I lost control and broke the legs of the two rabbit girls on the spot.

Abyron stared at me from the top of the bed, naked, and watched me hurt them without blinking.

I demanded a divorce and asked him why.

He simply rubbed his forehead and said, “Yoelle, snakes are lustful by nature. It’s not that I don’t love you. You simply can’t satisfy me. You may deal with the women around me however you wish, but I won’t divorce you.”

I knew he loved me. Because of our empathic bond, I knew exactly how deeply he loved me. But I could also sense his constantly heated state. Every day, he slept with other women.

Every time his desire rose, I started to hurt myself. At first, it worked. Later, he gradually stopped responding to my pain.

Until one night, after I drank too much, the Wolf King abducted me.

Abyron lost his mind and led an army against the Wolf Clan. I was rescued, but that event damaged me permanently. I lost my spiritual energy and began to rely on Abyron to sustain me. He gave me spiritual energy without restraint, but from that day on, he never touched me again.

He said nothing, but I understood his thoughts.

He did not believe that the Wolf King had left me untouched. He believed my body was tainted.

Because of the empathic bond, his desire stirred mine as well. He could satisfy himself, but I could not.

Desire tormented me constantly. At my breaking point, I met Auron Gold.

Auron was just an ordinary human. I found him by chance after he got lost nearby.

At that time, desire had taken over me. I begged him for intimacy. He took me back to his home but did not touch me. He cared for me all night. The next morning, when I saw his face, I asked if he would be my lover. He agreed.

From that day on, whenever Abyron was with other women, I stayed with Auron.

Over time, I grew attached to him. When he said he wanted to marry me, I decided to divorce Abyron.

Had the servants not mentioned it, I would have forgotten how long it had been since I last asked Abyron for spiritual energy.

After I started staying with Auron, my spiritual energy slowly returned. My body became tender under his touch.

No wonder the elders said a man’s care was a powerful tonic.

However, those two servants were wrong about one thing.

In Abyron’s heart, Xena was not even worth a single strand of my hair. He might have been curious about her, but it was nothing more than a fleeting interest.

The next day, Abyron dismissed the harem.

The women knelt outside of my chambers and begged me to plead with Abyron. They did not want to leave.

I was firmer than Abyron himself. “If this is the king’s command, leave the palace and live ordinary lives.”

Once they were done crying their fill, one of them dared to warn me, “Yoelle, don’t think that because you’re the queen, you’ll always remain by the king’s side. With the way he favors Xena, you’ll be abandoned sooner or later.”

Before I could respond, someone kicked her into the wall from behind. Abyron stood there with Xena.

“How dare you call the queen by her name? Anyone who says such things again will lose their tongue!” he growled with a fierce expression.

At his anger, the women immediately fell silent.

Soon, my chambers returned to quiet.

After they left, Abyron approached me. “Yoelle, Xena is now my consort. She is a human and can’t withstand the cold. Give her your chambers.”

Snakes preferred cold places. Their homes were usually damp and chilly.

When Abyron married me, he went to the East Sea to fetch warm jade and built these chambers specially for me. He had not wanted the dampness to harm me.

He had apparently forgotten that deer were even more sensitive to cold than humans.

I thought for a moment. The divorce would happen in two days anyway, so moving away two days early would not matter.

“Fine. I’ll move.”

Even though I had already agreed, Abyron seemed uneasy.

I stood and told the servants to pack my things, but he caught my hand. “Yoelle, if this bothers you, you don’t have to move.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. This place is closer to yours. It’ll be easier for her to attend to you.”

I was just stating facts, but he heard jealousy in my words and felt relieved.

“Don’t worry. No matter where you live, you’re my only queen. The crown prince of the Phoenix Clan is going to celebrate his birthday the day after tomorrow. Come with me.”

Among the beast clans, the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan held the highest status.

The Dragon King and the Phoenix King did not even truly belong to the beast clans. They belonged to the Divine Race of the heavens.

On the Phoenix Crown Prince’s birthday, all the beast clans gathered to offer their congratulations.

Abyron said he would bring me, but, in the end, the one standing by his side was Xena.

Several beast kings came forward to speak with him. They praised Xena and said they had long heard the Snake King’s queen was a rare beauty. Seeing her today, they were amazed.

Abyron listened with a faint smile. He did not correct them.

Those who knew the truth glanced at me with sympathy.

