Reborn Queen's Gambit

Draco's cool voice sounded beside my ear.

"Clarice, I know you chose me because you had no other option. But I promise, within my power, I will never let you suffer."

I turned instinctively at the sound of his voice and accidentally stumbled into his chest.

A strange yet pleasant scent drifted into my nose.

I looked up at him and said slowly, with deliberate clarity, "Draco, I chose you willingly."

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Draco's eyes. "…Alright. Clarice."

Three days later, the wedding arrived as scheduled.

Both ceremonies were held in the same grand restaurant.

The wolf clan's wedding was even more extravagant than in my previous life. They had gone so far as to invite the reclusive phoenix clan to perform, and all the major noble houses attended in full force.

Meanwhile, the serpent clan's celebration was quieter, with no distinguished guests, yet the clan members beamed with genuine joy. After all, this was their first marriage to a human—a sign they might finally have a chance at producing the next ruler of the alliance.

After the ceremony, I ran into Bella face-to-face. She deliberately tilted her chin, making sure I noticed the marks on her neck.

"Clarice, I didn't know wolf men had such… stamina. At this rate, I'll be giving them an heir in no time."

I smiled politely. "Then I sincerely wish you the best of luck."

Bella was grossly underestimating the difficulty of pregnancy between humans and beastkin. Our species was fundamentally different. Even in the best conditions, natural conception took at least a year.

She assumed I got pregnant easily in our past life, and so she believed the same would come just as easily to her. She even boasted to the wolf clan that she'd be pregnant within six months. Word had spread quickly.

Seeing how confident she was, Jacob hadn't even questioned it.

But to Bella, my composure looked like a personal challenge.

"Forget it. It's not like you'd understand anyway. You've married into a beggar's den."

She shot a disdainful glance at the serpent clan members nearby, lifted her skirt, and walked past me.

I grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Bella, apologize. Apologize to the serpent clan."

Her expression darkened. She yanked her arm free and yelled, "Clarice, have you lost your mind?!"

The remaining guests in the hall stopped to watch as we argued, eager for the drama.

In the end, our father had to step in. Once he understood what had happened, he forced Bella to apologize to the serpent clan.

Though the serpent clan ranked lowest among the beastkin, they would still unite against human humiliation.

Before leaving, Bella shot me a vicious glare and muttered under her breath, "Clarice, I'm going to win this life. Just you wait."

On our wedding night, I stared at Draco's bare body, frozen in place.

No one had ever told me snakes had two...

Seeing me motionless on the bed, Draco misunderstood. With a pale expression, he bent down to gather his clothes and began dressing.

"What do you think you're doing?" I snatched the fabric from his hands, my displeasure written all over my face.

"I… I thought you didn't want to…" he stammered, standing awkwardly by the bed, the emerald in his eyes dimming.

If he wouldn't make the first move, then I would.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down onto the bed. As our bodies touched, that subtle, familiar scent surrounded me again.

"Draco… you smell really nice," I murmured without thinking.

He froze for a moment, then the tips of his ears turned faintly pink. The next moment, his kiss deepened, trailing from my forehead all the way down.

Fingers interlaced, we shared a night of wild pleasure.

I had once believed the wolf clan's strength made them the best choice in bed.

But the serpent clan had their own… unique qualities. Draco didn't stop until dawn lit the sky, and I practically begged for rest.

Three months later, news broke: Bella was pregnant.

I was stunned. In thousands of years, no human had ever conceived with a beastkin in just three months.

Had I not seen her swollen belly with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

The wolf clan threw a grand celebration for the unborn child, inviting all the noble families to share their joy.

"Our ancestors must be watching over us! A child in just three months—what a miracle!" Jacob raised his cup high, pride written all over his face.

Many guests approached to flatter him, eager to earn the wolf clan's favor. Everyone agreed: the next ruler of the alliance would undoubtedly come from the wolf clan. Now was the perfect time to curry favor.

By status, I should have been seated with Draco at the end of the banquet hall.

But Bella had insisted to Jacob that I be placed beside her. She couldn't pass up a chance to show off.

As she stroked her belly, she cast me a smug look. "Clarice, three months and still no news from your belly? Seems like you're really lacking. Your womb doesn't even try."

Half-beasts matured rapidly. Two months was enough for them to be born. Based on her size, her child would arrive next month.

But she had no idea how large half-beast infants were. Without managing her diet, she'd suffer greatly during labor.

I had carefully controlled my weight in my past life, yet childbirth still took a full day and night, and the pain nearly made me wish for death.

But the moment I saw my child safely born, sleeping peacefully in my arms, I knew I had no regrets.

I took a sip of wine and said flatly, "Historically, the quickest conception between human and beastkin took a full year. But you took only three months. Whatever methods you used, only you know."

Bella whipped her head toward me, her eyes darting in guilty panic. "Clarice, what are you implying?"

She couldn't even withstand the slightest probing. Bella still couldn't keep her composure.

"May you have a safe delivery, Bella." I raised my glass to toast her, then left the banquet with Draco by my side.

One month later, Bella endured three full days and nights of labor before finally giving birth.

But seven days passed, and the wolf clan still hadn't announced the child's arrival. Even when Father tried to visit, they refused him entry.

There was no doubt—something was wrong with the child.

Half a month later, Father summoned me home.

Seeing the worry in Draco's eyes before I left, I finally relented and asked him to come with me.

In the living room, Bella sat on the floor sobbing, clutching a half-beast red wolf pup in her arms.

"This is Jacob's child! Isn't a color mutation in wolf fur completely normal?"

Bella clung stubbornly to the claim that the red-furred pup was Jacob's. But what she didn't know was that Jacob was a purebred white wolf. His bloodline had never carried the gene for red wolves.