Chapter 1

I am the most noble Phoenix Princess. The dragon I choose will become the next Dragon King.

In my past life, I chose Aldric—my childhood sweetheart.

I risked my life to help him survive the lethal Storm Trial and personally supported him as he ascended the throne.

But on the day of his coronation, he tore my Soulstone from my chest—all for a Magpie.

"If it weren't for getting my hands on your Soulstone to help Lysara become the Phoenix Princess—"

"Why else would I wed a bitch like you!"

I collapsed in a pool of my own blood and watched him kneel on one knee, offering my Soulstone to Lysara.

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn—back to the night of the Choosing.

Dragon King Fenric was asking for my decision.

Then Aldric cut in:

"Father, I know Seraphina is fond of me. But my heart belongs only to Lysara. I want Lysara to become my Queen!"

The hall erupted. Every eye stabbed into me like a needle.

But I simply looked at Fenric and answered calmly: "Your Majesty, I've already made my choice."

Our gazes met, and I saw it—the certainty, the smugness in Aldric's eyes. I knew then: he had been reborn too.

He thought I would cling to him again, just like before.

But on my wedding night in this life, it was Aldric who knelt through the entire night.

Begging me to come back to him.

……

……

The agony of having my Soulstone ripped from my chest nearly tore me in two.

But just as I thought it was all over, the pain vanished.

My eyes flew open. The clothes on my back were drenched in cold sweat.

"Seraphina?"

"Have you decided? Who will you choose as your husband?"

That voice. This scene.

I had been reborn—back to the night of the Dragon Clan's Choosing Ceremony.

"Your Majesty, I'd like to—"

Before I could finish, another voice cut in ahead of me.

"Father."

Aldric stepped forward from the ranks of Princes and dropped to one knee.

"I know Seraphina is fond of me. But my heart belongs only to Lysara. I have sworn before the gods—if I betray her, my soul will twist into a demon, never to find peace!"

Gasps nearly blew the roof off the great hall.

King Fenric's expression darkened like the sky before a tempest.

The Princes who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines all whipped their heads around to stare at Aldric.

Everyone knew: whomever the Phoenix Princess chose would receive her full support through the Storm Trial. Pass the trial, and you become the next King.

What Aldric had just said was tantamount to publicly renouncing the throne.

In an instant, every other candidate stirred with barely concealed ambition.

But then Aldric spoke again.

"However—I know Seraphina can't live without me. I can marry her, so long as Lysara stands beside her as my wife. They will both be my Queens."

"Enough!"

King Fenric roared, and in the next heartbeat Aldric was flung to the ground.

"Lysara? A Magpie dares stand as equal to the Phoenix Princess? If she had the audacity to manipulate you into swearing before the gods—then I'll kill her, and the oath dies with her!"

A flash of resentment crossed Aldric's eyes.

He turned to me immediately. There was no plea in his gaze, no guilt—only impatience, looking down at me as though I were beneath him.

"Why are you just standing there? Haven't you always wanted to marry me? Here's your chance!"

"You've taken so much from Lysara. If she weren't generous enough to overlook it, I'd never have agreed to let you share the title of Queen. You should be on your knees in gratitude!"

That condescension, that certainty—it told me everything in an instant. He had been reborn too.

He thought I would be just as before. That I would endure any humiliation, pay any price—even my life.

How funny.

Lysara. A Magpie. Daring to provoke a phoenix.

The year I was born, the God-War erupted. The Phoenix Clan suffered devastating losses, and every egg was scattered. Our people searched desperately, and in their haste, they brought back the infant Lysara by mistake, raising her as one of our own blood.

For a hundred years, she enjoyed everything that should have been mine.

It wasn't until the day we could reveal our true forms that my Father and Mother discovered they had been nurturing an imposter.

Mother was merciful. She didn't banish Lysara—instead, she allowed her to remain in the kingdom, enjoying privileges far above her bloodline.

But Lysara was never satisfied.

She even manipulated Aldric into making a public spectacle on her behalf.

Now, the dragon clan's Elderblood had been dwindling for generations. Because of this, every Dragon King opened succession beyond direct lineage.

Wyrms, Serpents, Drakes, Wyverns—these lesser branches of Dragonkin could all compete alongside the King's own children, the Princes.

Anyone who could withstand the Nine Divine Thunders on the Storm Altar would inherit the throne.

And bonding with the Phoenix Princess didn't just guarantee survival through that near-fatal trial—it would vastly elevate the purity of their descendants' bloodline.

Only the King knew these details.

To the outside world, the rule was simple: whomever the Phoenix Princess chose would be the next King.

Aldric's words today amounted to a public insult against the entire Phoenix Clan. If the Phoenix Clan severed ties with the dragons over this, the dragon bloodline would be doomed.

King Fenric clearly understood this. His cold gaze swept over Aldric before turning to me, his tone softening in a rare display of consideration.

"Seraphina, you can do whatever you want with him—so long as it eases your anger."

"King Fenric."

I lifted my gaze to meet his.

"I've already decided who I'll marry."