- 8 hours ago
The Serpent Queen Returns
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Short filmTranscript
00:03To survive the Ascension Flames, the Fireborn Crown Prince took me, a Serpent Princess,
00:11as his bride.
00:15I gave everything I had and made him Emperor, but on the day of his coronation, he used
00:21the Ascension Flames to destroy the entire Serpent Flames.
00:29One arm around Lily Vos, the Rabbit Spirit, the other hand driven through my chest, pulling
00:34out my soul core.
00:35Serafina Morrow, when your Serpent Clan destroyed the Hare Clan, you should have known this day
00:40would come.
00:40I watched my clan's people struggle and die in the flames, and I, without my soul core
00:45to protect me, was stabbed to death by that fragile little rabbit spirit.
00:49When I opened my eyes, the fire was gone, replaced by candle lights in every direction.
00:54Serafina, when you go to the Fireborn court, be a worthy crown princess, don't shame the
00:58Serpent Clan.
00:59I looked around, recognized everything, and understood.
01:02I had been reborn to the day of my wedding, to Fireborn Crown Prince, Ashvane Solaris.
01:08My mother finished speaking.
01:09My father, King Aldric, added a few words.
01:11Someone placed the white veil over my head.
01:13Princess Serafina.
01:15Lily Vos, the Rabbit Spirit, knelt on the floor.
01:18Let me marry into the Fireborn court in your place.
01:20I carry the Crown Prince's child.
01:23We have long been promised to each other.
01:26Please, grant me this.
01:27The words hit the hall like a stone hitting water.
01:30My mother's face darkened.
01:31Even my father, who was always even-tempered, went cold.
01:34The Serpent Clan and the Hare Clan had been enemies since the beginning.
01:38Yet Lily Vos, a rabbit spirit, held a higher place in our clan than I did as its princess.
01:44She was the youngest daughter of the last Hare King.
01:47A century ago, a rebellion broke out among the male hares who resented having a female king.
01:52On her deathbed, the Hare Queen entrusted her loyal servant to bring the infant Lily secretly
01:57to the Serpent Clan.
01:58People came to believe that the Serpent King and the Hare Queen had once shared a brief affair,
02:03and that Lily was the result.
02:05My father never acknowledged that past, but he still brought Lily into the palace,
02:09and out of guilt, gave her treatment even better than what he gave me, his own princess.
02:15In my last life, Lily came to visit after I had already married into the Fireborn court,
02:19and only then entangled herself with Ashving.
02:22By the time I died, I had never heard anything about her carrying his child.
02:26I couldn't help lifting my veil.
02:28I saw Lily look up at me with a smile that had already decided how this would end.
02:32That was when I understood.
02:34Lily had been reborn too.
02:36Outrageous.
02:37My father was furious.
02:39He stepped forward and pointed at Lily.
02:41Do you know how exalted the Fireborn Crown Prince is?
02:44He and Seraphina have had a betrothal for years.
02:48Lily's eyes were steady.
02:49Lily knows.
02:51Lily knows her place is too low to be his queen.
02:53She would be grateful even as a concubine.
02:55The Fireborn court has more rules than anyone can count and shows no mercy to the weak.
03:00Going there is no different from walking into your own death.
03:03My father was so alarmed he said this directly to Lily, without caring that I was standing right there.
03:08Lily, the match I arranged for you is far better.
03:12Marry into the Raven Order.
03:13Your standing there would be the highest of anyone.
03:16As my father said, the Fireborn were noble, but also arrogant.
03:20They looked down on every other spirit clan.
03:23Every thousand years, the Fireborn faced the Ascension Trial.
03:27Those who passed became the next king of all powers, but the number who passed was very low.
03:33Nine out of ten failed.
03:34Either their power was permanently destroyed, or they died in the attempt.
03:39Our Serpent Clan scales were indestructible.
03:41They could protect a Fireborn through the trial without death.
03:44Our secret arts were powerful too, and dual cultivation with us amplified both parties' power.
03:51So the Fireborn had come to us a thousand years ago.
03:53The Fireborn forced the Serpent Clan to sign a pact.
