Ascent of Hero on the Dragon Throne

"Father, please. What did you need to tell me? Say it right now," Mary asked. Yet, she knew what her father always wanted. Since her father Raef had mentioned it before, she believed that he planned to take advantage of the beauty that she and her sister possessed.

Unbeknownst to her, the "wise and necessary" measure he had proposed would be an extremely vicious one.

"Father, please. Juey is your daughter. You can't make her live in misery!" Mary pleaded fiercely.

"It's a necessary sacrifice for the Xiao Clan. Besides, it'll do Juey some good to become the prince's concubine. Plus, he's wanted by many women. This is an opportunity that we must seize!" Raef declared firmly.

"But, father…" Mary hesitated for a moment. 'Surely he must understand why I am against this? If we make one wrong move, the outcome will be horrible, ' she thought.

"It's settled. We'll discuss this no more and I'll leave it to you to deal with Juey's part. I am doing this for our clan's future. Once everything has been made final, Juey must learn to accept it." It appeared that Raef completely spiraled into unyielding madness. His desire to ensure and strengthen the power and influence of the Xiao Clan was so strong that he even went so far as to shamelessly take advantage of his daughter.

Mary bit her lips at the insistence of her father's words. She began to doubt herself.

"Mary, I beg you, please. Help me for once by doing what you're told! Our ancestors are watching you from up above. The fate of our family lies in your hands as well…" Raef pleaded in return, letting his words linger and sink in.

Mary caught herself in quite a dilemma. If she agreed to carry out her father's order, she would place her sister in misery. However, it was a rare opportunity for the Xiao Clan—one that would ensure their future. If she didn't catch it, she would fail her ancestors' expectations.

She finally yielded to her father's wishes after a moment's hesitation. While she stuck to her promise of doing anything for her clan, she also knew in the back of her mind that this would be something she would regret for the rest of her life.

"I've discovered that the prince does not like to be accompanied by servants, which means that he won't be bringing anyone to the banquet. I'll arrange for you to sit beside him. That'll serve as your opportunity to

alizing that Lucilla's eldest uncle, Tod, was not part of their entourage.

At that moment, the chiefs surrounded them like bees to honey. This was no problem for Lucilla, as she was experienced in dealing with all kinds of masters in various situations before.

Unlike her sister, Queenie appeared overwhelmed by all of the sudden attention. She immediately headed for the other side of the room to get some fresh air.

Around half an hour later, a voice called out from outside. "His Royal Highness has arrived!"

As if by magic, the rowdy crowd dispersed into two straight lines with Lucilla standing alone in the middle.

A handsome, sophisticated looking figure made his entrance. It was none other than Woods, the prince of the Timber Deity Empire.

"Greetings, Your Royal Highness," everyone chorused as they knelt out of respect.

"You don't have to be so courteous." Woods addressed the room with a charming smile and the wave of his hand.

"We're honored to have you at our mansion, Your Royal Highness." Lucille greeted him on behalf of the Cao Clan and the chiefs from the other clans as well.

"Chief Lucille, it's my pleasure to be here." Woods nodded with a smile.

"Your Royal Highness, please follow me."

Lucilla gestured Woods and went to the two tables in the front of the banquet hall. After Woods sat down, she sat down on the other side.

What Woods didn't know was that Rocky whom everyone thought was dead was disguised as a member of the Cao Clan. If he knew about it, Rocky would be curious to see the expression on his face!