My sister and I married into the Phoenix Clan at the same time and, coincidentally, gave birth at the same time.

After my sister birthed a purebred golden phoenix, the eldest prince she married was immediately crowned the next leader of the Phoenix Clan.

Meanwhile, I gave birth to a mixed-bred pheasant and was condemned to death along with my husband, who was the second prince.

It was only after my death that I found out the pheasant was my sister’s child!

It was a ploy concocted by her and the eldest prince.

The goal was to hide the bastard bloodline of the eldest prince and steal the throne of the Phoenix Clan.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had been reborn. I didn't give birth, and my sister was visiting me with a haul of supplements…

"Ever since I became pregnant, I had to sleep in the room next to the sycamore tree. Otherwise, I can't sleep at all. Sometimes flocks of colorful birds and magpies gather around me, chirping endlessly. It must be the little one in my belly causing all the commotion."

I looked at my sister, Freya Horn, as she feigned distress and made a show out of rubbing her belly while recounting the strange signs that had been happening since she became pregnant.

It was then that I realized I had been reborn.

A pheasant egg having to sleep next to a sycamore tree? Magpies circling a tree? What a joke.

Regardless, I knew better than to call her out on the spot. Since she had been setting up her act since I was pregnant, it would take more than a brisk comment for me to expose her.

I smiled and remarked, "Hey, Freya, with all these strange things happening around you, it looks like you’re going to give birth to a little phoenix, eh?"

Freya beamed at the suggestion.

Unbeknownst to her, I sensed the malice behind her smile.

Both of us were legitimate daughters of the Bluebird Clan, but our parents had never loved me.

My mother resented me for not being born a son and blamed me for my father's withholding his affection from her. Since then, she has reserved all of her love for Freya.

Eventually, we both married into the Phoenix Clan. She was wedded to the benevolent and gentle eldest Prince Emmett Songhart, while I was married to the second-in-line, the courageous warrior, Prince Asgon Songhart. Later, we became pregnant at the same time.

When she came to me with a haul of supplements and invited me to Ambrose Hill Villa for a stroll, I did not suspect her of anything.

Little did I know, it would be the beginning of my nightmare.

In my previous life, it was only after my death that I learned that Freya and Emmett had plotted my own death and Asgon's.

Since Emmett was a mixed-bred pheasant born by the adulterous Queen Lysan Songhart, it was no surprise that Freya’s child was bound to be mixed-bred as well.

The aging Phoenix King, King Golan Songhart, longed to see a pure-bred phoenix egg hatch before his death. He issued an order that all eggs were to be brought to the palace for incubation.

Emmett feared his bloodline being exposed. He knew it would spell his death if word got out.

If something ill were to befall Emmett, Freya would not only lose her prestigious position as the princess but also be banished back to the Bluebird Clan.

One way or another, she decided that her offspring had to be purebred.

With that, the wretched couple set their sights on me.

They joined forces with the Phoenix Queen and drugged me while I was in labor. Then, they swapped out my true pure-blood golden phoenix egg with a pheasant egg.

If it weren’t for me finding out about the truth after my death, I would never have believed that the sister I had grown up with could betray me like that!

After swapping out my egg, they made sure to hide their tracks. They accused me of laying an ill-omened pheasant egg, then had me thrown in a dungeon.

After that, Asgon fought his way into the dungeon to rescue me. Then, the Phoenix King questioned him about his lineage and sentenced him to death by torture.

Even after that, Freya refused to let me catch a break. She came up to me and taunted me, "It’s just like Mom said. You bring bad luck wherever you go! Back home, you were the reason Dad began to resent Mom, and now that you got married, you even got your own husband tortured and killed! You have no right to live. You’re better off dead!"

With that, she ordered the guards to have me thrown into the Daemonic Lands, where I was tortured and eventually dismembered.

When I looked at Freya flashing her smug smile at me, I had to suppress the surging anger within me.

This time, I would protect my child and make sure they got what they deserved!

-

I had just arrived at the villa, so I still had time, as I recalled only going into labor on the third day.

This meant I had time.

