Reborn and Rise of the Phoenix Princess

"Giovanna, you're naturally fertile. I seem to have set up a competition between you and Jocelynn, but in truth, she's already passing the throne to you.

You must take care of the Pregnant Fruit, nurture it with your blood every day, and only then can you rightfully inherit the throne." My mother Antonia's gentle and kind voice came through. I opened my eyes and found myself whole, without the wounds that had pierced my body, without the eternal exile to the Underworld. A surge of joy filled me. I thought, "have I been reborn?" I realized I was back before Jocelynn accused me of switching the Divine Phoenix. I clenched my teeth, my heart seething with anger as I looked at the woman who had killed me in the past. The hate in my chest burned like fire. Though Jocelynn and I were both her daughters, Antonia had always favored her. Based on just one side word from Jocelynn, she had used the Withering Bolts to destroy my body and sent me to the Underworld, never to return. "I gave you the finest Pregnant Fruit in the land," Antonia said softly, her delicate hand lifting the fruit to me. "As long as you care for it, nurture it with your blood, one day it will bear the Divine Phoenix." Suppressing the hatred burning in my chest, I forced a smile, wishing I could crush the fruit in my hands. "Thank you, Your Majesty." I stepped back, joining Jocelynn, as Antonia announced to the people of the Phoenix Clan. "I have given the two Pregnant Fruits of the Phoenix Clan to my two daughters. Whoever bears the Divine Phoenix will be the next Celestial Phoenix Queen." The crowd erupted in whispers. Everyone knew I was naturally fertile, and everyone believed that I would give birth to a high-level Divine Phoenix with ease. Meanwhile, Jocelynn had always been frail. We both knew she struggled to conceive, let alone bear the Divine Phoenix. To the people, it seemed clear that Antonia had already chosen me as the heir, and today's act was merely a formality. But I knew better. Even if I birthed the Divine Phoenix, the throne might still slip from my grasp. If I consumed the Pregnant Fruit again, my body would become nothing more than a tool to help Jocelynn claim the title of Celestial Phoenix Queen. Antonia had always favored Jocelynn. She was born to Antonia's most beloved lover. Despite Jocelynn's lack of any notable qualities, Antonia lavished her with all the best while I was ignored. My father, the true husband of Antonia, had been cast aside when Antonia took Jocelynn's father as her consort. My father was imprisoned and died in confinement, while Antonia and Jocelynn's father had a party every night, never once sparing a thought for him. She then married Jocelynn's father, and Jocelynn became a princess. Since then, she had never paid attention to me. Even though I had devoted myself to mastering Spirit Power, was naturally fertile, and had been foretold to be the Phoenix Clan's Spiritual Princess, none of that ever seemed to matter to her. I could never ea...