The Marked Phoenix: Little Red Bird - Chapter 18

Swallowing hard, Emerine forced herself to remain calm even though goosebumps were already forming on her entire body. She was already freezing from the cold, but his eerie words were enough to make her body tremble involuntarily. She suddenly realized how defenseless and alone she was. No friend, no comrade, no source of comfort. She truly was alone in this world.

“Well, Wise-mouth? How are you going to talk your way out of a branding?” the leader questioned her as she slowly turned around to face him. His cruel lips twisted into a satisfied smirk upon seeing how she seemed to be recalling the first advice he had given her.

“Wise-mouth?” she repeated in a whisper. He wanted her to be broken like how a wild horse is broken, so, broken she shall be even if it was temporary and damaging to her pride.

The leader shook his head in disappointment. “Not even two hours have passed since I’ve kicked you out of my tent,” he lazily drew out every word while impatiently tapping his boot-cladded foot. “If you wanted to pretend to be obedient, you should’ve at least waited for the whipping.”

Emerine dropped her pitiful expression. Fine, maybe he was right. Upon seeing the instant switch of her demeanor, he let out a baffled chuckle.

“See, what did I say? Another slip-up, Wise-mouth,” he said as he shook his head.

“Goods shouldn’t be damaged if they’re to be sold,” Emerine slowly said as her eyes shifted to the girl beside her before returning the gaze to the man.

Her eyes widened when he suddenly bent down to her level. Yet again, she bit down on her lips to prevent the yelp of pain from leaving her mouth. He was forcefully and mercilessly clenching her jaw again, his fingers digging into her previous bruises.

“What did I say about looking at me when I speak to you?” he hissed, his spit flying towards her face. She cringed back in disgust, shielding herself from him. This infuriated him further as his eyes set ablaze.

“Little bitch, you just never learn,” he softly growled before raising his hand as she repeated, “Goods shouldn’t be damaged if they’re to be sold.” His hand paused for the briefest second as she uttered out through unbearable pain, “…or else it’ll lower the value of the goods.”

“Hah, so you see yourself as a sellable good.” The man softly shook his head. “What a wise-mouth you truly are,” he gently said while pondering over his options. “I should sell your brain instead of your body.”

Emerine didn’t understand what he had meant by that.

“Organs are more valuable than livestock.”

She tried her very, very best to not spit at his face for his imprudent remark. She didn’t want to be reminded of how useless she was beside her sharp tongue. She didn’t want to be reminded that without the silver spoon thrusted in her mouth, she could’ve been a commoner at best. If she hadn’t drawn a lucky dice when she was standing in front of the River of Rebirth, maybe she could’ve been a commoner. Magicless and weak.

“Healthy organs are more valuable.”

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” he laughed. He found her so amusing that he began to wonder what her next defense would be if he were to slit her tongue off. No one needed a talkative servant. And slaves weren’t expected to talk.

“I like a woman with a useful tongue in bed. We should talk after I violate your entire body. If not, we’re nothing more than breeding animals.” He cocked his head to the side and observed her features.

Even though she was dirty, he could not forget the sight of her in his tent. So peacefully she slept, without a care in the world. Delicate skin that only pampered women would have. Her eyes were truly a peculiar color, but he enjoyed how exotic it made her seem. Hair of liquid gold, she truly was a feast he wanted to enjoy. If only she weren’t sullied beyond repair.

“There are some diseases that can be cured,” he slowly licked his lips, tempted to savor her.

“Do you want to find out if mine is curable?” Emerine countered, her eyes blazing. “Because the last official who attempted the same thing is currently rotting away in his high chair, dickless,” she purred with a tempting smile.

“Maybe a night of wild pleasure outweighs a lifetime of none.” She tilted her head and leaned closer before continuing, “It’d be such a lonely life to not experience the greatest gift of mankind: Intercourse.”

The leader let out a cunning and contemptuous laugh at her words. He had finally seen past her bluff. She was good at her words, too good for her to be a simple maidservant. “Funny thing is, there’s a little princess in the palace you serve who’s rumored to have the same color eyes as you.”

This time, it was Emerine’s turn to reveal a cunning smile. She knew what he was implying, but she was hell-bent on confusing him. “I served her as her decoy. Why else do you think I speak so proper? More proper than the other educated maidservants? I am to serve as her shield shall something ever go wrong.”

“My, how you’ve failed as her shield. The shield is alive, yet the wielder is dead.”

Emerine’s heart skipped a beat at his words. Dead. They thought their princess was dead. If that was the case, who was taking her position as the crown princess? Who declared her to be dead? She thought back to the dead maid on her bed.

“People always whispered of how pampered yet exquisite this princess was. Trapped within the highest floor of the palace, she was a delicate little thing whose beauty could not be hindered by the veil she wore.”

“If it’s the princess you wish to imagine with this face of mine, then I must dearly apologize, for I look nothing like her without a veil.”

“Ah, shall I have you wear one while I sully you?”

“If you wish to sully me and yourself with the heinous crime of a disease that will ruin both your masculinity and health, then please do so. Please tear me apart,” Emerine boldly countered him, never once dropping eye contact. He quietly stared at her for the longest time as she did the same. She refused to back down. She refused to lose this fight, the fight for her life. With each passing second, suffocating tension arose from both of them and it was nowhere close to being pleasant.

Finally, he muttered out, “You amuse me.” Without warning, he released Emerine’s jaw and watched her as she continued to stare at him with a defiant look in her eyes, seemingly not bothered by the pain he had inflicted on her.

She could’ve been less stubborn and rubbed the pain away, but she didn’t. Yet again, she behaved like an untamed horse, prideful and hardheaded fully aware of the consequences, but paid no heed to it. He liked that. He liked it more than he wished to.