03:57Every time a new Fireborn Crown Prince was born,
04:00the Serpent Clan had to send a princess with great cultivation to assist his ascension.
04:04In return, the Fireborn would protect the Serpent Clan.
04:08And because of that protection, the Fireborn looked down on us even more.
04:12Even married in as the Crown Princess, my standing would be no higher than a Fireborn servant girl.
04:19But no matter how much my father reasoned with her, Lily refused to hear a word of it.
04:24Ravens are cursed birds. Their standing is even lower than the Serpent Clan's.
04:28Even I became their quine, I still wouldn't rank above a Fireborn servant girl.
04:32I want to marry the Fireborn Prince.
04:34The auspicious hour was almost here.
04:36My father ran out of patience. He called guards to drag Lily away by force.
04:40Send for the physician. Get rid of the child she's carrying.
04:44But the moment they reached the door, each of the guards was struck by a bolt of golden light and
04:50thrown back.
04:51When the light faded, Ashvane Solaris stepped into view.
04:54Ashvane was strikingly handsome, refined and polished as jade.
04:58At just three years old, he had already stood out from among the Fireborn Princes
05:02and been named Crown Prince by the old Fireborn King.
05:05But this man with such a fine reputation, after I helped him ascend,
05:09listened to Lily's scheming and moved to destroy the entire Serpent Clan.
05:16Because Lily believed her mother's death had been orchestrated by my father.
05:20She had been born a distinguished hair princess and ended up as the Serpent King's illegitimate daughter.
05:25And she had never forgiven that.
05:27At the time, I knelt and begged Ashvane to stop.
05:30I told him that if the Serpent Clan fell,
05:33the Fireborn would never again have an easy path through their ascension.
05:37Ashvane drove his hand through my chest and pulled out my soul core.
05:40Don't worry. I'll use the scales of your entire clan to forge the finest armor in the world.
05:49I watched my clan's people have their scales stripped from their bodies one by one,
05:55then be thrown into the ascension flames.
05:57That day the ground ran with blood. Screaming filled the air.
06:04The fire dyed the whole sky red. Thinking of it now, I wanted to kill this man where he stood.
06:12But I knew the moment wasn't right. I was no match for Ashvane, not yet.
06:17Ashvane helped Lily to her feet and looked at my father.
06:20Serpent King, Lily carries my child. I intend to make her my queen.
06:25As for Serphine Moro, she can serve as my confine if I'm feeling generous.
06:31Lily leaned against Ashvane's chest.
06:33That wouldn't be right. I'm only a humble servant girl. I couldn't compare to Princess Seraphina.
06:39Ashvane smiled coldly.
06:41No matter how noble she is, her nobility is only among the Serpent Clan.
06:46And the Fireborn court, she isn't fit to carry my shoes.
06:50The Fireborn had never respected the Serpent Clan. Every time there was a marriage between the
06:55clans, the Fireborn never bothered to send anyone. The Serpent Clan always delivered the bride
07:01themselves. Both sides understood this unspoken arrangement. But Ashvane saying it aloud in front
07:07of everyone had ignited genuine fury. Several of the elders went dark-faced. My father's anger rose too.
07:14If the Crown Prince holds our clan in such contene, perhaps this marriage is not one we need to
07:20pursue. Ashvane knew well enough that without Serpent Scales, his ascension would be nearly
07:25impossible. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he clasped his hands and apologized.
07:32Ashvane spoke out of turn. Serpent King, please forgive me. It's only that I cannot bring myself to
07:38fail Lily, so I must ask the Princess to bear with the arrangement. He pressed on.
07:42I hope the Serpent King will decide quickly. My father is waiting to celebrate.
07:46In terms of power, the Serpent Clan was nowhere near the Fireborn court. Even if my father was
07:52unwilling, he had no choice but to heal. For the sake of his people, he looked up at me.
07:59Seraphine, what do you think?
08:00His mouth asked for my opinion. His eyes had already made the answer clear. He wanted me to accept.
08:07The realization made something in me go cold. Everyone said my father adored me, but I knew.
