Chapter 3

Kendra couldn't believe her luck.

Without a second thought, she slapped her hand into his. "I would love nothing more, Your Highness~"

Her overly sweet voice made my skin crawl.

I turned my head, only to meet Seraphina’s assessing gaze. I simply offered her a small, quiet smile.

Having secured a partner, Damian regained his arrogant smirk. "Now, let’s see who the rest of you end up with."

He believed he was superior to all his brothers and wanted nothing more than to watch us fail.

Seraphina scanned the crowd of dragon warriors, her eyes calculating. Finally, her gaze settled on a quiet, unassuming man standing near the edge of the courtyard.

"I choose him," she declared firmly.

My heart skipped a beat. This had happened in my past life too.

Julian and Seraphina were truly made for each other. In our previous life, they went on to hatch a breathtaking Golden Dragon, and Julian eventually took the supreme throne.

I knew she would be happy with him.

Damian let out a mocking laugh. "Seraphina, you picked that nobody? What kind of useless runt do you expect him to give you? If you drop to your knees and beg, I might still consider taking you as a concubine."

Seraphina ignored his sneer completely. She walked straight toward Julian and stopped in front of him. "Will you have me?"

"Always," Julian answered without hesitation.

Seraphina was settled.

That left only me.

With my low status, I had no right to make demands. I was just a pheasant, after all.

And none of Damian’s brothers dared to step forward. After seeing me humiliate their crown prince, nobody wanted to paint a target on their back.

I was left alone. Exactly as I expected.

Alden waved an impatient hand, clearly sick of the circus. "That’s enough. The ceremony is over."

I didn't care about the dragon royals. I grew up in the Phoenix territory; I wasn't an ordinary wildfowl. I could always find someone outside the dragon lands. Dragons were merely an easy ladder to the top.

When I returned to my quarters, Seraphina was already waiting for me inside.

A faint, genuine smile played on her lips. "You’re smarter than you look, Freya."

I blinked, feigning confusion. "What do you mean, Seraphina?"

"Refusing Damian was the best decision you’ve ever made," she said gently. "Don't worry about finding a mate. I’ll keep an eye out for a good man for you."

I nodded obediently. "Thank you, Seraphina."

I realized then that Seraphina hadn't kept her memories from our past life; she was just naturally sharp and protective. In our last life, she had tried to warn me, but Damian manipulated me into believing she was jealous.

Thinking back on how blind I had been, I felt sick to my stomach.

"Rest well. You did the right thing today," she said warmly, placing a glowing, fiery red pearl into my hands. "I took this from the clan archives. It was tucked inside your blanket the day they found you as a baby."

Before I could reply, a sudden knock sounded at the door.