Looking at that devilishly handsome face, Zaiyila's heart couldn't stop beating faster, and her face flushed red, matching the color of a ripe tomato. She turned her head to the left, trying to avoid eye contact with him, but how could Everett let her off so easily?
He licked her face with his snake-like tongue, making her feel ticklish and forcing her to look at him.
"You… you… you just licked that… it's… it's…" she stammered in a shaky voice.
Everett lowered his lips to her ear and licked it, sending shivers down her spine and miraculously restoring her lost energy.
"My bride, if I say it's so delicious that I can't get enough of it," he murmured, looking into her eyes with that seductive smile still glued to his face. "Will you let me have more?" He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Zaiyila's face flushed even more. She opened her mouth to speak, but just as she did, Everett sealed her lips with his again.
"Seems like my bride is not yet ready," he chuckled.
Zaiyila shook her head, wanting to deny his words, but strangely, she started feeling dizzy, and her once-restored energy drained away again.
"Let's go back first," he murmured.
Zaiyila's eyes began to close as extreme weakness took over, and her head became heavy with dizziness. "Don't abandon me… please," she whispered before falling unconscious.
Everett's smile did not fade. From his waist down, his body transformed into his serpent tail, and he gently carried the naked Zaiyila. Taking his time, he bathed her before dressing her up.
"I don't have to appear to you like a dream anymore… just two more days, two more days and everything will be back to how it supposed to be" he whispered, kissing her forehead. His eyes suddenly shifted, turning into the deadly gaze of a cobra, and then, everything vanished.
---
The morning light broke through the wooden window, casting a glow over the peerlessly beautiful woman sleeping peacefully on the bed like a goddess.
The sunlight curved around her delicate features, emphasizing her beauty, and as if sensing the brightness, she stirred, her brows knitting together. But before she could fully open her eyes, an extremely cold splash of water drenched her, waking her completely.
"Who is it?!" she exclaimed in shock, immediately standing up. Her eyes widened as she saw a middle-aged woman dressed in ancient clothing, her hair unkempt. The woman was staring at her as if looking at a murderer.
"Mom… Mom!" Zaiyila stammered in disbelief, staring at the woman with a stunned expression.
"Oh, please. You are not related to me at all. I'm not your mother, so drop that title. I don't want you to kill me the way you killed your mother," the middle-aged woman spat.
Zaiyila felt as though a dagger had stabbed her heart, as if a thousand needles had pierced it at once.
Despite the harsh words, confusion flooded her mind.
"What's going on? Was all that nothing but a dream?" she thought, still staring at the woman's ancient attire. "Her clothes are different from what she wore in my dream… but… but she's still the same."
"What are you looking at, you little bastard?!" The woman roughly grabbed Zaiyila by the hair and dragged her out of bed, making her hit her head heavily on the ground, drawing blood.
Zaiyila winced from the pain, clutching her bleeding head.
"She's just as wicked as ever… exactly like in my dream." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "If only… if only the Snake King was actually interested in me like in my dream, I wouldn't have to suffer like this. But who am I? To even have a dream like that? This is ridiculous," she thought, looking up at the woman.
"I… I'm sorry," she stammered, her breath becoming unsteady.
The woman looked at her with disgust and was about to speak when a commotion erupted outside. She frowned and walked toward the noise.
"Why is there such a ruckus at my house? I don't recall offending anyone!" she snapped, her gaze sweeping over the silent villagers.
"Hand over your daughter. It's your family's turn. We need to make a sacrifice to the Snake King!" the village chief declared, his eyes locked on the woman with an unfriendly glare.
"Mom! Save me! I don't want to die!" A beautiful young girl, about the same age as Zaiyila, rushed out from her hiding spot and clung to her mother as if she were her only savior.
The woman gently patted her daughter's hand. "Soya, no one will take you away from me. It must be that cursed girl. I always knew her bad luck would bring trouble upon me one day, but I won't let that happen," she muttered before turning to the village chief.
"As long as she's a female from my family, it's fine, right?" she questioned.
The village chief nodded. "It's your family's turn to offer a female for the sacrifice. Hand one over now!" his deep voice boomed.
The middle-aged woman slightly raised her brows before nodding. "Give me a moment," she announced before going inside and dragging Zaiyila out. Without hesitation, she threw her in front of the crowd. "Here, take her," she declared.
Zaiyila looked at the group of people, their eyes filled with sorrowful tears. "What now?" she thought, scanning the faces in the crowd until her gaze landed on one person.
A man stood among them, dressed in noble attire. His short silver hair shimmered under the sun, and his diamond-black eyes held a strange, unreadable expression. He was staring at Zaiyila with a look of mixed emotions.
"Gorrel!" Zaiyila gasped, forcing a smile onto her face.
Gorrel was her fiancé. While everyone had bullied her, he had stood by her side, always supporting her. Before he left for his travels, he promised that he would be gone for a long time, perhaps even years. But now, here he was—back in less than two months—hiding among the crowd and looking at her like a stranger.
"Gorrel…" she murmured again, trying her best to push away the negative thoughts creeping into her mind.
"Don't look at me. They're here to take you to the mountain. From now on, there's nothing between us," Gorrel stated coldly.
Zaiyila's expression froze. "This… this is just another dream, right? Gorrel, you're not saying this," she muttered in disbelief.
"Zaiyila, you're nothing but bad luck. My aunt warned me about you countless times, but I refused to listen. I thought she was wrong—until your misfortune started affecting me too. I'm tired. I only used my travels as an excuse to get away from you. Even the opportunity to leave didn't come to me easily," he responded harshly.