Discreetly, I crushed the ruby pendant Asgon had given to me. It contained a fragment of his spirit. The moment I crushed it, he would know I was in danger.

In my past life, when I went into labor, flames erupted all around me. Only then did I realize that I was giving birth to a golden phoenix.

A non-phoenix giving birth to a golden phoenix needed the Phoenix Clan's divine power to protect the mother from the blazing fire of the golden phoenix egg.

However, Freya and the Phoenix Queen refused to summon Asgon. They even tried to persuade me.

"Asgon is now in the midst of battle with the demons. You can’t distract him at such a crucial moment! Just put up a screen. Emmett will protect you."

Asgon's mother was a lowly concubine, and Asgon had ascended to his current position thanks to his military merits. If he were to withdraw from the frontlines because of me, his reputation would suffer.

With that, I took their advice and did not send for him. That was how I ended up being surrounded by the Phoenix Queen’s maids and midwife during the birthing process.

During delivery, the Phoenix Queen took over and silently swapped my egg.

There was no way I'd let them have their way again in this life!

After crushing the pendant, I instructed my maid, Somi Wynn, to pack up my belongings. I wanted to return to the palace as soon as possible.

The palace was my territory. There, I could contact the other members of the Phoenix Clan who were loyal to Asgon.

Asgon would return by the next day, and by then, whatever the Phoenix Queen tried to pull, it would be too late.

Freya began to panic when she saw me packing. She tried to stop me. "Riona, why are you in such a rush to leave when you just got here?"

I calmly nudged her hand away and assured her with a quick smile, "I suddenly remembered I have to attend to Asgon's mother today. She's been feeling unwell for the last few days and needs her pulse checked. As her daughter-in-law, I have a duty to look after her so that Asgon doesn’t have to worry about her while he’s on the battlefield."

Freya tried to dissuade me again, "It's only going to be for a day or two. Besides, the Phoenix Queen is here. Are you saying your mother-in-law outranks the Phoenix Queen?"

the Phoenix Queen was only here because she was eyeing my egg!

I sneered to myself and insisted on having Somi attend to me. I ignored Freya and went straight for the carriage.

That was when I heard the Phoenix Queen's exasperated cry from behind me. "Are you really in such a rush to leave because you don't care for an old hag like me?"

I suppressed my anxiety and assured her with a smile, "Your Majesty, please don’t think like that."

Still, I insisted on leaving.

The entire Phoenix Clan was aware that the Phoenix Queen and Asgon did not get along. The only reason the Phoenix King had turned a blind eye to this was because of Asgon’s military achievements.

While Somi helped me board the carriage, Emmett hurried over. He cried out, "Wait, Riona! There are demonic forces along the way. It’s better not to risk it."

I clenched my fists and felt my chest heaving with rage.

I remember there being no such demonic disturbance in my past life. Just to stop me, they had even unleashed demons in the Phoenix Clan’s territory!

How shameless!

"Ah!" Freya shrieked. She covered her mouth and pointed a trembling finger at my abdomen. "Fireblood…"

I followed her gaze and held my breath.

I was going into labor!

It seemed like my emotional state triggered me to go into labor sooner than expected.

The three of them were overjoyed at the sight of this.

the Phoenix Queen's expression immediately softened. She came up to me in person to hold me and suggested taking me back to the manor.

However, I refused.

Now that I had a second chance at life, I was not going to willingly let my child fall into their hands!

I wanted to return to my palace and wait for Asgon to return.

"Your Majesty, I would rather not go into labor in a foreign place, so let me return to my palace! The demons are no match for my guards!"

I endured the pain and gestured for Somi and my guards to protect me.

Freya and Emmett exchanged a glance before winking at the Phoenix Queen.

The Phoenix Queen declared authoritatively, "Do not listen to the princess! She’s about to deliver, and if anything happens to her on the way, not only will I punish you, but you will have to face the king’s fury as well!"

The maids and guards hesitated. After all, they had to worry about the demons as well as the Phoenix Queen’s threat. To make things worse, I was about to deliver soon.

The Phoenix Queen summoned her maid to have me brought to the sycamore house in the villa.

