Once they reached the huge hall, the maid halted at the entrance. "Your highness. I will wait for you here. I am not allowed to enter inside."

"It's quite alright. You may leave." Sylvia dismissed the maid as she planned to spend the entire day here.

Too many things had happened lately and a lot weighed heavily in her mind and her heart.

She wasn't sure about any of that and she didn't want to think about any of that. There was only one thought and one goal currently in her mind.

She simply didn't want to be weak anymore. 

She didn't want to depend on anyone and she didn't want to be at anyone's mercy.

Sylvia stepped into the library and looked around. It was even more spectacular than anything she had ever seen or expected.

The huge grand hall extended for several acres, with stacks and stacks of bookshelves, filled with various books and scrolls.

But that was not the end of it. 

As she walked further inside, she saw staircases spiraling down several meters underground and each layer held countless books.

Sylvia walked back over to the shelves in the front, where she assumed more general books would be found, and took some time looking around. 

Her eyes curiously darted here and there and her hands grazed on the spines of the various books as she walked along.

She noticed a couple of books that talked about the history of beast clans and picked them up curiously.

The first thing she wanted or rather she needed to know was about herself and it looked like everyone knew more about her than her at this point.

Sylvia walked over to the back of the library where a long and lengthy table like that of a dining hall was situated.

She assumed that this was perhaps a seating area intended for people to peruse through the books without actually taking them out.

She sat down on one of the chairs and propped open the big dusty book on one of the small wooden stands that were placed on the table.

Breathing calmly and steadily, she started flipping the pages one by one. Her eyes gazed at the words on the paper with an intense concentration.

"Spirit beasts… ancient beast clans… " Sylvia's lips moved and she mouthed absentmindedly as it was her habit to say a few words out loud when engrossed in reading.

The more she read, the more her eyes widened and her heart pounded as the book spoke about mysterious things which she had no idea of, even in the slightest.

Perhaps this sort of information was purposefully hidden from commoners, but still… it was all just a bit too shocking for her.

The world she lived in was divided. She had always thought that the humans were the most powerful beings on the land, save for the myriad beasts in the wilderness.

But it turns out that there were several other mysterious creatures, some more evil and dark than she could have ever imagined.

Apart from the humans, there were the spirit beasts who can take a human form, a beast form, and a form that was half-human and half-beast.

But there were also other creatures roaming in the world, the night creatures, demonic beasts, nether touched humans, astral fairies, nymph spirits, and the list went on.

Sylvia couldn't help but gasp as she continued to patiently read every single detail about each one of them.

The great wilderness was a much bigger land than the human continent and the different races and creatures living in the wilderness were constantly at war.

Some of them shared peace treaties but even those were flimsy fickle.

As Sylvia continued to read, completely immersed in the age-old historical records,  she didn't notice the presence of a second person in the grand hall.

Frederick Akhekh casually leaned on one of the bookshelves in the corner, observing the young girl from a distance.

Surprisingly, the anger and pride he had exhibited back in the throne room were no longer present on his face.

Instead, there was a hint of gentleness etched on his features. "She has your eyes." He silently muttered. 

His golden eyes that were usually arrogant and domineering had an unfathomable sadness swirling within them. 

He gazed at the young girl unblinkingly for several minutes as she continued to read, after which she finally moved, heading back into the thick of the shelves.

She was still not aware of his presence.

He as well moved as soon as she did, but when Sylvia returned back, he was no longer there in the library.

Instead, there were a couple of books placed on the side of the table where Sylvia had been previously sitting.

"Huh? Did I bring these over?" Sylvia looked at them in confusion.

But as she gazed at the title of the books, she soon forgot about how they came to the table and became more curious about their content.

"Beast magic… Hmmm… This is what I need… This should be able to tell me everything about my body." 

Sylvia ignored the set of books which she had searched and brought over and instead pulled those two books in front of her and busied herself.