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The Serpent Quee's Revenge New
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00:01To survive the Ascension Trial, the Fireborn Crown Prince took me, a Serpent Princess, as his bride.
00:09I gave everything I had and made him Emperor.
00:15But on the day of his coronation, he used the Ascension Flames to destroy the entire Serpent Clan.
00:21One arm around Lily Boss, the Rabbit Spirit, the other hand driven through my chest, pulling out my soul core.
00:28Seraphine Morrow, when your Serpent Clan destroyed the Hare Clan, you should have known this day would come.
00:34I watched my clanspeople struggle and die in the flames, and I, without my soul core to protect me, was
00:41stabbed to death by that fragile little rabbit spirit.
00:44When I opened my eyes again, I was back on my wedding day.
00:48Lily Boss knelt on the floor and said she carried the Crown Prince's child, begging only to be allowed in
00:53as a concubine.
00:54Everyone waited for my answer.
00:57I lifted my own veil, walked the raven standing nearby, and asked him to marry me.
01:02What Lily didn't know was this.
01:04The Ascension Trial was nine parts death.
01:07Without me, the Fireborn Crown Prince was worth less than that raven.
01:11When I opened my eyes, the fire was gone, replaced by candle lights in every direction.
01:16Seraphina, when you go to the Fireborn court, be a worthy Crown Princess. Don't shame the Serpent Clan.
01:23My mother, Queen Solara, held my hands, her eyes full of tears.
01:27I looked around, recognized everything, and understood I had been reborn to the day of my wedding to Fireborn Crown
01:34Prince Ashvane Solaris.
01:35My mother finished speaking.
01:37My father, King Aldric, added a few words.
01:40The story of the Snake Clan is entrusted to you today.
01:43Summono placed the white veil over my head, then an uninvited guest burst into the hall.
01:48Princess Seraphine, Lily Vos, the rabbit spirit, knelt on the floor.
01:52Let me marry into the Fireborn court in your place.
01:54I carry the Crown Prince's child.
01:56We have long been promised to each other.
01:59Please, grant me this.
02:00The words hit the hall like a stone hitting water.
02:03My mother's face darkened.
02:05Even my father, who was always even-tempered, went cold.
02:08The Serpent Clan and the Hare Clan had been enemies since the beginning.
02:12Yet Lily Vos, a rabbit spirit, held a higher place in our clan than I did as its princess.
02:18She was the youngest daughter of the last Hare King.
02:21A century ago, a rebellion broke out among the male heirs who resented having a female king.
02:26On her deathbed, the Hare Queen entrusted her loyal servant to bring the infant Lily secretly to the Serpent Clan.
02:33People came to believe that the Serpent King and the Hare Queen had once shared a brief affair, and that
02:38Lily was the result.
02:39My father never acknowledged that past, but he still brought Lily into the palace.
02:43And out of guilt, gave her treatment even better than what he gave me, his own princess.
02:49In my last life, Lily came to visit after I had already married into the Fireborn court, and only then
02:55entangled herself with Ashme.
02:57By the time I died I had never heard anything about her carrying his child.
03:00I couldn't help lifting my veil.
03:02I saw Lily look up at me with a smile that had already decided how this would end.
03:06That was when I understood, Lily had been reborn too.
03:10Outrageous!
03:11My father was furious.
03:13Do you know how exalted the Fireborn crown prince is? He and Seraphina have had a betrothal for years!
03:20Lily knows.
03:21Lily's eyes were steady. Lily knows her place is too low to be his queen. She would be grateful even
03:27as a concubine.
03:28The Fireborn court has more rules than anyone can count and shows no mercy to the weak. Going there is
03:33no different from walking into your own death!
03:34My father was so alarmed he said this directly to Lily without caring that I was standing right there.
03:40Lily, the match I arranged for you is far better. Marry into the Raven Order. Your standing there would be
03:46the highest of anyone.
03:47As my father said, the Fireborn were noble, but also arrogant. They looked down on every other spirit clan.
03:54Every thousand years, the Fireborn faced the ascension trial. Those who passed became the next king of all feathers.
