Chapter 1.21: The Snake’s Venom

"I'm just having a disagreement with my sibling," The man huffed and quickly moved to let Charmaine go. "My sister will be coming home with me and you'll stop trying to speak to her."

Leila rolled her eyes. There was no way he could make that happen. If her letters to the woman were intercepted, she'd use a spy. She could easily hire a beggar boy to deliver messages. One bag of gold coins and gemstones would feed him for days. Due to this body being of noble blood, anyone who was desperate for pay or aid would help her.

Plus, Cleo's family name held more weight than his. The Bryants had gained admiration for the fear they struck in the hearts of pirates. Marines who fought beside them sat them as heroes. But as Yona took their strategy and ran with it, their legacy withered. The tales of Bryant men and women being warriors of the sea were ancient.

In contrast, Cleo's father was regarded as a war hero in his home country. He worked as a mercenary for powerful families and businesses whose favor he earned in return. Her mother was from a family of trained killers. She went to college and worked in the weapons business. And together they invested in local military academies. They had more fame than the Bryants could dream of.

She crossed her arms over her chest and hummed. "Is that what Charmaine told you to say to me? Or is it what your father wants?" A finger tapped her chin as she pretended to think about it.

Charmaine was watching the exchange anxiously. Her face was flushed, her brown cheeks darkening as she curled into herself. She wanted to stop the confrontation but she was frozen in place.

"It doesn't matter who said it. What matters is that you need to stay far away from her." He yelled the last half of the sentence out with a growl.

Leila heard all sorts of comments from the hushed voices of the onlookers. Some wondered if the heiress had befriended Charmaine beforehand. Or that she had a failed relationship with the Bryant heir. The idea of dating the bastard made her want to puke. He was used to beat his enemies into submission. Whether it be emotional or physical.

"Why? What have I done to make you fear me so much?" She had to hold back a grin when his vein bulged. This was easier than she thought.

"The Bryant family fears no one," Eagerly she waited for him to drop the bomb. With one insult he could destroy his image in the eyes of the nobles surrounding them. "Especially a whore willing to end the life of a pregnant woman."

'Oh?' She raised an eyebrow as he stood there smugly. There was a loud gasp from one of the onlookers. The whispers became louder as they tried to interpret what he meant. The teenager was surprised it took this long for word to spread.

"I assume you're talking about the prince's consort?" Leila asked as the man smirked at her. He looked satisfied that she knew what he was talking about.

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She could spin this in her favor. No one here knew Cleo tried to poison the woman. "I never laid a hand on that little girl. I was framed by the real culprits who are all dead."

"Liar, everyone in the country knows you're guilty. You only escaped by opening your legs to the prince that night." The man sounded disgusted speaking such words. He looked at her like she was utter trash even though she was in control.

"If everyone thought I was guilty no one would have come to the banquet. And it means you willingly tried to ally with a traitor." Leila threw his accusations back at him with venom.

At this moment she noticed a shift in Charmaine's behavior. The previously submissive woman pulled at her brother forcefully. Her voice was desperate, cracking as she begged. "Brother, we should just go."

"Oh, now you want to go?" The man hissed at her so viciously it made Leila’s arm hair stand. He turned to face her again and practically spat from how he was barking out each word. "How dare you. You know nothing of our business with your father."

"I'm not some dumb heiress waiting to be bred by men like you. I know very well why you came." She got up in his face and laughed coldly.

She could see his sister’s shocked, almost hurt face but ignored her. While she had wanted her to see this side of her later that wasn't possible now. She felt disappointed the girl was so meek with her family. The teenager would condition her to become bolder as the sad heiress act sickened her. She didn't want someone weak under her control. Especially someone who chose to act that way out of cowardness.

"You're talking out of your ass. You think we need your father's money so badly we'll let you talk down to us?" He sneered which made her want to smack him upside the head.

"Really? Should I tell you what I know since you think I'm talking down to you?" She asked and got no reply. Charmaine's face was begging her to be silent but Leila didn't give a damn.

"Your father is barely paying the bills of your home. His investors are leaving one by one and there's not enough of you to marry off. All your jewels, all of your gold will mean nothing when your legacy caves in from the rapid decay." She made sure to look at him straight-faced as she ranted. She wanted every word, every sentence to burn him.

The Bryants were so deep into debt she was surprised they managed to survive. Everyone who had once cheered them on had left. The head of the family was a shell of the man he once was. Their mother had become an alcoholic from the stress and was now teetering on the edge. If it wasn't for the marriages they had with wealthier families they'd be done for. It was foolish of them to even think of speaking ill of those who could help save them.

"You have no right to insult me when your mother is a drunk who can barely get out of bed. Your siblings are sold like cattle for your lights to stay on but I'm the immoral one?" She scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. Get out of my face and off my property."

She watched the pain come to the surface of the man's face. He was much taller than her so she had to look upward and strain her neck to see. There were unshed tears in his eyes. They were bulging like the veins that had appeared on his forward. Leila felt no sympathy for the onslaught of memories assaulting him. His father was an idiot for sending this buffoon to the banquet. He insulted her and by doing so insulted her father.

Her gaze moved to Charmaine. She stood with her mouth agape. There was nothing she could say as every word the teenager said was true. And Leila found herself pleased with how much it affected her. It would make the woman more vulnerable to her manipulations. Her heart had been laid bare all of because of her brut–

SLAP.