I will not die a Villainess's death

The tension in the hall was thick enough that it could be cut with a knife. Everyone looked shocked at what just took place in front of their eyes.

But the one person who was most affected by this looked calm. Lord Lucas Dirac's expression was calm and serene. It was the face of someone who had finally attained peace at last.

"I always knew things were going to end up like this. That's why I knew taking measures against this kingdom was necessary."

Lord Dirac took a long breath and his following words left the whole corridor worth of people speechless.

"The Dirac house with all its territories and its assets will be leaving the empire. And before you say anything foolish you should know that it is a lawful procession. The sheet was renewed just a few years ago."

The emperor had his jaw hanging after the announcement. Never in his life had he expected this moment to come.

He quietly looked toward the Head Priest but his panic was clear. If the Diracs left this empire then its influence would lessen. And as the emperor, it would be a direct hit to him.

"Now, let's calm down and talk about it, Lord Dirac. I can understand that you are getting rather emotional over the loss of your sister but you need to consider this rationally. Do you think that the Dirac lands will be able to survive without outside help?"

"Most of your food and other supply comes from outside your territory. If you refuse to cooperate with the royal family, then it would be a problem for you as well, right?"

Head Priest Yohan's words had some sense in them. Dirac estate and its ruling lands were not supposed to handle themselves.

They needed support from outside and that was a big risk to take for the current estate which only had a young owner.

No one spoke anything but Lucas's anger was clear to see. He was not going to back down. Head Priest Yohan's words were only making it much more irritating for him to bear.

Finally, the silence was broken by one person no one expected to speak up in this situation and that was the Crown Prince of Akatsuki. Even his retainer looked like he wanted to kill his prince when Chrome opened his mouth.

"We can take in the Dirac land if they ever decide to be independent. Everyone is well aware that Lord Lucas's mother had ties to our imperial family. According to the unified laws and the agreement signed, we are well within our rights to help them out."

The tense silence became even tenser. This was quickly going from a domestic dispute to an international one.

Had Dirac been a small house with a mediocre estate, the kingdom would have had no problem letting them be.

But Diracs were too powerful and too influential to be left alone. Their presence was shaping the political landscape of the two nations.

"S-Surely this is not needed. L-Lord Dirac, you are fond of Lady Eve and the Crown Prince, right? Surely you will not leave them alone in such hard times?"

The emperor tried to reason with Lord Dirac. Everyone could see his desperation as he tried to hold on to this last rope.

But Lucas was not going to be swayed by those pretty words.

The emperor had no idea what he was done wrong in the first place and that was his problem. He was more concerned about keeping Diracs under his command than resolving the situation.

"There is no need for your majesty to step in like this. I might be 'fond' of these two but I love my sister much more than that. And if you are not going to help me get her back, then I do not need you people."

The sound of teeth grinding could be heard clearly in the room. As things stood, there was no way Lord Dirac was going to stay with the empire.

"Lord Dirac, I need to say something to you before you leave."

The corridor fell silent at their Crown Prince's voice. This was the first time Adam had said anything since the talks of Dirac house leaving the empire had started.

Everyone was eager to hear what he had to say because they were all convinced that he would be able to stop lord Dirac.

"I won't stop you if you want to leave now but I need a promise from you. Once I take the throne and drive all the forces out, you have to come back. I will only be able to wait for that long."

No one expected these words to come out of the Crown Prince's mouth. These were as close to treason as one could hear from his mouth.

"ADAM, DON'T BE RIDICULOUS. YOU CAN NOT-"

"Shut your mouth, you old man. Just because you gave birth to me doesn't make you my 'father'. I tolerate you this far because this was what she expected of me but I no longer have a need to care for a puppet like you."

Everyone could feel the consequences of the Crown Prince's anger. It was making the building around them shake.

"Eve, you need to calm the Crown Prince down right now. I know that you are worried-"

"I don't want to. I don't think anything Adam said was wrong. On the contrary, I want to join lord Dirac once he leaves."

"Eve, what are you saying?"

To say that Head Priest Yohan was shocked would be an underestimation of how he looked right now. His face had lost all color and his eyes looked haunted.

Eve felt sorry for her father figure but she could no longer support his actions and his double nature. That change in her father made Eve uncomfortable.

The silence that followed Eve's declaration was even tenser than when Lord Dirac spoke about abandonment.

To lose both their Saintess and their most influential Duke in one go was a tragedy for the empire.

However, Lucas was not as hard-hearted as he was appearing to be. He did want the people who had bullied Elysia to pay but that did not mean he wanted the empire to collapse.

"I'm sorry to say this but we can only take Lord Dirac for now. Your holiness would need to say in the empire since we don't have enough resources for her. Also, we will house Lord Dirac only for a few years until the Crown is passed to the next person."

Chrome looked apologetic when he said that but anyone could see that he had said those words knowing fully well that they would cause even more friction between these different parties in the empire.

Chrome did not benefit from any sort of struggle the empire went through since the Akatsuki kingdom was not looking to expand right now.

But it did help his plans to bring lord Dirac back to Akatsuki and get his help in the Crown war going back there.

"Well then, it's time I head back and make preparations to look for Elysia. I hope you will keep me informed about anything happening on your end as well."

"Of course, we will-"

Lucas did not even hear the emperor's words. As soon as he got a nod from Adam and Eve, her turned around to leave.

With one person in the Royal forces and another in the temple forces, Lucas knew he would be as well-informed as he could be. But that was still not enough.

If Elysia had disappeared during the ceremony then there was only one place she could have ended up at.

But entering or even opening a way to that realm would require too much effort and power. No power in this world could guarantee an easy passage to that side.

'This means I will have to call in 'that' favor. Luckily, I have Sorias with me to ease the negotiations or I will be run out before I even make it there.'

Lucas knew it was a big risk he was taking by going against the empire but it would all be worth it in the end.

And it was not like the empire could do anything against the Dirac family either. They needed the Dirac family if they wanted to control the enchanted forest.

"Everything will be fine in the end. Even the empire knows that nothing can be gained if they drive you out. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki will help you out."

Chrome followed after Lucas, knowing that he needed to pull the elder together.

As much as Lucas had denied being soft for Elysia, he still was her brother and there was a genuine bond between that pair.

And besides, Chrome had already taken a step to interfere so he will have to see it through. That was the only chance he had to take control of his nation and succeed in the inheritance.

"Chrome, don't think that I do not know what you want from me. But I will help you out since you are the only one who raised your voice for me. I will make you the next emperor."

Chrome felt guilty for tricking Lucas but he did not feel as if he was wrong. This was what he had to do so Chrome did it.