I will not die a Villainess's death

There was a phantom pain in Elysia's chest that did not feel like hers. Something was actively squeezing around Elysia's core and cutting her magic off.

It was painful and hurt even to breathe properly.

"I…don't feel so good. Brother, can we go home now?"

Elysia was surprised that she could even squeeze those words out of her mouth. Adam's eyes and his voice was the only thing Elysia could concentrate on but even that gave Elysia an uncomfortable feeling.

She knew he was speaking something to her but Elysia's ears rang.

"Elysia, I want to hear what you say. Is this really something you want to subject me to? I promised you that I won't-"

Adam stopped halfway as panic erupted around the hall. The noise was enough to drown out what Adam was currently speaking about.

Elysia wanted to focus on what he was saying to her but that was impossible. And so was to keep her weight stable.

Lucas was subtly carrying Elysia's weight and keeping her upright but Elysia would not confident she would be able to maintain her expression neutral for long.

Adam was still looking at her even when this chaos erupted. For a second it felt like they were the only two people in the world before reality came crashing down on them.

"Adam, let her go. Elysia, it's alright now. You can say what you want to and we will listen to you. You don't have to be afraid of what will happen next."

Eve's voice was a knife to Elysia's mind. It reminded Elysia of every reason why she should not hold on to Adam and run away.

But even saying that Elysia could not find it in herself to move. Eve's eyes were looking at Elysia in a mixture of worry and relief.

They looked at her like Adam looked at her and it made Elysia melt.

However, all good things must come to an end and so did this majestic moment. It was broken up by the arrival of a panicking guard asking for her and her brother's presence.

A brother who was still standing behind Elysia with a quiet and cold expression.

"Lady Dirac, we need your presence at the south gate with your brother. Kindly hurry up and come."

Elysia wanted to comment but the hand on her shoulder returned all of Elysia's rationality to her.

'I cannot make a scene here. It would be a problem for Lucas if I say something.'

So despite everything inside Elysia telling her to open her mouth and confess how she felt, she decided to step away from the newly formed couple.

It was just shocking that were making them act this attached to Elysia and chase after her. Once they both settle down, they will see that they were better for each other. Elysia had no place between that pair.

"Elysia, are you alright? You are sweating too hard. Have your injuries opened up again?"

Lucas finally asked Elysia this question once they were far enough from those prying eyes.

The Dirac soldiers that surrounded them currently eyes Elysia with suspicious gazes but they did not comment on her.

Even they could see how bad Elysia looked currently.

'Are they going to pity me as well? Or will they congratulate me for finally letting the Crown Prince free? I no longer know what to think.'

Elysia wanted to believe that she did the right thing. She had to have because everyone looked so happy.

Everyone except the main couple Elysia had left behind. Their eyes had looked betrayed and even hurt at what Elysia had done.

"Brother, do you think I did the right thing letting them go? It was suffocating to be bound to them but I don't feel free even when I let them go."

The chain around Elysia's heart was getting even tighter. It was choking her badly and Elysia even broke out into a cough as a result.

"Letting go is not easy but it does get better for us. Besides, I will help distract you once we go back home. You just won't have enough time to think about all this once you start your magical training."

Elysia finally smiled at her brother's attempt at distracting her. It was nice of him to try this hard and even makeup excuses.

But something felt wrong. The guards around Elysia had gone deadly quiet and were even eying Elysia with eyes full of pity.

'He will not actually kill me, right? Lucas was just saying that to make me feel better right?'

Elysia wanted to ask Lucas but his smiling face made Elysia falter in her quest. Suddenly, she did not want to ask any more questions from him.

'Why do I feel this fear at seeing Lucas smile? I suddenly don't want to return home.'

_________________________________

"Finally, we managed to get these monsters under control. But we will need to investigate where they came from. They managed to cause a huge commotion and even frightened the nobles. We will need to contain any kind of backlash that results from this."

The remaining soldiers and guards nodded at the Head Preast Yohan's words with respect.

He had been the biggest contributor to managing and purifying these monsters after the Dirac army and had even chosen to stay behind and participate in the aftermath.

People had nothing but respect for him and his deeds.

