This Time, I Chose the White Fox

"Sienna, he looks so pitiful." In my last life, I listened to my younger sister and chose the black fox who hadn't even taken human form as my fiancé. I poured everything I had into helping him take human form, but he carved out my inner core and presented it to my sister to curry her favor. When I lived again, at the mate-selection ceremony, my sister once more pointed pitifully at the black fox. In front of everyone, I chose the four-tailed white fox she wanted most. Then I "gifted" the black fox to her. Chapter 1 "Since you think he's so peerlessly handsome, you can have this incredible blessing, Sylvia." I looked at Sylvia coldly, a mocking curve lifting the corner of my mouth. The smile on Sylvia Spruance's face froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had just heard something impossible. "Sienna, what... what are you saying?" Her eyes reddened at once, tears appearing as easily as breathing. She looked fragile enough to break. "I only felt sorry for him. You're the firstborn daughter. Of course you should choose first. How would I dare overstep?" Looking at that performance made my stomach turn. She had said the same thing in my last life. With a few moralizing words, she had forced me to choose that black fox, Nox, who could not even take human form. She herself had calmly chosen Julian Frost, the four-tailed white fox, and stepped into endless glory. I exhausted my strength feeding Nox with my own source energy, helping him take human form and supporting his cultivation. And what did I get in return? The first thing he did after transforming was carve out my inner core and offer it to Sylvia. He stepped over my corpse and said to Sylvia with deep, tender devotion, "Sylvie, this venomous woman was the one standing between us. Now I've given you all her cultivation. We can finally be together." I still remembered the pain of my chest being split open alive. How could I possibly repeat the same mistake in this life? "If you don't dare overstep, then shut your mouth." I cut off her false innocence without mercy. "Your Majesty." I turned toward the Fox King seated high upon the throne and gave him a shallow bow. "I, Sienna Spruance, wish to form a bond with His Highness Julian Frost. I ask the Fox King to grant it." The moment I said that, the entire hall fell silent. The Fox King froze, clearly not expecting me to decide so quickly. Sylvia panicked first. She grabbed my sleeve. "Sienna! His Highness is a four-tailed white fox. How can you choose him?" "Why can't I?" I shook her hand off and looked down at her. "I am the firstborn daughter of the Moonridge Court and a descendant of the purest nine-tailed fox bloodline. If I don't choose the four-tailed white fox, should I choose that black fox who hasn't even grown his fur in properly?" Sylvia had no answer. She could only bite her lip hard, a flash of poison passing through her eyes. The black fox lying in the corner suddenly raised his head and stared straight at me. His gaze was sinister, violent, and full of nauseating greed. I sneered and looked away. "Good! Good! Good!" The Fox King finally came back to himself and said "good" three times. "Sienna, you have excellent judgment. Julian, come greet your future wife." Julian Frost, who had been standing beside the Fox King like an ice sculpture, finally moved. He walked slowly to me and looked down at me. His eyes were cold, without a trace of warmth, as though he were looking at a lifeless object. "Are you certain you want to choose me?" His voice was low and magnetic, but distant enough to keep the world at arm's length. "I'm certain." I met his eyes without flinching. "Good." He said only that one word, then turned away without looking at me again. When Sylvia saw this, her eyes shifted. She immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty, since Sienna has chosen His Highness, then I... I will choose the younger prince." She pointed toward the black fox, wearing a look of self-sacrificing compassion. "I can't bear to see him alone and unwanted. I am willing to care for him for the rest of my life." The Fox King sighed, appreciation flashing in his eyes. "Sylvia truly is a kind child. Since that is so, these two bonds are settled." I looked at Sylvia's smug face and laughed coldly in my heart. Kind? I hope you can keep smiling so kindly when he drains every drop of your spiritual power. "Sienna, we are sisters, and from now on, we'll also be sisters-in-law. You must take good care of me." Sylvia walked to my side and lowered her voice. Chapter 2 "Take care of you? You should pray your black fox can take human form first." I returned the words coldly and turned to leave. The result of the mate-selection ceremony caused an uproar as soon as I returned to Moonridge. The elders gathered in the council hall, every one of them livid. "Sienna Spruance! As the firstborn daughter, how can you be so selfish?" The Grand Elder slammed the