04:01But the number who passed was very low. Nine out of ten failed. Either their power was permanently destroyed, or
04:08they died in the attempt.
04:09Our serpent clan scales were indestructible. They could protect a Fireborn through the trial without death.
04:15Our secret arts were powerful too, and dual cultivation with us amplified both parties' power.
04:21So the Fireborn had come to us a thousand years ago. The Fireborn forced the Serpent clan to sign a
04:27pact.
04:27Every time a new Fireborn crown prince was born, the Serpent clan had to send a princess with great cultivation
04:33to assist his ascension.
04:35In return, the Fireborn would protect the Serpent clan, and because of that protection, the Fireborn looked down on us
04:42even more.
04:43Even married in as the crown princess, my standing would be no higher than a Fireborn servant girl.
04:48But no matter how much my father reasoned with her, Lily refused to hear a word of it.
04:53Ravens are cursed birds. Their standing is even lower than the Serpent clan's.
04:58Even if I became their queen, I still wouldn't rank above a Fireborn servant girl.
05:02I want to marry the Fireborn crown prince!
05:04The auspicious hour was almost here. My father ran out of patience. He called guards to drag Lily away by
05:11force.
05:12Send for the physician. Get rid of the child she's carrying.
05:15But the moment they reached the door, each of the guards was struck by a bolt of golden light.
05:20When the light faded, Ashvane Solaris stepped into view.
05:23Ashvane was strikingly handsome, refined and polished as jade.
05:27At just three years old he had already stood out from among the Fireborn princes, and been named crown prince
05:33by the old Fireborn king.
05:35But this man with such a fine reputation, after I helped him ascend, listened to Lily scheming and moved to
05:41destroy the entire Serpent clan.
05:42Because Lily believed her mother's death had been orchestrated by my father, she had been born a distinguished hair princess,
05:49and ended up as the Serpent king's illegitimate daughter, and she had never forgiven that.
05:55Ashvane, please, stop.
05:57At the time I knelt and begged Ashvane to stop.
05:59If the Serpent clan fell, the Fireborn would never again have an easy path through their ascension.
06:05Ashvane drove his hand through my chest and pulled out my soul core.
06:08Don't worry. I'll use the scales of your entire clan to forge the finest armor in the world. Consider it
06:14your clan's atonement.
06:15I watched my clan's people have their scales stripped from their bodies one by one, then be thrown into the
06:20ascension flames.
06:22That day the ground ran with blood. Screaming filled the air. The fire dyed the whole sky red.
06:29Thinking of it now, I wanted to kill this man where he stood.
06:32But I knew the moment wasn't right. I was no match for Ashvane. Not yet. Ashvane helped Lily to her
06:38feet and looked at my father.
06:39Serpent king. Lily carries my child. I intend to make her my queen. As for Seraphine Morrow, she can serve
06:45as my conkind if I'm feeling generous.
06:47Lily leaned against Ashvane's chest.
06:49That wouldn't be right. I'm only a humble servant girl. I couldn't compare to Princesses Seraphine.
06:57Ashvane smiled coldly.
06:59No matter how noble she is, her nobility is only among the serpent grind. In the Fireborn court, she isn't
07:05fit to carry my shoes.
07:06The Fireborn had never respected the serpent clan. Every time there was a marriage between the clans. The Fireborn never
07:14bothered to send anyone. The serpent clan always delivered the bride themselves. Both sides understood this unspoken arrangement. But Ashvane
07:23saying it aloud in front of everyone had ignited genuine fury. Several of the elders went dark faced. My father's
07:30anger rose too.
07:31If the crown prince holds our clan in such contene, perhaps this marriage is not one we need to pursue.
07:38Ashvane knew well enough that without Serpent Scales his ascension would be nearly impossible. Realizing he had said the wrong
07:45thing, he clasped his hands and apologized.
07:48Ashvane spoke out of turn. Serpent king, please forgive me. It's only that I cannot bring myself to fail Lily.
07:55So I must ask the princess to bear with the arrangement.
07:58I hope the serpent king will decide quickly. My father is waiting to celebrate.
