I was the second princess of the Phoenix Court.

And I fell in love with a lowly black serpent.

In my past life, just to be with him, I purposely picked that black serpent during the Sacred Bonding ceremony when we each chose our companion beasts.

After that, we spent every night together.

I didn't care what the whole clan thought. I was determined to marry him.

But on our wedding day, that same serpent I'd given my heart to drove an arrow straight through me, killing me while I was three months pregnant.

As I lay dying, I heard him hiss bitterly in my ear, "If it weren't for you, I'd have been with Seraphine by now. You should've died a long time ago."

That's when I finally got it. All he cared about was power. And he'd been in love with my older sister all along—the sister who was next in line for the Phoenix throne.

When I opened my eyes again, we were back at that same moment—the Sacred Bonding ceremony.

Before everyone, he dropped to his knees and confessed he loved my sister. He begged not to be bound to me.

The whole clan looked at me with pity.

But I only smiled and pointed to a small white serpent resting quietly off to the side.

That black serpent thought clinging to my sister would make him powerful. What he didn't realize was that only the one I chose would become the true heir to the Phoenix Court.

The searing pain of an arrow through my heart made my entire body tremble.

Just when I thought I was going to die, consumed by hatred, the pain vanished.

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the Phoenix Court's secret realm.

My father, who had long since passed away, gently tapped my shoulder and whispered, "Althea, weren't you the one who insisted on forming a contract with the black serpent? Why are you just standing there in a daze?"

Forming a contract?

I was stunned. I'd come back—to the day of the Sacred Bonding ceremony.

"Father!" I began. But before I could say anything, Nyxar, the black serpent, suddenly bowed.

His eyes, full of devotion, turned to my sister, Seraphine.

"Lord Pyralis," he said, "I feel nothing for Althea. I only wish to spend this life and the next at the side of the First Princess, Seraphine."

Gasps echoed through the crowd. My father's face darkened.

Everyone knew the black serpent clan carried a diluted bloodline, part dragon but not pure. By the Phoenix Court's rules, Nyxar had no right to even stand here.

It was only because I favored him—because I insisted on choosing him—that he was allowed this opportunity at all.

And now, at this important ceremony, he humiliated me before everyone.

When his cold, hateful eyes met mine, I understood—he had been reborn too.

"Insolent!" my father snarled, his teeth bared. "Althea remains Second Princess of the Phoenix Court. You dare treat her like some common merchant haggling over turnips?"

The raw force of his divine aura exploded outward, forcing Nyxar to the ground.

Even so, he refused to lower his head.

"Lord Pyralis, how is it my fault? Must I bind myself to her just because she claims to like me? My heart belongs to the First Princess, Seraphine!

"Seraphine is diligent in perfecting her divine refinement and kind to others. Whereas the Second Princess is reckless and idle. Anyone would naturally prefer Seraphine."

Nyxar's voice was full of conviction, like he truly believed what he was saying.

But I knew the truth.

In our previous life, he had learned my sister was the preordained heir to the Phoenix Court. If he could form a contract with her, he would gain half of the Phoenix Court's divine power and evolve from a lowly black serpent into a black dragon.

It was all for power. Nothing more.

My father was seething now.

"A filthy black serpent dares to pass judgment on my daughter? You court death!"

Just as he raised his hand to strike, he was stopped.

Seraphine had been listening to every word Nyxar said. Her cheeks were flushed.

She looked up and said softly, "I'm willing."

Everyone was stunned.

My father stared at my sister, disbelieving.

"Seraphine, do you even understand what you're saying? Althea has already chose him. Besides, Nyxar is nothing more than a black serpent with impure blood. Binding with him will only bring you harm."

Before my father could say another word, Nyxar pulled out a tiny box from his sleeve and presented it to Seraphine with both hands reverently.

Inside lay a single, pearl-white pill.

"A humble gift," he said. "For the First Princess."

Someone in the crowd recognized it instantly and gasped. "That's the Ouroboros' Orb!"

I glanced over, then lowered my eyes.

The Ouroboros' Orb was the Snake Clan's most legendary relic—a treasure so deadly to obtain, it was said to demand a life in exchange. But its power was unmatched: it could obliterate old meridians and forge new ones, catapulting one's spiritual strength to unimaginable heights.

In our past life, I'd sacrificed fortunes—poured rare elixirs and divine herbs into Nyxar's training. Nothing ever took.

Then came the rumors of the Orb's existence. I sold everything to hunt it down.

Nyxar had pulled me close, his voice thick with pity. "It's just a myth, love."

But he'd had it all along.

And now? He offered it freely—just to win my sister's favor.

Every sacrifice I'd made—reduced to a pathetic joke.

My sister accepted the box with trembling fingers, her eyes dewy with gratitude. Then she smirked at me.

Turning back to my father, she blinked away her tears.

