Chapter 4

The hand hidden inside my sleeve clenched so hard the veins stood out, all because of that soft, pitying sigh from the Dragon Clan queen.

She still didn't know that the one who had brought every blow down on me was her own son, along with my mother the empress. And my mother, more afraid than anything that I would make a scene, had posted people to watch me. As if my heart weren't already scarred enough, she drove one more blade in. "Mother, there's really no need to be so tense. I didn't come here to cause trouble. I came to ask someone a question."

I turned my head and looked straight at Greg.

"You were the one who proposed to me all those years ago. You swore an oath. That you would never fail me in this life."

"That if you broke your word, Heaven itself would punish you."

"That's right, I did make those vows. But I never imagined how vicious your heart was."

Vicious?

"Why would you say that about me? I have lived my whole life upright and honest. Where does this viciousness come from?"

Greg's face changed at once, dark and sullen. Cecilia hurried to soothe him, all wounded softness, begging him not to speak. But the more she wore that face, the more it stirred a man's urge to protect her. "Cecilia, you don't need to talk me out of it. Today I'm going to lay out every ugly thing she's done."

The moment the words left his mouth, he turned and smiled at me, cold.

"You're already the eldest princess. You have everything. And still you turned your cruelty on your own stepsister."

"You tore out her tendons and had her thrown into the demon pit to be violated."

"If I hadn't rescued her in time, Cecilia would have died in that demon—"

"What? My daughter suffered all that?"

The stepfather shot to his feet, stricken with grief, then choked out a roar at me.

"Why would you do this to her? Cecilia was never going to steal everything from you."

Oh? Isn't she doing exactly that right now, stealing everything from me with her lies?

My mother flew into a sudden rage. From across the distance she hurled a bolt of magic that slammed into me and knocked me sprawling to the ground.

Even when I sought no trouble, trouble came looking for me.

To smooth her way to the throne and to satisfy the Dragon queen, Cecilia stepped directly in front of me, pretending to plead for peace.

"Enough. Let this be the end of it."

"Ruby is still young and doesn't know any better. She was afraid I, an outsider, would take everything from her. That's the only reason she did this."

"For your sake, Mother, I've already let it go." My mother looked at Cecilia with aching tenderness, satisfied with her, and turned a cold, weary face on me. The Dragon queen had begun to dislike me. Cecilia had gotten exactly what she wanted. "You wretch. You should learn from your sister how to treat people with grace."

I stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, and smiled with no expression at all.

"Ha. Mother, while you're teaching me to treat people with grace, why not first make sure your own conduct is honest and aboveboard?"

Everyone froze. Then came my mother's sharp roar: "Insolence!"

"I'm not being insolent. I'm clearing my name."

"I never laid a hand on Cecilia."

"It's the rest of you who have been scheming against me."

"The stepfather and Cecilia hatched the plot. You, Mother, destroyed my spiritual core with your own hands, and let Greg drain every drop of spiritual power from my body and pass it in secret to that worthless Cecilia."

"With her cultivation, how could she possibly become a golden phoenix in so short a time? A lowly crossbreed, no less."

The words were barely out before doubt sprang up in every person present.

My mother went still for an instant, and afraid the words would spread, she flung out her sleeve and threw me down again.

I was already heavy with internal injuries. I couldn't withstand a second crush of that force.

"Nothing but lies. You went out and stirred up trouble, and that's how the Demon Clan hurt you. Now, jealous of Cecilia, you invent wild stories."

"If I don't punish you, how am I to rule the Phoenix Clan?"

At once she worked her magic and opened a fire-red vortex. The sea of fire inside it could devour anything, anything but a golden phoenix.

I hadn't even found my footing before a force lifted me into the air and hurled me down into the sea of fire.

Not one of the people below moved to help. Cecilia watched me swallowed by the flames, delighted.

My mother stared coldly ahead, and the pressure of the phoenix rolled out from her and crushed the murmurs of everyone beneath.

"Today, before all the honored guests who came for Cecilia's betrothal, I have something to announce."

"I intend to pass the throne to Cecilia."

Everyone exchanged glances, then rose to their feet, ready to bow to Cecilia.

But then a mighty golden light came tearing straight down into the Jade Pool with devastating force, and blasted my mother and Cecilia flying.

"Ha. Without my leave, a mongrel thinks she can sit on the throne of my Phoenix Clan?"

"Yolanda Sheridan, are you begging for death?!"