08:14He favored Lily more. From childhood, he had trained me in how to please the Fireborn,
08:19how to survive at their margins, how to fight for the Serpent Clan's interests. He made me cultivate day and
08:26night without rest. It was because the Fireborn so far and possibly high for any Serpent.
08:33Without immense cultivation, she couldn't protect the Crown Prince through his tribe.
08:38When the Fireborn ascended, a Serpent was always beside them. For every Fireborn who came out alive,
08:45most Serpents alongside them had been sacrificed. Lily only needed to eat well, rest well, and enjoy
08:52herself. My father even chose for her the freest and most equal of all clans, the Raven Lord as her
08:59picture power. For the first time in my life, I had a thought that went against my father. I clasped
09:06my hands.
09:08Father, I refuse to be anyone's compine. The moment I said it, I heard a sharp intake of breath from
09:14half
09:14the room. Ashvane blinked, clearly not having anticipated that anyone would refuse to marry him. Lily's
09:20face filled with satisfaction. My father frowned. If not a concubine, what about equal wives?
09:27You and Lily both married to the Crown Prince. Neither ranked above the other. I don't want that
09:34either. I don't want to marry into the Fireborn court at all. Ashvane looked at me. His expression
09:39said I didn't know what was good for me. My father lost his patience. If you won't marry the Fireborn
09:44court, then who do you want to marry? I want to marry him. I pointed at a man in black
09:49sitting in the
09:49corner. Under every eye in the room, I walked toward him.
09:58Will you marry me? The man was none other than Corvus Blackwood, the young lord of the Raven Order,
10:05who had come today to meet Lily. Before Corvus could say a word, Ashvane burst out.
10:10I thought the serpent princess had set her sights on someone important, and it turns out to be a
10:15raven. Ravens were considered bad omens and naturally held in contempt by the proud Fireborn.
10:20But the Raven Order was free-spirited, graceful, and mysterious. They believed in equality. They
10:25looked down on no one. My father's expression went dangerously dark. Even my mother, who always showed
10:31me warmth when pale. Lily spoke up. Princess, are you serious? You want to marry Corvus? You're not
10:38just saying that? Of course. I have long admired him. Naturally, I want to marry him. Ashvane's expression
10:46curdled instantly. A raven. It will never cultivate into a phoenix. It will never even reach divine
10:51transformation. And yet the great phoenix still relies on ours-our-serpent-clant to survive the
10:57ascension. There are those who strut around giving orders here, but the moment they need something,
11:01they wag their tails harder than a stray dog begging for scraps. I thought of how,
11:05in my last life, Ashvane had been especially attentive to me as his trial approached. That
11:09was when he charmed me so thoroughly that when the moment came, I gave everything I had to protect him
11:14through it. When it was over and I had somehow survived, I was gravely injured. That was why Ashvane
11:19was able to take my soul core. Then Lily found my weakest point. Together, they stripped my scales
11:25from my body and she killed me with a final blade. Thinking of it now, the place where my heart
11:29used
11:30to be ached dully. Ashvane went white with fury. Who are you calling a dog? Whoever fits the description.
11:36At that, a soft laugh broke through. I looked up at him and paused. I hadn't really looked at him
11:41before.
11:41This Corvus Blackwood. He was surprisingly handsome. Even you dare laugh at me, Raven! Die! Ashvane was still
11:49the Fireborn Crown Prince. He had real power. Ashvane was provoked by that and immediately
11:54stroked toward him with an open palm. My instinct was to shield Corvus, but he was already there again,
11:59meeting Ashvane palm to palm. In that instant, black energy and gold energy collided and held
12:05perfectly even. Ashvane was forced back. Again, he said, refusing to accept it. Corvus lowered his hand.
12:12A misunderstanding, your highness. I laughed because Princess Seraphane said she admired me. I was simply too
12:17excited to contain it. Your power is formidable. Corvus concedes. He said he was conceding,
12:22but anyone could see Ashvane was not his match. Others might marvel at how deep Corvus's cultivation
12:28ran. Only I knew the truth. Ashvane had never been as powerful as his reputation claimed. In my last
12:33life, without me, he couldn't have bested his own personal guards. Ashvane's face went dark,
12:38but then Lily stepped forward. Your highness, since the princess and Corvus clearly have feelings for
12:44each other, there's no need to insist on marrying her. I was still puzzling over when Lily had become
12:49so reasonable, when she turned and knelt before my father. Your majesty, by the pact between the
12:54Fireborn court and the serpent clan, a serpent princess must marry the Fireborn crown prince.
