Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Book 17 - Chapter 17-1. Ceremony

I just want to be different, no one can guess what I want to do, the more mysterious the more powerful.

- Description from novelbuddy

Shen Yinning was originally the Crown Prince Lu Ying's childhood sweetheart and fiancée, but due to her father and brother's rebellion, she was exiled to Gan State and married to a minor local official as the daughter of a criminal. Meanwhile, Lu Ying gloriously married her cousin Shen Yunxi as his Crown Princess Consort.Three years later, Shen Yinning returned to the Capital with her husband. Everyone praised the Crown Prince and Princess for their mutual respect and harmony, and Shen Yunxi often flaunted in front of her how loving she and the Crown Prince were. However, only Shen Yinning knew that the seemingly restrained and honorable Lu Ying came to her chamber every night, completely disregarding the fact that she was now someone else's wife, secretly claiming her and keeping her as his Forbidden Fruit...

She, a genius abandoned by her clan. He, a proud, pampered, two-faced imperial crown prince, a developing supreme ruler of the world. She, tricking him, disguised as a pig to eat a tiger, suppressing him, provoking him. Every time, after playing with him and stirring him up, she’d escape.

Zaiyila thought she had suffered enough—betrayed by her own mother and sold into marriage with a wealthy, aging man. But on the night of her pre-wedding ceremony, everything takes a dark and unexpected turn. A swarm of deadly snakes descends upon the gathering, killing her groom-to-be and throwing the hall into chaos. Fear spreads as the people recognize the serpents as the servants of the enigmatic and terrifying Snake King, Everett.When Everett himself arrives—a striking, horned man of unmatched beauty and power—Zaiyila finds herself drawn to him in ways she cannot explain. Despite the fear he inspires in others, she feels an unshakable connection to him, one that transcends the realm of logic. The moment she defies the fearful kneeling of the crowd, she unknowingly seals her fate.Taken into Everett’s domain, Zaiyila is forced to confront not only the dangerous, supernatural world she’s been thrust into but also the awakening desires she cannot deny. As she unravels the truth about her past and her connection to the Snake King, she must decide—will she resist the pull of destiny, or will she embrace the darkness and passion that Everett offers?A tale of betrayal, power, and an irresistible bond, Bride of the Serpent King explores the fine line between fear and desire, fate and choice.---