The Love of Snakes | Coriolanus Snow

1. She Knows

She despised him.

She despised him with every fiber of her being.

She despised him so intensely that even the word "despise" felt too mild.

No, that wasn’t strong enough. Her feelings toward him went beyond hatred.

She wanted to hurt Coriolanus Snow. She wanted to see him bleed, to witness the proud Snow legacy crumble into dust.

And she had every right to feel this way. He was responsible for her brother's death.

Or at least she thought so. No, she knew so.

He was responsible for Sejanus's death, and yet here he was, sitting across from her at her family's dinner table, savoring the lamb her mother had prepared.

How could her parents believe him? Couldn't they see he was after their money? That he had never truly been Sejanus's friend? How could they be so stu—

"Letty?" Scarlett's mother’s voice jolted her back to the present.

"Sorry," Scarlett murmured, picking up her fork to push the peas around her plate. She hadn’t had an appetite for months. "What were you saying?"

"I asked if you wanted to go to the market with me later?" Ma smiled, but it wasn’t the same. Since Sejanus died, her mother's smiles were dull, barely reaching her eyes.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, of course, Ma."

"Oh, good! Coryo, is there anything you need from the market?"

Scarlett’s skin prickled as her attention shifted to the blonde across from her. Everything about him screamed Capitol—from his perfect diction to the way he held his fork. He carried himself as if he always knew more than everyone else, which he likely did.

"Thank you, but no, there's nothing I need," Coriolanus replied, flashing a charming smile at Ma. He played the role of Sejanus's replacement perfectly.

Her father had taken Coriolanus under his wing immediately after Sejanus’s death, providing him with anything he needed. And Ma fussed over him, always ensuring he had enough food and wore a warm coat. It had only been six months, but he seemed to have settled in seamlessly.

It was disgusting. Scarlett wanted to tear her hair out and scream whenever she was in the same room with them. Dinner had become her least favorite part of the day.

But she treated Coriolanus kindly. She had to if she truly wanted to destroy him. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

The rest of the dinner conversation drifted over Scarlett's head, as it often did. She tended to zone out, the voices in her head louder than those around her.

____________________________________

Scarlett stood in front of the Snows' door, steeling herself to plaster on a fake smile and say polite words.

Ma had sent her up with cookies from the market, despite Scarlett reminding her that Coriolanus had said he didn’t want anything.

Though the Snows lived just above them, Scarlett rarely visited. She avoided it like the plague, always finding an excuse. Tonight, however, her mother caught her off guard, and she couldn’t come up with a reason not to deliver the package.

She knocked firmly on the door, hearing rustling and creaking floorboards before it swung open.

"Scarlett?" Coriolanus stood there, eyebrows raised in surprise.

She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, then held out the package. "Here."

He didn’t take it immediately, his eyes narrowing as he looked between her and the cookies. "You never come up here."

"Yes, well, I’m usually very busy, but Ma insisted I bring these, so here." She pressed the package against his chest, her smile so fake it hurt.

His blue eyes flashed before he finally took the cookies. "I truly meant it when I said I didn’t want anything."

"Well, you know Ma."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "I do."

Scarlett studied him for a moment. His hair was perfectly swooped, his suit pristine, not a wrinkle in sight. His expression was indifferent. He was a very private man, showing people only what he wanted them to see. If she had any hope of bringing him down, she’d have to find a way around his well-built walls.

"Anything else?" Coriolanus interrupted her thoughts, his tone slightly impatient.

"Oh, no, I'll see you later, Coriolanus." Scarlett nodded goodbye and headed down the stairs.

If she wanted to get over his walls, she would need to be smart. She had to make him trust her.

He had to be lonely. Tigris had moved out, his grandmother had passed away, and he had killed his only friend. She never saw him with anyone his age. He seemed to spend most of his time with her parents or at the university with Dr. Gaul.

She could use that. She just needed to make him feel like he needed her. Then she could finally strike.

A/N: Finally done with the first chapter. I'm not sure if I really like it, but please 🙏🏻 lmk what you think. Thankyou sm for reading!! 💗