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Episode 1
Hundreds of lanterns decorated the road from the massive castle gates all the way to the palace boulevard.
Colorful gems sewn onto ribbons and cloth reflected the lantern light and sparkled beautifully.
It was a scene so stunning it looked like a painting.
If this had not been Sharie’s own wedding, she probably would have stared in awe with her mouth hanging open.
“Hey… is that really her?”
“Shh.”
Whispers spread among the guests seated at the ceremony.
I can feel killing intent.
Sharie forced herself not to look around with frightened eyes.
Right now, she felt like a herbivore dropped straight into enemy territory full of predators. Everywhere she looked were beasts with sharp poisonous fangs.
If she let her guard down even for a moment, it would not be strange if someone bit her neck.
“Bride Sharie Rosevin, do you swear before the Creator Goddess Gaia to accept your partner as your husband and share your fate with him for the rest of your life?”
The officiant’s stiff voice snapped her back to reality.
Sharie bit down hard on her lips, which were redder than usual from heavy makeup.
“Yes.”
She answered, but she knew better than anyone.
This marriage had nothing to do with love. It was purely political.
The cause of everything went back about fifty years.
Between the expanding territories of the Rabbit Tribe and the Snake Tribe, a vast land was discovered. The Sephiroth Plains.
The Sephiroth Plains were so fertile that people said honey and milk flowed through them.
Both tribes began farming the plains from the sides closest to their own lands.
Conflicts broke out, and eventually, it turned into a full scale war.
The Snake Tribe had always been born with superior physical abilities.
It would seem like the outcome was obvious, but the Rabbit Tribe had its own strength.
Their incredible reproductive ability.
Their numbers kept growing, allowing them to overwhelm with sheer manpower.
Neither side could gain the upper hand, and the war dragged on endlessly.
How long do we have to keep shedding pointless blood?
In the end, exhausted by the long conflict, the two tribes attempted reconciliation.
They agreed to farm the Sephiroth Plains together and divide the harvest equally.
Can we really trust those sly snakes?
And what about those sneaky rabbits?
Mutual distrust was already deeply rooted after the long war.
The tribes demanded proof of peace.
That proof was a political marriage.
Marriage is not a big deal.
Sharie slowly lowered her eyes.
Throughout history, alliances through marriage were nothing unusual.
She was not the only one ever used as a political tool.
So why did her heart feel so heavy?
Probably because something much worse was waiting.
“Groom Kaisa Graves, do you swear before the Goddess Gaia to accept your partner as your wife and share your fate with her for the rest of your life?”
Sharie unconsciously held her breath when the person beside her moved.
“I swear.”
The voice was deep, dark, and unmistakably powerful.
This man…
He was the one who would become her husband.
Sharie swallowed nervously.
Her vision was blurred by the veil covering her face.
Peeking through it, she saw a tall man with black hair, someone she had to look up at.
Kaisa Graves.
The leader of the Snake Tribe, infamous as a cold-blooded monster and a cruel dictator.
It was said he personally killed the siblings he grew up with.
Even the retainers who tried to stop or criticize him were slaughtered.
The terrifying rumors about him were known by every tribe.
Some men laughed it off, saying the rumors were exaggerated.
But Sharie knew the truth.
This world was the setting of the romance novel The Black Flower and the Golden Cage.
And Kaisa was the male lead who fell in love, then imprisoned the heroine and dragged the story to a tragic end.
I am doomed.
Sharie tightly shut her eyes and recalled her past life.
I never had a daughter like you.
Her mother died during childbirth. Her father, overwhelmed by raising a child alone, rarely came home.
She hated the damp, moldy basement apartment, so she started working part-time at a convenience store.
That was when she read The Black Flower and the Golden Cage.
The heroine, Olivia, was a noble lady from a prestigious family.
She was framed as a rebel, fell from grace, and suffered terribly after catching the attention of the obsessively devoted male lead.
That male lead was Kaisa.
Rejected by Olivia due to his cruelty, he ultimately imprisoned her at the end.
It was too heavy.
Especially the scene where Olivia tried to escape until the very end.
Kaisa whispering lovingly that he would cut off her limbs and preserve her just to keep her by his side forever was horrifying.
In real life, I would never want to get close to someone like that.
So how did I end up marrying him?
The truck was the problem.
After finishing her early morning shift, she was walking home.
The rain was heavy, and the road was quiet.
Lost in thought, she waited at a crosswalk.
Then it happened.
In the dark, rainy dawn, a massive truck ran toward her without stopping.
A loud crash, the world went dark, and then bright again.
A baby has been born!
That was how her new life began.
The problem was that her second life was not easy either.
There is too much bleeding. Poor Liliency. She could not even hold her baby before dying.
She lost her mother again at birth.
As chaos broke out around her, Sharie noticed the strange expression on the midwife’s face.
Furrowed brows. A twisted mouth.
That was not a look someone made when gazing at a newborn.
This child has no tail.
Back then, she did not know how tragic life would be for a tailless Rabbit Tribe member.
“Now, we will proceed with the final step of the ceremony.”
Sharie snapped back to the present.
Guests filled with curiosity, hostility, or indifference stared on. Even the officiant looked bored.
The wedding continued.
What is that man thinking right now?
Sharie Rosevin never existed in the original novel.
From the moment marriage talks began, everything had gone off script.
No one knew what would happen to her now.
She tried to think positively.
If I am lucky, maybe I can disappear quietly before the heroine appears.
Her small body trembled like a tree shaken by winter wind.
She had a bad habit of imagining the worst.
“Kaisa.”
The officiant handed him a shallow cup filled with wine.
It was a Snake Tribe tradition unfamiliar to the Rabbit Tribe.
Then suddenly, long fingers covered the back of Sharie’s hand.
The cold touch made her flinch.
“Drink first.”
There was faint amusement in the whisper by her ear.
There is no poison, right?
This marriage was part of a peace treaty.
Killing the bride would gain nothing.
Trying to calm herself, Sharie reached for the cup.
Clang!
The cup slipped from her shaking hands and shattered loudly.
The atmosphere froze.
Whispers spread as eyes turned toward her.
Someone clicked their tongue.
She did not know who it was.
If it was Kaisa, that was bad.
Countless subordinates had been killed just for angering him.
What about her?
She stood frozen, hands trembling.
“Again.”
The man calmly took control.
He accepted the cup from the officiant and drank it in one gulp without giving it to her.
What?
Before she could react, a strong arm pulled her waist close.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Through the thin dress, she felt his solid arm. Then soft, wet lips touched hers.
Before she could understand what was happening, he tilted his head and parted their lips.
A warm, thick liquid flowed deep into her mouth.
How far is it going in?
Sharie was just about to moan when everything went blank.
