It was not Merlin's first time at the Princess Royal's palace. Although he could not be said to be familiar, he could find his way without any guidance.

The two guards did not speak along the way but judging from their expressions, they held great respect for Merlin.

Soon after they walked through layers of corridors, they arrived at the Princess Royal's palace. This Princess Royal had immense authority and swore to remain unmarried. Nevertheless, she was ambitious and yearned to get her hands on the throne. This was a risky undertaking because after all, no woman in the history of the Holy Dragon Empire had been crowned King.

Nonetheless, it was not entirely impossible. Both the Princess Royal and the second prince were the two most influential competitors for the throne. Both factions were sufficiently powerful to make the King tread cautiously.

The Holy Dragon Empire was unique in that they did not pamper their princes and princesses like pigs for slaughter. On the contrary, some of the princes and princesses learned the importance of power from an early age and slowly rose to prominence. Of all, the second prince and the Princess Royal were the two most prominent candidates.

However, the King held the strongest force, Phantom, in his hands. Therefore, regardless of the second prince or the Princess Royal, both of them were actively trying to penetrate Phantom Intelligence Department. The candidate whom the Princess Royal chose was Merlin, whereas the second prince might have chosen one of the Team Leaders in Phantom. As to who specifically, it was kept a secret, even the Princess Royal's men were unable to find out.

Such a power struggle was a fine balancing act for Merlin prior to this. If he was not careful, he could be embroiled in the struggle and crushed as a result. However, now that Merlin had become a full-shifter, especially a high-tier almighty beast full-shifter, he was ranked among the top contenders of the empire.

Whether it was the Princess Royal or His Highness the second prince who ascended the throne, none of them would dare to offend Merlin. At that point, Merlin possessed the ability to tilt the balance of the empire's influence.

Finally, they arrived at the Princess Royal's palace. The two guards stayed outside the door and said to Merlin respectfully, "Sir Leon, please go ahead. Her Highness the Princess is waiting for you inside."

Merlin glanced at the palace and walked in without hesitation. The moment he entered, he detected a floral fragrance. This floral fragrance was very intriguing. Just a single whiff was able to make a person feel energetic and comfortable all over.

"Count Leon, no, it should be Marquis Leon now!"

The Princess Royal emerged from the palace in a low-cut long dress to greet him. Her body was oozing the same intriguing scent. Inside the vast palace, the Princess Royal was alone.

Previously, Merlin was quite wary of this seductively charming princess, but now with his absolute strength, he was capable of tilting the balance of the entire empire, so he was no longer afraid. Instead, he boldly evaluated the Princess Royal with an appreciative gaze.

The Princess Royal had a beautiful face and a fair complexion. Due to the low cut of her long dress, her ample cleavage was revealed. Her entire being exuded an incredibly seductive aura.

Even Merlin felt his primitive desires beginning to stir.

"Your Highness Princess Royal, why have you summoned me?"

Despite the stirring primitive desires, Merlin could still suppress the temptation. Judging from the Princess Royal's earlier comment about his 'Marquis' title, it was apparent that her influence extended all across the palace. She most probably even knew what the King said.

"Marquis Leon, congratulations on becoming a Marquis and also the Deputy Minister of Phantom. The speed of your growth has greatly exceeded my expectations. I'm afraid our previous agreement is naught but a joke to you now. At your stage, you don't need any more Nourishment Ponds, right? However, I have something that you won't be able to pass up!"

The Princess Royal had, at some point in time, taken off her long dress. She was only wearing a thin, translucent undershirt that faintly revealed her body underneath.

"What is that?"

For some reason, Merlin felt his body temperature rise. However, he was still able to suppress it.

"The head of the Sacred Lion Beast! King Father is really too cautious, he's unwilling to allow you to approach the head of the Sacred Lion Beast because he's still distrustful of you. Hehe, you're still not on par with Farron, right? That is because, Farron is trusted by King Father, so he has been brought to see the Sacred Lion Beast more than once. That is the reason Farron's abilities grew leaps and bounds. On the other hand, I can bring you to the Sacred Lion Beast. I trust you completely, just like King Father trusted Farron back in the day. With Farron's help, King Father became king. You can be my Farron!"

The Princess Royal came close to Merlin and gently caressed his muscular chest. Her warm breath tickled Merlin's ear. Although the Princess Royal was very tall, she could not compare to Merlin and still appeared very fragile beside him.

However, such a display of fragility was irresistible to men!

"What are your conditions? What do I have to do?"

Merlin was indeed tempted. This was the Sacred Lion Beast! The King's attitude from earlier made it obvious that he would not bring Merlin to see the Sacred Lion Beast anytime soon but instead required Merlin to work harder and quell the rebellion in the Holy Dragon Empire before the King would bring him to see the Sacred Lion Beast's head.

