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The Serpent’s Curse & Reborn Queen - Full HD #stor
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00:05When the first king rode to war, he met a great serpent on the road and cut it into eight
00:09pieces with his sword.
00:10From that day forward, every prince born of royal blood carried the curse.
00:14A spirit serpent would mark them at birth as a tattoo on their skin, visible only to certain eyes.
00:20On their 20th birthday, the tattoo would wake, take living form, and drain the prince of his life.
00:26The only way to break the curse was to marry a serpent tamer, and in every generation, there was only
00:32one.
00:33In my previous life, the queen arranged my marriage to the crown prince.
00:37After we were joined, the tattoo faded.
00:39The crown prince survived, but my half-sister Seraphine had been in love with him for years.
00:45When he did not choose her, she was married off to a brutal lord and died under his cruelty.
00:49My father blamed him. To make amends for what he felt he owed her, he poisoned my mother and took
00:55Seraphine's mother, Lady Sura, as his new wife.
00:58On the anniversary of Seraphine's death, the crown prince had me thrown into the royal punishment chamber.
01:04I was sewn into a sack. Ninety-nine rats tore at me for ten days. That is how I died.
01:10You call yourself a serpent tamer? Why didn't you call the serpents to devour the rats?
01:15You were nothing but a fraud who wanted to attach yourself to the crown prince.
01:17You caused Seraphine's death for your own gain. I will make you suffer a thousand times what she endured.
01:23When I opened my eyes again, I was in the past. It was the day the queen had summoned me
01:28to the palace. I knelt.
01:30Your majesty, I ask you to reconsider. I have not yet developed the gift of foresight. I'm afraid I cannot
01:36tame the serpent for the crown prince.
01:38Only a serpent tamer could see the tattoo. That sight was a gift. Anyone who could not see it was
01:43no serpent tamer at all.
01:45The queen frowned and was quiet for a moment. But the oracle's prophecy has never been wrong.
01:49Perhaps your gift has not yet surfaced at your age. Go to the crown prince's residence first.
01:53The doors burst open. The crown prince strode in. Caelan knelt. And Seraphine beside him.
01:59I will not marry Alara. I want to marry her half-sister Seraphine. Mother, please give us your blessing.
02:04The queen rebuked him gently. Caelan held his ground.
02:07Mother, Alara bribed the oracle to fabricate the curse. Our royal bloodline is blessed by heaven. No serpent can touch
02:13me.
02:13The queen pressed two fingers to her temple. You foolish boy. I was the serpent tamer of my generation.
02:19Do you think your father would have survived if he hadn't married me?
02:22Your uncles. Every single one of them died at twenty. I watched it happen with my own eyes.
02:28Her eyes had gone red. She came down from the throne and lifted Caelan to his feet.
02:33I drove the oracle day and night to read the stars before I found her.
02:37Your twentieth birthday is five days away. There is no time left.
02:43Caelan set his jaw.
02:44Star readings can be wrong. The oracle may have confused the two sisters.
02:48Seraphine has the gift of foresight as well. She is the serpent tamer. I want her.
02:52The queen paused and looked at Seraphine.
02:54Can you see the tattoo on the crown prince? Where is it?
02:58Seraphine stared at Caelan for a long moment.
03:01The tattoo is on his right arm.
03:04A white serpent.
03:05The crease between the queen's brows smoothed.
03:07The same as what I see.
03:09Then you are the serpent tamer.
03:11I kept my face still and laughed inside.
03:14Before I even reached the palace after waking into this new life,
03:17I told Seraphine exactly one thing.
03:20Before the crown prince turned twenty,
03:21there would be a white serpent tattoo on his right arm.
03:24That was all she needed to know.
03:26But once Caelan turned twenty,
03:27the serpent would wake and move.
03:29And Seraphine, who had no gift at all,
03:31would have nothing left to say.
03:33This was how I planned to escape the fate that had killed me.
03:36In my first life,
03:37the queen had forced the marriage based on the oracle's word.
03:40And Caelan had blamed me for Seraphine's death.
03:42When I died,
03:43the rats had torn through every vein in my body.
03:46The pain felt like it had never left.
03:48A chill crawled up my spine.
03:49And I shuddered.
03:51The queen thought for a moment.
03:52Very well.
03:53Seraphina will marry the crown princess.
03:55The wedding will take place in five days,
03:57on his twentieth birthday.
03:58Caelan's eyes lit up.
03:59Seraphine bowed her thanks and turned to look at me.
04:02Sister, you fabricated a lie trying to take my place and get close to the crown prince.
04:06What punishment do you deserve for that?
04:08Caelan's voice was cold.
04:10Alera is vain and greedy.