08:04In terms of power, the serpent clan was nowhere near the Fireborn court. Even if my father was unwilling, he
08:09had no choice but to yield. For the sake of his people, he looked up at me.
08:15Seraphine, what do you think?
08:17His mouth asked for my opinion. His eyes had already made the answer clear. He wanted me to accept the
08:23realization made something in me go cold. Everyone said my father adored me, but I knew he favored Lily more.
08:28From childhood, he had trained me in how to please the Fireborn. How to survive at their margins. How to
08:35fight for the serpent clan's interests. He made me cultivate day and night without rest. It was because the Fireborn
08:41set a bar impossibly high for any serpent princess. Without immense cultivation. She couldn't protect the crown prince through his
08:48trial. When the Fireborn ascended, a serpent was always beside them. For every Fireborn who came out alive, most serpents
08:56alongside them had been sacrificed.
08:58Lily only needed to eat well, rest well, and enjoy herself. My father even chose for her the freest and
09:05most equal of all clans. The Raven Order as her future home. For the first time in my life, I
09:10had a thought that went against my father.
09:12Father, I refuse to be anyone's conkeem.
09:17The moment I said it, I heard a sharp intake of breath from half the room. Ashvane blinked. Clearly not
09:23having anticipated that anyone would refuse to marry him. Lily's face filled with satisfaction.
09:27My father frowned. If not a concubine, what about equal wives? You and Lily both married to the crown prince,
09:34neither ranked above the other.
09:36I don't want that either. I don't want to marry into the Fireborn court at all. Ashvane looked at me.
09:42His expression said I didn't know what was good for me. My father lost his patience.
09:46If you won't marry the Fireborn court, then who do you want to marry? I want to marry him. I
09:51pointed at a man in black standing in the corner, under every eye in the room. I walked toward him.
09:56Will you marry me?
10:04The man was none other than Corvus Blackwood, the young lord of the Raven Order who had come today to
10:10meet Lily.
10:11Before Corvus could say a word, Ashvane burst out laughing.
10:14I thought the serpent princess had set her sights on someone important. And it turns out to be a raven.
10:21Ravens were considered bad omens and naturally held in contempt by the proud Fireborn. But the Raven Order was free,
10:27spirited, graceful, and mysterious. They believed in equality. They looked down on no one. My father's expression went dangerously dark.
10:36Even my mother, who always showed me warmth, went pale. Lily spoke up.
10:40Princess, are you serious? You want to marry Corvus? You're not just saying that?
10:45I nodded. Of course. I have long admired him. Naturally, I want to marry him. Ashvane's expression curdled instantly.
10:52A raven. It will never cultivate into a phoenix. It will never even reach divine transformation.
10:59I smiled. And yet the great phoenix still relies on our serpent clan to survive the ascension.
11:05There are those who strut around giving orders here, but the moment they need something, they wag their tails harder
11:11than a stray dog begging for scraps.
11:12I thought of how, in my last life, Ashvane had been especially attentive to me as his trial approached.
11:18That was when he charmed me so thoroughly, that when the moment came, I gave everything I had to protect
11:23him through it.
11:24When it was over and I had somehow survived, I was gravely injured. That was why Ashvane was able to
11:29take my soul core.
11:31Then Lily found my weakest point. Together they stripped my scales from my body, and she killed me with a
11:36final blade.
11:37Thinking of it now, the place where my heart used to be ached dull.
11:41Who are you calling a dog?
11:43Whoever fits the description.
11:45At that, a soft laugh broke through.
11:47Corvus Blackwood, silent until now, smiled.
11:50I looked up at him and paused. I hadn't really looked at him before.
11:54This Corvus Blackwood, he was surprisingly handsome.
11:57Even you dare laugh at me, raven. Die!
12:02Ashvane was provoked by that laugh and immediately struck toward him with an open palm.
12:05Ashvane was still the Fireborn Crown Prince. He had real power.
12:10My instinct was to shield Corvus. But he was already there ahead of me, meeting Ashvane palm to palm.
12:16In that instant, black energy and gold energy collided. And held perfectly even.
12:21Ashvane was forced back.
