Chapter 2

I coughed slightly before pointing at Charles. "I chose Charles Summer of the zilant clan. Please grant me this marriage, Father."

Charles nodded indifferently. As the only prince of the zilant clan, he bore the heavy responsibility of continuing his bloodline.

It was hard for the zilant to reproduce, and even if they did conceive, successful births were nearly impossible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one left in their bloodline.

The merfolk clan, however, possessed the strongest fertility among all beast clans. In order to make the zilant clan thrive again, Charles had no choice but to stay and take his chance.

Father looked at Rosalie with pity. However, since she had taken an oath upon the sacred beast, he had no choice but to announce that the four of us would be married on a later date.

As he turned to leave, the remaining unmarried beasts who hadn't been chosen all glared at Jasper before leaving as well.

Rosalie clung to Jasper and stood before me smugly. "You'd better take good care of your health, Clarie. Don't go dying before you've even conceived. Once I return, I'll get someone to send you some supplements to help you recover."

She then shot a pitiful gaze at Charles. "The zilant bloodline is dying out, so it's a shame you've wagered everything on Clarie. But don't worry, Charles—I won't stop you from remarrying once she's dead."

He remained calm, as if unable to comprehend Rosalie's mockery.

I chuckled.

Did Rosalie truly believe she gave birth to half-beast hatchlings in her past life just because of her strong fertility? Did she really think she could now give birth to a sacred beast just because she chose someone from the infamous serpent clan?

Just as I was about to speak, I started coughing violently, even spitting out blood.

Without hesitation, Charles took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of my lips. After completely ignoring Rosalie, he bent down and lifted me bridal-style before walking away.

Behind us, she stomped her feet angrily. "That damned Charles! You won't even have a single half-beast hatchling in this lifetime!"

While nestled in Charles' arms, I caught sight of Jasper's reddened, resentful eyes. He leaned close to kiss Rosalie, even using the serpent clan's bewitching charms to rouse her into a fever of desire—so much so she nearly tore his clothes apart, ready to put on a show right there in public.

At the sound of fabric ripping, my vision darkened. Charles had covered my eyes, and with a deep voice, he said, "Don't dirty your eyes."

I could hear the faint sounds of moaning echoing behind us as he carried me away.

…

Charles carried me all the way back to the palace. He carefully set me down on the bed before summoning the royal physician to check on me.

The royal physician shook his head. "Her Highness still needs to focus on recuperation. She must remain calm at all times and not be agitated. As for consummation, it must be strictly prohibited."

The tips of Charles' ears went red as he quietly dismissed the royal physician.

I leaned against the bed, finding it a rare sight of innocence from him. I recalled the way he'd been attentive to Rosalie in the past life and asked tentatively, "I'm in frail health, Charles. The physician said that no consummation is allowed. Do you really not regret being with me?"

I lowered my head and continued, "I might not be able to bear you any hatchlings. If you're having second thoughts, I can have Father annul the marriage…"

Charles pressed his fingers against my lips. "If your body is weak, then we'll strengthen it. As a zilant, I possess the secret art of vitality. I won't let you die."