04:12He paused,
04:13then softened slightly.
04:15Since this is a first fence,
04:16corporal punishment.
04:17A small lesson.
04:19The queen smiled and waved for all three of us to rise.
04:23Elora just refused that proposal herself.
04:25You have both misunderstood her.
04:26A flash of frustration crossed Seraphine's face.
04:30Caelan looked at me with confusion and suspicion.
04:33Are you still planning something?
04:34Congratulations to the crown prince and his bride.
04:37I bowed to them both.
04:38Since this was all a misunderstanding,
04:40I'll take my leave.
04:42The queen sighed.
04:44The oracle has never been wrong,
04:46but something still unsettles me.
04:48Alara,
04:49stay at the prime minister's estate for now.
04:51If Seraphine cannot tame the serpent,
04:54you will be taken as a concubine.
04:57I breathed in,
04:58bowed my thanks,
04:59and turned to go.
05:00The moment my back was to them,
05:02the heat left my face.
05:03In this life,
05:04I would not let them move me like a piece on a board.
05:07When I walked back to the prime minister's estate,
05:09Caelan and Seraphine had already arrived ahead of me by carriage.
05:12Lady Sura looked at me once and gave a cold laugh.
05:15You tried to climb above your station
05:17and ended up a laughing stock.
05:19Using your body to court the powerful,
05:21you are lower than a street rat.
05:23My father's voice was stern.
05:25You committed an offense against the royal household.
05:28If Seraphina had not come forward,
05:30you would have dragged the entire family down with you.
05:32He stopped,
05:33then issued orders immediately.
05:35Alara did all of this at her mother's direction.
05:37Move her mother to the servant's quarter.
05:39Lady Sura and Seraphine will take the main rooms.
05:41My mother had broken both legs years ago
05:43and had been bedridden since.
05:45My father had not visited her once.
05:47Now that Seraphine had secured the crown prince,
05:50he dropped all pretense.
05:52The servants went to take my mother away.
05:54I panicked and ran after them.
05:56My father caught me.
05:57You are also punished.
05:58You will serve dinner tonight.
06:00I had no choice but to stay.
06:02I served dishes,
06:03poured water,
06:04and carried the wash basin.
06:05After the meal,
06:06I was taking the plates to the kitchen
06:08when I turned a corner
06:09and nearly walked into Caelan.
06:11Coming back from the courtyard,
06:12his guards behind him,
06:13I tried to go around him.
06:15He moved fast and blocked my way.
06:17Alara,
06:18in the previous life,
06:19you caused Seraphine's death
06:21and paid with your own.
06:22That debt is settled.
06:23But in this life,
06:24do not think for a moment
06:26about interfering with anything
06:27between me and Seraphine.
06:29His next words came out like charity.
06:31If you conduct yourself properly,
06:32I may consider making you a compime
06:34as my mother suggested.
06:35You will show Seraphine the respect she is owed.
06:38Every morning,
06:38you will bow to her
06:39and prepare her tea.
06:41Your Highness,
06:42when did I say I wanted to marry you?
06:44I know you were also reborn.
06:46You deceived my mother
06:47in the previous life.
06:48You wanted to be crowned princess.
06:50You gave that up today.
06:51It must be guilt.
06:52You and Seraphine belong together.
06:54I have no intention of getting in the way.
06:56I met his eyes.
06:58Caelan's face flushed with anger.
07:00Don't be ungrateful.
07:01Offering you a place as Cubgein
07:03is already far more than you deserve.
07:05If my mother issues a royal decree,
07:07you will come even as a servant.
07:08I will not say this twice.
07:09In five days,
07:10I will come for Seraphine.
07:12I will carry her into the Pelcaine myself.
07:14Don't stand there weeping
07:15and blaming me for leaving you behind.
07:17Seraphine had come to find him.
07:19She found him
07:20and settled into the curve of his arm.
07:22A breeze carried the scent of roses
07:24into the courtyard.
07:26Seraphine sneezed.
07:27That smell is unbearable.
07:28If I have to breathe it every day
07:30after I move into the main rooms,
07:31I won't be able to stand it.
07:33Simple enough.
07:34Caelan turned to his guards.
07:35Pull them all out.
07:36Those roses
07:37were my mother's life's work.
07:38Before she came to this estate,
07:40she had run a flower shop
07:41that was known throughout the region.
07:43After marrying my father,
07:45she had spent years cultivating rare varieties
07:47and giving them to him as gifts.
07:49When she lost the use of her legs,
07:51looking at those flowers through the window
07:53was the only comfort she had left.
07:55If they were destroyed,
07:56those varieties would be gone forever.
07:58No one would ever grow them again.