That was when the guards stepped forward to stop them. Even though they were unsure about how to proceed, they were still veterans who were loyal to Asgon and me.

That was when I felt the fireblood in my body coming to a boil and seemed to erupt. It hurt so much that I cried out in pain.

Horrified by my cry of anguish, my maids and guards hurried me into the villa.

The Phoenix Queen remarked cheerily, "She’s surrounded by fire, so it must be a phoenix! There is a sycamore tree house in the villa. Take her there for her to deliver the egg!"

That was when something flashed in Freya's eyes. She cast a spell over herself so she would also deliver prematurely and then let out a sharp yelp. She clenched her teeth and announced that she was going into labor as well.

"What should we do? There is only one sycamore house in the villa!" Emmett played along as well.

There was no need for a sycamore tree if she was only laying a bastard egg! I knew they only wanted to use the chaos to switch the eggs!

Sweat poured down my face from the pain I was going through at this point, and I was losing my cool. All I could do was instruct my maids to surround me with a screen so Freya could not approach. I also forbade any member of the Phoenix Queen's court from entering.

After instructing the guards to guard the formation, I managed to relax a little.

I did my best to cast spells to stall the birth.

'Hold on, baby. Wait for your father to get here first!'

Before I could even take another breath, I heard the Phoenix Queen’s scream through the divider, "Why would you have the guards in there? It’s ridiculous! Get out! You guys can stand guard outside the house!"

The guards refused to budge.

Nevertheless, Freya claimed she was afraid of having so many people inside the house.

Soon, I heard the sound of scuffling coming through the screen.

I bit my lip so tightly that a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of my mouth. I cried out furiously, "What are you doing to my guards?!"

The Phoenix Queen responded from across the screen. I could see her coy smirk in my mind’s eye when she spoke, "Freya is also delivering in this room. We can’t have all these brutes in here."

Then, she suddenly noted, "Since Asgon isn’t here and the situation is so dire, I will have Emmett cast a protection spell over the screen for you and Freya."

This was a reenactment of what happened in my previous life. Just when I was about to pass out from the pain, the Phoenix Queen announced that Emmett would cast a protective spell for me. I had agreed without thinking about it because I wanted to protect my child.

Shortly after that, they cast a spell on me and knocked me out.

When I woke up, I realized I had laid a pheasant egg.

As I was delivering, I recalled being surrounded by a ring of fire, which was the sign of a phoenix's birth! It could not possibly be a pheasant egg!

The Phoenix Queen brushed me off and told me I was hallucinating. She claimed I was in denial over the ominous egg and was losing my mind.

Enraged, the Phoenix King had me thrown into a dungeon.

When I recalled the events of my past life, I realized that I would have been lamb for slaughter if I had let Emmett cast that spell!

"No! I don’t want him casting a spell for me, even if it’s through the screen! I don't want any other men in here. I have already summoned Asgon to come, and I’m going to wait for him!"

The room descended into silence for a moment. All that was left were my agonizing moans.

The Phoenix Queen immediately snapped, "Why are you so stubborn? How could you care about something like that at a time like this? If something happens to the child, the blood will be on your hands!"

Emmett chimed in, "I can’t see you anyway. Let me cast a protection spell on you!"

I could spot the hem of his clothes from the corner of my eye. He was about to step through the screen.

Frightened, I tried to clutch at Somi's hand.

The fire had spread all around and barricaded everyone from me. The Phoenix Queen told them off and shooed them away.

By this point, Somi could tell something was off and refused to leave.

"You damn brat, get out of here!" the Phoenix Queen ordered her men to take them away by force and beat them up.

Emmett stepped across the screen with someone who held a box in his hands. It was clear that Freya had laid the pheasant egg, and they were waiting to swap it with mine!

As the two of them drew closer to me, I felt frozen with despair despite the surging flames billowing all around me.

Was I destined to fall victim to them again in this life?

"Stop!"

When Emmett and the stranger drew closer, I heard a tremendous and powerful voice echoing across the room.

Everyone froze in an instant. Before they could react, Asgon threw the door open and entered.

My husband was here!