12:59Since Princess Seraphane refuses, I am willing to go in her place, on the condition that she transfers
13:04her title of serpent princess to me, along with her scales and her serpent stone. So that was where she
13:10had been waiting. The serpent clan had three treasures. Scales, indestructible, capable of
13:15withstanding divine lightning. Serpent stone, which absorbed the essence of sun and moon,
13:20and amplified both parties' cultivation during dual practice, and the soul of the war. She was
13:25demanding two of the three. How was that any different from taking my life? I hadn't yet opened my
13:32mouth. Ashvane was already pressing my father. Serpent king. Seraphane broke the pact first.
13:39If she won't hand over those two things, I'll have a difficult time answering to my father.
13:44Here we go again. Can't win the fight, so bring out the Fireborn court. My father's brow tightened,
13:51but he gave way. Seraphane, if you truly won't marry into the court, then I'm afraid you'll have to
13:57hand those two things over to Lily. At that moment, my faith in my father was gone entirely. And if
14:02I
14:02refuse? The moment I said it, the whole hall went still. Every serpent in the room looked at me,
14:09expressions shifting rapidly. My father's brows were nearly not together. Seraphane,
14:15this is not the time for stubbornness. He took my hand and lowered his voice.
14:21You know what it means to anger the Fireborn court. Can you not think of our people for once?
14:26The Fireborn were powerful, and every Fireborn Emperor eventually reached divine transformation.
14:32No clan in the spirit world was willing to make an enemy of them. But even so...
14:37Father, your daughter refuses to accept this. I clasped my hands. The wrong is clearly on the
14:44Fireborn court's side. Even if I refuse to marry, even if I refuse to hand anything over,
14:49no one has grounds to fault me for it. You are forcing me out of nothing but fear. But have
14:54you ever
14:54asked yourself, is the Fireborn court truly that shakable? Is our serpent clan truly beneath them?
15:00The more you yield, the more they will take. That is all they have ever learned to do.
15:05I thought of my last life, when the Fireborn came to destroy us. The moment they arrived,
15:11our serpent clan surrendered. Not a single person dared to push back. Because even my father feared the
15:17powerful Fireborn. How could the people below him be expected to resist? Yet, I remembered my mother
15:22once telling me that, when my father was young, he was not a man who bent easily. Hearing my words,
15:28my father stared at me as though he didn't know me. Ashvane gave a cold laugh. Quite the speech.
15:35Since the serpent clan clearly has no interest in negotiating, I suppose there's nothing left to
15:41discuss. I'll have to bring this matter back to my father. I thought my words might have reached
15:46something in him. Then his hand came across my face. I looked up at my father. His face
15:52burning with fury and felt something freeze inside me. You ungrateful ret. What nonsense are you
15:58spouting? Hand over the scales and the serpent stone now. Or do you intend to force your own
16:03father's hand? Those words. Each one a blade driven straight into my chest. I looked around. Contempt in
16:13every clans person's eyes. Triumph all over Lily's face. Only Corvus made a move to step forward.
16:20The person beside him grabbed him and held on hard. I closed my eyes. You cannot wake someone who is
16:27only pretending to sleep. I was about to shift form. About to strip my scales.
16:33Wait. I opened my eyes. My mother looked at Ashvane. Your Highness, use my scales and my serpent stone
16:41instead. I cried out. Mother, why would you? My mother's face was full of quiet pleading. My scales
16:50are denser. My serpent stone is stronger. I started to say it didn't matter, but Lily looked at my mother
16:57with undisguised disdain. You're so old. Who wants your things? We want Seraphine Moros.
17:04Ashvane nodded in agreement. It's just as you see. My mother knelt directly on the floor.
17:10Please, let Seraphine go.
