I will not die a Villainess's death

"What should we do with the emperor now? I don't think we can touch him without permission."

"Are you kidding me? I am not going anywhere near the Crown Prince with the Saintess glaring daggers at me like that. It is like asking for a death warning."

The maids gossiped among themselves, not even one of them brave enough to try and approach the emperor. All their fantasies of meeting the emperor and making a good impression were being ruined right now.

Every time they came even close to operating the Crown Prince from the person in his arms, he growled loudly, startling everyone else. And every time that happened, Saintess, I've looked more and more disappointed.

As for the Lady that the emperor was holding on to, everyone knew who she was. Elysia Dirac, the former Crown Princess and also the person who had tried seducing the Emperor when he was younger.

She was currently looking at everything that was happening with an embarrassed expression that did not suit her face.

There were a lot of rumors about her behavior and they looked to be quite a true right about now. The maids were from the Imperial palace and they knew how cold their new emperor was.

So they were sure that Lady Elysia must have pulled some kind of trick to make the Emperor behave like this with her. It must be some kind of magic that was making him stick this close to Lady Elysia.

"B-But what should we do now? How should we separate the Emperor and Lady Elysia? I don't think I can take the pressure for much longer."

One maid almost broke down at that point. They could not handle Saintess Even's glaring eyes looking at her with a cold expression.

It was too much pressure for someone young like her. She felt like she would die if she approached the emperor and she would also die if she did not. There was no safe route to take here.

"Y-You knows, we can just leave Adam be. I will be alright and-"

"Oh, for God's sake. Everyone, step aside. I will handle Adam myself since you are all cowards."

Even decided that she had enough of this and needed to take action on her own. These maids were going to be of no help to her in operating Adam from Elysia.

Adam growled as he watched Eve come near him. He might have been unconscious right now but he was still aware of all the people around him.

"That's it. You are letting Elysia go right now and then you are letting me treat you. I can't believe you got drugged this hard."

Eve complained as she dodged the claw coming for her. Adam had finally decided to make his move but he was rather clumsy because of the bundle in his arms.

Eve easily evaded his reaching arms and punched his nerve. She had not done this outside just in case something went wrong and Adam somehow ended up getting triggered.

But it worked and Adam's arm went limp. Elysia's sigh of relief was audible, even if she said that she had not wanted to do anything with her situation.

Adam seemed angry but Eve easily made him go lump with her magic. It was safe to do so and Eve was not above hurting Adam for her gain.

"Stop sounding so pathetic. I am doing this for your good."

The emperor's body sagged on the bed as his senses finally calmed down.  Eve's magic had knocked him unconscious and he had not even realized it.

"And now, you. What do you think you are doing just letting Adam walk all over you? Are you that fragile that you cannot even push him off your body when you feel uncomfortable?"

Eve sounded stressed. The day had been long and a lot had happened. But the thing she was most worried about was that Elysia had put herself in danger again. And this time, it could have been prevented.

Every time Eve took her eyes off Elysia, the black-haired girl always ended up in trouble. It was like a curse at this point.

"Eve, I know you are worried and I am sorry. But wasn't this a successful outing? We managed to capture an important clue to this case and-"

"That is beside the point here. The point is, why did you have to put yourself in danger for us to get a lead? Do you know how it makes me feel every time I get to know that you are out there, in danger? It makes me wonder why I even love you sometimes. It feels like a full-time job and–"

Eve suddenly broke off her rant, realizing that she might have spoken a little too much. Even the maids had gone silent once Eve had started venting.

She quickly looked toward Elysia to know how she had taken this news. It did not look like Elysia had taken Eve's words to heart but her eyes looked hurt.

"Listen, I did not mean to say all that-"

"It's alright. I know you did not mean to say all that much to me, Eve. Sometimes, people go overboard when they are venting so I am not angry or disappointed with your words. You do not have to worry that much."

Elysia waved the talk off but her hurt could still be felt. Adam even snuggled against Elysia's side in an attempt to comfort her.

Eve wanted to clear this misunderstanding as soon as possible but she did not get a chance. Just when she had gathered enough willpower to open her mouth, the door of the room was snapped open by Sorias.

"We captured the man that was behind the forest attack. His name is Rahan and we are holding him captive right now. If you want to question him then you should speak up now."

Having lost her opportunity to clear the air, Eve backed down for now. As much as she wanted to put this incident past her, she also knew that giving Elysia time to come to terms with what happened was a good idea.

Besides, Eve also wanted to take some time to understand her feelings and calm down. All her emotions had erupted all of a sudden even when she had not wanted them to.

"Did I come at a bad time? I saw the maids outside the room but I did not pay much attention to it. Should I come back later?"

Even Sorias had felt the awkward air that was filling the room and he was worried about what it could mean for the couple. But it was something they needed to work out on their own.

He was not concerned about anything else other than his partner, Elysia and as long as she was alright he would not interfere.

"You caught Rahan? Then, can I come along with you to meet him? I have a lot I need to ask him regarding what happened."

Elysia sounded interested in meeting that man in the hut but Eve had a bad feeling about it.

Something had happened between Elysia and this 'Rahan' man when they had been alone in the house. And the feeling of not knowing what Elysia was thinking was a bad one for Eve.

Still, she felt like she could not say anything right now. She was already in deep waters with Elysia with her earlier words.

And asking Elysia to reconsider her decision would only serve to alienate her even more.

"What about you, human girl? Will you be coming with us as well?"

Eve flinched as soon as she heard the word Sorias had addressed her with. It had been a long time since he had called her by that name. She was so sure that she had managed to gain Sorias's respect but it seemed like he was rethinking his decision.

"Eve does not need to-"

"If you don't mind, I would like to come with you. Someone else can keep an eye on Adam for now but I am sure he will not wake up for some time for now."

After all, Eve had knocked him down hard and it would be impossible for Adam to wake up anytime before the night.

Leaving his aid behind would not be a bad idea. Adam's aid had been with him ever since he was a child and the aid was also the one who knew Adam the best.

"If you are sure then hurry up and send the message. I don't think Lucas is going to wait around for you before he will start to break that prisoner down. If you want to talk with the prisoner then you should do it before Lucas starts on him."

Elysia looked determined to go now and whatever confidence Eve had in persuading the conversation fell away at last. She just fell in step behind Elysia as soon as the Emperor's aid stepped inside the room.