I turned to leave, but Warren stopped me. He decisively rejected the call as if he had made up his mind.
“I think you must know the purpose of the party, Sylvia.”
I stopped on my tracks and turned to stare at him, gesturing for him to go on.
“The ball will be hosted by the queen, Laura, herself. Although the guests would find their dates in advance, most of them would go there alone. And most of those invited to the ball are single noble ladies in the imperial capital.” Warren paused to observe my reaction.
“So what?” I replied emotionlessly.
“Every lady attending the ball belongs to a reputed family,” Warren said bluntly. He meant I didn’t deserve to attend the ball.
“I know my place. You don’t have to remind me.” I sneered.
I was always very clear about my identity. That was why I trained vigorously every day, trying to keep myself busy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to control my heart that yearned for Rufus and thought about him every waking moment.
The strict hierarchy could only enslave me but not my heart and soul. No cage could restrain my thoughts. If I didn’t even have the right to like someone, then there would be no difference between me and a filthy rat in the gutter.
“I’m not mocking you, Sylvia.” Warren frowned. “Don’t you understand? Queen Laura is hosting the ball to find a match for Prince Rufus. It’s actually a blind date party. She wants Prince Rufus to pick a noble lady at the ball as his future mate. I don’t think you should go there.”
‘What? Was it a blind date party?’ I pursed my lips and remained silent. My heart sank at the thought of Rufus having a mate from the noble bloodline. My pride and joy shattered in an instant.
“You are just a slave. If you attend the ball as Prince Rufus’ date, it will undoubtedly humiliate all the other noble ladies. It’s a disgrace to the queen. You will end up ruining the relationship between Prince Rufus and his mother.”
I raised my head to look at Warren. His words made me tremble.
Warren’s POV
I couldn’t bear to see Sylvia’s pallid face. However, my mind instantly flitted to Alina. Thinking how upset she would be to see Sylvia at the ball, I gritted my teeth and decided to continue speaking. I had to make her see the reality and ruin all her hopes. That was the only way I could stop her from attending the ball.
“You must have heard about Lucy, right?” I asked.
Everyone knew that Lucy had become Prince Richard’s mate. Moreover, Sylvia had a well-informed talkative friend, Flora. So, I knew the news was no surprise to her.
However, she didn’t say anything but just looked at me and nodded. Her eyes lost their glow and suddenly looked dull.
I gazed at the reeds by the river and sighed. Sylvia’s sadness bothered me. “I got the news that Prince Richard is going to take Lucy to the ball and announce their wedding date in public. Lucy has a noble background, but you are just a slave.”
Sylvia’s jaw tightened when she heard that. Tears welled up in her melancholic eyes. I held my head with my hand and slumped down. Someday in the future Alina would be with another man, someone came from a noble family as well. The thought of me not being the reason for her happiness broke my heart.
I had thought only parting with Alina would hurt me. However, Sylvia’s teary eyes made me upset even more. I was depressed. I had a lot to say but didn’t know where to begin.
I stood up awkwardly and pretended to be cold. “Anyway, you better not attend the ball. Not only Lucy, but Alina will also be there. She is the daughter of Alpha Leonard, who has noble lycan bloodline. They are powerful people. Only her status and wealth are comparable with Lucy’s. Moreover, everyone loves Alina.”
I cleared my throat and added, “I don’t want her to be unhappy because of you.”
Sylvia snapped her head up to look at me. Her eyes widened as if she had understood something. “Why were you beating around the bush for so long? Alina asked you to say all this to me, didn’t she?”
“No. She didn’t ask me to do anything,” I faltered. Sylvia’s question made me feel guilty and nervous. I didn’t expect Sylvia to be smart enough to see through me.
“No?” Sylvia squealed.
“I’m sorry for being rude before. I apologize for my behavior. I must admit that you have great potential.” The guilt was eating me up. I wanted to apologize to her. But I didn’t forget my goal. “But you, as a slave, can’t get involved in the royal family’s affairs.”
I advised her not just for Alina but for her own sake as well. She was a promising she-wolf with great potential. I hoped she would stay away from the royal family and concentrate on training and becoming stronger. If she managed to join the Royal Army in the future, I could introduce her to Alpha Leonard and help her get rid of her identity as a slave completely.
But Sylvia didn’t appreciate my kindness at all. She glared at me and said, “All right. Let’s fight. We didn’t finish it the last time. Let’s fight properly now to see who is stronger.”
‘What the hell is going on? Has Sylvia lost her mind?’ I frowned in confusion. “No. You are no match for me.”
Sylvia sneered. “You coward! You can just say that you are scared instead of coming up with silly excuses.”
“You…” My pupils suddenly dilated. No one had ever called me a coward before. Anger surged through my veins. I wanted to fight her.
“Okay!”
I growled. Perhaps Sylvia would listen to me after I defeated her.
Warren’s POV
As a well-educated werewolf, I accepted the challenge but didn’t want to hurt a she-wolf in any way, so I restrained my strength in every move, thinking I would be able to subdue Sylvia in no time without using my full ability.
However, I was soon in a disadvantageous position. Therefore, I no longer hesitated to attack Sylvia.
Sylvia quickly dodged my attack and punched me again. Before I could react, her fist brushed past my nose as a rush of wind hit my face with full force.
I felt a surge of adrenaline. I felt thrilled to fight with such a strong opponent. It was surprising to see Sylvia fight with such ferocity. Her progress was beyond my imagination.
Who would have thought that my opponent, whom I had once defeated, would suppress me in just a few days?
Sylvia pinned me to the ground with a backhand attack and stopped suddenly. She stood tall and glared at me. Her aura frightened me; I shuddered as I had an inexplicable urge to surrender.
“What happened? Why did you stop?” I withdrew my hands awkwardly. Her sharp gaze disturbed me.
Her eyes looked inexplicably familiar to me. I have watched Alpha Leonard return with pride gleaming in his eyes every time he returned after a victory.
Alpha Leonard was an admirable leader. As a hero of his generation, his glories and achievements couldn’t be erased from history. I have always admired his majestic demeanor and promised myself to become a brave werewolf like him one day. That was why I pledged to become a knight for his daughter, Alina.
However, seeing the same domineering aura in a slave surprised me. For a moment, I thought I had lost my mind.
“One more time.” I brushed the thoughts away and challenged Sylvia again.
However, Sylvia shook her head, shrugging indifferently. “Boring.”
I stood up sulkily, not knowing what to do.
I didn’t know how to face Sylvia now. It was because of the imposing manner that reminded me of Alpha Leonard. Besides my father, Alpha Leonard was the only one who had been extremely strict to me. Every time I made a mistake when I was a little boy, Alpha Leonard would always lash my buttocks with a bamboo whip.
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