Chapter 2

No sooner had I finished speaking than Thalyx excitedly wagged his tail.

Lyra panicked and immediately waved her hand in refusal. "That won't work. If people found out, wouldn’t they say I'm bullying you again? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me? No matter how much you hate me, you shouldn't have framed me like this."

Father looked suspiciously at me as if he was ready to scold me for bullying Lyra.

I knew Lyra never did anything unless it benefited her. A minor concubine-born daughter like her probably could not afford the treatment costs for all of Thalyx’s wounds. Even if she wanted to take Thalyx away, she could not support him.

I narrowed my eyes and smiled. "I’m being sincere. You probably don't know that this merman has abilities that other beast folk don't have. As long as you raise him with blood for 999 days, he can fulfill any wish for you. Even if you wanted the moon, this all-powerful merman would be able to get one for you. I want to give this merman to you because you'll be coming of age in less than ten days, so it’s the perfect gift.”

Lyra beamed with joy and held Thalyx in her arms, her face glowing with excitement. However, Thalyx, who had been looking forward to being taken away by Lyra, started to fiercely struggle.

I immediately went up and covered Thalyx's mouth. Ignoring the look of shock on his face, I ordered sternly, "Someone, send this merman to Lyra's palace immediately!"

The harder Thalyx struggled, the more heartache I felt.

One needed to drain blood from the tip of one’s heart and feed it to a merperson for 999 days if one wanted them to fulfil a wish.

He cherished Lyra and did not want her to risk his life for him.

In my previous life, I endured the pain of draining blood from my heart for 999 days, thinking I could finally get Thalyx to grant my wish.

While I begged him to resurrect my biological mother, who had passed away ten years earlier, Lyra caught a cold and made a fuss for warm chocolate chip cookies.

All my efforts over the last 999 days were wasted. Thalyx ignored all my requests and used the wish to get Lyra a pack of warm cookies.

I angrily questioned him, but he harshly rebuked, "You don't understand how helpless Lyra is as a concubine-born daughter. Only I know how difficult it is for a delicate woman like her to survive in this palace. Why are you so mean? She's your sister, yet you won’t even give her a pack of chocolate chip cookies."

Every time I thought about this, my heart numbed from heartache.

Now that I had been reborn, I wanted to see if Lyra would make such a rash wish again.

Watching Thalyx being dragged away, I finally felt at ease and returned to my room.

I thought Thalyx and I would rarely see each other, but he crept into my room that night. He lay on my bed with a grim expression, the crimson blood from his tail soaking my blanket.

Looking at the web of wounds covering his body, I subconsciously reached out, but Thalyx pushed me away with a fierce look before my fingers could touch them. "Don't touch me."

His cold eyes were filled with disgust, and he raised his head proudly as if he were the owner of this room.

"I-I need treatment. Give me the medicine, and I'll repay you many times over in the future."

Seeing Thalyx's arrogant expression, I knew he had been reborn like me.

He assumed I still loved him deeply, which was why he spoke to me so arrogantly and domineeringly. "Don't tell anyone that you met me today! Lyra was just joking around. She had no intention of hurting me. If you spread rumors..."

There was a snap, and a painful groan escaped his throat before he could finish speaking.

After a few seconds of silence, Thalyx's mouth half-opened in shock as he looked fearfully at the whip in my hand.

"Who gave you the confidence to speak to me like that? You came here to make a scene after failing to defeat the white tiger and injuring yourself. Do you really think you're a guest in this house? You're just a mere beast. How dare you challenge me! Do you have a death wish?!"

Thalyx gritted his teeth in pain, his eyes filled with unconcealed shock. "You're so condescending. Don't think I'll get back together with you if you play hard to get! You're nothing compared to her!"

Even though I had long since acknowledged that Thalyx had never loved me, hearing the aloof statement from his own lips still made my heart tremble with pain.

My mother died young, and my father never treated me well. Everyone thought Lyra was more talented than me and liked her more than me.

Even the merman I had spent decades training loathed me.

I felt pain and resentment, but even more, I felt helplessness.

Thankfully, all this would eventually end. My marriage was scheduled to take place in two weeks. This time, I would no longer refuse for Thalyx's sake. We would now part ways once and for all.

I frowned and forced back the tears in my eyes. "If you don't leave my palace, don't blame my whip for being ruthless."

Thalyx stood in place fearlessly like a spoiled child.

I gritted my teeth and lifted the whip again. However, the bedroom door was kicked open from the outside before the whip could touch Thalyx.

A cold breeze blew in. Before I could see who it was, a powerful slap landed on my face. "You shameless girl! You're having an affair with your sister's beastman. Are you trying to kill her?"