I could not bear their looks. I found a quiet corner and sat there alone.

While no one was paying attention, I studied the Oath Stone. Cracks covered its surface. Once tonight passed and the stone finally split, the bond between Abyron and me would be broken.

I had not seen Auron for three days. I wondered how he was doing.

As I thought about him, I overheard two people nearby.

“Isn’t the Phoenix Crown Prince especially close to the Dragon King? Why isn’t the Dragon King here today?”

“The Dragon King has been busy preparing for his wedding.”

The other person gasped. “The Dragon King is getting married? Whose daughter is it?”

I felt nothing when I heard that.

The Dragon King was like a distant god to us. I would never meet him in this lifetime. Our paths would never cross.

After estimating that enough time had passed, I returned to the banquet.

I was about to inform Abyron that I was leaving when I saw a crowd gathered ahead.

Abyron and Xena were kneeling on the floor. Fear was written all over his face. “Fire God, Xena can’t endure a lightning tribulation. Please withdraw your decree.”

I quietly asked someone beside me what had happened.

Xena had offended the Fire God and shattered his divine artifact. The Fire God was enraged and had decided to punish her with a lightning tribulation.

No wonder Abyron was so anxious.

A lightning tribulation was deadly. Even an ordinary beast king might not survive a single round.

Xena was only human.

The Fire God grew furious after hearing Abyron’s plea. “If she can’t endure it, then you can. Since she is someone you brought, you’ll take the punishment in her place.”

Abyron hesitated. He was about to turn one thousand years old. At that age, a heavenly tribulation would descend upon him.

For every beast clan, the king’s heavenly tribulation was the most dangerous time. If the king failed to survive it, rival clans would seize the chance to invade and divide his territory.

He could not risk taking Xena’s punishment.

Xena seemed to realize that as well. She was trembling with fear. She clutched Abyron’s robe. “Your Majesty, save me. I’ll never do it again.”

Abyron was torn. As he searched for a solution, he suddenly looked up and saw me.

The tension in his expression eased.

I sensed what he was thinking and instinctively stepped back.

It was too late.

“Fire God, if someone must face the lightning tribulation today, then let my queen take it.” Abyron pointed at me. “We’ve formed an empathic bond. It makes no difference whether she or I face the punishment.”

Everyone turned to look at me.

Abyron stood up and took my hand. His voice softened. “Yoelle, Xena is a human. She won’t survive this. Can you take her place?”

My whole body trembled, and my heart ached. “Are you certain you want me to do this? What if I die under the lightning tribulation?”

Abyron frowned. “You’re a deer spirit. You won’t die. But Xena truly will. If you agree, I’ll do anything for you.”

He gripped my hand so tightly it hurt.

I knew that even if I refused, I would still be pushed to face it.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again. “Alright.”

The moment I agreed, dark clouds swallowed the sky. Thunder roared overhead as I walked toward the heart of the storm.

The second I stepped away from Abyron, I felt his regret wash over me in waves.

“Yoelle, don’t…”

Before he could grab my sleeve, Xena collapsed behind him.

He did not hesitate. He picked her up and turned away.

The instant he left, the heavenly lightning struck me.

Thunder roared through the sky.

The first bolt was already more than I could bear.

Pain tore through me from head to toe. It felt as if my limbs were splitting apart.

One strike. Two. Three.

The torment lasted the entire night.

When the lightning finally ended, my body was covered in wounds.

The crowd slowly dispersed. I reached into my chest and took out the Oath Stone.

The stone that had once been unbreakable had shattered into pieces.

Good.

The bond between Abyron and me was finally gone.

From today onward, regardless of what happened, we had nothing to do with each other.

Soon, one of Abyron’s guards came to take me back. He gave me a secret medicine from the Snake Clan and told me to swallow it.

He said that Abyron was busy with official matters and could not come himself, so he sent him instead. After taking the medicine and regaining a little strength, I forced myself to walk to the pool and wash my face.

When I turned around, it was already dawn.

Three days had passed. It was the day I had promised to meet Auron.

I swayed as I walked toward his place.

The guard hurried after me and blocked my path. “Your Majesty, this is not the way back to the Snake Clan.”

“Let go.” I shoved him aside. “I’m not going back.”

“What?”

Ignoring his shock, I tossed the shattered Oath Stone into his hands. “Give this to Abyron. Tell him we’re done.”