Chapter 1

1

In my past life, my sister set her sights on the majestic, powerful dragon. She didn't hesitate for a second to marry him.

I was left with the unremarkable merman.

She thought she was destined to be the Queen of the Dragon Realm. But the dragon failed his celestial trials. Because she was his bonded mate, she was dragged down with him and nearly lost her life.

Meanwhile, that plain merman unexpectedly inherited the power of the Sea God. He became royalty of the deep, and everyone knew I was the future Queen.

At the victory banquet, my sister poisoned my wine in a fit of jealousy.

Now, I have been given a second chance. My sister couldn't wait to run toward the merman. "The throne of the Sea Queen will be mine!" she shrieked.

But she has no idea. That merman is naturally sadistic. He finds his only joy in tormenting others.

……

Our family, the Vances, are part of the human aristocracy. To maintain our status and gain a bit of dragon essence, we have always kept an alliance through marriage with the Dragon Clan.

In my previous life, when it was time for us to choose our husbands, the Siren tribe arrived. They brought an ancient token, asking for a bride.

My sister, Roxanne, fell in love with the handsome and imposing dragon, Myles, at first sight. She cried and threw a tantrum until our father agreed to let her marry him. I was forced to settle for the merman, Xander.

But Myles failed his ascension trial. Roxanne was his bonded mate, so she suffered the backlash. If our father hadn't arrived just in time to save her, she would have died.

Even so, she ended up a broken, powerless shell of a woman.

The merman I married, however, received the inheritance of the Sovereign of the Depths. He rose to the highest rank of royalty.

Roxanne hated that I was the future Queen. So, she murdered me.

When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had returned to the day of the choosing.

……

By the time I fully regained my senses, our father had already promised me to Xander.

I looked at the plain merman standing beside me. A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I thought that even with a second life, I couldn't change my fate.

Just as I was sinking into despair, Roxanne suddenly spoke up. "I won't marry Myles. I want to marry Xander."

The room fell into a shocked silence. The man standing next to her, Myles, looked absolutely livid.

I saw the feverish excitement in Roxanne's eyes. I knew right then that she had been reborn too.

In this life, she intended to use our father's favoritism to steal my engagement.

Our father's expression soured. "Roxanne, marriage is not a game you can play at your whim."

She didn't listen. She rushed over to Xander and shoved me aside to take my place. I stumbled, nearly falling, but a strong hand caught my arm.

I looked up. It was Myles.

Roxanne realized she was being too obvious. She quickly added, "Father, as you said, marriage is serious. Xander originally came to ask for me. We shouldn't break the agreement. Besides… my heart belongs to him."

She faked a shy blush. Seeing her like this, our father sighed and gave his consent.

I wasn't surprised at all. Roxanne was the only daughter of his first wife, who died giving birth to her. He had always pampered her beyond reason.

Since we were children, she was always the one to choose first. Sometimes, she would even steal whatever little I had left.

I looked at my biased father with cold eyes. Suddenly, I felt a warmth in my palm.

Myles was holding my hand. His eyes were filled with warmth. It thawed the icy chill my father had left in my heart.

Roxanne triumphantly linked her arm with Xander's. she looked at us with pure disdain.

As we brushed past each other, she whispered in my ear. "Little sister, in this life, you can go to the grave with that dragon. The crown is mine."

I lowered my head to hide the smile playing on my lips.

My foolish sister. She had been so spoiled that she didn't know how dangerous the world really was.

The Sirens are a brutal race. They enjoy inflicting pain. In my last life, Xander tortured me until there wasn't a single patch of healthy skin left on my body.

Besides, she had swapped grooms at the last minute. That petty merman was definitely going to hold a grudge.