Choosing Merman Over Dragon

The Cohen family was a noble house of the human race. To preserve our standing among humans and to secure even a trace of the dragon aura, the Cohens had always maintained a marriage alliance with the dragon clan. In my previous life, on the day my elder sister, Rhea Cohen, and I were to choose our husbands, the merfolk suddenly arrived with a token of betrothal, seeking my sister’s hand in marriage.Rhea, however, fell in love at first sight with a handsome and formidable river dragon, Ariz Nithe. She cried and made a scene, insisting on marrying him. Father had no choice but to marry me off to the merman, Loire Hurley.However, Ariz failed his ascension trial, and as his bonded mate, my sister was dragged into the fallout and nearly lost her life. Only my father’s timely intervention saved her.Even so, Rhea was left crippled.Meanwhile, the merman I married unexpectedly inherited the Sea God’s Legacy and rose to become part of the ocean’s royalty.Consumed by jealousy that I

Rhea insisted on returning to the home of the dragon clan with us. Her face radiated deep affection for my well-being as she held my hand and said, “Your health is fragile, and I simply can’t rest easy. I need to see you safe before I can leave for the merfolk territory.”Ariz found it odd, but said nothing. I didn’t believe for a moment that she cared about me. She simply wanted to witness Ariz fail his ascension trial and watch me die with him.I thought to myself, ‘Rhea, you were destined for disappointment in this life.’Smiling lightly, I asked, “Shouldn’t you consult your husband’s opinion?”“It doesn’t matter!” she snapped.Seeing Loire’s face only deepened my smile.…For the dragon clan, marriage was a grand affair, especially when it concerned their young lord.I was surrounded and attended to from all sides, while my sister stood in the corner, consumed by jealousy.She had always been this way. Seeing me treated like the center of the world must have been unbea

No matter how reluctant Rhea was, she could do nothing but watch as Loire welcomed us into their home and hosted us with every courtesy.The merfolk territory lay deep in the ocean, where resources were scarce. Seeing this, Rhea’s face darkened.She had grown up in luxury, even when confined to a prayer hall in her previous life, Father still ensured she lacked nothing. She had never endured such conditions.Not to mention that because of Ariz’s arrival, whatever rare goods the merfolk had were offered to us first.This was worlds apart from Rhea’s dream of becoming empress.Ariz and I had a comfortable stay, eating well and occasionally venturing out to explore.He was puzzled, “With your exceptional talent, why…”He didn’t finish, but I understood.“My sister had always been competitive, ever since childhood, and I never received my father’s affection. If I outshone her, she would only resent it.”Ariz clasped my hand tenderly, about to speak when he saw Rhea charging to

Coveting the empress’ throne, Rhea endured Loire’s violence without complaint.However, she soon realized he was nothing more than a hopeless cause with no ambition, and she did not even know how he had obtained the legacy.She shamelessly clung to me instead, irritating Ariz to the point where he nearly struck her.He held back from hitting her, but he did toss her out of the house.Finally sighing in relief, he said to me, “Your sister’s finally gone. Let’s pack up and hurry to claim the Sea God’s Legacy.“I can’t stand this godforsaken place any longer!”He looked deeply aggrieved. I quickly assured him, “The Sea God’s Legacy is about to emerge. I’ll take you to it, and once we’re done, we’ll return home.”Faint footsteps sounded outside the door. When they faded, Ariz and I exchanged a knowing glance.He burst into silent laughter. Seeing him so delighted, I couldn’t help smiling as well. We left the merfolk territory and dove deeper into the ocean.As expected, two litt

The words sent shockwaves through the entire crowd, except for me.Seeing Ariz utterly disgusted, Rhea’s beautiful eyes filled with tears. Covering her face, she sobbed, “Ariz, do you believe in past lives and reincarnations? In my past life, when you faced your tribulation, I nearly lost my life because of your failure.“After being reborn, I didn’t know how to face you. I had no choice but to marry Loire. But I’ve always loved you.”Ariz cut her off quickly. “Stop… I feel sick. I don’t deserve this!”Rhea had laid bare the events of our past life, even embellishing her own role.In her version, I became the wicked woman who had hunted her down mercilessly and now had stolen her love.Ariz felt his brain couldn’t process it at all.“So my failure in the ascension trial was entirely because you formed a bond with me?!”My sister choked on her words. Ariz erupted in fury, “You fool! Look at your own strength! If you hadn’t bonded with me, my strength wouldn’t have fallen! Thank