08:00Stop!
08:01This is the Prime Minister's estate.
08:03You dare touch anything here
08:04without his permission?
08:05The guards hesitated
08:06and looked at Caelan.
08:08My father came over
08:09at the sound of my voice.
08:10Do as his hide-meese commands.
08:12Once Lady Sura moves into this courtyard,
08:14keeping those flowers
08:15will only displease her.
08:16After my mother lost her legs,
08:18my father had done everything he could
08:20to make her happy.
08:21He had tended those flowers himself.
08:23He used to carry her out to the garden
08:25so she could smell them
08:26and watch the stars.
08:27But years of her illness
08:29had changed him.
08:30My eyes were burning.
08:31I kept my voice quiet.
08:32Give me one day to move them
08:34to the building
08:34where my mother is staying.
08:35Can you do that?
08:37Both my father and Caelan hesitated.
08:39Then Seraphine screamed.
08:40Something bit me!
08:41Her hand had been stung,
08:42a red welt rising on the skin.
08:44Caelan caught the insect
08:45and waved his hand.
08:46What are you all standing there for?
08:48Do it now.
08:49My father nodded.
08:51They hurt my daughter.
08:53Those flowers should go.
08:55I threw myself into the rose beds,
08:57desperate to save just a few roses.
08:59But a dozen guards and servants
09:01were already tearing every plant out
09:03by the roots,
09:04ripping them into pieces.
09:05I knelt in the mud,
09:06unable to move,
09:07unable to do anything.
09:09What are you grieving for?
09:10Those flowers mean nothing.
09:12Your mother should die sooner.
09:13You want to know how her leg was broken?
09:15On the mountaintop,
09:16my mother pushed her.
09:17I couldn't breathe.
09:18My mother had been healthy once.
09:20Since that fall,
09:21she had never been the same.
09:23Half of her life had been taken from her.
09:25I lost control.
09:26I slapped Seraphine hard across the face.
09:28Her cheeks swelled immediately.
09:30She fell and started crying.
09:32My father walked over at once,
09:34had two guards pin my arms,
09:35and struck me across the face ten times.
09:38My head was splitting.
09:39Through the pain,
09:40I shouted at him.
09:41Lady Sura,
09:42did this to my mother!
09:44My father's expression shifted
09:45into something strange.
09:47Be quiet.
09:48I understood then.
09:49He had already known.
09:50That was why he had been so attentive
09:52to her afterward.
09:53Guilt.
09:54My poor mother.
09:55All those years,
09:56she never knew.
09:57Kaylin had already pulled
09:58Seraphine to her feet.
10:00You hurt her again?
10:01You never change.
10:02I only wanted to help my sister up,
10:04and she did this to me.
10:06Maybe she resents me
10:07for telling the queen the truth.
10:09Maybe she resents me
10:10for taking you.
10:10Kaylin kicked me hard in the stomach.
10:12I tasted blood.
10:14You claim you have no interest in me,
10:16yet you hurt her
10:17at every opportunity.
10:18I'm gonna give you a lesson
10:19you won't forget
10:19for the rest of your life.
10:21Take her out.
10:22A feast display in the town square.
10:24Use her as the offering.
10:25You dare.
10:26I will appeal directly to the queen.
10:28Your mother is alone
10:29in the servant's quarters.
10:30If something were to happen to her,
10:32she would not survive it.
10:33What would you do then?
10:34I heard what the threat
10:35actually meant.
10:36Don't touch my mother.
10:38If enduring my own humiliation
10:39would keep her alive,
10:41I would endure it.
10:42I let the guards drag me away.
10:44Before they pulled me out,
10:45I saw it for the first time.
10:47The spirit serpent
10:48coiled around Kaylin,
10:50opened its crimson eyes.
10:52Then it shifted position
10:53and went back to sleep.
10:54I was still frozen
10:55from that moment of eye contact
10:57when my clothes were stripped
10:58and I was thrown
10:59into the town square.
11:00My body arranged with food
11:02as the display.
11:03Hundreds of people
11:04surged forward.
11:05Knives and forks
11:06cut into my skin.
11:07People scratched me
11:08with their fingernails
11:09in the scramble for food.
11:10I was shaking.
11:11Eyes red,
11:12covered in blood and sauce.
11:14Kaylin addressed the crowd.
11:16This is Alara,
11:17daughter of the prime minister.
11:18She fabricated lies
11:19and claimed to be
11:20a serpent taker
11:21deceiving the royal family.
11:23When her scheme was exposed,
11:25she tried to harm
11:25the crown princess.
11:27She deserves no mercy.
11:28I curled into myself
11:30and screamed with a raw voice.
