I will not die a Villainess's death

'Go and help Eve out with the Kalvin town case. It is not something she is ready to handle alone but we need the public support it would provide her with.'

The note burned as it was thrown into the fire. Elysia watched the fire consume the note until it was no more.

Then she used magic to scatter the ashes away so that not even magic could retrieve them. She was going to eliminate any trace of her communication with the temple.

Head Priest Yohan had warned Elysia about keeping a low profile and not to let the people know that she was still in contact with the temple.

The Dirac house was known to not get along with the temple. If Elysia was found out to be involved with the temple then it would make her standing in this family difficult.

She might even lose Lord Dirac's favor altogether.

"Worrying about it would not do me any good either. I should just sleep my nervousness off and tackle this problem in the future."

Lord Dirac had asked Elysia to ask him for work once she was settled down. A night was enough time for others to believe that Elysia had settled down and she was using work to distract her mind.

The main problem would be to convince Lord Dirac into letting Elysia take this case. Surely he would not agree with her without question.

Elysia went to sleep with her head full of weird thoughts. And maybe that was why she dreamed such a dream that night.

((((

The ally Elysia's body was running through was darker than the night. She could hear someone following behind her on all fours.

Every time the person behind her moved, Elysia felt the moment of footsteps following her.

"P-Please let me go. I d-didn't do anything. I d-didn't see anything either."

Elysia was sure that the sound she was hearing was coming out of her mouth. Her throat and her mouth were moving but there was no sensation of the moment.

"I-I'll give you anything you want. P-Please, let me go."

Elysia's body was shaking and her vision could not see anything. It took her a few seconds of clearing her mind and disassociating herself from the body to realize that this was not her body.

Elysia's vision was messed up but she was not blind. She could still see the colors of magic around her.

But her current body could not sense anything, not even a hint of magic. It was of a regular magic-less human.

'What a weird dream this is. It almost feels like the one I have when I am in the purification pool. Even the pain feels real.'

Elysia was too distracted by her thoughts that she missed her body saying things and begging for her life. She tried to take control of that body but she failed to do so.

Elysia had never been able to take control of the body in such dreams so she was not sure why she even tried this time.

"P-Please, let me go." That was the last plea before Elysia felt something stab into her heart and yank it out.

Glowing green eyes and a familiar voice yelling 'Sara' reached Elysia's senses as she watched her life fade away.

'Ah, it's Eve. Why is she here? She will get killed as well since her magic is healing magic? But she'll be saved by Adam, right? That was how this story goes.'

Elysia's consciousness faded away but her fear did not fade. She knew for a certainty that Eve would get killed if Elysia did not do something.

Elysia could not feel Adam anywhere and Eve was in danger. She had to move her body to save Eve.

'I n-need to move. It hurts but I still need to move.' Elysia tried to move her hand but it refused to move. Elysia was choking on her blood and it hurt. It hurt badly.

"Ah, I see. I am dying. This is quite a familiar sensation."

))))

Elysia didn't even gasp when she woke up from that dream. The pain from her dream was fading away slowly but the familiarity of that sensation had made Elysia numb to its after effects.

It was testimony about how much Elysia had been desensitized to the pain of dying. It almost felt like second nature to her now.

But still, the intensity of that dream took her back.

'It felt too real. It almost felt like I was back in the purification pool again; even the pain felt real. But this is also the first time I dreamed from a perspective that was not of Eve or my own.'

That was the only confusing part Elysia's sleep-riddled brain could not comprehend.

Now that she thought back to her dream, she could not figure out why she had dreamed of such a scenario.

The only thing that Elysia could use as a context clue was Eve's presence but even that had been faint.

Never before had anyone an unknown person been the center of her dreams. But it seemed like this 'Sara' lady was someone that had managed to become an exception.

'I wonder how important that lady will be to Eve and Adam to appear in my dreams like this. It kind of feels lonely to know there will be someone else important to them in the near future other than me.'

Elysia would not call herself selfish but even she had needs and desires to monopolize her important people's attention.

'No, don't be selfish like that. That's how you become a villainess and die.'

"My lady, have you woken up yet? Breakfast will be served soon."

Elysia had not taken off the curtains from her windows which was why she failed to realize how late it had been already.

