"Your Highness, the palace is now surrounded by knights loyal to the Second Imperial Daughter. You don't have much time left to consider this, so please make your decision as soon as possible."
She had lost. In this battle for the throne, Princess Lucia had ultimately lost to Imperial Daughter Asina.
This ending had been expected. In terms of methods, ability, schemes, and political maneuvering, Princess Lucia was inferior to the Second Imperial Daughter, Asina.
The only reason she had been qualified to compete with the Second Imperial Daughter for the throne was that her emperor father doted on her.
"Eva, there really... really isn't a second choice? Other than accepting your curse and turning into the legendary dragon, is there really no other way to leave the imperial capital?"
Dark Wizard Eva, her true appearance hidden beneath a wide black robe, sighed and shook her head at Lucia, who stood before her.
"Your Highness, without a spatial teleportation array or a teleportation scroll, and with the need to ensure that Your Highness has some ability to protect herself after escaping, accepting my curse and turning into a dragon is the best choice available."
Lucia, whose long purple hair curled slightly, lightly bit her lip. Struggle and hesitation showed in her violet-gold eyes.
Couldn't the curse just make her grow wings? Why did it have to turn her into a dragon? After struggling and hesitating for a moment, Lucia nodded in agreement. Eva was right. After fleeing the imperial capital, she still needed the ability to protect herself.
A dragon's ferocious, terrifying appearance and powerful body carried an innate intimidation that could save her from a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"Princess Lucia, I'm going to curse you."
Dark Wizard Eva did not hesitate. Seeing that the princess she followed had agreed, she immediately raised the Cursed Wand, pointed it at Lucia, and began chanting the spell.
With a thunderous boom, the palace where Lucia, the Third Imperial Daughter of the Farolyn Empire, lived collapsed.
An Amethyst Dragon appeared out of thin air atop the palace ruins. When the imperial knights surrounding Lucia saw this, they instinctively aimed their weapons at the Amethyst Dragon.
"Your Highness, fly now!"
Hearing Eva's voice, Lucia instinctively flapped her dragon wings and flew unsteadily toward the sky.
"Eva, hurry up and turn into a dragon and leave the imperial capital with me."
Eva smiled and shook her head at Lucia, who had turned into an Amethyst Dragon. Then she turned to look at the Second Imperial Daughter, surrounded by knights not far away.
"Your Highness Asina, I surrender."
"???"
Lucia, who had become an Amethyst Dragon, nearly plunged out of the sky when she heard Eva's words.
Her most loyal follower had surrendered.
"Is that Amethyst Dragon in the sky my adorable Underdog Imperial Sister?"
"It's Princess Lucia."
"How did she turn into a dragon?"
"I cursed her."
"...You arranged an escape route for my adorable Underdog Imperial Sister before surrendering to me. Very good, excellent. Unfortunately, she still won't be able to get away."
"Griffins are fierce and warlike. They won't fear a dragonling, much less one that used to be human."
As soon as she finished speaking, a squad of knights mounted their griffins and flew toward Lucia, who had become an Amethyst Dragon.
"Eva, I permit you to swear allegiance to Asina."
"Damn you, Asina! I'll be back! I swear I'll be back!"
After throwing out those two threats, Lucia was preparing to leave the sky above the imperial capital when a shadow suddenly enveloped her.
Before she could react, a wave of dizziness struck her.
Only after a long while did she realize what had happened. A terrifying, enormous creature had seized her dragon tail and lifted her into the air.
It was a... black dragon!
Help!!! Why had a black dragon suddenly appeared in the sky above the imperial capital?!!!
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Lance wouldn't have believed that a dragonling could be so bold as to fly into the imperial capital of a human empire in broad daylight and brazenly abduct a princess.
Even more outrageously, when this Amethyst Dragonling was besieged by the human empire's Griffin Knights, it not only failed to flee but also began spouting arrogant nonsense.
If he hadn't happened to be passing by on his way home, this Amethyst Dragonling would probably have died here.
For the sake of being members of the same dragon race, he had decided to save this Amethyst Dragonling that did not know the immensity of heaven and earth.
He was a black dragon—a fully grown black dragon.
Rescuing a dragonling under attack from human Griffin Knights was no difficult task for him.
He didn't need any unnecessary movements. He only had to dive from high in the sky, grab the Amethyst Dragonling's tail with his dragon claw, and carry her away.
As for those Griffin Knights, considering that he had once been human in his previous life, he would spare them the trouble.
An adult dragon's strength was immense. A casual swing of its tail could easily kill a griffin. A single Evil Dragon Roar could make those griffins tremble in fear.
"An evil dragon! An evil dragon has seized Her Highness!"
Dark Wizard Eva, who was loyal to Lucia, had never expected a black dragon to suddenly appear over the imperial capital and seize Princess Lucia, who had turned into an Amethyst Dragon.
It had happened too suddenly. By the time she reacted, the evil dragon was already preparing to take away Princess Lucia, who had become a dragonling.
"Griffin Knights, stop that evil dragon!"
After a brief moment of shock, the Second Imperial Daughter, Asina, hurriedly ordered the Griffin Knights to act. Her Underdog Imperial Sister might have been a little foolish.
But she couldn't just watch helplessly as an evil dragon carried her Underdog Imperial Sister away.
More Griffin Knights took to the sky. This time, they were not surrounding Lucia, but trying to keep the evil dragon that had suddenly appeared and seized Princess Lucia from escaping.
Seeing more and more Griffin Knights approaching, Lance immediately unleashed an Evil Dragon Roar.
The dragon's roar caused the well-trained griffins to lose control for a moment. Some griffins were even so frightened that they lost their sense of direction. The Second Imperial Daughter, Asina, and Dark Wizard Eva could only watch helplessly as the evil dragon carried Lucia away.
The evil dragon had appeared too suddenly, leaving them completely unprepared. Although the Griffin Knights were powerful, griffins would still feel fear when facing a true dragon.
The knights included.
"That's a true dragon! That black dragon is a true dragon, not a drake!"
"A true dragon? You mean that black dragon is... a Pure-Blooded Black Dragon?"
"Yes."
"Then it's over. My Underdog Imperial Sister probably won't be coming back."
"..."
Lucia was almost scared unconscious. She had never dreamed that she would one day be carried away by an evil dragon.
Even worse, the evil dragon had taken her to an island in the sea, leaving her no chance to escape.
Wahhh.
Why was her life so miserable?
It was bad enough that her throne had been stolen by that awful Imperial Sister, but why had she been captured by a legendary evil dragon while escaping the imperial capital? Wahhh. Who was going to save this princess? Where was the hero?
Where was the champion? A weak and helpless Imperial Daughter here needed your help.
She was so scared.
Legendary evil dragons ate people.
Huh? She didn't seem to be human anymore. She was a dragon.
An evil dragon probably didn't eat dragons, right?
Wait. Legendary evil dragons seemed to eat impure-blooded drakes too. Oh no, she was a human who had turned into a dragon, so her bloodline was definitely impure. Would the evil dragon treat her as food and eat her? No! She was only fifteen this year. She hadn't fallen in love yet, hadn't had her own knight swear allegiance to her, and hadn't even met any handsome noble young masters. She really didn't want to become the evil dragon's food!!!
"Eat."
"Don't eat me, don't eat me! My meat is sour, and I taste awful—really, really awful! Wahhh... I haven't fallen in love yet. I don't want to die, and I especially don't want to be eaten! Wahhh..."
"???"
Before you continue