Chapter 91: I didn’t bring my ‘monster’ here to hurt anyone

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: I didn’t bring my ‘monster’ here to hurt anyone Zara took another step forward, her voice smooth and measured, but there was an undeniable edge to it. "If he’s really your brother," she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked Isabella over, "then tell us—how exactly are we supposed to trust you both? Snakes don’t usually have females. So how do we know you’re not using him for your own advantage?" The crowd around them muttered. Kian, standing at the back with arms crossed, barely moved, but his eyes were focused on Isabella, his expression unreadable. Isabella’s breath caught. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. For a moment, she just stared at Zara. This wasn’t part of the plan. But Zara had a point. Even if she could convince the villagers that Cyrus wasn’t a threat, the bloodline question was a whole other monster. Isabella let go of her playful tone, her smile faltering as the gravity of the situation sank in. This wasn’t about cinnamon rolls or funny quips anymore. It wasn’t just her trying to convince the group that Cyrus was harmless, or that they were family. This was real. "I... I don’t know how to explain it." Isabella sighed, her voice softer, but still firm. She took a step toward the villagers, placing herself between them and Cyrus. "You’re right, Zara, normally snakes don’t have females. But you can’t just assume all the rules apply to every situation. The world’s a big place, and there’s a lot of things we don’t know about the creatures we live with." There was a brief pause. The crowd was still tense, some murmuring amongst themselves, unsure whether to trust her words. But then she glanced at Cyrus—his steadfast expression, his calm demeanor, his unshakable trust in her, despite all this. That trust made her feel more certain than she had in a while. "He’s my brother," she repeated with a calm that surprised herself. "And I’m not asking you to trust me because of some story about bloodlines. I’m asking you to trust me because he hasn’t done anything to deserve your hatred. He’s been nothing but... patient." Cyrus stood there, still. Too still. He was so used to people hating him, so used to being seen as a monster, he didn’t expect any different. But Isabella did. She expected them to see beyond the surface. "And for the record," she added, "If anyone’s making a family decision here, it’s me. So back off my brother for a second." She smiled at the villagers, her bravado back in full force, despite the slight quiver in her voice. "I mean, come on, I know I’m adorable, but I’m not that desperate." The villagers didn’t know how to respond to that. Some were still glaring at Cyrus, others at Isabella, but the laughter that followed—however awkward—helped break the tension. Zara scowled but didn’t argue. She didn’t like it, but she couldn’t deny that there was a strange logic to Isabella’s insistence. Kian stepped forward. His expression remained hard, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes. "You want us to believe this?" His voice was low, controlled, but laced with suspicion. "That you’ve suddenly decided to bring this creature into our midst without any real proof?" Isabella shrugged, her hands on her hips. "You know what? I’m just trying to get us all to survive here. If you don’t want to trust him, then trust me." She gave him a pointed look. "You can’t keep living in fear of everything that looks different." Kian’s gaze softened just slightly, but his wariness remained. "It’s not about being different, Isabella. It’s about being safe." She blinked, processing his words, but she didn’t back down. "And being safe means we stop running from everything that’s different and start making it work. Together." The silence that followed hung heavy, and the tension in the air was palpable. Isabella turned to Cyrus, who hadn’t moved, still staring ahead, his face neutral but his tail twitching slightly behind him. She couldn’t help but soften. "You okay?" she asked him quietly, though her words were mostly for her own reassurance. "Don’t mind them. They’re just trying to protect their own." Cyrus looked down at her. His voice was low, and for the first time in a long time, there was something vulnerable in his gaze. "I’m fine, Isabella." "Good," she said, nodding decisively. "Just stand there and look intimidating. I’ll handle the rest." He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Zara stepped forward again, her eyes narrowed but calculating, the words dripping with venom as she sneered at Isabella. "Don’t think we’re fools," Zara’s voice rang out, louder now, meant to carry over the crowd’s murmurs. "This ’brother’ story? We won’t fall for it. Do you expect us to believe that this... creature—" She gestured dramatically at Cyrus, who stood quietly, his eyes dull with resignation—"is actually your brother? How convenient. He’s here now, isn’t he? And you, you bring him right to us. We’ve all seen what happens when these monsters roam free. You could have just as easily brought him here to destroy us all!" Isabella bristled, her fists clenched at her sides, but she wasn’t about to let Zara see her back down. She forced a wide, winning smile, one that almost felt too bright to be real. She tossed a glance toward Cyrus, her voice suddenly clear and cutting, as if challenging the whole village, especially Zara. "Oh please, Zara," Isabella said with mock sweetness, her voice lilting like the start of a song. "I didn’t bring my ’monster’ here to hurt anyone. He’s here because—" She hesitated, looking over at the still-silent Cyrus, feeling his sadness hanging in the air like a thick fog. "—because he’s my family. And family? Well, we stick together, no matter how loud the naysayers get. Right?" There was a pause—long enough for the crowd to digest her words, long enough for Kian to shift uncomfortably, and long enough for Zara’s face to harden. But it wasn’t enough. Isabella knew this wasn’t over. The villagers were still watching. And Cyrus? He remained silent, lost in his own world, and Isabella wasn’t sure how to fix that. Not yet.