It had not seemed to be that long when Elysia had been dreaming but there was a different flow of time in her visions.

"I will be out for breakfast soon. Will Lord Dirac be joining us?" Elysia quickly pulled herself together when she forced herself to reply to the Head Butler.

Her vision-like dream had thrown Elysia off track but she could not allow it to distract her from her real mission.

The real music was still to be faced by her in the form of Lord Dirac and his permission.

'I need to focus. I need to get on this case for Eve's sake.'

_____________________________________

"Is something wrong? Do you not like the dishes our house prepared for you? I especially gave the order for the kitchen to not put any milk product anywhere near you since you are allergic to lactose. If you prefer to eat anything else, let the kitchen know and they will prepare it for you."

Elysia tried not to flinch when Lord Dirac talked with his cold voice. She had gathered her courage to ask him a favor but Elysia was not getting a chance to start that talk.

Every time she looked up, sharp blue eyes glared her back into submission. It was even more difficult to ask Lord Dirac something than to ask the Head Priest.

"N-No, there is no need to go that far. I like the dishes the kitchen had prepared so far. They are delicious."

There was no change in Lord Dirac's expression but his aura did soften a bit at Elysia's compliment.

"I see. If there is anything else you need then let me know though Hector. I will be busy for a couple of days starting tonight but I will make time for you if you want something from me."

Lord Dirac might come off as harsh at first but his words were filled with sincerity.

The more time Elysia spend in his presence, the more relaxed she felt. The familiarity of the bond she shared with Lord Dirac finally gave Elysia enough courage to ask him the question.

"Lord Dirac, I have a favor to ask you. There was a case I was interested in solving even before coming to the Dirac house. I was wondering if you would allow me to participate in it."

Elysia almost choked in nervousness when she spoke those words.

She was almost thankful for not being able to see Lord Dirac's expression clearly because of her faulty vision. She was sure she would have flinched due to the intensity of the glare she could feel being aimed at her.

Not only Lord Dirac, but the Head Butler seemed to be glaring at her after Elysia had spoken.

"What kind of case is it?"

Lord Dirac finally asked Elysia this question but she could not make out what his voice indicated.

Since Elysia was half-blind, the Head Preist had trained her to rely on her other senses. And Elysia had learned through experience that you could tell if a person agreed with you or not based on his tone.

Elysia had used this method many times to set the mood for her request and make connections in high society. That was why she had a lot of support from the nobility who wanted a noble to be the next queen.

But no matter how much experience Elysia had, she could not pick up anything from his voice.

Elysia glumped her nervous down and finally spoke what she had wanted to since the start.

"This case is titled - 'The case of dehydration in Kalvin town'. Since Kelvin town is a part of our territory, I feel like it would be an alright place to familiarise myself with the locality of our territory."

Elysia had prepared various excuses to validate why she wanted to take this case. She had different scenarios present for different cases and she had even thought up of what to do if Lord Dirac falt-out refused her.

The silence that spread in the dining room finally caused Elysia to pick her head up and look at Lord Dirac.

Again, his expression did not give his thoughts away but Elysia was sure her request was going to get rejected.

'Looks like I will have to sneak around after all.'

"Alright. I will hand this case over to you but on one condition."

"Condition?" Of course, there was a catch. Elysia had expected to be asked something in return for her request and she decided to brace herself for anything.

"I can allow you to take this case but I cannot allow you to go alone. Since you are not familiar with our territory, I will send someone with you who can protect you and show you around. Eat your dinner and I will take you to your new guard."

Elysia almost dropped her fork in shock at the answer she got from Lord Dirac.

She had expected to be questioned or even interrogated to let out the information about the temple.

She had never expected the condition to be an additional guard for her protection.

'Maybe this guard is not for my protection but to keep an eye on me. It makes more sense if I think about it like that.'

Elysia ate her breakfast in silence after that. Her mind was riddled with too many questions she wanted to ask but she did not dare to ask them.

Once she was done with the breakfast and the servant took the dishes away, it was time to head out.

Elysia silently followed Lord Dirac when he lead her toward the backside of the estate and out into the open wilderness.

Whatever kind of guard Lord Dirac was preparing for her, Elysia was sure they were not a normal human for sure.