chapter 2
Everyone was stunned.
My father stared at my sister, disbelieving.
"Bella, do you even understand what you're saying? Venus has already chose him. Besides, Barton 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, Barton pulled out a tiny box from his sleeve and presented it to Bella 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 relica 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 fortunespoured rare elixirs and divine herbs into Barton's training. Nothing ever took.
Then came the rumors of the Orb's existence. I sold everything to hunt it down.
Barton 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 freelyjust to win my sister's favor.
Every sacrifice I'd madereduced 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 Venus," 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 Venus?"
My father faltered. His gaze dropped to the Ouroboros' Orb.
In the end, he turned to me and said, "Venus, since the black serpent's heart belongs to Bella don't make a scene. Let it go."
I closed my eyes.
I felt tired.
Bella and I were half-sisters. Her mother had been an ordinary phoenixaverage in lineage, no special gifts. She died soon after hatching Bella, 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 Bella, 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 Bella, he didn't want me to suffer.
So he encouraged me to give up divine refinementto 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 Bella's mother.
I heard him murmur, "Norma after all these years, you're still the one I love. Don't worry. I've already broken Venus's spirit. Now our daughter Bella will become the Phoenix Court's only heir."
He had wanted me to bind with Barton. With the black serpent's low status, my contract with Barton would never threaten my sister.
And now, as Barton 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.
When I agreed so calmlywithout resistance, without protestboth my father and Barton looked surprised.
Only Bella offered a performance of concern, her voice laced with gentle hypocrisy.
"Venus, I'm doing this for your own good. You can't twist his arm. Why don't you choose someone else? Another who suits you. If I form a contract with the black serpent, and you find a match of your own, Father can rest easy."
My father looked at her with nothing but affection in his eyes. They had known all along that the day's guests were all from the serpent clan. And among them, apart from the black serpent, there was no one of note.
I didn't bother arguing.
Lifting my hand lazily, I pointed toward a direction at random.
"Him, then."
Everyone turned to look.
The one I'd chosen was a white serpent.
In his human form, he was handsomeon par with Barton, even. But his spiritual energy was faint, nearly undetectable.
If the black serpent was considered low-born, the white serpent was openly mocked by the Phoenix Court.
"A glorified earthworm with snake nerves," they called him.
He could take human form, yes, but had almost no offensive power.
He looked startled when I pointed at him.
Bella covered her mouth, feigning worry while sneering beneath it. "Venus, you're so eager... but what if he doesn't even want you"
"I do," the white serpent said.
Everyone was taken aback.
Even I was surprised.
He walked straight up to me, extended a pale, slender hand, and blushed as he spoke. "Princess Venus, my name is Patrick."
I placed my hand in his.
It wasn't cold like I expected. There was warmth in his touch.
When he felt me respond, his grip tightened.
"If Your Highness forms a contract with me, I swear by the divine will, in this life and every life after, I will never abandon you. I will never regret it."
A crack of thunder split the sky.
Something warm surged in my chest.
Patrick was the firstand across two lifetimes, the only onewho chose me without hesitation.
I couldn't stop the smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
Beside me, Barton interrupted the moment.
"Princess Venus," he said, voice clipped, "the white serpent is of humble origin. Choosing him will only hinder your divine refinement in the future."
Patrick lowered his head slightly, shoulders folding inward with a trace of shame.
I stared at Barton and laughed coldly.
"What, are you jealous of him now? And tell me, if the white serpent's status is so low, does that make yours noble?"
Barton's smile froze. His expression twisted subtly.
And in that moment, I knew: he and I had never truly been on the same path.
In my past life, I hadn't chosen the black serpent out of blind devotion. Among all the candidates, I picked him because he once saved me in the secret realm. It had meant something to me.
But now, to gain power, he would humiliate me and climb toward my sister without a second thought. He deserved nothing from meno more patience, no more kindness.
I turned to the crowd and made myself clear.
"From this moment on, Patrick is under my protection. If anyone dares to bully him, I won't forgive it."
The clan stepped back under the force of my words, their eyes avoiding mine.
Barton let out a cold snort. "As long as you are happy."
Just then, Patrick tugged gently at my sleeve.
I looked down. His eyes were rimmed red, lashes heavy with tears.
"You're... so kind," he whispered.
And for the first time in a long time, my heart began to race.