table and pointed at my nose. "Sylvia is gentle and kind. For the sake of the greater good, she chose that useless black fox. Not only are you ungrateful, you stole her good match. Do you have even the slightest sense of what it means to be an elder sister?" Standing in the middle of the hall, I looked at these sanctimonious elders and almost laughed. In my last life, when I chose the black fox, they said I had degraded myself and disgraced Moonridge. In this life, when I chose the white fox, they called me selfish and said I had stolen my sister's match. So they could say whatever they liked either way. Was I, Sienna Spruance, simply born to be sacrificed? "Grand Elder, that is not correct." I laughed coldly and met his gaze without fear. "The mate-selection ceremony has always depended on mutual consent. I chose Julian Frost, and the Fox King agreed. What theft are you talking about?" "You!" The Grand Elder was choked speechless. "Sienna, don't anger the Grand Elder." Sylvia stepped forward at exactly the right moment, her eyes red as though she had suffered a terrible grievance. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have felt pity for the younger prince. Since Sienna likes His Highness, I'll give him to Sienna. Please don't damage your relationship with the elders because of me." Her words were flawless. In an instant, she painted herself as a long-suffering innocent enduring humiliation for the greater good. And I became the domineering, unreasonable older sister who bullied her. "Sylvia, you're just too kind!" The Second Elder looked at Sylvia with deep pity, then turned his anger on me. "Sienna, if you still have any conscience, go to the Fox King at once and withdraw from the bond. Return His Highness to Sylvia!" "Return him to her?" I looked as if I had heard the greatest joke under heaven. "Second Elder, have you grown senile? The Fox King has already spoken. You want me to withdraw? Are you trying to start a war between Moonridge and the Fox Clan?" The Second Elder went pale and had no reply. Just then, a commotion came from outside the hall. "The black fox has transformed! The black fox has transformed!" Everyone was shocked and rushed outside. In the middle of the square, a ball of black mist slowly dispersed, revealing a tall, slender figure. Nox had taken human form. He wore a black robe. His features were gloomy, and his eyes carried an arrogance he could not hide. When Sylvia saw him, she immediately went to him, delighted. "Younger Prince, you've finally transformed!" Nox looked at Sylvia, greed flashing in his eyes before he changed into an affectionate expression. "Sylvie, thank you for choosing me. Don't worry. I, Nox, swear I will never fail you in this life." After he spoke, he turned to look at me. The tenderness in his eyes vanished, replaced by pure hatred. "Sienna Spruance, you shallow woman who worships status and abandons the poor. You think choosing Julian Frost means you can rest easy?" He strode toward me, looking down at me with open provocation. "I'm telling you, fortunes change. One day, I'll make you kneel at my feet and beg me to look at you." Chapter 3 Looking at his absurdly confident face, I nearly laughed aloud. "Is that so? I'm truly terrified." I casually adjusted my sleeve and did not even spare him a proper glance. "But before you make me kneel, you should think about how to hide your tail. That fox stench is unbearable." Nox's face stiffened. He instinctively reached behind himself and indeed found a section of black fox tail still exposed. Suppressed laughter immediately rippled through the crowd. "You! Just wait!" Nox was humiliated into fury and glared at me viciously. "I'm waiting. I hope you don't make me wait too long." "Sienna, how can you say that about Nox?" Sylvia immediately stepped forward to shield him, looking at me with righteous indignation. "Nox may not have high cultivation now, but he has extraordinary talent. Sooner or later, he'll soar into the heavens. For you to humiliate him like this is bullying him too much!" I looked coldly at this disgusting pair. My heart did not stir at all. "Extraordinary talent? With that black fox body mixed from who knows how many inferior bloodlines?" I punctured her fantasy without mercy. "Sylvia, if you like picking up trash, that's your business. Don't bring trash in front of me and make me sick." "Sienna! How dare you!" the Grand Elder shouted. "Since Sylvia and Prince Nox have already formed an engagement, he is our honored guest in Moonridge. How can you speak so rudely?" "Honored guest?" I laughed coldly. "Grand Elder, have you forgotten Moonridge's rules? Only a contracted bondmate has the right to enjoy the clan's resources. Nox is only living off a woman right now. What kind of honored guest is that?" "You!" Nox was enraged by the words "living off a woman." He pulled the sword from his waist and pointed it at me. "Sienna, I challenge you! I'll show you that I, Nox, am not