The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 89. Talk with Duchess (2)

Chapter 89: 89. Talk with Duchess (2)

Leo’s grip on the cup tightened. Liana’s presence was no accident—Maria was toying with him. "Why’s she here?" he asked.

Maria’s laugh was cold. "A maid serves the nobles, Leonhardt. What else?"

He sipped, his voice steady but laced with danger. "Why’re you trying to kill me?"

Maria’s laugh was sharp, cutting. "Why would I? But let’s say... the first son’s privilege is a thorn in my side. My son deserves the dukedom, not some leftover."

Leo’s smirk didn’t waver. "Funny. I was already the family joke—useless, ignored. Everyone loves your boy. Why risk it?"

Maria’s cup slipped, shattering on the floor with a piercing crash. She didn’t blink, her eyes boring into Leo’s. "Girl," she hissed, not looking at Liana, "clean this."

Liana whispered, "Yes, Madam," and knelt, gathering shards with shaking hands.

Maria’s smile twisted into something vile, and she slammed her heel onto Liana’s hand, pinning it against a broken piece. Blood welled, and Liana bit back a cry. "Where were we?" Maria purred. "Oh, yes. I’m just... tidying up." She ground her foot harder, Liana’s blood pooling on the marble.

Leo’s face was stone, but his eyes burned with restrained fury. Nimbus snarled, claws flexing. "Nimbus, down," Leo growled, his voice a warning.

Maria laughed, her voice dripping with scorn. "Such a change, Leonhardt. Polite, fearless, protecting a maid you used to beat senseless." She stomped on Liana’s hand again, the crack of bone audible. Liana trembled, silent, her face pale as death. "Clean it," Maria spat.

Liana resumed, blood dripping from her mangled hand. Nimbus’s snarls grew feral, his body coiling to spring.

Maria’s voice turned to a hiss, her words was indirectly towards him. "Things work best when they know their place. When a wild monkey leaps at you, you grab its tail and snap it. Pain’s the only language it understands. That’s what I’m doing—breaking it until it learns who’s in control." She pressed down again, Liana’s hand crunching under her heel.

Nimbus roared, a sound more beast than cat, and Leo’s control snapped. He slammed his coffee cup onto the table, the porcelain exploding into shards that bit into his fist. Blood dripped, but his voice was a lethal calm.

"Enough!"

Maria recoiled, her heart stuttering, her chaise creaking as she leaned back, fear flickering in her eyes.

Leo’s bleeding fist clenched, his gaze locked on Nimbus. "Elders know best, huh? Stay out of it."

Liana, ignoring Maria, shoved the Duchess’s foot aside and rushed to Leo, her voice breaking. "You’re hurt!" She knelt, removing glass pieces from his hand with bloodied fingers, she forgot about her own pain.

Leo’s eyes never left Maria, a chilling smile curling his lips. "Apologise, Duchess. Nimbus loves Liana more than me. My bad."

Leo’s crimson eyes softened as he turned to Liana, her bloodied hand trembling. "Go treat yourself," he said.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "I’ve got words for the Duchess."

Liana nodded, her face tight with worry. As she moved toward the door, Leo added, "Oh, tell Sir Dian to come here with whatever he found."

"Yes, Young Master," she replied, leaving the room. Leo’s gaze turned back to Maria, who sat rigid, her gray eyes filled with fear.

He leaned forward, his voice low and menacing, like a storyteller weaving ahorror story. "What’s that? Putting things where they belong? Sure, maybe that’d work on the old me, three months ago."

He leaned closer, his presence suffocating, his words a slow, deliberate taunt. "What’re you trying to pull, scaring me? You think I’m shaking? Look at my eyes, Duchess—see any fear?" His crimson gaze widened, burning with an intensity that made her flinch. Maria gulped, her composure crumbling. Leo chuckled, leaning back with a mocking grin. "What was it? Pain’s the language monkeys understand?"

He tilted his head, his voice turning colder. "You know what pain I give to those ’monkeys’ you sent, dressed as bandits? I butchered some, sliced others, and burned one alive. Shame I heard bodies vanished." Maria’s face paled, her earlier bravado dead, her hands trembling. Leo’s smirk grew more sadistic. "Come on, don’t let me talk alone."

She muttered, her voice shaking, "I’ll tell the Duke."

Leo’s laugh was dark, dripping with mockery. "Oh, really? Now I’m worried." He leaned forward again, his smile twisting into something unhinged. "If the Duke comes for me, it’ll be a hassle to kill him, but I’ll manage." The words hit like a blade, and Maria’s eyes widened, her breath catching.

A knock broke the silence. "Come in!" Leo barked, his voice shows eho has authority here.

Commander Dian stepped inside, his eyes widening as he looked at the scene—Maria’s fear, Leo’s bleeding fist, shattered cups across the floor. He got glimpse of what happened in an instant, but it’s not his concern, even Duke ordered to not intervene between them. "Young Lord, you called?"

Leo’s gaze didn’t leave Maria. "Find anything?"

Dian nodded, stepping forward and placing a small liquor bottle wrapped in cloth on the table. "Found this in the tree, just as you said. Position suggests someone was spying."

Leo’s smirk deepened, his eyes locked on Maria. "Thanks, Sir Dian. You’re dismissed."

Dian bowed slightly and left, the door clicking shut. Leo picked up the bottle, turning it in his hand. "Looks like your assassins are moving, Duchess."

Maria’s voice trembled, barely audible. "It’s... just your hunch."

Leo’s laugh was sharp, cutting through her denial. "You wanted to talk openly, yet you’re backpedaling. Let me be clear, you can hire anyone. Assassins, mercenaries, hell, summon a demon."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "I won’t die. I’m desperate to live, and I’ll do anything to stay alive. I’ll do anything to live. Even if the King himself draws a sword to kill me, I’ll bury him six feet deep."

He stood, gesturing to Nimbus, who rose with a low growl. "Let’s go." Leo walks toward the door, his voice cold and final. "I’m keeping this heir’s seat until my goals are done. After that, I’m gone—you’ll never see me again." He gripped the door handle, glancing back at Maria, his smile a predator’s promise. "If you still want me dead, go for it. I won’t touch you,Duchess, I mean, mother."

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Maria frozen, her hands shaking.

The head maid entered into Maria’s fancy chamber, her eyes popping at the mess—broken cups, blood on the floor, and Maria, usually so strong, now shaking like a leaf, her gray eyes scared.

The maid’s voice shook. "Madam Duchess... what’s wrong?"

Maria’s hands trembled, her words weak. "Kill Leonhardt. Do it fast."

The maid stood still, shocked. The powerful Duchess was falling apart, and Leonhardt felt like a bad dream hanging over them.

Leo walks In the manor’s hallway, his boots loud on the shiny floor. He looked at his bloody hand, glass stuck in it, and said, "Heal."

[Healing Protocol Initiated: 2/3]

A soft glow fixed his hand in seconds. He grinned.

What he’d said to Maria wasn’t just him talking—it was Leonhardt’s anger, all the hurt from being ignored by his family. Leo had used that pain to scare Maria, and it felt right, like helping the old Leonhardt fight back. He sighed, brushing his hair back, his red eyes scanning the hall.

"Young lady, what’re you doing?" a servant’s voice called from around a corner.

Leo stopped, looking over. Vivien peeked out, her small body half-hidden, her red eyes big and curious. She froze when she saw him, but Leo’s face warmed with a kind smile.

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