12:22A misunderstanding your highness. I laughed because Princess Seraphina said she admired me.
12:27I was simply too excited to contain it. Your power is formidable. Corvus concedes.
12:32But anyone could see. Ashvane was not his match.
12:36Others might marvel at how deep Corvus's cultivation ran.
12:40Only I knew the truth. Ashvane had never been as powerful as his reputation claimed.
12:45In my last life without me, he couldn't have bested his own personal guards.
12:49Ashvane's face went dark. But then Lily stepped forward.
12:52Your highness. Since the princess and Corvus clearly have feelings for each other.
12:56There's no need to insist on marrying her.
12:59I was still puzzling over when Lily had become so reasonable.
13:03When she turned and knelt before my father.
13:06Your majesty. By the pact between the Fireborn court and the serpent clan.
13:09A serpent princess must marry the Fireborn crown tights.
13:12Since Princess Seraphine refuses, I am willing to go in her place.
13:15On the condition that she transfers her title of serpent princess to me.
13:19Along with her scales and her serpent stone.
13:20So that was where she had been waiting. The serpent clan had three treasures.
13:26Scales, indestructible, capable of withstanding divine lightning.
13:30Serpent stone, which absorbed the essence of sun and moon.
13:34And amplified both parties' cultivation during dual practice.
13:39And the soul core.
13:41She was demanding two of the three. How was that any different from taking my life?
13:47I hadn't yet opened my mouth. Ashvane was already pressing my father.
13:51Serpent king. Seraphine broke the pact first.
13:55If she won't hand over those two things, I'll have a difficult time answering to my father.
14:01Here we go again. Can't win the fight. So bring out the Fireborn court.
14:05My father's brow tightened, but he gave way.
14:08Seraphine. If you truly won't marry into the court, then I'm afraid you'll have to hand those two things over
14:14to Lily.
14:14At that moment, my faith in my father was gone entirely.
14:18I gave a cold laugh.
14:21And if I refuse?
14:22The moment I said it, the whole hall went still.
14:25Every serpent in the room looked at me, expressions shifting rapidly.
14:29My father's brows were nearly knotted together.
14:33Seraphine, this is not the time for stubbornness.
14:35He took my hand and lowered his voice.
14:38You know what it means to anger the Fireborn court. Can you not think of our people for once?
14:43And every Fireborn emperor eventually reached divine transformation.
14:47No clan in the spirit world was willing to make an enemy of them.
14:50But even so...
14:52Father, your daughter refuses to accept this.
14:56I clasped my hands.
14:57The wrong is clearly on the Fireborn court's side.
15:01Even if I refuse to marry, even if I refuse to hand anything over, no one has grounds to fault
15:06me for it.
15:08You are forcing me out of nothing but fear.
15:10But have you ever asked yourself, is the Fireborn court truly that unshakable?
15:15Is our serpent clan truly beneath them?
15:17The more you yield, the more they will take.
15:19That is all they have ever learned to do.
15:20I thought of my last life, when the Fireborn came to destroy us.
15:24The moment they arrived, our serpent clan surrendered.
15:27Not a single person dared to push back.
15:30Because even my father feared the powerful Fireborn,
15:33how could the people below him be expected to resist?
15:37Yet I remembered my mother once telling me that when my father was young,
15:40he was not a man who bent easily.
15:42Hearing my words, my father stared at me as though he didn't know me.
15:45Ashvane gave a cold laugh.
15:47Quite the speech.
15:49Since the serpent clan clearly has no interest in negotiating,
15:52I suppose nothing left to discuss.
15:54I'll have to bring this matter back to my father.
15:56I thought my words might have reached something in him.
15:59Then his hand came across my face.
16:01I looked up at my father, his face burning with fury,
16:05and felt something freeze inside me.
16:08You ungrateful wretch!
16:09What nonsense are you spouting?
16:11Hand over the scales and the serpent stone now!
16:14Or do you intend to force your own father's hand?
16:17Those words.
16:18Each one a blade driven straight into my chest.
16:21I looked around, contempt in every clan's person's eyes.
16:24Triumph all over Lily's face.