But for Eve it was a different feeling. For the first time in her life, she felt annoyed at seeing her father surrounded by so many people.

All Eve wanted was to drag him away and demand an answer from him. Her brain refused to erase the image of that Eve from before.

'Why did he pull that stunt so suddenly? It is because of him I had to make a deal with Adam and agree to share Elysia.'

But there were just too many people around for Eve to make that happen.

She shared a helpless look with Adam who had finally calmed down enough to not attack someone at a hat's drop.

The Crown Prince had already taken out his frustration at the unfortunate monsters he had crossed paths with and now he seemed much calmer.

"We are thankful for all the help you and the temple give us. Now, why don't you stay here for now and I will provide you with accommodation in the Royal Palace? I am sure little Eve would like to know how it feels to live in her future home."

Eve flinched at Adam's growl at her side. The Prince was looking at her in a way that said 'do something about it', but what could Eve do?

It was the king who had suggested this arrangement so it would be next to impossible for Eve to refute him without any good reason.

"I'm thankful for this generosity but I don't feel like it is a good idea for Eve to be here for now. I know that Adam is a good person but he's still a teenager right now. It would not be 'appropriate' for them to be nearby."

Eve's face flushed at her father's words.

"That's true. Men are truly a beast at that age. I guess it is better to separate them for now."

'D-Did he just suggests that I and Adam might-? Ewww, no. Bad thoughts.'

Eve didn't even dare to look at Adam's face right now. There might not be a bigger insult one could throw his way right now.

After all, dragons were monogamous creatures and took family bonds very seriously. Adam could kill someone over this insult.

"You! Stop this childish behavior right now. This is not an appropriate place for discussing such things. For now, everyone should return to their rooms and sleep the fatigue away."

Everyone sighed a sigh of relief as the queen made that decision. The king seemed to be the only one who looked disappointed at the news.

"Alright, if you say so dear. Then, I would like to meet Lord Yohan tomorrow. We're going to be in-laws soon so I would like to spend more time getting to know you."

Eve wanted to be happy for her father but she felt nothing but numbness and betrayed by his actions.

Why had he not asked Eve before getting her engaged with Adam?

"I would like that as well. But I should return to the temple for now. I am sure Eve is more than tired at this point.'

Head Priest Yohan finally looked toward Eve with a proud look. He also eyes Adam who finally stormed off but his main concern was Eve.

It was not until they were finally alone in the cabin that Eve dared to ask her questions.

"Why? Why did you break off Elysia's engagement? Did she do something wrong?"

Eve wanted to know why her father had even suggested such a thing. He was the one who agreed to send Elysia back to her family so he should have known that this fall-out was a possibility.

Then why did he not say anything back then? Why now?

"Ah, that? Everyone knew that Elysia was just a stand-in until a better candidate came. Besides, aren't you happy Eve? Adam is finally yours and you can be together with him as is fated."

'Fated? What bullshit.'

"I don't even like him, much less love him. Why do I have to marry him? I told you this before but you never listen to me. You, Elysia, and everyone else. Why are you all convinced that I and Adam like each other?"

Eve was pissed off but she tried to hold it in.

If only she could get an answer from her father then she would be free of second-guessing why things were happening as they were.

Just where had she gone wrong to give off an impression that she liked Adam of all people?

"Eve, you are just confused now. Everyone can see that you and Adam are made for each other. Even the gods have foretold this a long time ago. You both might not see it now but you are each other's destiny. You will be happy with each other and Elysia knows that as well. That was why when I asked her to back down, she agreed with me."

'He sounds like he believes that bullshit. But wait, is that why Elysia backed down? Not because she wanted to but because her father asked her to. Did he tell Elysia all this as well?'

Eve wanted to say that it was not like that. But the more she thought back at it, the more it made sense to her.

Elysia had not always been aloof from her and Adam but the more time she spend with the Head Priest in training, the more she closed herself off.

'I don't want to believe it but is it your fault all this is happening?'

This man, her father, was he the real culprit behind what was happening around Eve?

"Father I-"

"You are just confused for now Eve but one day you will see. Now I don't want to talk about this issue anymore. You will marry Adam even if it's not something you want to do."