11:32I didn't lie to the queen.
11:34I struck Seraphine
11:35to avenge my mother.
11:36Oh my.
11:38Rotten eggs,
11:39garbage and stones
11:40flew from every direction.
11:41A woman like this?
11:43Thinking she could be queen?
11:45What a joke.
11:46We'll punish her
11:47for the crown prince,
11:48for the crown princess.
11:49I was bruised everywhere,
11:51bleeding from a dozen places.
11:53I wrapped my arms
11:54around my head
11:55and sobbed.
11:56I never tried to compete
11:57with Seraphine
11:58for that position.
11:59Why are you doing this to me?
12:01In our previous life,
12:02we were husband and wife.
12:04I carried your child.
12:06The child had never been born.
12:08When Kaylin learned
12:09of Seraphine's death
12:10and had me executed,
12:11the child died with me.
12:13Alara,
12:14you hate Seraphine.
12:15I cannot allow any harm
12:16to come to her.
12:17This lesson will teach you
12:18to stay in your place.
12:20Once you come to the palace,
12:21you'll learn to be afraid of her.
12:22He hadn't finished speaking
12:24when several stones
12:25struck the back of my head.
12:26As I was losing consciousness,
12:28a figure came close.
12:29A cloak was laid over me.
12:31Someone stood over me,
12:33shielding me from the stones
12:34and flying debris.
12:35Then, everything went dark.
12:37When I woke,
12:38I was lying in the crown princess's chambers
12:40inside the palace.
12:41A man stood at my bedside.
12:43He was tall and composed
12:45with a sharpness in his features
12:46and eyes that were steady and clear.
12:49There was a black serpent tattoo
12:50on his neck.
12:51Dorian,
12:52the second prince,
12:53son of the queen consort.
12:55In my first life,
12:56on the day of Kaylin's wedding,
12:58Dorian had given me
12:59an heirloom bracelet
13:00of the royal family as a gift.
13:02After Kaylin had me subjected
13:03to the rat punishment,
13:05Dorian found my body
13:06in the pauper's cemetery.
13:07He buried me himself,
13:09crying until he couldn't speak.
13:11After that,
13:11he opposed Kaylin at every turn,
13:14pushing close to outright rebellion.
13:15But he never found a serpent tamer.
13:17He died at 20.
13:19You're awake.
13:20Before I could answer,
13:21the queen consort came in
13:22and took both my hands.
13:24Miss Alara,
13:25I beg you,
13:26marry my son
13:26and save his life.
13:28The tips of Dorian's ears
13:29went red.
13:30He glanced at me sideways
13:32and quickly looked away.
13:33I accept.
13:34I didn't hesitate.
13:36But I have one condition.
13:38The terms were settled quickly.
13:39The king then summoned Dorian
13:41to the throne room.
13:42I cleaned up
13:43and took the second prince's carriage
13:45back to the estate.
13:46I went to the building
13:47where my mother had been moved.
13:49Seraphine and Lady Sura
13:50were already there.
13:51What are you doing here?
13:56I brought food.
13:57One look was enough.
13:59She was being indulged as always.
14:01My mother is the prime minister's wife.
14:03How dare you give her
14:04something like this?
14:06The two of you deserve to eat
14:07whatever the dogs leave behind.
14:09Anger rose in me.
14:10But I didn't want to make a scene
14:11in front of my mother.
14:12I pushed it down.
14:14Your mother doesn't know yet.
14:15Father is planning to throw her
14:16out of the house entirely.
14:18And you, her daughter,
14:20were put on display
14:20in the town square
14:21as a feast offering.
14:22Now you're wanted
14:23throughout the city
14:24for deceiving the royal family
14:25and conspiring against
14:26the crown princess.
14:27Yes, who would ever marry you?
14:28That's enough.
14:28I rubbed her back
14:30and told Seraphine
14:31and Lady Sura
14:31to get out.
14:32Seraphine smiled.
14:34Something wild in it.
14:35Letting you stay alive
14:36has always been a problem.
14:38If the queen discovers
14:39I'm not the real serpent tamer,
14:41she'll order the crown prince
14:43to have me eliminated.
14:44You have to die.
14:46Only then will she let it go.
14:47She pulled out a small vial
14:49and reached for my mouth.
14:51Lady Sura grabbed both my wrists.
14:53The pill was nearly forced
14:54between my lips
14:55when my mother lunged
14:56toward Seraphine.
14:57Seraphine stepped aside.
14:59My mother lost her balance
15:00and fell.
15:01Footsteps sounded outside.
15:03Lady Sura let go of me.
15:04Kaelin and my father walked in.