16:26Only Corvus made a move to step forward.
16:28The person beside him grabbed him and held on hard.
16:31I closed my eyes.
16:32You cannot wake someone who is only pretending to sleep.
16:35I was about to shift form, about to strip my scales.
16:38Wait.
16:39I opened my eyes.
16:41My mother looked at Ashvane.
16:44Your Highness, use my scales and my serpent stone instead.
16:49Mother!
16:52Why would you?
16:54My scales are denser.
16:56My serpent stone is stronger.
17:00I started to say it didn't matter.
17:03You're so old.
17:04Who wants your things?
17:06We want Serafina Moro's.
17:10Ashvane nodded in agreement.
17:14Please, let Serafine go.
17:17Mine are not lesser.
17:18Every word my mother said drove deeper into me.
17:22My mother, like my father, had always kept the best things for Lily.
17:26I had always resented that in her.
17:27I thought she was weak.
17:29That she had spent her whole life losing herself for my father's sake.
17:33But now I saw how completely wrong I had been.
17:35That Neil broke something open in my chest.
17:40Mine.
17:41Lily.
17:42I'll give you my scales and my serpent stone.
17:45But whether you can keep them, that depends on your own abilities.
17:49Lily curved her lips.
17:52Then I'll thank the princess.
17:54In front of everyone, I shifted into my true form.
17:58The pain of stripping scales went beyond anything that can be described.
18:02My tail swept across my body.
18:04The scales fell away one by one.
18:06I shook with each one.
18:08One.
18:08Two.
18:09Three.
18:09Every scale I lost added another measure of pain.
18:13When all of them had fallen away,
18:15the blue-green scales gathered together
18:17and wove themselves into a sheath of armor that drifted down onto Lily.
18:22She couldn't help spinning once, the smile on her face uncontainable.
18:27I shifted back to human form.
18:33I lost my footing for a moment, staggering, and was caught.
18:38I turned to look.
18:39It was Corvus.
18:40I thanked him, and then used my inner energy to force out the serpent stone.
18:45The blue-green serpent stone rose into the air.
18:48Lily swallowed it without waiting.
18:50But the next second she let out a scream.
18:52Instead of the flood of power she had expected, a violent pain erupted from the center of her chest.
19:00She writhed on the floor.
19:02Shrieking.
19:03The sound was raw and tearing.
19:08Ashvane frowned and moved to channel energy to help her.
19:11Before he even touched her, Lily screamed once more.
19:14The serpent stone burst out from her chest.
19:16It rose into the air, streaked with blood, its blue-green light dimmer than before.
19:21Lily looked up and vomited a mouthful of blood.
19:25Seraphine Moro.
19:27You tampered with the serpent stone.
19:29The next instant, Ashvane's sword was pressed against my throat.
19:34What did you do to her?
19:37I told him.
19:38I did nothing.
19:41If you did nothing, how did she end up like this?
19:44A serpent stone is naturally a serpent clan treasure.
19:55Without a serpent's soul core to anchor it, it cannot be absorbed by anyone else.
19:59That is common knowledge.
20:00This was not a secret.
20:02Lily had lived among us long enough to know it.
20:05Her face went pale.
20:07Impossible.
20:08I carry serpent blood.
20:09Why can't I use it?
20:11You must have done something.
20:12I asked her.
20:14Who told you that you carry serpent blood?
20:20I am the serpent king's daughter!
20:23How could I not carry serpent blood?
20:26Who said you were the serpent king's daughter?
20:29Your father is not me.
20:31My father finally stepped forward.
20:33In my last life, my father was gravely injured before Ashvane's ascension trial.
20:38After I went back to see him one final time, my mother told me the truth.
20:42Lily is not your father's child at all.
20:45There had never been any affair between my father and the Hare Queen.
20:49It was my mother who had once been saved by the Hare Queen.
20:52They had called each other sisters ever since, when my father learned the Hare Queen was under attack.
20:57He had even sent troops to rescue her.
20:59But they arrived too late.
21:03Lily, you were never my father's child.
21:06She didn't believe me.
