Chapter 1 The Dragon's Breath

"Your Highness, your brother was injured after the battle," my personal maid said worriedly.

Shocked and confused, I immediately stood up and ran toward my brother's room.

How was it possible that he had lost a battle? He had never lost one, not even once!

At the end of every year, all the kingdoms gather for the most anticipated event of the realm, a sacred competition that determines the fate of every nation for the coming year.

Each kingdom is meant to be represented by two warriors. However, our kingdom has only one.

My brother, The Crown Prince Lucas.

The prize they fought for was the Blessed Rain, a divine miracle that descended upon the world only once each year. Every kingdom longed to claim it, for whoever emerged victorious would be granted its blessing.

The Blessed Rain was more than just ordinary rain. It breathed life into dying fields, turning barren land into endless stretches of green. Harvests became richer, rivers flowed with renewed vitality, and hunger became nothing more than a distant memory. More importantly, it strengthened the spiritual veins of every citizen within the kingdom, allowing both warriors and ordinary people alike to grow stronger under its blessing.

Without it, a kingdom would slowly weaken. Its lands would lose their vitality, its people would become vulnerable, and before long, it would fall behind the others.

Ever since my brother became our kingdom's sole warrior eight years ago, we have never suffered a single defeat.

Not once.

Year after year, he returned victorious, carrying the hopes of our people on his shoulders. Every triumph secured another year of prosperity for our kingdom, and with every Blessed Rain that descended upon our land, our people flourished.

Even my own powers continued to grow stronger with each passing year.

Unlike my brother, I was a princess the people had never seen.

I spent my entire life within the palace walls, hidden from the eyes of the kingdom. My days were filled with nothing but endless training, honing my powers and practicing swordsmanship under my brother's guidance.

I never liked crowds.

"Lucas!"

I immediately rushed to his side and grasped his hand, but he didn't open his eyes or respond to me. Panic began to rise in my chest as I turned my attention to the physician standing beside his bed.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but Prince Lucas has been poisoned," the physician said gravely. "I believe he was poisoned during the competition. It appears that his opponent resorted to underhanded tactics."

"What manner of poison is it?" I asked, my voice trembling with barely restrained panic. "Can he be cured?"

Despair washed over me as the royal physician lowered his head, his expression heavy with regret before giving a slow, solemn shake.

"It is Dragon's Breath, Your Highness."

My breath caught in my throat.

Dragon's Breath...?

No...

The only antidote was a Dragon Scale.

But dragons had vanished from this world billions of years ago, leaving nothing behind but myths and forgotten legends.

The royal physician lowered his head in a respectful bow before quietly taking his leave.

My gaze lingered on my brother's face. His complexion had turned deathly pale, as though all warmth had been drained from his body.

I gently clasped his hand and attempted to transfer my spiritual power into him, hoping it would ease the poison's grip. But despite my efforts, nothing changed. His condition remained just as grave.

"Yue! What happened?" Forest cried, rushing to my side.

Forest was my spirit beast, a white wolf. I had given her that name because she hatched from her egg in the heart of the forest. We grew up together beneath its ancient trees, and it was there that she first awakened the ability to assume a human form.

“Why are you crying? I’m not even crying.” I mocked her.

"I thought you were the one who got hurt!" she exclaimed, lightly smacking my arm in relief.

"I'm fine," I assured her before turning my gaze back to my brother's pale face. "But my brother isn't."

The last words left my lips in a quiet, sorrowful whisper.

"What happened to Prince Lucas?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"He was poisoned with Dragon's Breath," I replied, my voice heavy with despair. "And I have no idea where to find the antidote. Dragons have been extinct for billions of years."

"What did His Majesty say? Perhaps he knows a way to save him." Hope flickered in Forest's eyes.

"I haven't spoken to my father yet," I admitted with a frown.

She fell silent for a moment before asking, "But who poisoned Prince Lucas?"

"I believe it was his opponent during the competition," I answered. "He must have poisoned Lucas to ensure his own victory."

Forest suddenly froze, pressing a hand to her forehead as if a thought had just struck her.

"If his opponent poisoned Prince Lucas..." she murmured, "then there's a chance he has the antidote as well."

My eyes lit up.

"Forest, you're a genius!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together as hope surged through me once more.

"Princess Yuemie."

At the sound of my father's voice, Forest and I immediately rose to our feet. Neither of us had noticed his arrival until he stood at the doorway.

"Your Majesty."

We bowed in unison, offering him the respect befitting the Emperor.

"I agree with Forest," my father said, slowly shaking his head. "I, too, believe Lucas's opponent was the one who poisoned him."

A heavy silence settled over the room before he spoke again.

"But he was defeated in the competition, and this year..." His expression darkened. "Because of his defeat, the Blessed Rain will not grace our kingdom this year."

Disappointment weighed heavily in his voice before it gave way to anger.

"It is a disgrace."

I lowered my head at once, unable to meet his furious gaze.

"But, Father... my brother is gravely wounded, and we still haven't found the antidote," I pleaded, unable to keep the worry from my voice.

Yet not a trace of concern crossed the Emperor's face.

"I will appoint a new warrior and have him trained at once," he declared, his tone as cold as steel. "Lucas will be stripped of his title. It is the only way to quell the people's anger."

Forest and I exchanged stunned glances.

I wanted to protest. I wanted to beg him to reconsider.

But fear sealed my lips. I knew better than to challenge the Emperor when his mind was already made up.

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

He never once asked about Lucas's condition.

He never asked if his own son would survive.

To him, none of that mattered.

All that mattered was that the Empire would have a warrior capable of winning the sacred tournament each year.

"Has your father truly lost every shred of compassion?" Forest muttered bitterly.

I quickly raised a finger to her lips, silencing her before she could say another word. If my father heard such disrespect, she would be punished without mercy.

"Even if he doesn't care," I said quietly, rising to my feet with newfound resolve, "I do."