Chapter 173 - Testing Affinity Part1
She had not seen the princess shift even once after she arrived at the castle, and now that she had seen her, she couldn't turn her eyes away or even blink.
The princess looked absolutely stunning! Rather than a fierce beast, she looked like a goddess.
She had the golden eyes which every member of the royal family had and a pair of sleek silver wings jutted out of her back.
That too they were not the ordinary wings covered by feathers like that of a bird. They looked smooth and thin, covered by small shimmering silver scales.
Ah… She stood dumbfounded. The princess looked so beautiful and elegant that it brought tears to her eyes.
Sylvia did not expect the maid to rush in and stood up from the floor, awkwardly clearing her throat.
"I am good, Evie. I don't need anything. You can return back to your work."
Hearing her words, the maid finally snapped out of her trance.
"Ah… Ah… Please forgive me, your highness. I heard a loud noise and I barged in fearing if you had gotten hurt."
"I appreciate your concern." Sylvia nodded.
"Ah… Umm… " Evie stood staring as if she had forgotten what to do next.
"Do you need anything else?" Sylvia asked, puzzled by the maid's behavior, which made the young woman blush and she quickly shook her head, running out of the chamber the next instant.
"What happened to her?" Sylvia shrugged and turned to the mirror to examine herself again.
Perhaps because the maid had gotten more shocked than her, she had somewhat recovered and looked closely at everything.
Her horns were strong and sturdy and they were attached to her head like her arms were attached to her body.
She craned her neck to look at her back, and her wings were also attached to her body in a similar fashion.
These were now parts of her body just like her arms and legs.
After taking a long look, Sylvia covered her face with her palms and rubbed her eyes. Her life had really taken the strangest of turns ever since she had turned eighteen.
She had actual wings now? Does this mean she could fly?
Sylvia closed her eyes trying to feel the new parts of her body. She tried to become more aware of the muscles and move them.
Twitch!
One of her wings actually twitched!
For the first time in the last few days, Sylvia completely forgot about everything else that had been weighing heavily in her heart.
A small silly smile formed on her lips as she ran her fingers over her wings.
It worked out perfectly that both her hands and her wings were covered in scales as she had a feeling that by now she would have cut herself if that was not the case.
Though sleek and flexible, her wings were actually quite sturdy. They were not flimsy at all. At the same time, they also didn't weigh her down.
"Can I really fly with this thing?"
She stared at her reflection, her lips parted when a loud knock sounded.
"Come in," Sylvia muttered.
It was Evie again, and she stood at the chamber door with her head bowed and face still reddened.
"Your highness, Patriarch Cadmus has invited you for breakfast this morning. Please forgive me for not mentioning this earlier."
Seeing that the maid was nervous, Sylvia walked over to her, but this only made the situation worse, as Evie looked up at her in fear, her body visibly shaking.
"It's alright," Sylvia muttered. "You don't have to be so nervous".
She was about to pat her but considering her hands looked more like claws, she stopped herself from doing so.
Evie quickly nodded her head up and down a dozen times, still looking nervous.
Sylvia shook her head helplessly.
It seemed as if she was only making things worse, so she turned and walked back to the mirror, going back to what she was doing.
"Your highness, may I please assist you in getting ready?" Evie asked again, this time a bit more relaxed.
Huh?
Only now Sylvia paid attention to her clothes that were fully ripped, leaving only bits and pieces here and there. Everything was in tatters.
And this was going to happen every time she shifts?
Sylvia twirled around, wondering how to make sure that this doesn't happen again.
"Evie, can you make me some new clothes?"
"Yes, your highness. Anything you need." Evie bowed.
"Make me some clothes that have a long open back." Since the wings were the main issue, Sylvia wondered if this could solve the problem.
Evie nodded quickly and then bowed once again before leaving.
Hmmm… Sylvia looked at the timid maid flee from her room again.
She was not sure if she even understood what she had in mind, but she was not exactly in a hurry so she decided to leave it aside for later.
Turning around to face the mirror, Sylvia tried to move her wings once again, when suddenly a bolt of agonizing pain shot through her spine.
She trembled and bit her lips, trying to bear with it, but her head started clouding and she felt weak as if her body was drained completely of energy.
Her golden irises paled and her eyes turned to their normal azure hue. Her horns and wings disappeared and the scales covering her body as well vanished.
She collapsed on the carpeted floor, falling down unconscious, her body fully human.
"Your highness!" This time hearing the commotion all three maids rushed over and panicked on seeing the princess on the floor.
"Someone call for the patriarch."
Two of the maids carefully lifted Sylvia up to place her on the bed and one ran out to inform the old patriarch.