"All my life, you've favored Althea," she said, her voice shaking just enough. "Whatever she wanted, you gave her. And now that the black serpent has chosen me, are you really going to tear apart my happiness for Althea?"

My father faltered. His gaze dropped to the Ouroboros' Orb.

In the end, he turned to me and said, "Althea, since the black serpent's heart belongs to Seraphine… don't make a scene. Let it go."

I closed my eyes.

I felt… tired.

Seraphine and I were half-sisters. Her mother had been an ordinary phoenix—average in lineage, no special gifts. She died soon after hatching Seraphine, having been attacked by a demonic beast.

Later, my father married my mother, who was once the First Princess of the Phoenix Court. I was born after.

Everyone in the Phoenix Court knew he treated us differently.

To Seraphine, he was strict to the point of cruelty.

He tossed her into the trial fields as a child, left her there without aid or affection. Even when she came back bruised and bleeding, he wouldn't allow her a single tear. No weakness. No warmth.

But me? I was the jewel of his eye.

He gave me everything. He indulged me completely. Even though I had greater natural talent than Seraphine, he didn't want me to suffer.

So he encouraged me to give up divine refinement—to just enjoy my life as the carefree Second Princess.

To outsiders, it looked like love. But deep down, I always knew that was how you ruined someone with kindness.

In my past life, I once stumbled across my father at a private shrine. He was kneeling before a memorial tablet. The name on it belonged to Seraphine's mother.

I heard him murmur, "Claire… after all these years, you're still the one I love. Don't worry. I've already broken Althea's spirit. Now our daughter Seraphine will become the Phoenix Court's only heir."

He had wanted me to bind with Nyxar. With the black serpent's low status, my contract with Nyxar would never threaten my sister.

And now, as Nyxar offered the Ouroboros' Orb, my father once again branded me the unreasonable one and ordered me to step aside.

"Alright," I replied.

Since she wanted him so badly, she could have him.

When I agreed so calmly—without resistance, without protest—both my father and Nyxar looked surprised.

Only Seraphine offered a performance of concern, her voice laced with gentle hypocrisy.

"Althea, I'm doing this for your own good. You can't twist his arm. Why don't you choose someone else? Another who suits you. If I form a contract with the black serpent, and you find a match of your own, Father can rest easy."

My father looked at her with nothing but affection in his eyes. They had known all along that the day's guests were all from the serpent clan. And among them, apart from the black serpent, there was no one of note.

I didn't bother arguing.

Lifting my hand lazily, I pointed toward a direction at random.

"Him, then."

Everyone turned to look.

The one I'd chosen was a white serpent.

In his human form, he was handsome—on par with Nyxar, even. But his spiritual energy was faint, nearly undetectable.

If the black serpent was considered low-born, the white serpent was openly mocked by the Phoenix Court.

"A glorified earthworm with snake nerves," they called him.

He could take human form, yes, but had almost no offensive power.

He looked startled when I pointed at him.

Seraphine covered her mouth, feigning worry while sneering beneath it. "Althea, you're so eager... but what if he doesn't even want you—"

"I do," the white serpent said.

Everyone was taken aback.

Even I was surprised.

He walked straight up to me, extended a pale, slender hand, and blushed as he spoke. "Princess Althea, my name is Franz."

I placed my hand in his.

It wasn't cold like I expected. There was warmth in his touch.

When he felt me respond, his grip tightened.

"If Your Highness forms a contract with me, I swear by the divine will, in this life and every life after, I will never abandon you. I will never regret it."

A crack of thunder split the sky.

Something warm surged in my chest.

Franz was the first—and across two lifetimes, the only one—who chose me without hesitation.

I couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

Beside me, Nyxar interrupted the moment.

"Princess Althea," he said, voice clipped, "the white serpent is of humble origin. Choosing him will only hinder your divine refinement in the future."

Franz lowered his head slightly, shoulders folding inward with a trace of shame.

I stared at Nyxar and laughed coldly.

"What, are you jealous of him now? And tell me, if the white serpent's status is so low, does that make yours noble?"

Nyxar's smile froze. His expression twisted subtly.

And in that moment, I knew: he and I had never truly been on the same path.

In my past life, I hadn't chosen the black serpent out of blind devotion. Among all the candidates, I picked him because he once saved me in the secret realm. It had meant something to me.

But now, to gain power, he would humiliate me and climb toward my sister without a second thought. He deserved nothing from me—no more patience, no more kindness.

I turned to the crowd and made myself clear.

"From this moment on, Franz is under my protection. If anyone dares to bully him, I won't forgive it."

The clan stepped back under the force of my words, their eyes avoiding mine.

Nyxar let out a cold snort. "As long as you are happy."

Just then, Franz tugged gently at my sleeve.

I looked down. His eyes were rimmed red, lashes heavy with tears.

"You're... so kind," he whispered.

And for the first time in a long time, my heart began to race.