15:06Seraphine ran to Kaelin
15:07and tucked herself against him,
15:09her eyes bright.
15:10These are medicinal herbs.
15:13I came personally
15:14to bring them for her.
15:15She wouldn't take them.
15:16My sister told her
15:17they were poison
15:18and she attacked me
15:19trying to kill me.
15:20I lifted my mother
15:21from the floor
15:22as gently as I could
15:23and helped her back to the bed.
15:24Kaelin grabbed me
15:25by the throat.
15:26You're too afraid
15:27to cause trouble yourself
15:29so you use your mother
15:30to do it?
15:30Those are poison.
15:32Seraphine was trying
15:33to kill me.
15:34Sister,
15:35why do you always
15:36accuse me of things?
15:37My mother and I
15:38pray for your mother's recovery
15:39every single day.
15:41Father knows this
15:42better than anyone.
15:43Kaelin looked at my father.
15:44My father gave a firm nod.
15:46Seraphine and Lady Sura
15:47are kind-hearted women.
15:49They would never hurt anyone.
15:51Kaelin believed it
15:51without hesitation.
15:52He snatched the pills
15:54from Seraphine's hand
15:55and forced them
15:56into my mother's mouth.
15:57No!
15:58She'll die!
16:04Punish me!
16:05Don't hurt her!
16:07My mother had
16:08no strength to resist.
16:09The poison
16:10was already inside her.
16:11I broke free
16:12of the guards
16:12and pressed my fingers
16:13to her throat
16:14trying to make her
16:15bring it back up.
16:16It was useless.
16:17I've always said
16:18Seraphine would never
16:19poison anyone.
16:20Look at her.
16:21She's perfectly fine.
16:22He put his arm
16:23around Lady Sura.
16:24Kaelin held Seraphine.
16:26They walked out
16:27without looking back.
16:28Get the doctor!
16:29I shouted at my maid.
16:30She stumbled out of the room.
16:32I couldn't protect you.
16:34Look what they've done to you.
16:36I don't think
16:37I'm going to make it.
16:39She coughed up dark blood.
16:40No!
16:41I'll take all the pain
16:42for the rest of my life.
16:43Just stay.
16:45Please, stay!
16:47The doctor's coming!
16:48Her hand went still.
16:50I pressed my ear
16:51to her chest.
16:52Her heartbeat was gone.
16:54My mother was dead.
16:55The woman I had let myself
16:57be used as a feast offering
16:58to protect
16:59was gone forever.
17:00On the day of Kaelin's wedding,
17:02he rode to the estate
17:03on horseback.
17:04He lifted Seraphine
17:05into the palanquin himself,
17:07then looked toward
17:08the servant's building.
17:09He saw the red flowers
17:10at the door.
17:11I sent a crown princess gown
17:12to Alera yesterday.
17:14Is she dressed?
17:15Tell her to wait.
17:16Once I've seen Seraphine inside,
17:17I'll come for her.
17:18He had sent Seraphine
17:19one hundred boxes of gifts
17:21and me one box.
17:22The gown had been inside it.
17:24Before the steward could answer,
17:25Dorian walked out
17:26of the servant's quarters
17:27with me on his back.
17:29I was wearing
17:30a finely embroidered
17:31wedding dress,
17:32not the one Kaelin had sent.
17:34The steward leaned close
17:35to Kaelin
17:35and said haltingly,
17:37Your Highness,
17:38last night Miss Alera
17:39burned the gown you sent
17:40to a night
17:40and left word
17:41that your gift
17:42should be returned to you
17:42after the wedding.
17:43Kaelin didn't move.
17:45As Dorian passed him,
17:46he reached out to stop him.
17:47Brother,
17:49Alara is only marrying you
17:50to spine me.
17:51Do you still want her?
17:55I have admired her for years.
17:57I had planned to ask
17:58the king's permission
17:58to court her myself,
18:00but the queen consort
18:00moved first.
18:02As luck would have it,
18:03my brother mistook
18:04glass for a pearl
18:05and handed her over,
18:06and that gave me my chance.
18:07A sharp sound came
18:08from inside the palanquin.
18:10Seraphine had heard herself
18:11compared to broken glass.
18:13Rapid stomping followed.
18:14Knew I intended
18:15to make her a combine,
18:16and you went behind
18:17my back and did this.
18:19When I take the throne,
18:20you will pay for it.
18:22By then,
18:23you won't be able
18:23to protect yourself,
18:24let alone her.
18:26Through the veil,
18:27I could see clearly.
18:28The spirit serpent
18:29on Kaelin had woken,
18:30barely alive,
18:31but awake.
18:32Its tongue was moving.
18:33It was waiting
18:33for the moment of his birthday
18:35to consume him.
