Chapter 1

"Father, I like Jasper Warren of the serpent clan. I only want him." My younger sister, Rosalie White, spoke with eyes full of confidence.

She looked at me with a challenging gaze, as if confident that once she chose Jasper, she would be able to give birth to a sacred beast and take the beast throne.

At that moment, I knew she had reincarnated as well.

Rosalie and I were twin sisters from the merfolk clan. We were born with the divine gift of bearing sacred beasts.

Ten thousand years ago, a great war broke out among the beast clans. The only sacred beast sacrificed itself for the lives of countless others.

Since then, its bloodline withered away, and no sacred beasts had been born.

And now, Rosalie and I were the only hope of bearing one.

It had been declared throughout the beast clans that whoever gave birth to a sacred beast would be crowned as beast king.

In my previous life, on our coming-of-age day, Rosalie was the first to pick Charles Summer, the prince of the zilant clan. She was hoping to give birth to a sacred beast and claim the throne.

Upon seeing that she had made her choice, the remaining princes of the beast clans walked away. None of them were even bothered with me, a weak and sickly mermaid.

I could only choose the infamous Jasper Warren from the serpent clan. For that, I was even mocked by Rosalie, saying we were truly a perfect match in disgrace.

That year, we became pregnant together. She carried five, while I had only one pitiful child.

A year later, Rosalie gave birth to five half-zilants of the lowest rank. Meanwhile, my only child turned out to be a rare sacred beast hatchling.

All beast clans rejoiced and proclaimed me the beast king.

On the day of the coronation, Rosalie, reluctant to accept it, strangled my sacred beast hatchling. She also ambushed me while I was still weak, tearing out my beast core and ripping the scales off my body.

In the end, she tossed my body—along with my lifeless hatchling's—into the beast furnace, destroying us completely.

Upon that thought, I glared at Rosalie, suppressing the hatred within me.

My hatchling, who wasn't even a month old, was covered with bruises. He didn't even have the chance to call me his mommy before vanishing into the void.

Father's words snapped me out of my reverie. "Are you sure, Rosie? Do you want to reconsider?"

He even cast a glance at Charles of the zilant clan, hinting to Rosalie that choosing someone of the lowly serpent clan with ill repute could never compare to someone of the zilant clan.

She ignored Father's hints and held Jasper's hand, saying, "I only want Jasper. I swear upon the sacred beast that I will stay loyal to only one husband for the rest of my life. I, Rosalie White, will have only Jasper Warren as my husband."

The gathered beasts were casting envious looks at them. After all, to take an oath upon the sacred beast was no trivial matter—it would bring forth terrible backlash if she failed to keep her oath.

Besides, the royal family had always practiced polygamy, with one wife having many husbands. It was an honor beyond measure to claim the right of being the only husband.

Jasper looked at Rosalie affectionately, shock flickering in his eyes. Never had he imagined she would pick someone as infamous as him, much less take an oath only to have him.

As long as he could get her—who was healthy—to give birth to a sacred beast, he would be second only to one, standing above everyone else.

Father sighed before turning to me. "Who do you choose, Clarissa?"

Just then, the surrounding unmarried beasts scattered in a panic. They were all terrified of being chosen by me—a weak and sickly mermaid—and ending up as the unfortunate one of the beast clans.

Even if they ignored the matter of giving birth to a sacred beast, who knew if I might end up dying first and leave them as widowers?

Marrying a princess meant no second marriages, and they would be stuck as widowers for life.