Chapter 1

Upon coming of age, every student of the school had to choose a mate.

Each year, the mates sent in were selected in stages, beginning with the principal’s children.

A mate’s future potential greatly affected the person to whom it was bound.

“The heirs from the various tribes will enter shortly. Choose carefully. The bond you form with your mate will last a lifetime.”

My mother, Edith Caine, continued speaking. Her tone turned noticeably sharper. “Yvonne, although the elders believe that Roscoe, the Spirit Deer Tribe’s heir, is the most compatible with you, that doesn’t necessarily make him the best choice.

“As the older sister, you should let your younger sister have the nicer things. Do you understand?”

I stared at her in a daze. The memory of my death was still painfully vivid when I met her stern gaze once more.

That sternness had always been reserved for me alone. When it came to my younger sister, Alora Caine, Mother had always been nothing but gentle and indulgent.

“Yvonne Caine, answer me!” she snapped coldly.

I smiled ruefully. “Mother, what do you want me to say?”

In the previous timeline, I had argued my case.

Roscoe, the spirit deer, was clearly the better match for me. Yet, Mother had called me greedy. She said I lacked the generosity of an older sister and would never amount to anything.

In the end, he became Alora’s mate, and I had to settle for the carp.

Later, Roscoe nearly killed Alora when he went berserk during his advancement.

My carp, on the other hand, transformed into a lucky carp and earned the admiration of countless people.

Several elders even jointly recommended me as the successor to the school.

When Mother urgently summoned me in the middle of the night, I thought she had finally begun to see my worth.

Instead, I entered the room and was met with Alora’s blade.

I clutched my abdomen as blood spilled between my fingers.

Mother merely stood to the side, crying as she begged me to forgive Alora and insisting it had not been intentional.

So I just deserved to die?

Everything from the previous timeline flashed before my eyes like a flood of memories.

I used to believe Mother simply loved me less. Never did I imagine that even my life meant so little to her.

“Mother, let Yvonne have Roscoe. Don’t argue with her over me. I’m happy to take the Carp Tribe’s heir, Marin.”

Alora smiled sweetly and obediently as she cradled the carp in her arms.

Mother was too preoccupied to scold me. She frowned and asked, “Alora, are you sure you want Marin? Choosing a mate is not something to take lightly.”

She knew that Alora, proud and always demanding for the best, would never choose a carp over a spirit deer.

A flicker of disgust crossed Alora’s eyes. She understood just as well that Roscoe was the better choice.

‘In the previous timeline, choosing Roscoe nearly cost me my life. This time, I’ll let Yvonne suffer that fate instead,’ she thought.

“Mother, I want Marin.”

Alora glanced at me with a faint, mocking smile, as though she had already foreseen my death.

She never considered that if she had not forced Roscoe into advancement, a creature of his lineage would never have suffered a failure and fallen into madness.

Marin’s transformation into a lucky carp had never been a matter of luck; I had risked everything to secure that rare opportunity for him.

Yet that ungrateful carp had severed our bond using the power of the lucky carp while I was still alive.

Had he not taken that last thread of life, I would not have fallen to that blade.

Unable to sway Alora, Mother finally turned to me instead.