I will not die a Villainess's death

It was peaceful once things had settled down. The more time that passed, the more Elysia felt herself calm down. Her nerves were a lot calmer now than they had been when she had been married to Adam.

Her due date was approaching and these peaceful days had caused Elysia to fall into a state of tranquility.

As soon as their marriage night had ended, Adam had gotten too busy to accompany her everywhere. So the job of being her escort fell on to Eve.

Elysia felt nervous to take Eve to the temple with her but this was something she could not hold back on forever.

Especially since nothing had gone as it had in her visions shown her all the time. Her 18th birthday had passed already and she was even married. It seemed like she had passed all her hardships.

'Now, if only Lucas wakes up as well. It would all be perfect.'

"I am sorry that you have to come with me to the temple. I would have ignored the nobles if the queen had not asked me to give in this time and follow these old traditions."

Elysia's heart was heavy as she got out of the carriage. The temple looked as intimidating as the day she had first seen it. The huge white and clean building was one Elysia had always been in awe of.

"I am not very troubled by coming back to the temple like this. It's just that, there are people in there I don't want to see the faces of."

Eve did not need to specify whom she was talking about when she said those words. Elysia could feel the Head Priest's burning eyes glaring daggers into her head.

She could even spy the man looking at them all from the top of the temple but he did not dare to come down and greet them. It was for the best as well since Elysia and he were on bad terms.

"Don't look at people who do not deserve your attention. Now, wait here and I will be back soon. I need to check the perimeter before I can take you inside the temple."

"Eve, there is no need for you to go this far. This is not some dangerous place, but the temple which-"

"I know. Still, there is no need for us to risk our safety. Stay here and I will be back soon."

Eve kissed the side of Elysia's head and went in. Her eyes looked too determined to stop her now and Elysia could only watch her go.

"My lady, are you alright? You should sit down if your feet hurt."

The guard who was Eve's current second in command asked Elysia. She had not realized that she had been shivering as she stood in her place but she suddenly felt tired when the guard asked her if she wanted to rest.

Elysia's knees hit the bench and her body sagged in relief as soon as her weight was off her feet.

"You all are free to go around if you please. I will be alright if I am left alone for some time."

Elysia could see the hesitance in her guard's eyes. But they were far easier to persuade than Eve had been.

Then again, they were not in love with Elysia like Eve had been so that was a big plus point in her opinion.

Ultimately, the guards decided to leave Elysia alone since they were curious about the temple. Most of them had never ventured this deep into the temple or even had the time to come here.

Elysia wanted to give them a nice experience and it seemed like she had succeeded to raise their morals. She was happy to see the guards moving about.

The baby in her stomach decided that it was the perfect time to show his agitation. Her son was an active child and only calmed down once she started moving about.

"Yes, yes. Calm down so that I can get up. If you keep kicking me like this, then I will not be able to even stand up."

Elysia complained as she stood up slowly. Her belly was too heavy for her to move around comfortably. But she still tried her best to stand up straight.

She moved around slowly, never going out of the sight of her guards. She knew that they would be the ones to face Adam and Eve's wrath if they let her wander around like this. And she did not want to cause trouble for them.

Elysia was sure that she had not gone too deep into the temple's gardens when she had to kneel to catch her breath.

Her son usually calmed down after tormenting her for a walk. But it seemed like he wanted revenge today and was going all out.

"My lady, are you alright? You should not be kneeling out here like this. If there is anything I can help you with, then do tell me."

Elysia looked up sharply as soon as she heard the voice speak in her ear directly. She had not felt anyone close in on her so she was startled.

She was ready to turn around and defend herself when she felt her balance get interrupted and she instinctively protected her stomach to save it from any harm.

Not that she hit the ground since a pair of hands caught her body. She quickly shoved the man away from her with a horrified face but something was wrong.

The man was too far away from Elysia to have touched her but she could still feel his touch on her body. It was almost as if his presence was present all around her.

'Is this some kind of magic? I cannot feel his magic even when he is so close to me like this.'

Elysia gulped her nervousness down as she tried to brush off the place where those invisible hands were holding her body.

But as expected, there was nothing on her body and she could also not feel anything.

"Ah, I am sorry. Did my presence make you uncomfortable? I can go back inside if that is what you want me to do."

Elysia shivered as soon as she heard the emotionless voice of the priest. It did not help that he was someone she had never seen in her so many years of being with the temple.

Those plain grey hair and soulless grey eyes left no lasting impact on Elysia when she looked at him. But his energy said something about that man. It said that he was dangerous and Elysia's feet took steps back on their own.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Dirac? Your face seems to have lost all its color. You are making me worried about you."

Elysia nearly flinched as she felt this unknown priest's hands reach for her face. She did not want to be touched by this man at any cost.

But those hands never touched her face. Instead, they touched her hair and the priest brought her hair up to his lips to press a kiss on them.

"It is pleasing to finally meet you, Lady Elysia Dirac. You have no idea what kind of predicament you have put me in currently. On one hand, you are a pain in my neck. But on the other hand, your child can be my salvation."

The priest was caging Elysia, not allowing her to move. She tried to bide her magic to fight against this priest but her mind and her body failed her.

It felt like the world was against her currently and even breathing was hard for her. But despite all these challenges, Elysia managed to push the priest off herself and try to run away.

Her elbow was taken hostage as soon as she moved and the man was whispering directly in her ear now.

"You are lucky that you got pregnant when you did. But oh well, your role will be over soon, just as your brother is over now. Both of you will not be able to do anything in the end."

Elysia felt enraged and her fist moved back to hit the madman.

Not that it helped since her fist felt like it was sinking through a layer of smoke and she was not able to hit anything. She could only bite her lips in frustration as she was left alone. The man had disappeared from behind her.

Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest and it was a painful experience for her.

'I need to find Eve so that I can protect myself. I cannot risk putting my child in danger. I will protect him at all costs.'

Whosoever that man had been, he was not good news for her and her child. Elysia was more sure than ever that she needed to avoid that man at all costs.

And that man. How did he know about Elysia this much? Just who was he?