18:36I gave a cold laugh.
18:37Whether you survive tonight,
18:39your highnesses,
18:40we'll see.
18:41Seraphine couldn't
18:42hold herself back
18:43any longer.
18:44She burst out
18:45of the palanquin.
18:46The crowd gasped.
18:47She stepped out
18:48of the carriage
18:48before the ceremony.
18:49That's no good omen.
18:50Seraphine didn't care.
18:51Sister,
18:53you invented a story
18:54and convinced yourself
18:55it was true.
18:56The crown prince
18:57will be perfectly fine tonight.
18:59Looking at the woman
19:00who had destroyed
19:01my mother's life,
19:02I felt my hands
19:03clench tight,
19:03my nails cutting
19:04into my palms.
19:05You say I'm lying,
19:07then let's make a wager.
19:08If something happens
19:09to the crown prince tonight,
19:11you and your mother
19:11drink the poison,
19:12the same kind
19:13you fed my mother.
19:14Kaelin's voice
19:15came out mocking.
19:17Accusing Seraphine
19:18of poisoning again,
19:19your mother is alive
19:20and living
19:20in the servants' quarters.
19:22Seraphine's eyes sharpened.
19:23She changed her mind.
19:25Fine.
19:26Let's wager.
19:27If you lose,
19:28you and the second prince
19:30crawl into a dog cage
19:32and paraded through the streets
19:33three times as pen and teeth
19:35before the crown prince.
19:36The crowd erupted.
19:37People rushed forward
19:38to place bets
19:39and every single one of them
19:41backed Seraphine.
19:42Kaelin's voice rang out
19:43with satisfaction.
19:45I wager a thousand gold coins.
19:47Seraphine wins.
19:48Dorian had his guard
19:49produce a note
19:50worth ten thousand.
19:52I wager on my bride,
19:53Alara.
19:54Brother,
19:55brother,
19:55you'll be in tears
19:56by tomorrow.
19:57Your estate
19:58will be eating scraps.
20:00His guards laughed at him.
20:01Dorian paid them
20:02no attention.
20:03He lifted me
20:04into the carriage
20:05and took me to his estate
20:06where the wedding was held.
20:07The crowd gathered
20:08outside the palace gates
20:10waiting for the outcome.
20:11After the wedding guests
20:12had gone,
20:13Dorian and I drank together.
20:15He lifted me
20:15and carried me to the bed
20:17and said quietly in my ear,
20:18Don't be afraid.
20:20This is just warm wine.
20:22It won't hurt.
20:23The curtains fell.
20:24In the dark,
20:25the bed made a soft sound.
20:31When the midnight bell rang,
20:32all other sounds stopped.
20:34I lay still,
20:35my cheeks warm,
20:36and watched in the moonlight
20:37as the tattoo on Dorian's skin
20:39dissolved into points of light
20:41and disappeared.
20:42I let out a slow breath,
20:43then someone pounded violently
20:44on the bedroom door.
20:46Alara,
20:47you are the true serpent tamer,
20:48aren't you?
20:49After Caelan and Seraphine's wedding night,
20:51the spirit serpent
20:52is still coiled around him.
20:53Come with me.
20:54You have to help him.
20:56The queen consort's command
20:57was not something
20:58that could be refused.
20:59Dorian and I rode
21:00in the same carriage.
21:01We accompanied her
21:02to the crown prince's estate.
21:04The crowd outside
21:05the palace gates
21:06had not dispersed.
21:07The royal observatory
21:08had already released
21:09a statement.
21:10The crown prince
21:11is critically weakened.
21:12His body is failing.
21:14The oracle says
21:15this is only the beginning.
21:16The spirit serpent
21:17will consume what remains
21:18of the crown prince's life.
21:20Was the curse
21:21the prime minister's daughter
21:22ever spoke out real?
21:23We beat her
21:24because we believed
21:25the crown prince.
21:26We were used.
21:27I bet everything
21:28and lost it all.
21:30This is our punishment.
21:32The carriage sped past,
21:33leaving the noise behind.
21:35When we arrived,
21:36we found the crown prince's
21:37estate in chaos.
21:38People were rushing
21:39toward Caelan
21:40from every direction.
21:41Dorian looked on
21:42with confusion.
21:43Why does my brother
21:44keep clawing
21:45at his own throat?
21:46Something seems
21:47to have taken hold of him.
21:48I could see it.
21:49The spirit serpent
21:50had fully woken,
21:51coiling tighter and tighter
21:53around Caelan's body,
21:54alert and hungry.
21:56It opened its mouth
21:57and began drawing out
21:58his soul.
21:59Caelan screamed.
