In my past life, on the day my sister Jane and I were tasked with choosing our snake clan mates, I saved a fallen Loong prince. To repay this act of kindness, the prince returned to his clan and immediately made me his queen. A year later, I hatched a golden egg and gave birth to his dragon son. The crown prince was overjoyed. On the day of his coronation, he declared me the Queen of the Loong clan, and I was revered by all clans from that moment onward. Meanwhile, my sister Jane chose to marry a strong wild bear. Her fate was far less fortunate—she became the least favored concubine among the bear’s many wives. Consumed by jealousy, she pushed me off a cliff during the snake clan’s sacrificial ceremony, killing me on impact. When I opened my eyes again, it was the same day we were to choose our mates. I saw Jane running towards the direction of the fallen Loong prince. I realized she, too, had been reborn. But what she didn’t know was that saving the prince was the easy part. Bearing his child, however, was nearly impossible. --- It’s often said that “snakes are inherently licentious.” This old saying defined how our clan was viewed. Once snake clan women came of age, loneliness became unbearable. Long nights were sleepless, and our elders feared we might cause unnecessary trouble if we sought comfort outside. Thus, it was decreed: upon reaching adulthood, our first task was to choose a husband from another clan, forging alliances and securing our futures. Today, we had just arrived at the ancestral hall, barely beginning to observe the various men before us, each of their forms unique. A girl beside me nudged my arm and whispered, “I saw Jane earlier. She was running toward the back mountain, ignoring everyone who tried to stop her. She’s not coming to the ceremony, is she?” The moment she said this, I understood. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn. My dear sister Jane must have returned from our previous life, too. Her urgency to reach the back mountain could only mean one thing: she was chasing her dream of wealth and power once again. Before I could respond, thunder suddenly roared outside. The sky darkened, and storm clouds gathered overhead. In the dim light, I saw figures dressed in red descending from above. My heart sank. From my past life, I knew these were the envoys of the Loong clan, here to deliver their bridal gifts. By now, Eric Powell, the Loong prince, must have regained his powers. He was here to marry Jane as a token of gratitude. In my last life, Jane intentionally made things difficult for me, sending me to the back mountain to collect flowers on her behalf. By sheer chance, I stumbled upon a man lying unconscious, having been ambushed. Initially, I only intended to wake him and enjoy some time with him. But when he regained consciousness, he handed me the Loong clan’s crest, revealing his identity as their prince. With a transmission of his voice across great distances, he summoned his clan to retrieve him and declared his intention to marry me. The snake clan had always been of middling status, neither high nor low. Such an honorable event as this had never occurred in our history. I had no choice in the matter. Within moments, my fate was sealed. The Loong clan, rulers of land and sea, harbored a dark secret: for a new dragon to be born, the mother’s body had to serve as nourishment for the child. Their bloodline was so domineering that ordinary women couldn’t bear the burden. Most mothers perished within months, leaving behind lifeless bodies and unborn children. Yet, against all odds, I survived. Not only that, but I gave birth to the only son of that generation’s Loong clan royalty. The Loong king was ecstatic and immediately named me his primary consort. Centuries later, Eric Powell ascended to the throne, and I naturally became the queen of the Loong clan, basking in endless riches and glory. As for Jane, who had chosen the wild bear spirit? She hadn’t known that he already had numerous wives. She ranked so low among them that she was nearly invisible. The bear only visited her once a month, leaving her perpetually unsatisfied. She wept daily, her days filled with misery. Eventually, during the snake clan’s sacrificial day, she lured me to the edge of a cliff and pushed me off. That feeling of despair as I fell to my death was something I would never forget. Now, as thunder rumbled and the envoys descended upon us, Jane appeared at the front of the crowd, escorted by the snake clan elders. Eric Powell held her hand, gazing at her with deep affection. “Jane has a kind heart,” he announced. “She saved me in the back mountain. From this day forward, she will be my queen.” I knelt as custom demanded, the crowd following suit. Jane looked down at everyone, her pride barely concealed. Yet, where she couldn’t see, a faint smile crept across my lips. Oh, dear Jane, if you’re so eager to throw yourself into the fire, I can only help you burn.