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