After crossing into another world, I stayed by Zane Blackwood’s side for ten years. But in ten attempts to bear his child, each time the baby died because he was protecting his true love. The first time, just as the egg was born, he heard his beloved Ruby was under attack. Without a word, he transformed and ran off wildly. Leaving me alone to watch over the lifeless embryo. The second time, Ruby complained of feeling cold, so he gave away the heated stone bed meant for incubating our egg. Later, he became the most revered Serpent King of the tribe and promised I would be his most honored queen. He swore he would give me a child. But this tenth time, even though the egg had already cracked open, Zane held Ruby in his arms. She was under the influence of an aphrodisiac, and he solemnly vowed: “Aria, wait for me for three days. Once the poison is cured, I’ll return to continue incubating our egg.” I had already waited ten years. But these three days, I was no longer willing to wait. Later I heard that the Serpent King went mad searching every corner of the beast tribe lands. His scales fell off, his eyes turned blood-red, striking terror into all creatures. But he could not find me anywhere.
When Zane left holding Ruby with her flushed cheeks, I didn’t try to stop him. After all, this was already the tenth time he had abandoned our egg midway through incubation for Ruby’s sake. I was long used to scenes like this. It’s just that this time, our hatchling had already broken through its shell. Its fragile body was still covered in blood from hatching, its temperature slowly dropping… Yet Zane didn’t even spare a backward glance. In the cold wind, I sat alone in our nest. Only my friend Lily the rabbit secretly slipped me a seed: “Aria, this is a seed of the Forget-Me-Not flower,” Lily said in a low voice. “Plant it, and in seven days it will mature. If you eat it, you can conceal your aura and forget everything from your past.” I looked down at the unremarkable seed in my hand, feeling like a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on my heart. But in the end, I nodded. Then Lily left too. Inside the incubation cave, only I remained, holding the now stiff and cold hatchling, silently waiting for three days. Zane had lied to me. He never came back. I smiled faintly and tossed the cracked eggshell into the fire pit. The last glimmer of hope in my eyes extinguished along with the flames. That evening, a heavy snow began to fall in the valley. The cold wind gusted into the cave, stinging my cheeks. I buried the hatchling’s body along with the seed in the soil. My fingers were frozen red, tears crystallizing into ice. When I looked up again, I saw Zane watching me from afar, snow piling up on his shoulders. I thought I must be seeing things. But in the next instant, Zane strode through the wind and snow, pulling me into his embrace. I was immediately enveloped by his familiar scent of winter pine, reminding me of our first meeting ten years ago: Back then he was just a small emerald snake, nearly dead from a wolf’s bite. It was me, newly arrived in this world, who cut out half of my own beast core to feed him. From then on, Zane and I carried the same winter pine scent. No matter how far apart, Zane could always find me by following that scent. “Aria, I’m back,” he said. “I’m sorry, Ruby’s poison came on so suddenly, I had no choice but to stay with her,” Zane nuzzled my cheek, his voice impossibly gentle. “Don’t be angry. In just three short days, I missed you and our child terribly.” The child he claimed to think of constantly – its corpse was already cold. Zane pressed his forehead to mine, his breath warm, his gaze reverent. But he was clearly wrapped in an aura of lust, his fingertips still stained with Ruby’s rouge. Yet here he was, cradling my ice-cold ankles, bending to kiss them inch by inch: “Aria, trust me one last time. Ruby lost a fox tail because of me years ago and can never take human form again. I owe her, I have to repay that debt…” Zane had always been gentle with me, which only made it more painful when he hurt me. His voice lowered, tinged with careful hesitation: “Aria… Ruby is pregnant with my child.” “I plan to marry her and let her give birth to the baby.”