22:01The queen consort
22:02ran to him.
22:03She saw Seraphine
22:05standing nearby,
22:06frozen,
22:07powerless.
22:08Her fury broke.
22:09You dared to impersonate
22:11a serpent tamer.
22:12Look at what you've done
22:13to my son.
22:14Seraphine had already
22:15collapsed to her knees,
22:17trembling.
22:17She turned her glare
22:19on me.
22:19It must be Alara.
22:21She conspired with the oracle
22:22to arrange all of this.
22:24It has to be her!
22:25Caelan heard her.
22:26He grabbed a teacup
22:27from nearby
22:27and hurled it at me.
22:29You schemed to trap me,
22:30mother.
22:30Help me.
22:31I can't breathe.
22:33Dorian caught the cup
22:34before it reached me.
22:35The queen consort
22:36had already crossed
22:37the room to Seraphine.
22:38She slapped her
22:39again and again,
22:40more than a dozen times,
22:41unable to stop herself.
22:43You shameless fraud!
22:44I am a serpent tranker!
22:46I can see the serpent
22:48on my own, son!
22:49Are you calling me
22:50a liar, too?
22:53Caelan was drenched
22:54in cold sweat,
22:55his pupils contracting sharply.
22:57Mother, is it true?
22:59Is the curse real?
23:01He remembered
23:02his previous life,
23:03his wedding to me,
23:04the life he had lived before.
23:06Mother, Alara
23:07is the real serpent tamer.
23:10Let her save me.
23:11I'll give her the title
23:12of crown princess.
23:13I'll give her anything!
23:17The queen consort
23:18knelt before me.
23:19The court attendants
23:20looked on in horror,
23:21their faces drained of color.
23:23I stepped forward quickly
23:24and helped her up.
23:25I let out a slow breath.
23:26Your majesty,
23:28I have to tell you the truth.
23:30Dorian and I
23:30are already married.
23:31You are a serpent tamer yourself.
23:33You know what that means.
23:34I can only tame
23:35the serpent once
23:36and only save one prince.
23:39After that,
23:40the gift is gone.
23:41The queen consort
23:42noticed Dorian
23:43for the first time.
23:44She stepped back,
23:45her lips parting slightly.
23:47It's over.
23:48The tattoo left Dorian.
23:50He will live.
23:52And my son will die.
23:53Caelan collapsed
23:54and twisted on the floor,
23:55as if trying to throw
23:57the serpent off his body.
23:58The queen consort's eyes
23:59filled with tears.
24:01No one speaks
24:02of what happened here tonight.
24:04Anyone who breathes
24:05a word of it
24:05will be beaten to death.
24:08Dorian brought me back
24:09to the second prince's estate.
24:10I was never entirely certain
24:12the curse was real.
24:13When my mother asked me
24:14to marry you,
24:15I was glad.
24:16But not because
24:17I needed to be saved.
24:18Years ago,
24:18I saw you once
24:19at a royal gathering.
24:20I never forgot you.
24:22I didn't expect
24:23that marrying the woman
24:24I had always admired
24:25would also be the thing
24:26that kept me alive.
24:28And you happened to win
24:29more than a million gold
24:31gallars in the process.
24:32He looked at me
24:33with warmth
24:33I hadn't expected.
24:34Everything at the estate
24:35is yours to manage.
24:36I thought about
24:37my previous life.
24:38About what the curse
24:39had done to Dorian
24:40when he turned 20.
24:41I hadn't seen how he died.
24:42But the thought of him
24:43suffering the way
24:44Cailin had brought
24:45attention into my chest
24:46that I hadn't been
24:46prepared for.
24:47You saved me.
24:48You gave my mother
24:49a proper burial.
24:50I can't begin to repay that.
24:52Without him,
24:53she would have been
24:53wrapped in straw matting
24:55and thrown into
24:55the pauper's district.
24:57He drew me gently
24:58toward him and wiped away
24:59the last trace of tears
25:00at the corner of my eye.
25:02That night,
25:02I slept better than I had
25:04in what felt like
25:05a very long time.
25:07The next morning,
25:08my father arrived
25:09at the second prince's
25:10estate with Lady Sura.
25:11Both of them
25:12looked haggard,
25:13with dark shadows
25:13under their eyes,
25:14as if they had spent
25:15the night with something
25:16they couldn't put down.
25:18Allura,
25:18I didn't expect things
25:19to go this far.
25:20The queen consort
25:21is furious.
25:22She went to the king.
25:23She said,
25:25I encouraged Serafina
25:26to deceive the royal family
25:28and demanded
25:29that I be stripped
25:29of my position
25:30and imprisoned.
