I coughed slightly before pointing at Charles. "I chose Charles Summer of the zilant clan. Please grant me this marriage, Father."

Charles nodded indifferently. As the only prince of the zilant clan, he bore the heavy responsibility of continuing his bloodline.

It was hard for the zilant to reproduce, and even if they did conceive, successful births were nearly impossible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one left in their bloodline.

The merfolk clan, however, possessed the strongest fertility among all beast clans. In order to make the zilant clan thrive again, Charles had no choice but to stay and take his chance.

Father looked at Rosalie with pity. However, since she had taken an oath upon the sacred beast, he had no choice but to announce that the four of us would be married on a later date.

As he turned to leave, the remaining unmarried beasts who hadn't been chosen all glared at Jasper before leaving as well.

Rosalie clung to Jasper and stood before me smugly. "You'd better take good care of your health, Clarie. Don't go dying before you've even conceived. Once I return, I'll get someone to send you some supplements to help you recover."

She then shot a pitiful gaze at Charles. "The zilant bloodline is dying out, so it's a shame you've wagered everything on Clarie. But don't worry, Charles—I won't stop you from remarrying once she's dead."

He remained calm, as if unable to comprehend Rosalie's mockery.

I chuckled.

Did Rosalie truly believe she gave birth to half-beast hatchlings in her past life just because of her strong fertility? Did she really think she could now give birth to a sacred beast just because she chose someone from the infamous serpent clan?

Just as I was about to speak, I started coughing violently, even spitting out blood.

Without hesitation, Charles took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of my lips. After completely ignoring Rosalie, he bent down and lifted me bridal-style before walking away.

Behind us, she stomped her feet angrily. "That damned Charles! You won't even have a single half-beast hatchling in this lifetime!"

While nestled in Charles' arms, I caught sight of Jasper's reddened, resentful eyes. He leaned close to kiss Rosalie, even using the serpent clan's bewitching charms to rouse her into a fever of desire—so much so she nearly tore his clothes apart, ready to put on a show right there in public.

At the sound of fabric ripping, my vision darkened. Charles had covered my eyes, and with a deep voice, he said, "Don't dirty your eyes."

I could hear the faint sounds of moaning echoing behind us as he carried me away.

…

Charles carried me all the way back to the palace. He carefully set me down on the bed before summoning the royal physician to check on me.

The royal physician shook his head. "Her Highness still needs to focus on recuperation. She must remain calm at all times and not be agitated. As for consummation, it must be strictly prohibited."

The tips of Charles' ears went red as he quietly dismissed the royal physician.

I leaned against the bed, finding it a rare sight of innocence from him. I recalled the way he'd been attentive to Rosalie in the past life and asked tentatively, "I'm in frail health, Charles. The physician said that no consummation is allowed. Do you really not regret being with me?"

I lowered my head and continued, "I might not be able to bear you any hatchlings. If you're having second thoughts, I can have Father annul the marriage…"

Charles pressed his fingers against my lips. "If your body is weak, then we'll strengthen it. As a zilant, I possess the secret art of vitality. I won't let you die."

I pressed my lips together and smiled. However, I did not tell Charles that I was perfectly healthy.

In my past life, Jasper was grateful I had chosen him and obeyed my every word. As such, I told him the reason behind my frail health was due to the sacred bloodline granted to me in order to bear a sacred beast.

As long as I carried a child and endured the weakness of pregnancy, I would be able to recover fully after that.

However, I hadn't expected Jasper's devotion to be fake. Once he got me pregnant, he began frequenting brothels, even bringing the beasts he slept with into the palace.

Worse still, he conspired with Rosalie to kill my sacred beast hatchling. He'd even handed me over to her and allowed her to humiliate me at will.

Jasper placed his hand on her belly as my hatchling's dead body and I were cast into the beast furnace. He even smiled and said, "This is my true sacred beast hatchling."

Rosalie thought she had chosen some priceless treasure, but in reality, he was merely rotten filth.

I was momentarily dazed thinking about my lost sacred beast hatchling. In this life, I didn't choose Jasper—so that hatchling would never exist.

And yet, a selfish part of me still clung to a sliver of hope. Since both Rosalie and I were reincarnated, could my hatchling also come back to me?

Charles patted my head. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. There's no rush for a hatchling. What matters most is your health!"

…

To help me recover, Charles offered to bring me to the sacred grounds of the zilant clan.

The Sacred Valley was a dream-like place, filled with mountains of precious jewels that glimmered in colorful rays under the sunlight.

Charles shifted into his true zilant form to cheer me up, letting me ride on his head as he carried me through the Sacred Valley.

As a breeze blew past, I gazed down at the zilant beneath me and leaned forward to press a kiss on his head. He froze slightly during mid-flight as the tips of his ears flushed scarlet.

In a deep voice, Charles said, "Hold on tight, don't fall."

I smiled softly before wrapping my arms around him.

Charles' ears grew even redder. He was still so pure-hearted.

However, I felt a pang in my chest. It would have been great if only my sacred beast hatchling could have had a father just like him.

…

Charles and I happily stayed in the Sacred Valley, but Father eventually sent someone to summon us back. We were told that the wedding would be held in three days' time.

Just as we returned to the palace, Rosalie appeared before me with a baby bump. She even made a point to rest a hand over her belly, smiling triumphantly.

She said, "Oh my, I really envy you right now, Clarie. You have no idea just how hard it is to be pregnant. I can't eat whatever I want, and I'd grow nauseous if something disagrees with me."

Rosalie cast me a sidelong glance before adding proudly, "The royal physician said that I'm carrying seven little ones. If you can't conceive, I can always give you one of mine. After all, I'm far too kind-hearted to watch the zilant bloodline wither away."

Charles stepped in front of me. "Thank you for your generous offer, Rosalie, but my clan has its own laws. Only those of zilant blood may inherit our legacy. I imagine that with Jasper's modest estate, seven hatchlings would be plenty. This is a gift for you, Rosalie. Try not to sell your hatchlings off."

He unfastened the emerald pendant from his belt and handed it to Rosalie. It was a deep green color, flawless in clarity and luster.

Her face twisted in fury, and she huffed as she stormed away. Before that, she spat venomously, "Serves you right that your bloodline is withering away!"

I calmly looked at Rosalie, saying nothing in return.

Charles, thinking that I was upset, wrapped an arm around me from the back. He leaned close and whispered to my ear, "Having you is enough for me, Clarissa.

"If you want a hatchling, we can adopt one from another clan. I think a merfolk would be wonderful—they'd look just like you. And I'd love them the same way I love you."

I patted his arm and said, "Okay."

Charles was so good to me. How could I leave him without a hatchling of his own?

…

Rosalie and I both got married three days later.

She and Jasper held a wedding sash between them. He had a hand resting on her baby bump as he looked at me proudly, as if they had already given birth to a sacred beast and claimed the throne.

Charles ignored both of them, holding the wedding sash as he led me step by step into the palace.

Once we entered the gates, he swept me off my feet and carried me bridal-style into our honeymoon suite.

After sharing the ceremonial wine with me, Charles was about to leave when I grabbed his arm and pressed a kiss to his lips.

I took advantage of his moment of distraction and wrapped an arm around his neck, whispering affectionately, "Don't you want to enjoy our first night together, Charles?"