Chapter 2

Drakon claimed my half-sister as his bride. That left me to marry the third prince, Lysander Veylan.

I remembered him well. A gentle, patient man. In my past life, Vania had despised him for being merely a minor prince. She tormented him with every cruel scheme she could devise, and he endured it all with quiet grace. After she bore him a golden hatchling—a child that was not his—he dismissed his entire harem and gave her all his devotion.

Now she had willingly thrown him away for Drakon's crown.

Blind fool.

The Choosing Ceremony ended. King Theron, feeling guilty, sent me generous gifts of gold and dragon jewels.

When I returned home, my mother Mira was furious. She called Drakon an ungrateful wretch. My father Torin said nothing, but I saw the calculation in his eyes.

That same day, my father raised Vania's mother Leora to the status of lawful wife. Vania became a trueborn daughter overnight.

She found me in the garden, her chin lifted so high her eyes were nearly at the ceiling.

"Oh, dear sister," she cooed, "are you so heartbroken that you cannot speak?"

I looked at the half-eaten plate of pastries in my lap and the scattered nut shells on the ground. I had no idea how she mistook contentment for grief.

The best revenge was still to come. I did not bother to argue with her.

On the day of our weddings, Vania and I left the house together. Drakon had sent ten wagons of gold and silk for her. Chest after chest of jewels and ornaments. He strutted like a peacock, certain that Vania would bear him a pure golden heir.

As I passed him, he leaned close to my ear. His voice dripped with venom.

"Seraphina, you counterfeit. You will only ever spawn inferior filth."

Inferior filth. The child I had bled myself dry to create. The child he had murdered.

I said nothing. I had endured worse in my past life. His insults no longer cut.

Seeing that I would not react, he turned to Vania and made grand promises for all to hear.

"Vania, you are my destined princess. I will make you the most honored woman in all dragonkin."

Vania blushed and murmured that she did not care about such things. She only wanted to stay by his side.

As Drakon walked away, he stopped and shot me a vicious glare. Then he noticed something. He halted and raised his voice deliberately.

"Where is my dear third brother? Has he come to reject his bride?"

I was the only Gold dragon of my house. The family's hope. If the Crown Prince had publicly humiliated me, and then the third prince rejected me as well, my family's honor would be destroyed. The elders' faces darkened with anger.

Vania smiled sweetly and pretended to scold him. "My prince, do not say such things. My sister is the only Gold dragon in our house."

She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to see if Drakon still cared for me at all. Of course, what she truly wanted was to test his feelings.

She got her answer. Drakon's face twisted with disgust.

"Royal Gold? She is not fit to lick the scales of a mud eel."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. For a Gold dragon to be compared to a mud eel was unthinkable. But no one dared speak against the Crown Prince.

Murmurs spread. And still the third prince had not arrived. Would he truly reject her?

"Brother, you go too far."

A cold voice cut through the whispers. Prince Lysander walked toward me, his silver robes swirling. His expression was icy.

Drakon laughed. "Third brother, you took so long. I thought you had changed your mind."

"Changed my mind?" Lysander stopped before me and took my hand. "To marry Lady Seraphina is the greatest honor of my life."

He turned to his servants, who carried chest after chest of wedding gifts. The display matched Drakon's. He looked into my eyes and spoke softly.

"I am sorry I am late. I was preparing gifts for you. Please forgive me, my princess."

Warmth spread through my chest. I shook my head. There was nothing to forgive.

Drakon watched us with barely contained fury. His jaw tightened.

"How touching," he spat. "My brother is truly devoted."