Page 75 of Crowned In Venom

And that makes them uneasy.

Anya smiles, her gaze flicking toward a noble whose estate is failing.

"Lord Ferros, did you not just lose five ships to demons?"

He stiffens.

Her eyes shift to another—a younger noble, more desperate.

"And Lord Veyrin, your father’s debt weighs heavily on your shoulders, does it not?"

Veyrin’s mouth tightens.

A quiet chuckle ripples through the crowd.

Because now, she has them.

I knew she was dangerous.

I did not know she was this dangerous.

She is not just surviving.

She is thriving.

The auctioneer, now thoroughly flustered, clears his throat.

"Three hundred gold pieces," someone calls.

"Four hundred!"

The bids rise sharply.

Because now, she is not just a slave.

She is an asset.

A woman who has been beside me—who has learned me.

They think they can use her.

That she will spill my secrets, whisper names in the dark.

They are wrong.

But I let them believe it.

Let them see her value.

The bidding rises.

And then, at the height of it?—

I lift a hand.

The room stills.

The auctioneer hesitates.

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