The Prince of the Eagle Clan and the Prince of the Merfolk have come of age. As human princesses, my sister and I are to be married off to form alliances. My sister Willow chose the handsome and gentle Merfolk prince. I married the fierce-looking Eagle prince. A year later, I returned to my homeland triumphantly riding on Hawk’s back. Willow, however, looked pale and frightened as she glanced at Finn. When Willow and I were alone, I saw the wounds on her body. Just as I was about to help her seek revenge, Willow suddenly plunged a dagger into my body. When I opened my eyes again, Willow and I had returned to the day we were choosing our husbands. Before Willow could speak, Hawk eagerly said he wanted to marry her. Willow looked surprised and delighted, hastily agreeing. I raised an eyebrow and smiled. It seems we’ve both returned. Me? I’m an expert at taming beasts! “Aria, Willow, the two princes have arrived. Mind your manners!” a familiar voice called out. I was momentarily confused, then looked towards the cold expression of our father on his throne. In an instant, I understood – I had been reborn! My sister Willow was sitting beside me, muttering to herself. “We’re back! We’re really back! It wasn’t a lie after all!” I calmly picked up the teacup in front of me and took a small sip. How interesting. It seems I have this ungrateful sister to thank for this second chance at life. Willow leaned in close to whisper to me. “Sister, this time I will win Hawk’s love and enjoy all the glory. While you? You’ll be stuck living among stinking fish!” In my past life, Willow had tearfully shown me her injuries, claiming Finn was cruel and violent. She said she was covered in wounds and feared for her life. After all, she was my sister. Out of kindness, I had offered to help “tame” Finn for her. But as I turned away, Willow stabbed me in the back. I looked at her in shock as she pulled out the knife, her face twisted with hatred. She stabbed me again and again, finally slashing across my eyes. I let out an agonized scream. Willow just laughed, grabbing my chin and sneering: “Aria, why should you always be on top? Why should your life be better than mine? Even in death, I want you to suffer horribly.” The feeling of my eyeballs rupturing still lingered. I blinked and looked at Willow. Willow was grinning triumphantly, about to speak again when Hawk and Finn entered together, just like in my past life. Our father then gave his opening speech: “Princes, Aria and Willow are my most exceptional daughters. I will not arrange their marriages for them. Young people should decide such matters for themselves!” As soon as Father finished speaking, Willow eagerly stood up. But before she could say anything, Hawk spoke up, very different from his cold demeanor in my past life: “Princess Willow is beautiful and virtuous. I, Hawk, humbly request Princess Willow’s hand in marriage from Your Majesty!” Willow froze for a moment, then couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. Seeing Father look her way, Willow quickly curtsied. “Father, I also favor the Eagle Prince and am willing to marry him! Besides, my sister is delicate and frail. The Eagle Clan rules the skies and requires great strength. I fear my sister may not be able to handle such a demanding life!” Willow spoke excitedly, not noticing Hawk’s twitching lips as she called me weak and frail. Father nodded approvingly, agreeing with Willow. “Such grace and consideration! Truly befitting a princess!” You senile old fool, isn’t that basically insulting Finn by implying he’s weak? However, Finn still stood there smiling gently as always, though his teeth seemed to gleam a bit brighter. I had to admit, the Merfolk were renowned for their beauty. Finn’s face was truly captivating. When he smiled warmly, it was as if he could steal your soul away. No wonder Willow had fallen for him at first sight in my past life, eagerly choosing Finn before either prince could speak. On the way back to my chambers, Willow caught up to me. “Sister, the Merfolk Prince is so incredibly handsome. You’re so lucky! Though I wonder how long your frail body will last in his bed?” The malice in Willow’s eyes was almost palpable. She seemed eager to see me suffer a miserable fate. I replied with feigned confusion: “Sister, the Merfolk Prince seems very gentle. It’s the Eagle Prince who looks fierce. You should take care to protect yourself!” I truly hoped my sister would protect herself well. It would be a shame if she didn’t survive long enough for me to get my revenge! In my past life, I had married Hawk. He took me to the eagle’s nest high in the mountains. Before I could recover from the dizzying flight, I was overwhelmed by altitude sickness. I was violently ill, my head spinning. To make matters worse, the eagles relieved themselves right off the edge of the cliff. I nearly tumbled off to my death. At first, I couldn’t adapt to the eagle clan’s ways at all. But beast-men aren’t known for being gentle or considerate. The eagles were volatile and quick to anger, especially Hawk as their leader. I suffered greatly in those early days. It took half a year before I grew accustomed to the physical effects of living at such high altitudes. Only then could I begin the process of taming Hawk bit by bit. Long before I knew I would marry into a beast clan, I had begun studying their habits and weaknesses. Whether eagle or merfolk, I needed to know my enemy to survive comfortably. If Willow thought Hawk had a good temperament just because she saw me riding on his back when I returned home, she was in for quite a surprise. Her days would certainly be… eventful. Ever since the great war a thousand years ago, the royal families ruling the sea, land and sky were required to intermarry every hundred years. Though the eagle and merfolk clans were powerful, they had very small populations and struggled to reproduce. Humans may be physically weaker, but we are extremely fertile. The beast clans coveted this trait, which is why they demanded marriages with the human royal family. But since humans have much shorter lifespans than the beast clans, they always wait for the beast princes to come of age before arranging the marriages. This generation, it was Willow’s and my turn. In my past life, I had managed to tame Hawk. This time… well, aren’t merfolk beasts too? Taming beasts is my specialty!
