Chapter 2

Everyone was stunned.

My father stared at my sister, disbelieving.

"Seraphine, do you even understand what you're saying? Althea has already chose him. Besides, Nyxar is nothing more than a black serpent with impure blood. Binding with him will only bring you harm."

Before my father could say another word, Nyxar pulled out a tiny box from his sleeve and presented it to Seraphine with both hands reverently.

Inside lay a single, pearl-white pill.

"A humble gift," he said. "For the First Princess."

Someone in the crowd recognized it instantly and gasped. "That's the Ouroboros' Orb!"

I glanced over, then lowered my eyes.

The Ouroboros' Orb was the Snake Clan's most legendary relic—a treasure so deadly to obtain, it was said to demand a life in exchange. But its power was unmatched: it could obliterate old meridians and forge new ones, catapulting one's spiritual strength to unimaginable heights.

In our past life, I'd sacrificed fortunes—poured rare elixirs and divine herbs into Nyxar's training. Nothing ever took.

Then came the rumors of the Orb's existence. I sold everything to hunt it down.

Nyxar had pulled me close, his voice thick with pity. "It's just a myth, love."

But he'd had it all along.

And now? He offered it freely—just to win my sister's favor.

Every sacrifice I'd made—reduced to a pathetic joke.

My sister accepted the box with trembling fingers, her eyes dewy with gratitude. Then she smirked at me.

Turning back to my father, she blinked away her tears.

"All my life, you've favored Althea," she said, her voice shaking just enough. "Whatever she wanted, you gave her. And now that the black serpent has chosen me, are you really going to tear apart my happiness for Althea?"

My father faltered. His gaze dropped to the Ouroboros' Orb.

In the end, he turned to me and said, "Althea, since the black serpent's heart belongs to Seraphine… don't make a scene. Let it go."

I closed my eyes.

I felt… tired.

Seraphine and I were half-sisters. Her mother had been an ordinary phoenix—average in lineage, no special gifts. She died soon after hatching Seraphine, having been attacked by a demonic beast.

Later, my father married my mother, who was once the First Princess of the Phoenix Court. I was born after.

Everyone in the Phoenix Court knew he treated us differently.

To Seraphine, he was strict to the point of cruelty.

He tossed her into the trial fields as a child, left her there without aid or affection. Even when she came back bruised and bleeding, he wouldn't allow her a single tear. No weakness. No warmth.

But me? I was the jewel of his eye.

He gave me everything. He indulged me completely. Even though I had greater natural talent than Seraphine, he didn't want me to suffer.

So he encouraged me to give up divine refinement—to just enjoy my life as the carefree Second Princess.

To outsiders, it looked like love. But deep down, I always knew that was how you ruined someone with kindness.

In my past life, I once stumbled across my father at a private shrine. He was kneeling before a memorial tablet. The name on it belonged to Seraphine's mother.

I heard him murmur, "Claire… after all these years, you're still the one I love. Don't worry. I've already broken Althea's spirit. Now our daughter Seraphine will become the Phoenix Court's only heir."

He had wanted me to bind with Nyxar. With the black serpent's low status, my contract with Nyxar would never threaten my sister.

And now, as Nyxar offered the Ouroboros' Orb, my father once again branded me the unreasonable one and ordered me to step aside.

"Alright," I replied.

Since she wanted him so badly, she could have him.