00:00My father's mistress tried to poison me, the poison rotting her from the gut outward and I was intact, maids,
00:04midwives, and guards.
00:06All those who wanted to harm me died the way they wanted me to die.
00:08Any harm inflicted upon my body will be reflected back onto others.
00:12Everyone believed I was a devil.
00:14My father wanted to burn me alive, but my guileless sister Cecilia saved me from the fire.
00:18But fate played a cruel trick on my kind-hearted sister.
00:21She was sent by our heartless father to marry the brutal Serpent King.
00:24She was cruelly cut open on schedule, made into a living blood font.
00:27Her blood drained to sustain the Serpent King's mistress.
00:30The Serpent King later slaughtered our clan, and I, alone and hopeless, worked with Cecilia tragically.
00:35When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day of the matching ball.
00:39I swear I shall avenge us in this life, in my past life.
00:42It was a pity that I married the kind Lion Arbiter, Serpent King, and I would have been a perfect
00:46match in hell.
00:47I would only be a thousand times more wicked than him.
00:49So when Serpent King and Lion Abeter stood in front of me and Cecilia at the same time,
00:53I walked towards Serpent King without hesitation.
00:56Cecilia still clutched my hand, tears welling in her eyes.
00:58Jesper, you'll die there.
01:00I'll go in your place.
01:01I shook my head and clutched the marriage contract and laughed.
01:04This time, neither of us will die.
01:06Three days later, two matching ceremonies were held at once.
01:09Lucien, the Lion Arbiter, came to collect Cecilia himself.
01:12He arrived in formal white and gold, the kind of man who made ceremonial dress look effortless.
01:16Be good to her, I thought, watching him help Cecilia into the carriage.
01:19She deserves your love.
01:21Then I turned and stepped into my own.
01:23Cale had not come to meet me.
01:24He'd spent last night at a brothel house with his mistress and couldn't drag himself out
01:28of bed before noon.
01:29I thought Cale not coming to meet my procession was insult enough.
01:32It wasn't.
01:33When the matching ceremony began, he still hadn't appeared.
01:36What came in his place was a spider larger than my fist, its legs polished black, adorned
01:40with a ceremonial ribbon tied around its midsection.
01:42It was placed on the altar before me.
01:44The hall murmured,
01:45Is the Serpent King really doing this?
01:47A human bride bound to a pest.
01:48How fitting.
01:49If I were her, I'd kill myself.
01:51What's left to preserve?
01:52Cale's attendant stepped forward, voice carefully blank.
01:55My lady, the king was occupied through the night and could not rise in time.
02:00This is his most prized companion.
02:02He felt it appropriate that it stand in his place for the ceremony.
02:05The king despises me.
02:06Even his servants don't bother hiding it.
02:08I said nothing.
02:09I looked past him to the Queen Mother seated on the high dais.
02:11She didn't rebuke him.
02:13She said evenly,
02:13Your husband returned from campaign, exhausted.
02:16As his mate, Grace, is expected of you.
02:19The guests are waiting.
02:20Complete the ceremony.
02:22This was what Cecilia had endured in our past life.
02:24She never told me.
02:25The Queen Mother's eyes narrowed.
02:26Vespas, stop stalling.
02:29I turned to her slowly.
02:30You're asking me to complete a matching ceremony with a bug?
02:33So the Serpent King is equivalent to this bug?
02:35How dare you!
02:37I dare nothing.
02:38I came here to bind myself to a king, not a bug.
02:41I tilted my head's silence, then scattered laughter.
02:44Nervous, surprised, quickly smothered.
02:46The Queen Mother's composure cracked at the edges.
02:48The spider felt the shift in the air.
02:49It lunged, spitting venom at me.
02:51I dodged and drove the candlestick spike through it in one clean motion.
02:54Venom splattered across the stone.
02:56A black stain spread outward from the altar.
02:58Droplets caught the front of my wedding lights.
03:00Dark, deliberate looking.
03:02She killed it.
03:03The hall erupted.
03:04She killed the king's companion.
03:05The Queen Mother was on her feet.
03:07One hand braced against the daze, shaking.
03:09You!
03:10It attacked me.
03:11I pulled the spike, free, and wiped it on the altar cloth.
03:15What would you have had me do?
03:17Seize her!
03:18Someone fetch the king!
03:20The doors opened.
03:21The ground trembled faintly as Kale walked in.
03:23He was in black armor.
03:24A serpent tail arched at his spine, tip gleaming silver.
03:27Eyes that swept the room and landed on me.
03:29On the crushed creature.
03:30On the stain spreading across the altar stone.
03:32And the absolute calm on my face.
03:33You killed my spider.
03:35His voice was quiet.
03:36That was worse than shouting.
03:38It started first.
03:39I'm going to kill you.
03:41I smiled.
03:42I knew he'd come eventually.
03:43Kale crossed the hall in a few strides and beckoned.
03:46Then thousands of serpents swarmed forward.
03:49I didn't move.
03:50The guests held their breath.
03:51Half terrified, half fascinated.
03:53Wondering if he'd actually do it.
03:54A swarm of serpents had crawled up to my waist.
03:57Kale, I said it quietly.
03:59Just before the a serpent's tail stopped an inch from my throat.
04:02Kill me, and you'll die.
