Chapter 2

Three days flew by, and the Ascension Terrace was swarming with immortals and gods from every corner of the Divine Realm.

All eyes were fixed on Orion, the Crown Prince, as everyone eagerly awaited his triumphant return after overcoming his tribulations, ready to witness his rise to true godhood.

Selene stood right next to me, clutching my hand with a hidden anticipation in her eyes.

Time dragged on endlessly. Just when I thought my hand might turn blue from her grip, a brilliant glow suddenly burst forth from the Ascension Terrace.

The immortals' faces lit up with joy, and Selene was visibly thrilled.

Everyone knew what it meant. Orion had conquered his tribulations and was ascending to true godhood.

People started, "Congratulations, Crown Prince, on your ascension to—"

But before the words "godhood" could even be spoken, everyone was stunned.

Bathed in the divine glow, it was indeed Orion standing there.

But to everyone's astonishment, there was a woman in Orion's arms.

A gentle, fragile, and stunningly beautiful woman.

Her features were pure and translucent, yet there was a trace of sorrow in her eyes, making her seem as exquisite and fragile as crystal.

Even among all the beauties of the Divine Realm, she was truly a rare gem.

The immortals kept looking between her and me.

Everyone in the Divine Realm knew I was Orion's fiancée.

Queen Selene had said long ago, even before Orion left for his tribulation, that once he became a true god, she'd throw us a grand wedding.

But no one guessed that now, after Orion had returned and ascended to true godhood, he brought back a woman who seemed to be intimate with him.

Selene's face darkened. All her joy vanished, replaced by pure fury.

She pointed at the woman and snapped angrily, "Orion, who is this woman?"

Orion froze for a moment when he saw the crowd, then instinctively pulled the woman even closer to his chest, as if shielding her from everyone.

Selene's anger only grew.

But I knew all too well who she was. Lila Hart, the woman Orion was willing to become a demon for.

Seeing there was no use in dragging this out any longer, Orion led Lila right up to her mother.

"Mother, this is Lila Hart. She was my wife back when I was living as a mortal, and I want to make her my wife here, too," Orion said firmly.

Even though she'd braced herself for this, Selene couldn't hold back her outrage. "What did you just say? Do you even remember you're already engaged?"

"Have you thought about how Aurora is supposed to handle this?" she demanded.

Orion hesitated, finally realizing I was standing right there next to Selene. His brows drew together, a hint of guilt flickering across his face.

Since this was my second chance, I knew Orion never really loved me.

He only wanted to marry me because I was the last phoenix alive, queen of all birds, leader of the Winged Kin.

He needed the support of the Winged Kin.

But back then, I was clueless. All I remembered was how kind he used to be to me when we were kids.

I completely forgot that after I ascended to immortality before him, a rift quietly formed between us.

And when I reached true godhood ahead of him again, that rift only grew wider.

He needed a powerful clan behind his wife to help him secure his place as Crown Prince, but his pride could never accept a wife who outshone him.

So, before his cultivation was even complete, he rushed down to the mortal realm to face his tribulations, hoping that would be his ticket to true godhood.

He made it to godhood, but things didn't go exactly as he'd hoped.

Right now, he was frowning, like he was wrestling with something in his mind.

Lila, nestled in his arms, began to quietly sob.

"Orion, you never told me you were engaged to someone else..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Didn't you say you only loved me? Was it all just a lie?" Her eyes shimmered with pain and betrayal.

Her eyes were brimming with wounded longing and bitter grievance.

Orion's heart went out to her, and his gaze toward me grew cold in an instant. "Aurora, let's break off our engagement."

"Lila is my true love, the only one I want to spend my life with. We were already married as mortals," he said, his voice steady and resolute.

Honestly, breaking off the engagement was probably for the best.

But before I could get a word out, Selene's fury erupted. "A marriage in the mortal world? That's nothing! All those tribulations we immortals go through are just fleeting dreams.

"Twenty or thirty years down there, how could that ever compare to the endless ages we've shared in the Divine Realm?"

In my previous life, I just listened to her and kept my mouth shut.

I never believed that a love lasting only twenty years could ever run deeper than the eons we'd spent growing up and cultivating side by side.

But I was wrong.

So I glanced at Orion, then at the raging Selene, and finally bowed. "Orion's got his heart set on her. Why not just let him go, Your Majesty?"

Selene gaped at me, utterly stunned.

Orion looked surprised, too. There was even a flash of irritation in his eyes.

Seriously, what was he mad about? Didn't I just give him exactly what he wanted?

Before I could even process it, Selene stormed off with a dramatic sweep of her sleeves, her anger practically crackling in the air.

"No matter what, I will never accept a mere mortal woman as my daughter-in-law!" she snapped, her voice echoing through the Ascension Terrace.