Willow gave me a meaningful look before walking away. Soon, the day arrived for Willow and I to be married. Though we called it a wedding, it really just involved us walking out of the palace gates in red bridal gowns. The rest of the journey would be handled by our respective husbands-to-be. In my past life, as soon as we exited the gates, Hawk had grabbed me and taken flight. By the time we reached the eagle’s nest, I felt like my soul had been scattered to the winds. Then came the suffocating altitude sickness! Now, Willow and I walked along the palace pathway with our future husbands at our sides. Willow suddenly turned to Finn and said sweetly: “Brother-in-law, you must take good ‘care’ of my sister!” Finn blinked at her words, then replied gently: “Of course!” Willow beamed with satisfaction. Well, I couldn’t let that pass unremarked. I looked at Hawk and said: “Brother-in-law, I’ll be very upset if my sister isn’t… happy!” Willow was still smiling smugly, completely missing how Hawk’s body instinctively trembled when I addressed him. “Don’t worry, Princess. I will take good care of the Second Princess,” Hawk replied. Hearing this, Willow looked even more pleased as she strode ahead of me towards the palace gates. By the time I reached the outer gates, Willow and Hawk had already disappeared. I hope my sister’s beautiful black hair has a safe journey! Finn and I took a carriage towards the nearest coastline. Inside the carriage, Finn gazed at me tenderly. Predators are driven by hunger and lust. I was feeling a bit… restless. I shifted closer to Finn, taking his hand in mine. “Husband, you must behave yourself from now on!” If he misbehaves, I might get even more excited. Finn’s usually smiling eyes widened in surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected me to act this way. Then his smile broadened, revealing sharp fangs. “My lady, I’m thirsty. You know merfolk can’t be away from water for long!” As he spoke, Finn’s handsome face drew closer to my neck, burying his head there as if in an intimate embrace. I wrapped my arms around Finn. “Thirsty? Let me help you with that!” When I felt a slight pain on my neck, Finn’s body suddenly trembled. He jerked his head up, glaring at me furiously. I raised my hand to his lips, letting drops of blue liquid fall. “Drink up. Your own venom shouldn’t kill you, right?” Finn yanked out the dagger hidden behind his back and tossed it aside. Scales appeared around his ears as his teeth grew even sharper. He was transforming in his anger! Finn’s slender hand suddenly gripped my throat tightly. A wicked smirk played across his lips. “My lady, perhaps I should find out if your blood tastes sweeter?” I managed a strained smile and rasped out: “Go ahead!” There was a sudden squelching sound of a blade piercing flesh. Finn clutched his partially transformed tail in agony. A dagger was firmly embedded in it. I rubbed my sore neck. “My apologies. I prefer blades and always carry a few on me!” Finn held his wounded tail, his fake smile completely gone. The merfolk’s weakness lies in their tails, especially when on land. A wounded tail saps much of their strength. The scales on a merfolk’s tail are extremely tough. Ordinary human weapons can’t easily penetrate them. But everyone has their vulnerable spots! If my aim had been off by even an inch, I might have lost any chance at future “happiness”. “Finn, you won’t dare kill me outright. And if you try to torture me, well, remember I am your mate now.” I glanced meaningfully at his injured lower half. “It would be quite unfortunate if I were to… slip up one day!” Finn stared at me expressionlessly, then resumed his gentle demeanor. The carriage moved swiftly. Soon Finn and I arrived at the coast. After swallowing a water-breathing pearl, I unhesitatingly jumped into the sea with Finn. Perhaps due to the blood from Finn’s wound, we didn’t encounter a single fish on the way to the merfolk palace. The beast clans were incredibly efficient. As soon as Finn and I reached the merfolk palace, the bonding ceremony began. A new water-breathing pearl was hung around my neck. With that, the ceremony concluded. Three days after the bonding, I was to return home and present this new pearl to my father.
