“Look how considerate Alora is to give up Roscoe for you. As her older sister, you should share half of your spirit treasures with her. The carp lineage needs careful nurturing.”

So Mother was well aware that the carp lineage required careful nurturing.

A dull ache settled in my chest.

Mother had never said anything like that in the previous timeline. Instead, she constantly insisted that the carp was useless and demanded that I give half of my spirit treasures to Alora.

I finally realized that Mother had never loved me, and choosing Roscoe or Marin would not change anything.

Since that was the case, I would choose neither of them.

I walked to the far end of the hall and picked up a black wolf that no one wanted.

I chose a mate who was loyal and ruthless, not an ungrateful carp that bonded with someone else before I was even dead.

Holding the black wolf in my arms, I said calmly, “Mother, I refuse to take what Alora rejected, and I won’t share my spirit treasures.”

“You used to share half of everything with Alora. Who taught you such selfishness? Have you no sense of sisterly affection?”

Mother never cared who was around when she reprimanded me.

Several students of the school nearby even snickered under their breaths.

I lifted the head I had always kept lowered in front of her. My normally gentle gaze hardened into something sharp.

“You did, Mother.”

She had taught me with my own death that blood relations amounted to nothing.

“Don’t regret this, Yvonne! One day, Marin will become a lucky carp. Mother, I’ll take good care of you then.”

Alora’s taunting voice rang out behind me as I carried the black wolf out of the hall.

I simply ignored her.

Just you wait and see. Without me carrying the burden, they would probably have to tighten their belts just to support Marin.

A carp would struggle just to leave the water without a good supply of spirit treasures. Even if a rare opportunity came, Alora would not have the chance to seize it.

Back in my room, the instant an orb of light sank into my forehead, Ralph, the black wolf, shook out his fur and transformed into a handsome man.

His luminous green eyes locked onto me, and I briefly forgot how to breathe.

Had I known he was this handsome, I would have brought him home in the previous timeline.

“D-Do you want something to eat?”

I swallowed hard, trying to hide my improper thoughts.

Ralph narrowed his eyes slightly, and I could not help drawing in a breath.

Somehow, he looked even more handsome than before.

Could I handle someone like him with that brooding, domineering presence?

“Don’t move.”

I instinctively held my breath as he suddenly leaned closer.

“We wolves only choose one mate in a lifetime. It’s a bond of life and death. I will etch you into my memory so I never forget you.”

“In that case, you should take it seriously.”

With that, I pinned him down onto the bed.

As expected of the black wolf lineage. They were all extremely strong and well-built. The sensation was exhilarating.

“W-What are you doing?”

Ralph’s face flushed deep red. His wolf ears popped out on top of his head, twitching slightly.

I let out a mischievous smile and tugged at his wolf ears. “Call me darling.”

“Darling,” he blurted out.

With a soft pop, he turned back into his small black wolf form.

I burst out laughing and buried my face in his chest fur.

At first, he tried to push me off. But he did not exert his real strength out of fear that he might hurt me.

I refused to get up. When he realized he could not push me off, he tilted his head back and simply gave up.

I had only ever heard that the black wolf lineage was the most loyal to their mates, but I had not expected it to be this appealing.

He looked so fierce, yet he was surprisingly mild-mannered.

In the previous timeline, I had chosen Marin and spent several days persuading him before he finally agreed to form a bond.

That ungrateful carp had a foul temper and was extremely spoiled.

Alora would never have the patience to deal with him, so I had no idea how the two of them got along.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I had struck gold.

I hugged Ralph and rubbed against him again, as if I could wear him down entirely.

“Ah!”

A sudden scream echoed outside, followed by a loud crash.

Alora’s cottage had collapsed, and Marin was still in the pond inside.

She stood beside the pond, soaked from head to toe, pointing at Marin as she furiously berated him.

She turned around just as I was stepping out of my cottage, and our eyes met.

Alora let out a shrill scream and pointed at me angrily.

“You did that on purpose just to laugh at me, didn’t you, Yvonne? I’m telling Mother you’re picking on me!”