21:07She thought I was lying.
21:09But now, hearing it from my father's own mouth, with the serpent stone's reaction as proof, Lily had no choice
21:14but to believe.
21:17So the serpent stone alone isn't enough.
21:19A soul core is needed too.
21:21Then give me the soul core.
21:23I looked at him with cold eyes.
21:25In your dreams.
21:27A soul core was everything to a spirit being.
21:30Once it was taken, any chance of revenge I had would be gone forever.
21:34My words had pushed Ashvane past his limit.
21:37Then I'll take it myself.
21:39He gathered his power, took his stance, and flew at me with his sword.
21:42I had just stripped all my scales.
21:45There was no way I could match him now.
21:47At that moment, Corvus stepped in front of me.
21:50I heard the person beside him shout.
21:52Corvus, this is a matter between the serpent clan and the fireborn court.
21:55Do you want to bring destruction on the raven order?
21:58Corvus's foot shifted slightly to the side.
22:00Then he held his ground.
22:02But in the end, it was not Corvus who blocked Ashvane's sword.
22:06It was, my father.
22:10Red palm force met golden sword energy.
22:13My father swept his hand and sent Ashvane flying back several feet.
22:17He hit the floor.
22:18He got back up.
22:19Serpent king, what do you think you're doing?
22:22My father stood between me and Corvus, his presence like a wall.
22:26Crown prince, our clan has already given you what you came for.
22:30To keep demanding more is going too far.
22:32There is nothing this crown prince desires that he cannot have.
22:37Are you inviting me to take this complaint to my father?
22:40This king has met the fireborn emperor and found him to be a reasonable man.
22:45If the crown princess wishes to bring a complaint,
22:48this king would not mind making the journey to the fireborn court himself
22:52to give the emperor a full account of what his crown prince did here today.
22:57My father's words were well reasoned.
23:00The fireborn emperor was arrogant, but he was a man who valued appearances,
23:05even when he wanted to start a conflict.
23:07He needed a suitable pretext.
23:10Today, the fault was plainly Ashvane's from the start.
23:13If this truly reached the emperor, Ashvane would not come away clean.
23:17Ashvane understood that.
23:19His expression went cold.
23:20He reached out and drew the bloodied serpent stone from the air.
23:24Then he picked Lily up off the floor.
23:27Serpent clan, you'll regret this.
23:30Ashvane left.
23:31Every face among the serpent clan was heavy, especially the elders.
23:35They gathered near my father and spoke quietly in his ear.
23:38My father shook his head.
23:40He looked up at me.
23:42Seraphine, come to the back hall.
23:44I followed him.
23:46I couldn't quite read what he was thinking.
23:48But when he had stepped in front of me just now,
23:50I began to wonder if my father was not entirely the man I had assumed him to be.
23:58Father, what did you want to see me for?
24:01The moment the door closed behind us,
24:03my father gripped the edge of the table and coughed up blood.
24:07Father, what is this?
24:09I knew my father's strength.
24:11Nothing Ashvane had done today could have hurt him.
24:15Seraphine, I'm sorry.
24:17Your father may be dying.
24:20Don't say such things, father.
24:22How could you possibly be dying?
24:24Your father is old.
24:25And then I learned the truth.
24:27That the Hare clan had been finding ways to infiltrate the serpent clan for years.
24:31They had placed people inside the palace.
24:34They had even bought off the personal guard closest to my father.
24:37That guard had been slowly poisoning him for three years.
24:40When my father discovered it recently,
24:43the guard gave him one final strike before being captured.
24:45Lily had also been manipulated by these same people.
24:49My father had never told me any of this.
24:52That was why, in my last life, he had left so early.
24:56Knowing the truth now, tears ran down my face beyond my control.
25:00I truly am sorry.
25:02I know relying on the Fireborn court was never the answer.
25:06They can protect us, but they can just as easily swallow us whole.
25:10The Hare clan has been circling us like wolves.
25:13Your father can no longer protect his people.
25:15That is why I forced you to give those two things away.
25:18Now I understood how much my father had been carrying alone.
25:21He had truly wronged me.