17:15Mine are not lesser. Every word my mother said drove deeper into me. My tears fell before I could
17:22stop them. My mother, like my father, had always kept the best things for Lily. I had always resented
17:30that in her. I thought she was weak. That she had spent her whole life losing herself for my father's
17:36sake. But now I saw how completely wrong I had been. That kneel broke something open in my chest.
17:44Mine. I wiped my face and spoke aloud. I looked Lily directly in the eyes.
17:49Lily, I'll give you my scales and my serpent stone. But whether you can keep them, that depends on your
17:58own abilities. Lily curved her lips. Then I'll thank the princess. In front of everyone, I shifted into my
18:05true form. The pain of stripping scales went beyond anything that can be described. My tail swept
18:11across my body. The scales fell away one by one. I shook with each one. One, two, three. Every scale
18:18I
18:18lost added another measure of pain. When all of them had fallen away, the blue-green scales gathered
18:23together and wove themselves into a sheath of armor that drifted down onto Lily. She couldn't help
18:28spinning once, a smile on her face uncontainable. I shifted back to human form. I lost my footing for a
18:40moment, staggering, and was caught. I turned to look. It was Corvus. I thanked him and then used my inner
18:48energy to force out the serpent stone. The blue-green serpent stone rose into the air. Lily swallowed it
18:55without waiting. But the next second, she let out a scream. Instead of the flood of power she had
19:01expected, a violent pain erupted from the center of her chest. She writhed on the floor, shrieking. The
19:09sound was raw and tearing. Ashvane frowned and moved to channel energy to help her. Before he even touched
19:15her, Lily screamed once more. The serpent stone burst out from her chest. Lily looked up and vomited a
19:22mouth full of blood. Seraphine Moro, you tampered with the serpent stone. The next instant, Ashvane's
19:30sword was pressed against my throat. What did you do to her? I did nothing. If you did nothing,
19:34how did she end up like this? A serpent stone is naturally a serpent-clin treasure. Without a
19:40serpent's soul core to anchor it, it cannot be absorbed by anyone else. That is common knowledge.
19:45This was not a secret. Lily had lived among us long enough to know it. Her face went pale.
19:51Impossible. I carry serpent blood. Why can't I use it? You must have done something. I asked her,
19:57Who told you that you carry serpent blood?
20:01I am the serpent king's daughter. How could I not carry serpent blood? My father finally stepped
20:06forward. Who said you were the serpent king's daughter? Your father is not me. In my last life,
20:12my father was gravely injured before Ashvane's ascension trial. After I went back to see him one
20:17final time, my mother told me the truth. There had never been any affair between my father and the
20:22Hare Queen. It was my mother who had once been saved by the Hare Queen. They had called each other
20:27sisters ever since. When my father learned the Hare Queen was under attack, he had even sent troops to
20:32rescue her. But they arrived too late. In my last life, I told Lily the truth as I was dying.
20:38She didn't
20:38believe me. She thought I was lying. But now, hearing it from my father's own mouth, with the serpent
20:44stone's reaction as proof, Lily had no choice but to believe. Her expression changed in an instant.
20:51Everything she had ever done in her last life had been driven by a desire to avenge her mother.
20:56But now, she knew she had avenged the wrong person. She had no idea what to do with that.
21:01Lily went silent. But Ashvane was relentless. His sword still pointed at me.
21:06So the serpent stone alone isn't enough. A soul core is needed too.
21:10I looked at him with cold eyes. In your dreams, a soul core was everything to a spirit being. Once
21:17it
21:17was taken, any chance of revenge I had would be gone forever. My words had pushed Ashvane past his
21:22limit. Then I'll take it myself. He gathered his power, took his stance, and flew at me with his
21:27sword. I had just stripped all my scales. There was no way I could match him now. At that moment,
21:32Corvus stepped in front of me. I heard the person beside him shout,
21:37Corvus! This is a matter between the Serpent Clan and the Fireborn Court. Do you want to bring
21:42destruction on the Raven Order? Corus's foot shifted slightly to the side. Then he held his ground.
21:48But in the end, it was not Corvus who blocked Ashvane's sword. It was my father.
21:54We're back.
21:54We're back.
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