Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Theron paused while tying his robe, his gaze turning sharp and suspicious.

"If Your Highness doubts me, you may summon the high shaman to confirm it."

Theron's eyes flickered with interest. "Guards, bring the shaman here at once."

Moments later, the stout shaman was escorted into the room.

The shaman exchanged a fleeting glance with me before bowing deeply to Theron.

"Your Highness, the legend is true. If the princess consumes the Jade Nectar Herb before conceiving, she will undoubtedly bear you a glorious dragon heir."

To prove his point, the shaman pulled an ancient tome from his sleeve, showing the recorded wonders of the sacred herb.

Theron inspected the text carefully, his scowl finally melting into satisfaction, and he rewarded the shaman with a pouch of gold.

"You truly have my best interests at heart," Theron murmured, pulling me into his arms. "Forgive me for neglecting you these past days."

He smoothed my hair gently. "Do not fret. It is merely a wild herb, and I will send my best warriors to retrieve it for you."

Instead of looking pleased, I furrowed my brow in distress. "My Lord, it is guarded by an ancient beast. Ordinary men will be torn to shreds and swallowed whole before they can even touch it."

I cupped his face, tears welling in my eyes. "I do not need the herb for myself. I only dream of giving you the strongest, most magnificent child in this world."

Moved by my words, Theron nodded resolutely. "Rest easy. I shall personally retrieve that herb for you."

As he strapped on his armor and strode out, the vulnerability on my face vanished, replaced by an icy glare.

Theron only saw the first half of the ancient text detailing the power of the herb.

He had no idea that the second half warned of its deadly curse: any whelp born from it would never live past the age of five.

He wanted to use me to produce a powerful heir to crush humanity once more.

Little did he know, I intended to destroy both him and his lineage.

I stepped outside and found the shaman clutching his bag of gold with greedy delight.

"A man blinded by lust and gold," I said softly, stepping behind him. "My sister had to sacrifice her dignity to bribe you, so I will grant her justice by ending your miserable life."

The shaman turned around in sheer terror, but my dragon-bone dagger was already buried deep inside his chest.

Warm blood splattered across my cheeks, painting me like a vengeful demon in the moonlight.

I poured a vial of bone-dissolving acid over his corpse.

Within moments, his body dissolved into a puddle of foul liquid and vanished into the earth.

After wiping the blood from my face, I trailed quietly behind Theron toward Mount Desolation.

When I reached the summit, Theron and Darius were already locked in a heated standoff.

"Brother! I have yielded to you my entire life, but without this herb, Cassia will die!"

Behind Darius, my sister lay on the ground, her lips stained dark and sweat beading on her pale face.

However, I had slipped a hallucinogenic powder into Theron's wine before he left.

In Theron's eyes, my sister looked perfectly healthy without a single trace of poison.

Theron raised his blade and slashed the air before Darius.

"Darius, you dare defy me over a mere human woman? Hand over the herb right now, or forget that we are brothers!"

Seeing Theron's deadly glare, Darius hesitated.

My sister weakly tugged at Darius's hem. "My Prince... do not fight with your brother for my sake. If I die, simply find other beauties to take my place..."