someone you can provoke!" I looked at that shabby iron sword with undisguised disdain. "Challenge me? With your just-transformed body that can't even gather spiritual power?" I did not even take out a weapon. I simply stood there. "Nox, don't be reckless!" Sylvia hurriedly held him back, then turned to the elders. "Elders, Sienna's cultivation is profound, and Nox has only just transformed. This isn't fair. I beg the elders to grant Nox some premium spirit stones to stabilize his realm." So she'd finally shown her hand. I laughed coldly in my heart. So this was what she had been waiting for. Moonridge produced only ten premium spirit stones a year. Traditionally, they were allocated by the firstborn daughter, which meant me. "Sylvia is right," the Second Elder immediately agreed. "Since Prince Nox has joined Moonridge, we naturally must not mistreat him. Sienna, take out this year's premium spirit stones and give half to Prince Nox." "Why?" I refused without hesitation. "Premium spirit stones are Moonridge's foundation. Why should we give them to an outsider?" "He is not an outsider! He is Sylvia's fiance!" the Grand Elder snapped, slamming the table. "Sienna, if you dare disobey again, I will invoke family law and cripple your cultivation!" Faced with the Grand Elder's threat, I did not back down at all. "You want to cripple my cultivation? That depends on whether you have the ability." Spiritual power surged around me. Nine snow-white fox tails flickered into view behind me, and a powerful pressure swept through the entire hall. Chapter 4 The elders' faces changed drastically. Clearly, they had not expected my cultivation to have reached this level. Just as the two sides were on the verge of battle, a cold voice came from outside. "I normally would not interfere in Moonridge's internal affairs. But since Sienna is my fiancee, anyone who dares touch even one hair on her head makes an enemy of the Fox Clan." Julian Frost walked into the hall dressed in white. His appearance broke the deadlock at once. The elders looked at one another, and none dared act rashly. After all, the pressure of a four-tailed white fox was not something these old bones could withstand. Nox looked at Julian, deep jealousy flashing through his eyes. "Your Highness, this is Moonridge's internal matter. Aren't you overstepping?" Julian did not even look at him. He walked straight to my side and coldly spat out one word. "Leave." That single word jolted Nox so hard his blood and energy churned. He staggered back several steps and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Nox!" Sylvia cried, hurrying to support him. She raised her head, looking at Julian with a wounded expression. "Your Highness, Sienna is so domineering. Why would you still protect her? What exactly am I inferior to her in?" Julian finally bestowed one glance upon her. His tone was colder than ice. "Everything." Julian's words were like a slap across Sylvia's face. Her face turned deathly pale. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she bit her lip and refused to let them fall. Nox wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared at us viciously. "Good. Good, what a filthy pair. Sienna, remember today. One day, I'll make you kneel and beg me." After leaving that threat, he dragged Sylvia away in humiliation. Seeing this, the elders dared not say more. They scattered with their tails tucked. Only Julian and I were left in the hall. I withdrew my spiritual pressure and turned to him. "Thank you for helping me, Your Highness." My tone was flat, not especially grateful. Because I knew he had helped only because we were bound by an engagement. He had to protect the Fox Clan's reputation. Julian looked at me, his eyes still cold. "Remember your status. Since you chose me, don't cause trouble for me." After saying that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation. I watched his back and laughed coldly in my heart. Sure enough, men could not be relied on. Only power in one's own hands was real. For the next few days, Moonridge was strangely peaceful. But I knew it was only the calm before the storm. Sylvia and Nox would never let this go. Sure enough, seven days later, something happened during the ancestral rite. Moonridge's sacred relic, the Spirit-Gathering Pearl, shattered into powder on the altar. All of Moonridge was shaken. The Grand Elder rushed onto the altar in fury and pointed at me. "Sienna! You dared destroy the sacred relic! What punishment do you deserve?" I looked at the powder on the ground and frowned slightly. The Spirit-Gathering Pearl was Moonridge's greatest treasure. It was supposed to be indestructible. How could it shatter so easily? "Grand Elder, watch what you say—you can't go around making accusations you can't back up. What proof do you have that I broke it?" "Proof? I saw you approach the altar just now. Who else could it have been?" Sylvia immediately jumped out and pointed at me loudly.