I will not die a Villainess's death

'Fuck it all. Why do I have to be stuck in here with such a tense atmosphere? I feel like I will choke.'

Enma's inner lament went unnoticed by everyone else around him. The maids put food on his plate but the neon green of that food shade made something in his stomach churn and threaten to come back up.

"I hope that the food is to your liking. I know my staff worked hard to prepare it for you."

Baron Pheros's sugar-sweet voice reached Enma's ear and he almost gagged at the tone. He had to swallow down his words to not say anything triggering.

He looked toward his companions, only to notice that they had stopped eating. In fact, Elysia was the only one who was trying to swallow the food. Sorias had not even touched it.

On the other hand, Lord Baron was enjoying his meal. He even reached out to take a second serving of the food which only served to make Enma even sicker.

How was he even digesting all that food and where was it going? Even Elysia was beginning to look a little green in the face and she was someone who rarely showed her emotions on her face.

"The food is...something. Although I cannot say that it is to my taste, I can tell that the cooks have tried their best to pour their love into this dish."

How Elysia managed to speak those words about this repulsive food was anyone's guess.

"More like, cook this dish with poison. I can swear I saw my spoon melt a little while I was testing this food out."

Enma's skin broke out into a sweat as he heard Sorias speak like that. Sorias's words caused Lord Baron's beady eyes to turn toward him and humm.

"Excuse me, but did you say something young lad? I didn't quite catch what you said."

Baron Pheros repeated his words slowly which caused Sorias to swallow his words and not say anything in return. The amount of willpower it took to make this happen was enormous but he somehow held his words in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Elysia knew she had to change the subject right now. And she had a perfect way to do so as well.

"Baron Pheros, I noticed that Lady Pheros and the kids are not eating breakfast with us. Did anything else happen yesterday night?"

As Elysia expected, the focus shifted toward her question and Sorias was let go. Her familiar gave Elysia a thankful look but he did not seem to be regretting what he had said.

"Alas, my wife and kids are not feeling that well this morning so I allowed them to sleep in. Please don't mind their behavior and enjoy yourself to your heart's content."

Baron Pheros sounded more annoyed than sorry about his circumstances and Elysia made a point to visit Lady Pheros as soon as she could. She had a feeling that the other lady would need her help.

"I see. So that's what happened. In that case, I should pay a visit to Lady Pheros as soon as I can to take a look at her condition. I am no doctor but I did spend some time in the temple so I might be able to help her out."

Elysia was just making up excuses at this point. She had zero points of recovery magic and even the remedies she prepared were useless in most cases. All she was doing right now was buying time for herself and Lady Pheros.

Baron Pheros looked like he was not going to agree with her suggestion but he did agree in the end.

"Alright. I can allow you to visit my wife and I am sure she would like your company as well. Emily, take our guests to my wife as soon as they are done eating."

The maid bowed toward Baron Pheros before her beady eyes looked Elysia up and down. The feeling of being judged by those eyes was so prominent that Elysia did not even feel a need to hide.

"I understand. I will also inform the madam that she will have company today."

The maid, Emily, spoke before she disappeared behind the dining room wall. It almost seemed as if she had melted into the shadows and Elysia forced her head away from the interesting scene.

She could not seem to be too interested in the servants of this place or she would be caught.

But she did wonder if the man she had met yesterday was a servant as well. He was peculiar like a servant but he did not give off the feeling of having worked under someone before.

Elysia forced her food away from her plate and decomposed it using magic as soon as Baron Pheros's eyes were not looking at her. She could not force herself to swallow that green blob that had been placed in front of her.

Forget about it being 'healthy', it did not look safe for consumption. Elysia had a taste earlier and she had almost given up on her taste buds forever.

After breakfast, the maid leads them through the unfamiliar corridor and toward a separate tower. There she knocked on the door and opened it without getting any answer.

'Wow, so no one in this place waits for the reply from the other side before opening the door. They are all rude.'

Elysia made this observation while flinching at the loud noise the door made as it was forced open.

Lady Pheros sat on the bed in the middle of the room, her eyes lost in thoughts before she realized that she had a visitor and straightened her pose.

"Lady Pheros, you have visitors today. I will take young lords to their lessons right now while you entertain these guests. It is Baron Pheros's orders."

Lady Pheros looked like she wanted to say something but she snapped her mouth close the very next second.

Elysia could read her expression that said 'help me' and Elysia felt compelled to help her out.

"Excuse me, but can I trouble you to bring the kids, Susan and Mars here as well? I am sure they can afford to miss their classes for one day and I want to spend time with them as well."

The maid, Emily looked like she was not going to agree initially but then her expression changed and she nodded.

"Of course. Master has permitted so I will bring the young masters here as soon as I can."

Lady Pheros's relieved expression was beyond grateful at this point. She almost broke out into a sob as soon as the maid was gone.

"Oh thank god you came here to visit me today. I was so afraid after what happened yesterday to that maid that it was even difficult for me to sleep. Hey, do you think it was my husband who caused that maid to die? She used to be his favorite but he did not seem to be appreciating her company lately."

Lady Pheros was having a mental breakdown which made Elysia feel sorry for her.

"I am sure it had nothing to do with Baron Pheros and was only circumstantial. You do not need to fear for your life."

Elysia assured the lady who looked to be in pain. But her eyes were still gentle as she took in Elysia's appearance.

Her eyes had tears building up in them and Elysia was afraid that they would fall any second now. She would not be able to take a weeping lady and soothe her. It was not her forte.

"I….was afraid for you. I was so afraid that my husband somehow caught up to what we were doing and targeted you. I felt sick thinking about this possibility that I even had trouble sleeping."

Lady Pheros did seem like she had trouble sleeping last night. Her eyes had dark circles and her skin looked pale.

Elysia felt touched by the feelings she felt from Lady Pheros. They might be originating from the guilt she felt about placing Elysia in such a situation but they were strong enough to even make her lose sleep.

To be the objective of someone's strong feelings like this was flattering for Elysia. She had never felt like this before and that feeling of longing made her feel bad.

Maybe she was not too far off from being a villainess with these feelings and demands.

"You are thinking too much. Baron Pheros is too interested in my well-being right now to kill me. However, I did discover something in your home yesterday night which you should know about. Also, I think you should take your kids and get away from this place for some time. Go back to your parent's home or something."

Elysia issued the warning to Lady Pheros who seemed to have gone pale at hearing those words. Her eyes trembled as she tried to hide her emotions.

"I-Is the issue really that big that you need me to go away? W-Will it affects Susan and Mars as well?"

Lady Pheros's concern for her children was touching and it made Elysia that much more determined to take care of her.

"The issue is not that big but I don't want you all to be caught up in it if it did blow up in the future. The more you limit yourself, the better it will be for you."

In the end, Lady Pheros trusted Elysia and chose to go back to her parent's house. The kids did protest but they were convinced easily enough.

However, they did Elysia a knowing glare which she ignored. Even their eyes were trying to tell her something but Elysia was not getting it.

Her brain was lost in thoughts while walking back toward the main castle when she felt someone take hold of her arm and pull her into the ally she did not even know this palace had.

Her body felt cramped as it was forced to lean against the wall and a stronger body was pressed against her in that narrow place.

Elysia was going to fry the person who dared touch her like this when her magic flared out at seeing those familiar orange looking back at her.

"Hello, did you miss me?"

It was the man from yesterday.