I will not die a Villainess's death

"Emperor Adam, I have bad news. The enchanted forest has been lit on fire and the monsters are in a frenzy. We have no idea what is happening but we need your help to quell this problem."

Adam gritted his teeth as he was suddenly faced with a tough decision. He could either go after Elysia or take care of the fire. Both were urgent matters that needed tending to.

In his mind, this was not even a question. He knew what he had to do and which side he had to prioritize. But he also knew that Elysia could never forgive him for his decision.

"You go to the forest and I will try to look for Elysia. Lord Dirac, can I entrust Crown Prince Adrian's safety in your hands?"

For Lucas, it was not even a question. He had planned to take care of his nephew anyway so he easily agreed to this compromise.

Besides, there was not much he could do with his current body condition. Not only was he weak, but his magic was also trying to adjust to his new living state. It was likely that he would do more harm than good for now.

"Good. Then the tasks are decided. Let's hurry up and finish them now."

Eve took command of the situation quite naturally. Since she had already decided for them, the other two saw no point in contradicting her orders. And that was how the three of them divided their work.

It irked Adam that he was not chosen to go after Elysia right out of the bat. It was not even his idea to become the emperor but the necessity of the situation. If he could, he would have abandoned his post right then and there.

But then he would also be putting Elysia in harm's way so he decided to hold back.

"Emperor Adam, please come and check the situation out. Look down there."

Adam looked down from the cliff he was standing at. And all he could see around the forest were the burning ambers of what was once a magnificent forest. He was not expecting the fire damage to turn out so significant but there was no way to stop this fire currently.

Not unless he exhausted his whole reserve of magic. But that would make him unable to use magic for a significant amount of time.

"E-Emperor Adam, please help."

Below where he was standing, people were running around in panic. Many were injured and looked ready to collapse. It was not an easy scene to swallow by any means.

Ultimately, Adam's conflicting feelings did not matter as he forced himself to kill the beast coming after his people. It was a relatively easy decision to make this time.

"Our E-Emperor is here. We are going to be alright now."

Now that the first blood had been drawn, there was no meaning in holding back. These people had been gathered here as a sacrifice and it was Adam's duty to share them. But even he knew that the only reason he was helping them all out was because of Elysia and her alone.

By the time evening arrived, the field where the monster d roamed was dyed red. Adam was the only living person who stood in that field currently and his sword shined with the blood of the fallen beasts.

The golden inhuman height did not make him look human and his eyes pinned anyone who looked at him right in their place.

"M-My lord, the healers are waiting for your call. Should we try and get lady Eve here?"

A guard asked in concern. He could still see the ref flowing out of their emperor's arms at an alarming rate. Bleeding out was a real concern currently.

But while these soldiers were busy fretting and looking at each other, Adam mediated to heal his wounds. As a half-dragon, there was no need for him to deploy outdoor healers. Especially if it meant owing a favor to Eve.

"There is no need to bother the Saintess because of injuries. If anything, ask her how the situation is fairing at her end. Was she able to find anything of use?"

This was the real concern Adam currently had and everyone else looked at each other. No one wanted to volunteer to contact Saintess to ask about her status.

No one wanted to be the bringer of any bad news since their lives would be on the line here. They had to be careful not to trigger their emperor. In the end, it was a random soldier who had been sacrificed to tell the emperor this news.

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"Sara, look at the right side of the temple. I hope you have been keeping an eye on everything that went on while I was not here?"

Eve had a hunch about where to check for Elysia. There was only one place she could have chosen to go at such a crucial time. It was not even a question at this point but Eve could not storm the temple.

That did not mean she was about to use her authority to get what she wanted anyway. The people around her would not be able to stop her in time.

"S-Saintess Eve, you cannot enter the temple ground for now. You do not have the authority to-"

"First, you dragged me into this mess and made me a Saintess candidate when I did not want to have anything to do with it. Then, you try to make me a puppet for your gain and engage me with someone I did not want to marry. And now you are out here telling me what I do and do not have the authority to do? What makes you so sure of that?"

Eve had recently realized a few things about herself. It had not been easy to accept these parts of herself but she had tried to.

First of all, Eve was not cut out to be a submissive damsel in disaster. She cringed every time she had to hold back. What she carved for was the authority and respect her position awarded to her.

Secondly, she was getting more and more apt at using her magic. Since she no longer had to hold herself back it was getting easier for her to adapt to certain changes.

And lastly, she could not give a damn about this temple and all the people in there.

They had been nice to her, yes. But they had also been indifferent when she needed them. They had only pretended to like her and support her for the time being.

"My lady, you still cannot-"

"Sara, clear a path out for me. I need to enter this building at all costs today."

Sara had a bloody grin on her face once she heard those orders. She had been wanting to let loose since forever but Eve had not given her a chance to do so. But now she finally had the chance to enter the temple.

This place had been both a blessing and a curse to her. So she was almost glad to be getting rid of it.

That was all before Head Priest Yohan made his way outside and stepped in front of the crowd. The priests parted as soon as they noticed him and they quickly looked toward each other.

"Let them both in. There is no longer a need to be cautious of what can happen if the ceremony fails."

Head Prelist Yohan's words caused everyone to relax. Everyone baring Eve and Sara, that was. They both had worried looks on their faces and Sara was even ready to scratch the heck out of Yohan.

But despite all this hostility aimed toward him, Head Priest Yohan did not look concerned in the least. He finally looked like a man who had found liberation.

This was someone who had dedicated a large part of his life to Eve. But this was the first time she was seeing him look this satisfied.

"You bastard. What was the plan that you were talking about? Why did you need Elysia out of everyone to complete your plan?"

Sara had a lot of questions she wanted to ask and for the first time she got an answer.

"Why it has to be Elysia Dirac you ask? Because the world chose her to be the one and she was the only one who fulfilled all the conditions. Our personal feelings were not involved in this decision."

Eve finally understood why his father had been so fixated on her and Adam. it was because he knew the prophecy and the future conditions as well. Eve felt like a fool once she realized the truth.

"You knew all along but you never trusted to tell it to me. Did you ever consider my feelings in this matter?"

For the first time, Eve felt like she understood what was going on in her adoptive father's mind. But she wanted to prey to not understand this man.