Since there was a golden opportunity presented before him, Merlin certainly would not pass it up.

The Princess Royal smiled charmingly. Then she whispered in Merlin's ear, "What you have to do is very simple. Today, in my palace, you must make me yours! Then, I will place my complete trust in you and bring you to observe the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. If you help me ascend the throne, we will share the rights over the entire empire, just like King Father and Farron!"

The Princess Royal's eyes were glinting with passionate desire.

"Make you mine??"

Merlin laughed, this was very simple. Sometimes, women were willing to act on personal impulses.

"Why? You dare not?"

The Princess Royal gave Merlin a challenging stare.

"Haha, Princess Royal, I'm a Blood-eye Dragon, why wouldn't I dare?"

Merlin no longer suppressed the heated passion in his heart. Immediately, he grabbed the Princess Royal into his arms like a little lamb and stripped off her clothes. The Princess Royal did not resist and instead showed more charm.

At that moment, Merlin no longer hesitated. Inside the palace, moans and gasps began to resonate. Amidst the repeated motions, Merlin could feel that the will of the Blood-eye Dragon was also rejoicing.

One hour, two hours, three hours passed…

It was not until the sky darkened and dusk approached that the moans in the palace began to subside and fell silent. The palace was in a complete mess. Despite the Princess Royal delicateness, she still inherited the royal family's bloodline and had a top-tier almighty beast bloodline. It was just that she had yet to achieve a full-shift.

Even then, the Princess Royal who was in perfect physical shape was knocked-out several times throughout the hours-long 'battle'. Nonetheless, the pleasurable sensations were very memorable.

"Princess Royal, is this your first time?"

After a long while, Merlin's voice piqued up in the palace.

"Don't call me Princess Royal, call me Lisa!"

The Princess Royal dawdled in a lazy tone, then continued, "Do you think just anyone can be favored by me? I'm yours now, and if you help me ascend to the throne, I will be yours forever."

At this time, Merlin was fully awake. He sniffed the intriguing scent and commented calmly, "This fragrance, you've prepared specially for me? Even my Blood-eye Dragon was entranced by it."

This fragrance was definitely a kind of aphrodisiac. Even Merlin's Blood-eye Dragon could not resist it.

"Why? You don't want to?"

Lisa indirectly admitted. Now that they had this relationship, Lisa trusted Merlin.

After long consideration, Merlin said, "It's just a throne, I will help you. However, you must bring me to the Sacred Lion Beast's head. I'm not yet capable of opposing Farron!"

Merlin did not seem to care about who would become King. He was only concerned about power. At that point, he still could not measure up to Farron. Only by approaching the Sacred Lion Beast's head, he might obtain an unexpected result.

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. Come with me."

Lisa put on her clothes. Just as she was about to step out, her body trembled and wobbled unsteadily. Merlin grinned. "You already can't walk straight, after just such a short time? Earlier on, you were still very passionate…"

Lisa rolled her eyes at Merlin. She carefully walked outside. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she reverted to her original persona. Her body exuded a dispassionate aura, resuming the look of a 'noble' princess.

"Your Highness Princess Royal!"

When the guards outside saw the Princess Royal, they immediately bowed their heads. Before her subjects, the Princess Royal maintained a very strict persona.

"It's alright. I'm sending Leon out, you don't have to follow."

After speaking to the guards, the Princess Royal led Merlin away from her palace and headed deep inside the royal palace.

Merlin's current perception was very widespread. If there was any movement around him, he would find out immediately. There were usually a lot of people in the outer courts of the palace, but this area was eerily silent. Moreover, there were a lot of palace complexes here, and yet there was no one around.

"Did you notice the irregularity? Actually, this area of the palace is used to mislead people. This place is designated as a forbidden area, only members of the royal family can enter. However, the true location of the Sacred Lion Beast can never be found by outsiders. Come along, there's still a long way to go."

Seemingly understanding Merlin's confusion, the Princess Royal explained softly.

The head of the Sacred Lion Beast was the essence of the royal family. Naturally, it was guarded strictly and securely. Even among the royal family, only the most excellent members were allowed to know the exact location of the Sacred Lion Beast.

After walking for more than half an hour, Merlin felt a tinge of apprehension. The feeling seemed to appear out of nowhere and his senses did not detect any form of danger.

"What terrifying existence lies ahead?"

The further Merlin walked forward, the more intense the apprehension felt. If not for Merlin suppressing the apprehension in his heart, he might have stopped altogether and not take another step.

"Why aren't you walking?"

The Princess Royal asked in puzzlement. Her keen senses noticed that Merlin's steps were faltering.

"I sense danger, a danger that I'm completely unable to withstand! Where are you taking me?"

Merlin's expression appeared strangely grave. He finally came to a stop and stared sternly at the Princess Royal.