"City Lord Drago, you're well aware of Princess Nina's situation," the representative from Flying Dragon City said bluntly. "Setting her appearance aside, we've heard that she has no fertility at all. Are you expecting our City Lord to end his bloodline? You should know how precious the dragon clan's lineage is."
The words struck straight to the point.
Drago's expression darkened, yet he found himself unable to refute them.
In the beast world, females could take multiple husbands, but males could have only one female mate—and they were required to remain absolutely loyal to her. On the day they formed a bond, a contract would be carved between them. Should a male betray or harm his mate, the contract would retaliate: at best, severe injury and a drastic loss of power; at worst, death.
Because of this, offspring were of vital importance to males—especially for races whose bloodlines were difficult to pass on. This reason alone left Drago with no grounds to continue opposing them.
It was all Nina's fault for being so useless—having not even a shred of fertility—and forcing him into such a passive position.
He shot Nina a vicious glare, barely concealing his anger.
But soon, a solution occurred to him. "If you dislike Nina for lacking fertility, then we'll change the bride. Lina of Spirit Stone City would be an excellent choice—she has high fertility and is beautiful as well. The marriage alliance can continue."
The moment Lina heard this, her eyes lit up.
Nina's handsome, powerful fiancés were going to be handed over to her? This sudden windfall—was it really hers?
She had already been the happiest person when Nina was abandoned. Now even Nina's fiancés were being transferred to her. She was so excited she almost wanted to rush out and shout in triumph.
Hmph. With her excellence, the eight great cities would surely agree without hesitation.
Lina stepped forward before the representatives, lifting her chin arrogantly. With the air of a victor, she shot Nina a smug, provocative look.
But in the very next second, reality slapped her hard in the face.
The representatives from the various cities looked at Lina with open disdain. Clearly, none of them supported Drago's proposal.
Lang of White Tiger City was the first to object. "Our marriage alliance candidates were decided long ago. How can they be changed so casually? If you can change them at will, does that mean we can as well—perhaps by randomly assigning you a male? Besides, our City Lord may not even take a liking to this Lina female."
Beautiful females with high fertility were plentiful in White Tiger City. Why would they come all the way to Spirit Stone City looking for one? Given their City Lord's strength, even a Sacred Female would be within easy reach.
They were here today purely because of the original agreement.
"We don't agree either," the other representatives chimed in.
Lina hadn't expected to be rejected so decisively—and with such clear disdain. She bit down hard on her lip, forcing herself to swallow the shame and fury boiling inside her.
Drago hadn't expected such a swift refusal either, nor that they would so easily exploit the flaw in his argument. As he struggled to figure out how to salvage the alliance, Nina spoke first.
"I agree to dissolve the engagement," she said calmly. "Leave the compensation and go."
Drago immediately objected. "No. She doesn't get to decide that."
Lang seized the opportunity at once. "Our marriage alliance was with Princess Nina. Naturally, her words carry authority. Since Princess Nina has agreed, then the engagement is officially dissolved. White Tiger City thanks Princess Nina for her understanding and wishes you an early match with a suitable partner."
"We also thank Princess Nina for her understanding and wish you an early happy union."
The other representatives quickly followed suit.
"No need to thank me," Nina said calmly. "If there's nothing else, you may return."
Since Drago still wanted the marriage alliance—and even planned to hand those former fiancés over to Lina—Nina had no intention of doing them any favors. If she couldn't marry them, she certainly wouldn't leave them any opportunity either.
The representatives from the various cities were surprised by how quickly Nina had agreed.
Ordinarily, a female with so many highly coveted fiancés would cling to them desperately and never agree to a dissolution so easily. Yet she had let go without hesitation.
When they came, they had all expected a long, difficult negotiation and had prepared countless countermeasures. In the end, none of them were needed—there wasn't even a demand for additional compensation.
The beastfolk of Spirit Stone City were even more shocked. Nina already had no males willing to marry her, and after the Sin Beast City incident, breaking off the engagement meant she would likely never find a beast-husband again.
With Nina's consent secured, the representatives from the other cities swiftly left their compensation behind and fled almost as if escaping, afraid she might suddenly change her mind.
Drago was furious, yet completely powerless.
Only the beastfolk from Spirit Cat City remained behind. They spoke to Nina with visible guilt. "Princess Nina, don't worry. We will definitely capture our young lord and bring him back to marry you."
Even though it felt as if they were pushing their young lord straight into a pit of fire, the Spirit Cat clan still had to honor its word.
Nina had already given up entirely. She waved her hand dismissively. "There's no need. My engagement with him can be dissolved as well. Let him be free."
The Spirit Cat City beastfolk were unexpectedly moved. They hadn't thought Princess Nina would be so broad-minded and considerate of others.
For a moment, they even felt that—aside from being unattractive—she was actually quite a good person.
In truth, Nina was simply too lazy to deal with any more trouble. Since this marriage was never going to happen anyway, fewer complications were better than more.
"It's fine—we won't dissolve it. Just wait for our good news!"
With that, the Spirit Cat City beastfolk hurried off. They still needed to go catch their young lord.
Nina couldn't be bothered to interfere anymore. She had already said everything that needed to be said.
When Lina saw that the beastfolk from the other cities had all departed, a flash of cold light passed through her eyes.
She stepped up to Drago and said, "Father, it seems the matter of Sin Beast City hasn't been fully settled yet."
"And what are your thoughts, Lina?" Drago asked.
"Since Nina went to Sin Beast City—and has already consorted with those filthy, lowly sin beasts and wandering beasts—she has become a disgrace to Spirit Stone City. She's no longer fit to remain here."
Lina gave a venomous smile. "I suggest sending her back to Sin Beast City. Since she enjoys keeping company with those vile beasts anyway."
Even though the engagement had been dissolved, as long as Nina was still alive and well, Lina couldn't be at ease.
"What? So even though I wasn't there by choice, I still have to be punished?" Nina said coldly. "And I already told you—I never entered the city. I escaped."
The sin beasts of Sin Beast City all bore brand marks and were confined to a designated area. While there were also wandering beasts not bound by such restrictions, their numbers were few.
Nina wasn't entirely sure whether she had fled far enough, but she couldn't allow Lina to seize on any leverage.
"If you never entered the city," Lina pressed, "then how do you explain all those marks on your body—and the scent of multiple different males?"
When Nina returned, Lina had questioned the males behind her. Nina did indeed carry the scent of several different males.
"I found some wild males outside," Nina replied coolly. "Is that not allowed?"
A chill flashed through her eyes. It was clear Lina had no intention of letting her go.
"Then how do you prove those weren't beasts from Sin Beast City?" Lina sneered. "If you can't prove it, then you're a disgrace to Spirit Stone City and should be driven out."
"And how do you prove they weren't ordinary beastfolk from outside?" Nina shot back.
"The area around Sin Beast City is full of sin beasts and wandering beasts. Where would ordinary beastfolk come from?" Lina turned her gaze to Drago. "Isn't that right, Father?"
Nina also looked at Drago.
She wanted to know how her biological father would answer this time.