Zane’s words pierced my heart like a blade: “Aria, after Ruby has the baby, I’ll separate from her.” “It’s the only way I can make amends to her.” Zane’s gaze held a hint of uncertainty, as if testing my reaction. But how could Zane not know that years ago, I had cut out half my own beast core to save him? For ten years since then, I too had been unable to take human form. Who would repay the debt of my kindness? The pain in my chest felt like it would split me open. Zane’s thumb brushed my cheek as he cradled my face like a precious treasure: “…Aria, don’t cry.” Oh, so I was crying? “…Alright then. Go ahead and marry her.” I sighed softly. Zane froze for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes – guilt, helplessness, “Aria, this is Ruby’s first time being a mother. You have more experience, so I was hoping you could give her some advice.” I had been a mother so many times, yet not a single one of my offspring had survived. I closed my eyes briefly, only saying “Okay.” Ruby truly lived up to her fox heritage, naturally alluring and seductive. She clung affectionately to Zane’s arm, yet her eyes held an air of innocence, giving her a unique charm: “Big sister Aria, you have so many nice things here!” She liked this and wanted that, sweeping up all the items in the cave for herself. All the precious herbs and beautiful furs I had prepared for the baby were claimed by her: “Hehe, big sister Aria, it’s not like you’ll be using any of this stuff anyway, right? So why don’t you just give it all to me?” Ruby rummaged around, smiling sweetly as she spoke. Lily couldn’t stand it anymore. She started to speak up, but before she could say a word, Zane’s iron-like tail slammed her against the wall. Blood immediately spurted from her mouth! If I hadn’t stopped him, Zane would have crushed Lily’s beast core right then and there. “Oh my,” Ruby immediately put on an insincere smile: “Big sister, don’t be mad, I was just joking. Oh? What’s this?” Ruby pulled out a necklace inlaid with snake scales, her eyes lighting up. “Big sister Aria, can I borrow this to wear for a bit?” Years ago, before Zane became the Serpent King, his only wedding gift to me was a necklace made from the hardest scale on his body. Now, even this one symbol of our love, Ruby wanted to take away. I held the still-bleeding Lily, feeling cold all over, my nails digging into my palms. But Zane’s face was full of indulgence as he lightly tapped Ruby’s nose: “Of course. Whatever you want.” All the hurt and anger I had been holding back instantly evaporated. Who could defy the Serpent King’s beloved? The tribespeople gathered at the cave entrance, whispering amongst themselves. Their gazes toward me were full of sympathy and pity. The wedding day arrived. The tribe was decorated with lanterns and festive decorations. The ceremony was far grander than my wedding to Zane had been all those years ago. Ruby wore a dazzling gown, the snake scale necklace glittering at her throat. I turned away dejectedly, only wanting to leave this heartbreaking place. Where I had planted the seed, tender shoots had emerged. As if my lost child was greeting me. I had just reached out my hand, not even touching the leaves, when a foot stomped down hard: It was Zane’s personal guard in his icy armor. “Aria Winters, how dare you openly try to harm the Serpent Queen?!”
Ruby lay on the soft furs, her face pale, her fox eyes tinged red with distress. “Zane, my love…” she choked out, grasping Zane’s hand. “It hurts so much… Will the baby and I… make it?” Zane gripped her hand tightly, his eyes full of concern. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll save you no matter what.” Only then did he turn to look at me, his gaze as cold as ice. “Ruby was poisoned. That’s why she fell off the cliff on our wedding day, almost losing the baby.” Zane’s voice was slow and deliberate, chillingly cold. “The poison… was on the snake scale necklace you gave her!” The air seemed to freeze instantly. Zane threw the necklace at my face, cutting a bloody gash. I stared at Ruby in disbelief, but the guard’s foot pressed down harder on my back, forcing me to the ground. Ruby’s hand gently caressed her belly as she gave a sad, helpless smile: “Sister Aria, I know you don’t like me, but… the baby is innocent…” “The antidote!” Zane’s tail slammed the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. His massive serpent shadow loomed in the daylight. “I don’t have it.” I bit my lip hard, my eyes bloodshot. He stared at me, his tone ice cold: “No antidote? Then give Ruby the other half of your beast core. That will save her too.” My whole body shook. My beast core? I only had half a beast core left inside me, barely keeping me alive. If I cut it out again… “Zane, have you gone mad?” I stared at him in disbelief, my heart clenching painfully. I had carried his children ten times, given up half my beast core for him. Now he wanted me to cut myself open again to save his new love?! My nails dug into my palms as I trembled violently. “Aria, this isn’t a request.” Zane looked at me, his tone frosty, his gaze like he was looking at an unrepentant criminal – full of righteous pity. The guards immediately dragged out a small figure. She was pinned to the ground by the snake tribe guards, a cloth stuffed in her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. “Aria! Mmph mmph!” “Lily!” I desperately tried to go to her but was held back firmly by the guards, unable to move. Zane slowly turned, looking down at me coldly: “Either give up your beast core, or she dies. I’ll count to three.” It felt like my heart was being ripped to shreds. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Three.” “Two.” Seeing I wouldn’t speak, Zane’s blade sliced off half of Lily’s ear. “Ahhh!” He raised his hand again. I laughed bitterly in despair. Zane was willing to kill my best friend for the one he loved. “Fine.” I slowly closed my eyes, my nails digging into my palms as I said softly, “I’ll do it.” “Mmph?!” Surprisingly, Lily had the strongest reaction. She shook her head frantically, tears and blood streaming down her face. Zane’s gaze finally softened for an instant, while Ruby covered her mouth, a hint of a smile showing. The blade pressed against my chest, its sharp edge slowly cutting into my skin. The searing pain nearly made me collapse. The beast core inside me was slowly carved out, blood pooling on the ground. The air filled with the scent of winter pine mixed with the metallic tang of blood, so strong it was nauseating. Finally, the dull, lightless half of my beast core fell from my body into Zane’s palm. I collapsed to the ground, blood dripping from my body onto the cold stone floor. And Zane… he was still tightly holding Ruby in his arms. Ruby cradled the half beast core, letting out a soft laugh. “Thank you, sister Aria.” Her smile was gentle, like a mockery of me. In utter despair, I slowly closed my eyes, letting the blood flow from my fingertips. Fading into unconsciousness.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297107”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply