After the angel-demon war, my sister’s husband returned safely—but mine died in battle. Everyone pitied me. But I knew: The survivor wasn’t my brother-in-law. It was my husband Damon. Identical twins. Equal power. No one suspected. "Celeste," Damon whispered, "This is for the realm. My brother was the Dragon Prince. His death would start a civil war. And your sister... she’s too fragile. I’m just comforting her—for now." "When it’s safe," he vowed, "I’ll return to you." I believed him—until he sentenced me to death for "conspiring with demons." As the blades fell, I saw him embrace my sister. Then I woke up. Back to the victory day when Damon first betrayed me. This time, I remarried instantly. He never knew: By abandoning me, he lost his only path to the Dragon Clan. … “Phoebe, Damon… he fell in battle!” The phantom agony of a thousand cuts made my body tremble. When I opened my eyes again, those were the first words I heard. The speaker was the Dragon King. He had only two sons. One was the crown prince, who had married my sister, making her the princess. The other was my husband, Damon. Now, the Dragon King, a man who by all rights should be dead and gone in my memory, sat upon his throne, gazing at the coffin before him, his face a mask of grief. But I couldn't suppress the wild joy surging through me. I was reborn! Before I could speak, my sister’s voice cut in from beside me. “Little sister, I know you’re heartbroken. If you need to cry, just let it out.” She looked down at me, her expression one of pity, but her perfectly applied makeup was unblemished by tears. I looked up, my gaze passing over her to the man standing at her side. No, that wasn’t my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law was already lying in that coffin. The man before me was my husband, Damon. The man who should have been holding me close was now holding my sister’s hand, their fingers intertwined. He noticed my stare and turned to me, his eyes wide with feigned surprise. I scoffed inwardly. Damon’s acting was as superb as ever. In my past life, though I’d sensed something was wrong, it had taken me a long time to gather the proof I needed to confirm that the man beside my sister was, in fact, Damon. But this time, I saw right through him. A wail of grief tore through the hall. “My son, oh, my son!” The Dragon Queen threw herself onto the coffin, huge tears rolling down her cheeks. She then pointed a trembling finger at me. “It was you! You jinxed him! You, you cursed my son to death!” The Queen and I had never gotten along. She thought I wasn't demure enough, not graceful enough to be worthy of her son. I had once worried about her disapproval. Damon had sworn to me, “If my mother ever gives you trouble, I will always, always take your side.” Smack! The Queen slapped me hard across the face. Still not satisfied, she raised her hand again. The King, jolted from his grief, quickly ordered the guards to intervene. “That’s enough!” The hall descended into chaos. Through it all, Damon stood silently to one side, holding my sister’s hand. He even seemed worried the commotion might frighten her. He pulled a shimmering aquamarine stone from his pocket and presented it to her like a precious treasure, whispering soothingly, “Serena, my love, I got this just for you.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. The phoenix clan is born of fire, yet I had always yearned for an aquamarine. In my last life, I had begged Damon to bring one back for me. He promised he would, but it never arrived. So, it wasn't that he hadn't found one. It was that the gift was never intended for me. Even though my sister had no need for it. Even though he had once promised to always protect me, yet now stood by and did nothing. Sensing my gaze, my sister, Serena, shifted uncomfortably, moving to block my view of Damon. “Little sister,” she chided, “why are you staring at my husband like that? Father is speaking to you.” The Dragon King spoke, his voice weary. “Phoebe, according to our customs, when one spouse dies in battle, the other must remain a widow for a hundred years.” He sighed. “I will not force you. I only wish to know your plans.” I shook my head. “I choose the second path. I will remarry.” A dead silence fell over the hall. Everyone stared at me in disbelief. Damon was the first to speak. “Absurd! Phoebe, how can you marry another?” Now, the King and my sister also sensed something was amiss. The King, though puzzled, spoke tactfully. “Caelus, this is your sister-in-law’s private matter. The decision should be hers alone.” Damon was silenced, able to do nothing but glower at me. My sister was even more agitated than he was. She took a step forward, her eyes filled with condemnation. “Phoebe, your husband has just died! His body isn’t even cold, and you’re not mourning him, you’re demanding to remarry? If word of this gets out, do you want everyone to think the Phoenix Clan is as heartless and disloyal as you?” The Queen’s glare was venomous. “If Damon hadn’t insisted on marrying you, I would never have allowed a venomous creature like you into this family!” I answered calmly, “If Damon loved me as much as you say, he wouldn’t want me to waste my life away as a widow.” “I will remarry!” I declared again. Damon started to speak, “You—” The King cut him off. “Enough. Since Phoebe’s mind is made up, we will respect her wishes. However, the pact between the Dragon and Phoenix clans stands. You may remarry, Phoebe, but you must choose a suitor from the Dragon Clan.” I turned to face the vast crowd of dragons and called out, my voice ringing through the hall, “Is there anyone here who will marry me?” No one stepped forward. Some looked like they wanted to, but were pulled back by their families. Others met my gaze and shied away as if they’d seen a viper. I felt a wave of despair. Heaven had only given me two paths: widowhood or remarriage. Was my fate truly unchangeable? Damon, seeing my predicament, couldn't resist a sneer. “Phoebe, no one would dare marry a faithless woman like you. You’d better resign yourself to being a widow.” His voice was laced with smug certainty, and it made my stomach turn. Just then, a figure descended from the sky. “I will!” I looked up to see a man I recognized as Xylos, the Dragon Clan’s legendary Warlord. He had a fearsome reputation as a god of slaughter, yet now he was kneeling on one knee before the King. “Your Majesty, I am willing to marry Phoebe.” Damon’s eyes blazed with fury. “Xylos, what business is this of yours? Let me give you a friendly warning. My brother is barely dead, and Phoebe is already desperate to remarry. Are you sure you want to take a woman like that into your home? Aren’t you afraid she’ll curse you to death too?” Xylos stepped in front of me, his brow furrowed. “Your Highness, Phoebe is your sister-by-law. Instead of protecting her, you’re slandering her.” “I’m speaking the truth,” Damon retorted. Xylos ignored him and turned to me. “Phoebe, will you marry me? I will be loyal to you for all eternity. I will stay by your side. Let the heavens be my witness. If I break this vow, may my soul be annihilated!” My heart trembled. I saw nothing but unwavering resolve in his eyes. I couldn't help but nod. “Yes.” With things settled, Damon had no more reason to object. Xylos and I performed the bonding ritual on the spot. The King, seeing the matter concluded, waved a tired hand at me. “Go.” He then announced to the assembly, “I am old, and I have lost a son. I no longer have the strength to be king. Three days from now, I will pass the throne to Caelus.” Caelus was my brother-in-law’s name, the name Damon had stolen. I pondered this. In my past life, the King never abdicated, not even up to the day I was executed by Damon. Why was it happening so much earlier this time? Before I could think further, Damon passed by me in the departing crowd. I heard him hiss, “You bitch. You’ll regret this.” That night, I moved from Damon’s palace to Xylos’s domain. The servants’ gossip followed me. “The Warlord is perfect in every way, except for his taste in women.” “The second prince’s body is barely cold, and Phoebe is already remarrying. What kind of woman is she?” “Didn’t the Queen say Phoebe was cursed to bring death to her husbands? I’m truly afraid for the Warlord.” … I listened to the whispers from outside my window with a wry smile. I turned to Xylos and nudged him with my foot, saying self-deprecatingly, “The great Warlord’s reputation, ruined by me.” Xylos frowned. “Don’t say that. Phoebe, give me half a day. I will make sure you never hear them speak ill of you again.” I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t care.” Compared to my last life, where I was a widow to a living man, enduring endless torment only to be publicly executed by a thousand cuts, this was paradise. Xylos provided me with the finest food and clothing, rivaling that of the royal family. I was living in comfort. I was already content. Before we blew out the lamps, I heard him mumble, “A little damage to my reputation is nothing. As long as I can have you, I don’t care about anything else.” I lay awake all night. Not long after, my sister sent for me. She was about to become the next Dragon Queen, and her handmaidens were presenting her with a heavy, ornate ceremonial gown. She eagerly held the crown to her head, turning to ask me, “Phoebe, who do you think looks better in this, me or the old Queen?” I remained silent. She continued, as if talking to herself, “Sometimes, you just have to accept your fate. So what if you were more talented than me? In the end, I’m the one who will be Queen.” She had always been like this, always needing to be one step ahead of me. My gaze fell upon the cluttered table, and I found myself staring at the aquamarine Damon had given her. A spark of insight flashed in my mind. When my sister was young, she had been dragged into the sea by a water spirit during a training exercise. She hated aquamarines. My brother-in-law, always so thoughtful, would have remembered that. After a long pause, I asked, my voice strained, “You really haven’t noticed that he’s not Caelus?” My sister’s hand froze. In that instant, I knew the answer. In my past life, I had never once suspected my sister. In my eyes, despite our lifelong rivalry, Damon was the sole perpetrator. But now, her reaction told me everything. She knew. Tears welled in my eyes. “Serena, are you insane?” I demanded. Smack! She slammed a phoenix hairpin onto the table. “So what if I am?” she retorted. I was stunned. My sister sneered. “Let me tell you the truth. As long as he is the Crown Prince, as long as I can be the future Queen, I don’t care who my husband is.” She glared at me suspiciously. “As for you, you’d better play the part of the grieving widow. If you behave, when I become Queen, I won’t treat you poorly. But if you dare to speak a word of this, I will not spare you.” A chill seeped into my bones. Her words were identical to the ones Damon had spoken in my last life. But in the end, neither of them had spared me. Just then, voices sounded from outside. Damon, the King, and the Queen swept into the room. They all froze when they saw me. Damon frowned, his voice laced with guilt. “Phoebe, what are you doing here?” The Queen’s tone was sharp and sarcastic. “Shouldn’t you be with your new husband? What are you doing in the palace?” Serena squeezed out a few tears, leaning against Damon. “Phoebe didn’t mean any harm. She’s just so distraught over losing her husband, that’s why…” Damon wrapped his arm around her, his voice full of resentment. “Phoebe, none of us wanted to see my brother die on the battlefield. Not only did you refuse to mourn him, you insisted on remarrying, and now you’re taking your anger out on your sister.” “Get out!” he roared. I stared at Damon, and then a slow smile spread across my face. “Fine.” Justice may be slow, but it is coming.
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