25:33But I was misled
25:35by Serafina's words.
25:36If I had known the truth,
25:38how could I have allowed
25:39a prince of pure blood
25:41to come to harm?
25:43I gave a short cold sound.
25:45You told everyone
25:46my mother was behind
25:47my so-called deception
25:49and had her sent
25:50to the servant's quarter.
25:52Now you'll suffer
25:53what she suffered.
25:57My lady,
25:58please,
26:01speak to the queen consort
26:02on behalf
26:03of the prime minister.
26:05Save him.
26:06Save my daughter.
26:07My poor Serafina.
26:09The queen consort
26:10sends some
26:10to flag her every day.
26:12No one is allowed
26:13to visit her.
26:14Her wounds go untreated.
26:16A faint voice
26:17came from outside the door.
26:18Good.
26:19She deserves
26:20every bit of it.
26:21Kaelin was carried in
26:22on a stretcher,
26:23his body gaunt
26:24like a husk of himself.
26:26I looked at the spirit serpent
26:27on him.
26:28It had grown to half again
26:29the size it was
26:30the day before.
26:31Everyone around him
26:32dropped to their knees.
26:33My father saw the state
26:34he was in
26:35and went pale,
26:36then crawled forward,
26:37still trying to appear useful.
26:39Your highness,
26:40what brings you here?
26:41Kaelin raised his hand
26:43and struck my father
26:44twice across the face,
26:45almost lazily.
26:46That woman
26:47deceived me
26:48into thinking
26:49she was the serpent tamer.
26:50You were all part of it.
26:52I will never
26:53forgive any of you.
26:55His guards dragged
26:56Seraphine in
26:56and threw her down
26:57in the courtyard.
26:58There was not
26:59an uninjured inch
27:00on her body.
27:01My father and Lady Sura
27:02stared at her
27:03and began to shake.
27:05Kaelin turned to me.
27:06Alara,
27:07I was wrong.
27:07You can save me
27:08the way you did before.
27:10I went rigid.
27:11He had just said it out loud
27:12in front of everyone.
27:13I looked around quickly.
27:15The people around him
27:16seemed to take it
27:17for the curse speaking,
27:18a sign that his mind
27:19was breaking down.
27:20No one appeared to understand
27:21what he actually meant.
27:23In the previous life,
27:24you saved me
27:25and I repaid you
27:26with cruelty.
27:27I am nose-at-fit
27:28to call myself human.
27:30You said you could only
27:31tame the serpent once.
27:32That's not true,
27:33is it?
27:33You're angry with me.
27:35Divorce Dorian.
27:36Marry me.
27:37Kill me if you want.
27:39Tear me out.
27:39I don't care.
27:40Everything in the
27:41crown prince's palace
27:42is yours.
27:43Just save me.
27:45A brothera
27:46is my lawful wife.
27:47Married under royal decree,
27:49I will not divorce her.
27:51You would let me die?
27:53I swear
27:54that once I recover,
27:56I will renounce
27:57the title of crown prince
27:58and withdraw from
27:59the succession entirely.
28:01Please,
28:01help me.
28:03Daughter,
28:03if you agree,
28:04I'll bring your mother
28:05back to the estate.
28:06I went to see her
28:07before I came here.
28:08The servant's room
28:09was empty.
28:09Did you move her?
28:11Prime Minister,
28:12Alara's mother passed away.
28:13I have arranged for remains,
28:15placed a headstone,
28:16and had her buried
28:17in her family's
28:18ancestral grounds.
28:19My father's face
28:20drained of color.
28:21That's not possible.
28:22Kaelin also
28:23couldn't believe it.
28:24I only gave her one pill,
28:26a medicinal herb.
28:27That was enough
28:28to kill her?
28:29I ordered Lady Sura
28:30arrested and searched.
28:32Despite her protests,
28:33the guards found
28:34a vial of pills
28:35on her person.
28:36These are the herbs
28:37Sarah Fane
28:38and her mother
28:38claimed to be giving.
28:40Whether they are poison
28:41will need to be tested.
28:43Kaelin's physician
28:44was still present.
28:45He examined
28:46the pills carefully.
28:47These are poison,
28:50without any doubt.
28:51Kaelin coughed up
28:52dark blood.
28:53His breathing came
28:54in short,
28:54rapid bursts.
28:55My father's legs
28:56gave out.
28:57He collapsed,
28:58then crawled toward
28:59Lady Sura
28:59and closed his hands
29:00around her throat.
29:01You and that daughter
29:03of yours
29:03used the Hayat!
29:04The Harper Eight Ones
29:05used me
29:06and destroyed everything!
29:07and the baby
29:07we!
29:07The winner
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