Normally, I would back down the moment she threatened to tell Mother.

That had changed. I merely crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway with an amused smile.

“Go ahead. I’m not the one whose cottage collapsed, and I’m not the one whose mate rejected me.”

Alora let out a shriek and charged at me.

It was not that I could not beat her. I had only been yielding to her because I could not bear to upset Mother.

But I was done yielding.

My expression turned cold. Before I could even raise a hand against Alora, a black blur shot past me and knocked her to the ground.

I froze. “Ralph!”

A series of low growls rumbled from his throat as he locked his jaws around her throat.

At that moment, Alora could not even scream; she could barely make a sound.

“Alora, my Alora!”

Mother had rushed over at this point.

“Tell him to let her go at once! Are you set on killing your sister?”

Even though I no longer expected maternal love, her anxious expression still left my heart aching with a cold chill.

I had already sensed her presence earlier.

Had I been the one attacked instead of Alora, she would have waited until Alora had vented her anger before stepping out and telling me to be more forgiving.

“Mother, Ralph won’t go too far. This is just siblings fooling around. You don’t need to take it so seriously.”

I lowered my gaze as I repeated the very words she had once used on me.

Mother swung her hand at me, but I nimbly dodged it.

I stared at her. “Mother, if you take another step, I’ll have Ralph end her life.”

In the end, Mother backed down. She was afraid Alora might get hurt.

I could not help but sneer. We were both her daughters, yet she clearly valued us differently.

“Mother, I can get Ralph to release her, but you must promise you won’t hold him responsible or seek revenge. If anything happens to him afterward, it’ll be on you.”

Mother’s face went pale with fury.

“Is this how you speak to your elders? Are you demanding accountability from your own mother?”

I gave a bitter smile.

“I didn’t want this either. But you’ve always favored Alora. She made the first move today, and you didn’t even bother to ask before attacking me. You can do whatever you want with me, but Ralph is my mate. I won’t let him suffer for my sake.”

My expression of swallowed grievance and bitterness was not meant solely for Mother’s eyes.

Alora had caused quite a commotion.

At that point, the students had already gathered around, whispering among themselves.

Regardless of whether Mother accepted my terms on that day, she would still leave them with the impression of favoritism.

Hearing their murmurs, Mother ultimately relented.

Ralph released Alora and slowly walked back to me. His eyes were fixed warily on Mother as he stood protectively in front of me.

I stroked his head gently, calming him down.

Mother was too preoccupied to care about me. She frantically poured spirit elixirs into Alora’s mouth as if they cost nothing.

Alora slowly regained consciousness and pointed at me. “You despicable woman! Just you wait until Marin becomes a lucky carp. I’ll make you regret this. You’ll see. My carp will definitely transform into a lucky carp. When he does, I’ll have him end your life!”

I smirked. “I’ll be waiting.”

Did she really think a carp turning into a lucky carp was a blessing?

I had no obligation to tell her. She could cling to that dream and die with it for all I cared.

After that day, I asked Ralph about it, wondering if he had ever feared that Mother might, in a moment of ruthlessness, kill him outright.

Ralph told me that if he could not protect his mate, he would rather die than continue living in disgrace.

I pinned him down on the bed and demanded he call me “darling” a few more times. But he refused and, in a flash, turned back into his black wolf form.

I ended up petting him even more freely…

After Alora’s direct intervention, her relationship with Marin had eased considerably.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Rumors spread within the school that although Alora was overbearing, she treated her mate exceptionally well and piled countless spirit treasures onto Marin as if they cost nothing.

I jokingly asked Ralph if he felt envious.

He pulled me into his arms and pressed me down roughly.

“Yvonne, do you take me for a fool? Without a rare opportunity, all those spirit treasures would only make that carp a pretty but useless ornament.”

I burst out laughing and looped my arms around him from behind.

“How do I know you’re not just all show and no substance?” I murmured.

Very soon, my laughter faded.

Ralph really was the real deal. My waist ached terribly!