But I never expected Willow to return as well, riding on Hawk’s back. Willow clung to Hawk’s arm. Though her face was somewhat pale, she still lifted her chin haughtily when she saw me, deliberately showing off some faint marks on her neck. “Sister, Hawk truly cherishes me so much. We’re blissfully happy now. I think I’ll soon be carrying the next little prince or princess of the Eagle Clan!” Then Willow made a show of looking behind me. “Oh my! Sister, did you come back alone? Where is your husband? Didn’t he accompany you?” Of course, your brother-in-law is recuperating from his injuries! “Sister, you and your husband seem so close. I’m truly, deeply envious!” Willow took my words as genuine jealousy. She turned to Hawk and cooed: “Darling, I’ll give you a child very soon!” Beast-men place great importance on offspring. Hearing Willow say this, Hawk’s gaze towards her grew even warmer. I was rather curious how Willow planned to lay an egg! In my past life, Hawk couldn’t even look at me without his legs going weak, let alone consummate our marriage. I’d never witnessed the egg-laying process. How intriguing! “Sister, when the little eagle prince or princess is ready to hatch, be sure to invite me to watch. I’m so curious how humans lay eggs!” Willow glared at me angrily. “Aria, I swear I’ll have a better life than you this time!” I handed the water-breathing pearl to Father, intending to leave immediately. But thinking of Willow left me feeling unsettled. So I changed course and went to find Hawk instead. When Hawk saw me, he instinctively took half a step back. I mentally rolled my eyes. Just because I plucked all his feathers once, was that any reason to be so afraid of me? “It’s been a while, brother-in-law!” Hawk steadied himself, seemingly remembering this wasn’t his past life. He put on an intimidating front. “Princess Aria, we just saw each other today!” I sat down in a chair, popping a grape into my mouth. “Hawk, the grapes you picked from South Mountain were much sweeter.” Hawk’s expression changed drastically. His pupils dilated as he stared at me. “You… you…” When I returned to the Merfolk, Finn’s wound had almost completely healed. What disappointing news. Fortunately, within three days I received some good news. Willow had fallen from the eagle’s nest. Though Hawk managed to save her in time, she still broke her leg! Trading all his feathers for one of her legs seemed like a fair exchange! I was in a good mood and decided to seek out my absent merfolk husband. I called for a servant girl. “Where is His Highness?” Without even looking up, the girl replied curtly, “Don’t know!” Her tone was full of impatience. How delightful! That evening, as I was enjoying some fish soup, Finn stormed in angrily. He knocked the bowl out of my hands. “Aria, you truly have a heart of venom! Using my clan’s servant girl to make soup – are human princesses really so delicate that my merfolk can’t afford to keep you?” I ladled myself another bowl of soup. “What are you talking about, Your Highness? How could I possibly cook a merfolk servant? This is just ordinary fish. See for yourself!” Finn’s anger subsided slightly as he frowned. “Where is Snow Grace? Why haven’t I seen her?” Ah, so that servant was called Snow Grace. I pointed to a bloodied, lifeless body in the corner. “Snow Grace is right there! You misunderstood me, Your Highness. I don’t eat fish that have gained sentience. It’s unsanitary!” Finn stared at me in disbelief. He suddenly stood up, then immediately collapsed to the ground. I set down my soup and walked over to Finn, clearly seeing the fear growing in his eyes. “I hadn’t planned to kill that servant girl. But she called me a lowly human and spat at me. It would have been remiss not to kill her.” Ever since my mother died, I knew that only by being strong could one avoid being manipulated. Only by inspiring fear could one gain respect. This palace was filled with an incense of my own making. The antidote was hidden in the fish soup. “Your Highness, I’ve heard that every member of the Merfolk has a heart scale. They’re incredibly precious. Is it true that possessing a merfolk’s heart scale allows one to control them?”
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