Chapter 1

"They said I was just a piece of trash, only fit to be a substitute bride for the lunatic Abyssal Dragon Duke." I smirked, twisting the bone bracelet that sealed my venomous power. My fake sister wept pitifully, "Visenya, at worst, I'll bear the Duke's wrath myself." Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea. When the bloodthirsty Duke finally cornered me, he didn't tear me apart. Instead, he kissed my fingertips and chuckled. "So, my little bride, shall we slaughter the Emperor and take the throne for fun?" "Deal," I smiled. "But if you drag me down, I'll kill you too."

——

"Sis, slow down. Out in the countryside... I suppose you've never seen magic beast meat before."

I sat in the shadowy corner, methodically tearing at the rare roast meat on my plate.

A voice, so fragile and sweet it practically dripped with innocence, rang out abruptly over the noisy hall.

It was Celia.

The fake daughter the Marquis Renault estate had raised for sixteen years, and now the Imperial Capital's most highly sought-after "White Dragon Knight."

Draped in a shimmering moonlight-gauze gown and crowned with pure white dragon scales, she looked like a flawless saint.

I, on the other hand, wore a dusty, threadbare cloak, my wrist wrapped in a crude, dull string of beast-bone beads.

The contrast was blindingly harsh.

The surrounding nobles halted their chatter, their eyes darting toward me in unison.

"This is the biological daughter Marquis Renault just brought back? She reeks of dragon dung."

"I heard she couldn't even form a contract with a bottom-tier pseudo-dragon. A total piece of trash."

"The Marquis is too kind for bringing her back. If you ask me, a wild mutt like her should have been left to rot in the Exiled Lands."

"The funniest part is that she's actually taking Lady Celia's place to marry that lunatic, the Abyssal Dragon Duke! Who doesn't know his Abyssal Dragon loves feeding on trash?"

Unconcealed mockery echoed from all sides.

A dark gleam of smugness flashed in Celia’s eyes, though her face twisted into a mask of frantic anxiety.

She took two steps forward, reaching out to grasp my hand.

"Visenya, don't listen to their nonsense. Taking my place to marry Duke Zelos is a blessing for you. His Grace might have a bit of a temper, but he is a Prince of the Blood, after all..."

She paused, her eyes reddening. "If you are truly terrified, I... I can go beg the First Prince to call off the engagement. At worst, I will bear the Duke's wrath myself."

What a perfect, pitiful little white lotus swaying in the wind.

Gasps of admiration and shock rippled through the crowd.

"Lady Celia is far too kind!"

"Why should you sacrifice yourself for this piece of trash?"

I ignored the surrounding clamor.

I simply sliced off another piece of bloody meat and placed it into my mouth.

My movements were elegant, yet they exuded a bone-chilling coldness.

"Are you done?"

I swallowed the last bite, wiped my mouth with a handkerchief, and finally raised my eyes to look at her.

With just one look, the pity on Celia's face froze.

She subconsciously took a half-step back, as if she were being preyed upon by an apex predator.

"Visenya, why... why are you looking at me like that? I only ache for you..." She bit her lip, her voice trembling with a hint of aggrieved sobs.

"Ache for me?" I suddenly chuckled.

I stood up, my gray cloak slicing a harsh, cold arc through the light.

I was half a head taller than her, and I stared down at her from my vantage point.

"What exactly are you aching for? Aching over the fact that a cuckoo stole my nest for sixteen years? Or aching because that trash White Dragon of yours, mutated by forbidden potions, is on the verge of an uncontrollable backlash?"

Dead silence descended upon the hall.

Everyone’s eyes went wide with shock.

Celia’s face went deathly pale, her pupils constricting.

"You... what nonsense are you spouting?! My White Dragon was blessed by the Temple of Light!" she shrieked.

"You know deep down whether it's nonsense or not," I drawled, lazily twisting the beast-bone bracelet on my wrist.

I detested people acting in front of me, especially when the performance was this utterly pathetic.

"You countryside trash! How dare you insult Lady Celia's White Dragon?!"

A young noble in knight's armor violently drew the longsword at his waist, aiming the tip directly at my throat.

"Kneel and apologize to Lady Celia immediately! Otherwise, I'll do the Marquis a favor and teach an arrogant wild brat like you a lesson today!"

Staring at the gleaming tip of his blade, my smile only deepened.

"Teach me a lesson?"

Instead of backing down, I took a step forward.

The blade pressed against my throat, piercing the skin and drawing a bead of crimson blood.

"Go ahead. Try it," I murmured, staring dead into his eyes, my voice as soft as a lover's whisper.

His hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

Right at that moment, Celia suddenly lunged forward.

"Don't hurt my sister!"

She appeared to be stopping him, but in reality, she viciously seized my wrist.

Her nails dug deeply into my flesh, but her true target was the crude beast-bone bracelet on my wrist.

"Visenya, just apologize!"

She gave it a violent yank.

The "Sealing Dragon-Bone Bracelet"—the very thing suppressing the tyrannical, violent dragon bloodline inside me—snapped.

The smile on my face slowly vanished.