"Aunt Sandra, I wish to cultivate," Serena declared.

With those words, Serena's heart began to beat rapidly. She had played too many roles as a femme fatale in troubled kingdoms to muster any interest in charming kings. However, cultivation was an entirely different matter. In this world, cultivation was a tangible possibility. But her identity posed a challenge. Transitioning from mortal to cultivator, starting from the Realm of Lingering Spirits and advancing through the nine celestial realms, was a path that women seldom trod. Once a woman entered the Realm of Lingering Spirits, she would slay the Crimson Dragon, making it nearly impossible to conceive and bear children thereafter. Women who gave birth would have their bones and constitutions altered, making cultivation an arduous task.

Because of this, female cultivators in the world were few and far between. Serena understood well that as a royal, aspiring to cultivate was a highly unconventional notion, especially considering she was now married to Belleria King and held the title of his lawful wife. She pretended to gaze calmly at Aunt Sandra, though her hopes were not high. Rejection was to be expected. No matter, she would find another way.

Aunt Sandra, however, was stunned. After a long moment, tears welled up in her eyes, though her gaze, though young, bore the weight of ages. Serena's scalp prickled. What was this about the War Goddess shedding tears? Did tigers weep now?

"Don't, Aunt Sandra, please don't cry."

"Princess, you've finally come to your senses!" Aunt Sandra wailed even louder.

"Since you were a child," Aunt Sandra choked, "His Majesty and the Crown Prince often said, 'What's the point of marriage? Who in this world could match our little Sera! It would be better for her to cultivate early on, so she wouldn't be bullied anywhere! If she truly meets someone she likes, she can bring them into the family as a son-in-law and enjoy drinking with His Majesty and the Crown Prince every day.'"

"Then, Mother doesn't approve?" Serena inquired.

"Madam feels that with you and the Crown Prince, it's best to have children. But Madam doesn't exactly oppose cultivation. It's just that as a royal princess, born into the Achillea lineage, marrying and bearing children is the best way to form alliances. How could you follow His Majesty and the Crown Prince in such a whimsical pursuit?"

Aunt Sandra sighed. "When Belleria King came to propose, His Majesty, Madam, and the Crown Prince were actually not pleased because he had someone else in the palace and was a troublesome Acesian. But you, Princess, fell in love with Belleria King at first sight and were determined to marry him. No one could stop you. And what was the result? He didn't even care to protect you properly! As for the assassination attempt, need I say more? It must be related to that Ivana, isn't it?"

"Yes," Serena admitted without hesitation. The assassination incident was one thing. Jenaro had indeed been caught off guard, but when Serena lay unconscious and near death, he actually thought she had died and didn't even bother sending a guard—this was a common trait among ruthless male leads; they never wasted time and energy on meaningless matters.

Aunt Sandra's eyes flashed with anger. "His Majesty and the Crown Prince already guessed that Achillea is now fully prepared for war. If something were to happen to you, His Majesty would mobilize the troops! Once Isidoro is killed, that Ivana, that cursed dog, can be dealt with however we please."

Serena's heart skipped a beat. This incident was the beginning of Achillea's downfall. Achillea King chose to strike at Isidoro at a time when the circumstances were both advantageous and disadvantageous—Isidoro was following Fredericia's orders to assist Belleria King in pacifying the western demonic disturbances. Achillea King and the Crown Prince led troops across the border, ambushing Isidoro, almost putting him in a desperate situation. Jenaro, who was accompanying Isidoro, was also severely injured.

The timing was right because Isidoro's cultivation was too high, making this perhaps the only chance to kill him. But it was also wrong because by doing so, Achillea was effectively rebelling against the demonic faction.

If a conflict arose between two states, Fredericia usually let them settle it themselves. However, since Isidoro and Jenaro were ambushed while carrying out the orders, Achillea's actions were seen as pulling at Fredericia's scales, making enemies of the entire Cloud Realm.

A year later, Achillea disappeared from the map of the Cloud Realm altogether. This incident was merely a brief interlude in the book—its main purpose was to give Jenaro a serious injury, requiring constant care. None of the attendants satisfied him, except for the lively and straightforward Corina, who chattered by his bedside from morning till night, injecting life into his sickbed.

Serena's scalp prickled. "Father and brother were too impulsive! I'll send word immediately, urging them not to do anything foolish!"

Aunt Sandra chuckled, covering her lips. "Princess, calm down. If you awaken safely, His Majesty and the Crown Prince will probably be drunk for several days straight and won't be able to wage war."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, thankfully."

Aunt Sandra, as if afraid Serena would change her mind, helped her up from the cloud bed and said, "Then, let me assist you in opening your meridians and cleansing your marrow!"

Serena couldn't help but wonder if such a significant matter required consultation with Achillea first or consideration of Jenaro's opinion.

Aunt Sandra quickly issued instructions and soon guided Serena to a side hall, where she stripped Serena's clothes and placed her into a large wooden tub.

"Now, Princess, there's no turning back," Aunt Sandra said slyly. "Even if I have to deceive you, you must use this marrow-cleansing solution!"

"Shouldn't I play along reluctantly?" Serena joked, though soaking in the bleak white marrow-cleansing solution was far from pleasant.

The human body possessed five elements, and marrow cleansing involved removing four of these elements, leaving only one. Only by washing away impurities could one sense the spiritual essence between heaven and earth and assimilate it into oneself, refining one's own being.