25:23But when the choice was between wronging me and wronging his people,
25:27he had no other option.
25:30Seraphine, I have always set the bar high for you because you were born a serpent princess.
25:34And anyone who receives the trust and reparates of their people must bear the responsibilities that come with it.
25:41But your father never once asked whether you wanted any of this.
25:44I didn't yet understand what he meant.
25:46My father suddenly reached out and took my hand.
25:49I felt a current of spiritual energy surge from his palms into mine.
25:53New scales had begun to grow slowly beneath my skin.
25:56I yanked my hand back immediately.
25:57Father, you cannot give me your scales.
26:00If you give them to me, what will become of you?
26:03I don't want them.
26:05But my protests were useless.
26:06He gave me his scales anyway.
26:08And beyond that, a new serpent stone took shape inside me.
26:13Seraphine, I know you have always longed for freedom.
26:16Go and find it.
26:17But what about you, father?
26:19What will happen to you?
26:23Your father is dying.
26:26Death is its own release.
26:28After I am gone, you must take your mother and leave the serpent clan.
26:32After that, don't come back.
26:34His voice grew fainter.
26:35At last, he closed his eyes.
26:37His human form dissolved quickly, and a great serpent, bare of every scale, lay coiled on the bed.
26:43Father!
26:45Father!
26:47I wept until my throat was raw, but my father could no longer see me.
26:51When I opened the door, my mother Queen Solara was already waiting outside.
26:56Is your father gone?
26:57I nodded through my tears as my mother pressed a packed travel bag into my hands.
27:02Then go quickly.
27:03When the others find out, they may try to blame you.
27:06I caught my mother's hand.
27:08Father told me to take you with me.
27:10I can't leave.
27:11I still have to hold the serpent clan together for your father.
27:14He was bound to this clan his whole life.
27:16I can't watch his life's work fall apart.
27:18I broke down weeping.
27:20Those words struck directly into the center of me.
27:23Mother.
27:25I'll stay and hold it with you.
27:27After my father's death, I inherited the throne.
27:29I became the new serpent queen.
27:31Only then did I learn how precarious our situation truly was.
27:35The Fireborn court had promised to protect the serpent clan.
27:38But that protection only guaranteed we wouldn't be wiped out entirely.
27:42The hair clan kept causing trouble within our walls.
27:44The first thing I did after taking power was to hunt down those informants.
27:48After rounding them all up, I used our resources to buy large quantities of cultivation medicine for the clan's younger
27:54generation.
27:55A strong generation of young serpents meant a strong clan.
27:59I studied cultivation methods.
28:00I forged spirit weapons.
28:03Only a serpent clan powerful in its own right could ever break free from the Fireborn court's control.
28:08While I was busy doing all of this, someone appeared at my side.
28:12After my father's death, Corvus Blackwood stayed.
28:15No matter what I was doing, whatever I turned around, he was there.
28:20Why haven't you left?
28:22Corvus smiled.
28:23Didn't you ask me to marry you?
28:26He said it so openly.
28:28I heard it and felt heat rise to my ears.
28:31Three years passed like that.
28:32The serpent clan grew stronger by the day.
28:35The tension I had carried in my nerves for so long finally began to ease.
28:39But when it eased, my body's mating cycle arrived.
28:42Serpent nature runs hot.
28:44The mating cycle was always difficult to endure.
28:47When Corvus pushed the door open and walked in, I was twisted up on the bed like something dragged up
28:52from deep water.
28:53He stopped at the sight of me.
28:55My queen.
28:57What's wrong?
28:58I had intended to push through it alone.
29:00But during the mating cycle, a serpent's senses become extraordinarily sharp, especially toward the presence of a powerful male.
29:07Once his scent filled the room, my awareness began to dissolve.
29:11By the time I came back to half a thought, I had already crawled on top of him.
29:15Corvus's face was deeply flushed.
29:18My queen, you...
29:19I looked up at him, my voice gone low.
29:22You said you would marry me.
29:24Does that still stand?
29:26His ears were red enough to bleed.
29:28It... it stands.
29:31Then tonight, let it be our wedding night.
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