Chapter 2.04: Dinner Drama

'This is where the banquet was held.' The heiress stared at the dual doors with a sour expression.

The dark-haired woman tried not to think about Charmaine much. The woman had attempted to make contact, but it just wasn't possible. Leila knew her captivity had changed things. Any potential relationship, if you could call it that, would be impossible. They had knocked out a chess piece from her side of the board of her reach. And in its place was another force attacking her palace. She knew the royals would use her drama with the family to ruin her reputation further. It was already residing on thin ice these days. A fight with even a dying noble family wasn't good for it.

Especially with the prince's fiance wanting her blood. Leila sneered at the memory of her near-death experience. It was something she should have been more intelligent to avoid. The woman was really a rat who she should have been more careful about. Her forces had nearly taken the teenager's life. Leila could admit now she had been getting cocky. The power had gotten to her head when really; she had none. The prince's fiance was a nameless woman who had stolen everything. Her crown, her status, her pull. Every bit of it had been snatched from Cleo's grasp, aka Leila’s. The only way to win this game would be to take it all back. Merely killing the royals wouldn't be enough.

The resentment she felt was rotting her from the inside. It was devouring any part of her that hadn't been tainted when the two swapped places. A sullen expression overtook her face as she sighed. Leila placed her hand on the door with her eyes twinkling a tad with tears. Her shoulders were heavy from the burdens she'd taken. Sometimes she wanted to just ask to be let go. To be taken back to her rightful body and be free of the overwhelming madness Cleo had leashed. She dreamed of the countless lives taken by the woman and felt nothing but contempt. A slow acceptance had washed over the teenager, which was cold. This place was changing her from the skin to the bone.

'How many people will I have to kill? How many nameless, faceless characters will be in my way?' Her glossy, ruby lips parted as she put on a wide grin on her face. There was no point in crying.

The heiress was met with the emotionless face of her mother when she entered. The woman was sitting at the head of the table, wearing their family colors. Everyone was beside her brother's wife, who caught her eye. The girl was dressed in a lightweight, paper-thin dress that sat buttoned on her collarbone. As the dark-haired woman got closer, she could see that there was detailed artwork on its sleeves. They were made with a combination of white thread and matching puca shells. The constant white details sat on her translucent sleeves rather boldly. Anyone would be drawn to her just from the sight. Her hair also looked beautiful, Leila noted. She was wearing it atop her head in a messy bun, not held by a ponytail holder or rubber band but by wooden sticks.

Seeing the younger woman all dressed up showed why her brother picked her. Her beauty wasn't artificial and, due to being foreign, it was new. It wasn't a good thing. Leila knew that the man saw the poor country girl as nothing more than a new toy. Someone exotic and adorable when she acted confused by cultural differences. The two looked at each other briefly and the girl froze. She trembled before quickly looking down and shoving a spoonful of vegetable soup into her mouth. The sight sent a shiver down Leila’s spine as she cringed. God, if this happened again, she'd die inside. Having someone be so afraid of you when you've barely spoken was pretty terrible to think about. The girl's hand shook aggressively as the heiress hurried to sit far away.

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'What the hell did that bastard say about me?' Leila was going to throttle the man when he showed up. Because clearly, he had said something to his fiancee to make her scared shitless.

"Cleo." The familiar voice of Alek awoke her from her seething. She looked over to see the tall man dressed in a suit with his weapons on his hip. They needed to be prepared for anything in this family.

The man pulled out the seat next to her and sat down. His hand reached out for her own, which she allowed him to hold. In front of their mother, Leila knew she had to put on an act. She needed to believe that her daughter was madly in love with her older brother. It was something that sickened Leila to think about, but the plan worked so far. Alek was starting to develop an actual love for Cleo, even if it was built on a foundation of manipulation. She would fix it when the others were out of the way. Surviving the wrath of those bastards overrode any morals she had on ‌incestuous desires. So for now, she would stomach anything between the two and pray it didn't escalate. For both of their sakes, this was Leila’s only choice.

Leila found herself forgoing her morals and previous social standings often. In the real world, she would have balked at the idea of having a maid. If you told her she would be dressed in enough jewels to feed the country, she'd laugh in your face. But that was her reality now, and she had to tread lightly. Her arguments on slavery at the tea party caused her views to be publicized. Which was amazing as she was, earning her the support of the lower class. But a noble being against such a thing was seen as pandering. Immediately, some news outlets and busybodies painted her as a liar. Saying that since she lost the support of the upper class, she was suddenly changing her tune.

The heiress couldn't blame them for thinking this way. If what Ezekiel said was right and Cleo wasn't bothered by slaves beforehand, it looked odd. Still, it bothered her that this was how people were deciding to spin a private conversation. If Quincy wasn't a potential ally, she would have found the woman and throttled her. During her battle with the contract killers, she lost the woman's letter. They had no way of contacting one another as suddenly the pompous brat went on vacation. Leila suspected she heard of the attack and feared that someone might come for her next. Everyone heard of what happened and opinions were mixed. Some nobles refused to interact with her, seeing her presence as a beacon of drama. While others wanted to spill the tea.

Her mother took a sip from the cup she was holding and hummed. Obviously, she had something that was weighing on her mind. "Hi, sweetheart."

Leila could already tell she wasn't bothering to put up a mask for the new girl. "Mother." She probably saw no point in doing so since she was family now.

The woman's bejeweled necklace clinked together loudly as she smiled. She put a long-nailed hand against her face, the rings on her fingers glistening under the chandelier light. "I'm glad you feel well enough to eat dinner with us. It's nice to have my daughters together as one."

The comment made Alek look over at Leila, who flushed and took a moment. So, her mother had accepted the new fiance already. Considered her to be a brand new daughter to ruin and manipulate. The poor girl looked anxious, unsure whether she should be happy or terrified by the comment.