At this moment, Serena felt numb and in pain all over, as if countless steel needles were running rampant inside her body. Aunt Sandra, seeing Serena's pale face, couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Princess, please endure a little longer. Once the attributes are washed out, it will be manageable. We're not aiming for you to conquer the world, are we?"

Serena shook her head. "No, fortunately not."

Aunt Sandra, as if fearing Serena would faint, constantly waved her hand in front of her eyes.

Serena couldn't help but laugh and cry. "Aunt Sandra, I'm not fainting."

Aunt Sandra stared at her for a long time before suddenly realizing something. She picked up a small drop of the marrow-cleansing solution with her index finger and tasted it.

"It's not bad, is it?" Impurities began to surface on her skin.

As the first layer of impurities was washed away by the marrow-cleansing solution, Serena immediately felt clear-headed and energetic, as if she had returned to her childhood. And she vaguely sensed a profound change within herself.

With each breath, the scent of grass and trees became stronger, and she suddenly saw hallucinations of tiny blue lights resembling fireflies floating around.

"Princess?" Aunt Sandra occasionally called out worriedly.

Serena, who had never been so enduring, assured her, "I'm fine, no need to worry." She could easily sense others' emotions, especially towards her.

She knew that the seemingly young Aunt Sandra truly treasured her, and she didn't find it tiresome at all.

As the marrow-cleansing solution turned from thick to clear, Serena's body expelled impurities once again. This time, it wasn't gray grime but strange multicolored material mixed with red, yellow, white, and black.

"Fire, earth, metal, and water attributes have all emerged," Aunt Sandra clapped. "Congratulations, Princess, you belong to the Wood element."

Serena nodded gently. She had already felt the lush green vitality slowly permeating her body.

Instead of leaving the marrow-cleansing solution, Serena continued soaking until it turned into clear water.

Aunt Sandra carefully took a drop of blood from Serena's fingertip and placed it on a small black stone for testing. Then, she let out a long sigh of relief, showing a relieved smile as she said, "Congratulations, Princess, for successfully entering the first realm of the Realm of Lingering Spirits! From now on, as long as you meditate quietly, you will be able to sense the spiritual essence of the Wood element between heaven and earth."

Aunt Sandra knew that haste makes waste. Serena's successful marrow cleansing today was not easy, so she didn't rush her into cultivation. Instead, she helped her back to the cloud bed and talked about some trivial matters of Achillea in detail.

Although Serena had no sentimental attachment to Achillea, she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic as she listened.

It was a verdant and leisurely place, with a simple and sturdy folk, unlike the shrewd Bellerians.

After dinner, the distant sound of drums echoed faintly. Serena knew that Acesia King Isidoro had entered Belleria Capital.

As she watched the window mullions gradually turn golden, Serena whispered softly, "Aunt Sandra, help me with something."

"Yes!" Aunt Sandra's face was full of auntie's smile one second and immediately turned serious, respectfully awaiting Serena's command.

"Knock out Benito and throw him into Ivana's bedchamber. Then knock out Ivana too."

"Yes! Huh?" Aunt Sandra's eyelids twitched a couple of times, but she didn't ask any more questions. She simply complied and left.

At this moment, Jenaro had gone to the city gate to welcome the notorious demon king.

Although Isidoro brought orders from Fredericia, claiming to assist Belleria King in quelling the demonic disturbances in the west, Isidoro was a madman. Jenaro couldn't guarantee that if Isidoro went crazy, he wouldn't just slaughter Belleria Capital with his army. Therefore, Jenaro was definitely prepared to confront him head-on, taking all his best men with him.

Aunt Sandra could do as she pleased in the harem.

Serena felt that what she was doing was just a small matter, which was well worth the continuous hospitality she had received from Jenaro. Besides, she was saving Benito's life.

When Isidoro entered the Han Palace, the female lead, Corina, disregarded the fact that he was a powerful Spirit Luminary and surrounded by skilled bodyguards, as well as the fact that she herself was just a useless waste who hadn't even undergone marrow cleansing—she managed to find a dagger from somewhere and attempted to assassinate Isidoro at the palace banquet.

She claimed it was to avenge her parents who died in the Acesian incident.

Isidoro was originally going to kill this woman who didn't know any better, but Benito jumped out to shield her, allowing her to escape back to Jenaro.

Isidoro, being a madman, didn't care about the consequences and casually cut Benito into several pieces.

Jenaro nearly died on the spot.

And the crazy thing Isidoro did? He just continued sitting behind his blood-stained desk, eating and drinking as if nothing had happened.

If Jenaro could have won, he would have cut this lunatic into several pieces as well.

In the end, he covered up the incident for Isidoro, lying to Fredericia, saying Benito was eager to fight demons and had followed the army on an expedition to the western abyss, where he died a heroic death. Otherwise, he couldn't justify it himself.

After dealing with Fredericia, Jenaro still had to persuade Isidoro to consider the bigger picture and not reveal the truth himself.

Jenaro, this male lead, had been very suppressed in front of the demon king.

Serena pondered quietly: Without Benito leading the way, I wonder if Corina still has the ability to sneak into the palace banquet? If she really has the ability to rush to Isidoro, then without Benito as a scapegoat, will she die at the hands of the antagonist demon king?

Serena really wanted to witness firsthand how changing the plot would affect Corina's fate. If Corina really died, Serena wouldn't feel any guilt—everyone was an adult and should take responsibility for their own foolish actions.