I will not die a Villainess's death

When the engagement was eventually dissolved, Elysia had thought she had avoided the largest red flag that had been hanging over her head.

But for some reason, the relief-filled feeling did not come to Elysia. There was a restlessness that had taken place inside Elysia's heart.

She did not know what to do next and she had no direction to aim at either.

The pain that was plaguing Elysia's chest was a constant reminder that something had gone wrong and Elysia could no longer feel her magic as sharply as she could.

That night, Elysia took a walk around the calm Dirac estate, her useless eyes not performing any better than they usually did.

'My magic dulled but my vision did not get any better. The world is indeed not fair when it came to rewards.'

Elysia's feet took her all over the place but it was still not possible to feel any whisk of sleep. Elysia's mind was working in an overdrive currently, reminding her of all that happened today.

'Adam looked like he was in shock and Eve looked no better. But hopefully, they will have a bright future ahead of them.'

Elysia knew what would happen next. She would get a few letters from Eve confirming if she was alright or not.

Eve would feel guilty and try to reverse the situation and give Elysia her spot back but Elysia would not allow it. That was a big death flag and one that would resolve with Elysia's death.

She could just not afford to take any chances.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you out here, my lady. Were you trying to seek me out by any chance?"

Victor's voice was unpleasant to hear but his presence was a surprise. Elysia had not felt him approach, nor had he been in the area when she had scouted it.

The man had all but appeared out of thin air and it made Elysia nervous to be near him. She did not get any good vibes from him.

"I think I've taken a long enough walk today. I should head in and rest now."

Elysia turned quickly to flee from the scene. She did not want to entertain this man since she could not figure out what he wanted from her.

She could tell that the man had no good intentions toward her. But he also did not try to get close to her brother when given the chance.

Why go after Elysia and not her brother? This was something Elysia could not figure out.

Had she been a few years older or Victor a few years younger then it might have been obvious what he was after. But there was too much of an age difference between them to make a relationship work.

Not if the man wanted to be respected in the world's eyes.

"Now where are you going, Lady Dirac? Why don't you stay with me and let me accompany you tonight? There is no better way to mend a broken heart than some good wine and loving company."

Elysia's wrist burned where the man had touched her. It was not a tight grip but it still sent a shock down Elysia's system.

"Unhand me or I will make you regret ever touching me. Let me go and I will never speak a word of our encounter today."

Elysia did not want to give this man a chance but he was Head Butler Hector's relative. And if Elysia said anything against him then it would strain her bother's relationships.

As such, it was better for Elysia to maintain her distance and look after herself.

"Now why would I risk that? Am I doing anything but chatting with you under the moonlight? I just think my room might be a more comfortable place to talk about it all but if you disagree then I cannot do anything about it."

The man said all that but he still did not let go of Elysia's wrist. It was getting extremely painful now.

His touch burned and Elysia was about to cry out in pain when she felt someone yank her hand out of Victor's hand.

"Did I not tell you to keep your hands to yourself? I should give you a demonstration about what would happen if you keep going against me."

Sora's familiar voice was what cut through Elysia and that man.

Her familiar had a thunderous look on his face as he forced Victor to let his grip fall. The tutor looked stunned but he quickly stepped back.

"And the mutt is here." Victor's words were clear even as he muttered them before he gave a graceful smile toward Sora.

"Why of course. I was not trying to do anything here, just comfort little Elysia after the disaster that happened today. But now that you are here Lord Sorias I can leave without worrying."

Sora gave the silver tongue man a deadpan expression before he took Elysia's hand and dragged her away.

If looks could kill then Victor would be lying six feet under the ground by now.

"Well, that went surprisingly well. I guess seducing that native lady will be easier than I thought."

Victor's voice echoed in the empty garden but there was no one there to witness his deeds. The only two people who had seen him were gone now.

Unknown to him, a shadow saw his actions from above but that man had a troubled look on his face.

After all, how could the Head Butler believe what he saw his dear nephew do? And what should he do about this information that could get Victor killed?

'Oh Victor, you are playing with fire. You should stop before your actions cross a boundary you would not be able to come back from.

_________________________________

"Listen well Emma because I have a job for you to do. Do you remember Lady Elysia? I need you to befriend her and gain her trust."

Emma White could not find a more shocking moment in her life. Her father, the one who had called Lady Dirac a failure, was the one who suggested this. And now of all times when Lady Dirac had no value for them.

According to what Emma had heard, Lady Dirac was no longer engaged with the Crown Prince so it was of no use to appeal to her.

It would be better to gain that new 'fiance's' trust than to play along with Lady Dirac.

"Don't question what I am saying Emma and don't trust everything you hear. You might now know this but this annulment was not the decision of the Crown Prince. He pretty much did not get a choice in this matter at that time."

"I see. But still, wasn't this expected? After all, the Crown Prince holds no affection for Lady Dirac."

This was what Emma had gotten to know from all her sources.

It came as no surprise to anyone when the engagement got canceled but the timing had been rather abrupt.

"No affection, huh? Somehow I find it hard to believe. You did not see the kind of face Prince Adam made when he received the news that he had to break up with Lady Dirac. He looked like a man who lost all hope."

Emma found it a hard pill to swallow. Their Crown Prince was known as a cold-hearted man. He never showed expression in front of people.

Because of how simple it was for people to assume that he liked Lady Eve. In fact, she was able to coax irritation and rage from him.

Emma did not, however, have the impression that her father had misled her in any way. He appeared to sincerely think that what he saw was real.

'Could father be mistaken in what he saw? Maybe he is misremembering?'

But think as she might, Emma had a feeling that her father was convinced about what he needed to do.

And Emma had no problem fulfilling his order since it gave her an excuse to meet that familiar again. This time she would surely manage to seduce him to her side and make him hers.

"Emma, I have a feeling that our plan to seduce the Crown Prince would no longer work so we will work on getting Lady Dirac's good side. If nothing else, then at least she is good friends with that new Royal Fiance so we win either way."

Her father looked satisfied at the outcome he had planned. Emma did not want to burst his bubble by reminding him that he had already messed it all up by making a poor impression on Lord Dirac.

It was his problem and Emma would not give him any excuse to take his order back.

"But how are we going to get close to Lady Dirac? I am not sure we will be welcomed in the Dirac Mansion after the stunt you pulled last night."

Emma had heard the role her father had played in the engagement's breaking and she was sure that Lord Dirac was angry with her father.

"Don't worry so much about it. I did some digging around and found out that Lady Dirac's schedule. She will be there at the academy volunteering the day after tomorrow and I will ask them to add your name to that list as well."

"All you need to do is to help her out with certain bullying problems she will be facing and you will naturally get close to her."

'So it's the same tactic over and over again. But somehow I don't think it will bother Lady Dirac much.'

From what Emma had seen of it, Lady Dirac faced bullying constantly to the point she was semi-immune to it. The level of bullying her father applied in these situations won't really work well this time.

But Emma would not be the one to tell him this. She would not do anything to get her chances revoked by her father.

"Anyway, you go and get prepared to leave for the academy. I am sure there are things you need to do."

This was the sign for her dismissal. Emma did not want to stay around her father when he was in a mood either.

Anyway, she had a lot of things to look forward to so she would not complain.