When informed of my death in a past life, the Empress had coldly remarked, "Phoebe was nothing but a cursed child, unworthy of being a queen. That Elara claimed her heart was only fitting."
"Her death was well-deserved. Let us speak no more of her; she brings misfortune."
Labeled as a misfortune, I vowed to no longer grovel for their paltry affection in this lifetime.
Raised in opulence, Elara had always been ensconced above the common fray, unaware of the harsh realities awaiting her among the beasts.
I left the mountain alone, unaccompanied and unmissed.
Fate, however, led me straight into the procession of the Beast King, coming to collect Elara.
He appeared in human form, his dark robes accentuating his unnaturally pale complexion, greeting me with a nobleman's bow.
"Excuse me, lady, might this be the abode of the Phoenix Palace?"
His smile was a warm breeze, yet it sent shivers of ice through me.
Despite rebirth, he was still the specter of my deepest fears, a perfect pretender to virtue.
In my previous life, he had not waited for my coming of age before he chained me to the nuptial bed, tortured me with steel needles, and drank my blood to enhance his own dark powers.
His strength increased, and he fed my flesh to his soldiers, heightening their ferocity without end.
He would harvest my flesh periodically, careful to spare my heart to allow for my regeneration.
Eventually, he tapped directly into the heart's blood for his vile rituals.
Born of the Dragon Lord's second son, Zagan, the Beast King, was inherently cruel and quick to anger, a lover of strife.
Disdaining his own beastly heritage, he despised all realms alike.
Only the sacred blood of a Phoenix could facilitate his ascension; he sought enlightenment not for peace, but to bring ruin.
As I pondered this, a forceful magic swept me aside.
The Empress and a radiantly dressed Elara approached; Elara glanced at me warningly before shyly meeting the Beast King's gaze.
"Forgive this lowly one for obstructing your path, my lord," she said with a demure air.
Despite her demureness, she could not resist admiring the Beast King—handsome in form, yet utterly false.
Zagan studied Elara with a feigned gentlemanly smile, his eyes barely concealing a predatory satisfaction.
"Legends of the Phoenix heiress's beauty did not overstate; to have Lady Elara's favor is a fortune across my many lives. She alone shall hold my heart."