I will not die a Villainess's death

Despite all the differences between the empire and the Akatsuki kingdom, Chrome did come out to greet them a farewell when they were about to go back home. It warmed Elysia's heart and she knew that her brother was in good hands.

Sorias a staying behind with Lucas for the time being at Elysia's insistence but he was annoyed for obvious reasons.

Enma had decided to stay back as well, but his reasons and his fears were a little clear to Elysia. She did not stop him when he asked to stay back.

"Elysia, hurry up and get on the horse. You will be traveling with Adam so that we can ensure a safe ride back."

Eve's gentle voice washed out all of Elysia's worries. The redhead came right behind Elysia and her arms circled Elysia's stomach protectively. Her hands rested on Elysia's belly with a possessive hold and her eyes shined.

Adam had not even shown himself ever since they had decided to go back. He was busy ensuring that this trip back would not put any strain on Elysia's body.

"By the way, did you visit the physician to get the news confirmed first? Not that I do not believe Adam's nose and senses, but we should be dually sure before celebrating, right?"

Elysia shook her head as she looked at Eve. She had a feeling that she was pregnant for some time now. She had missed her monthly cycle this month and even the doctor had assured her that Elysia was with a child.

The only one who could not feel assured about her apparent pregnancy was Elysia herself.

Maybe she thought that it would be a different experience or she would be able to feel the presence of a child in her body as soon as she conceived but that had not been the case for her.

"The doctor did say that I am pregnant but it is still difficult for me to believe it. Especially since I am not even married yet."

Elysia had not let this news spread any further than the three of them and her familiar. Sorias had tried to kill Adam as soon as he had heard of Elysia's pregnancy but she had somehow talked him down.

Adam's promise of marriage also helped calm down Sorias a lot and she was finally able to make him back down. But the tension was still in the air for her to feel.

"Are you both ready to go back? I send the words of our return so let's get back now."

Adam came out of the palace as well. He seemed to have finished his talk with Chrome and his calm expression made Elysia feel so much better than before.

"Hurry up and let's go back. I just want things to go back to normal."

Eve complained, not knowing that she was asking for an impossible task. Unknown to her, the empire had a lot of new problems brewing.

And the world had its plans to work on. She was just a puppet in the grand scheme of things.

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The empire was finally in view and Elysia's heart raced faster and faster as she got closer to the empire. She felt Eve's hand on her shoulder and Eve's serene expression met Elysia's as well.

"Don't worry so much. We whipped everyone into shape while you were not here. No one will be saying anything rude to you. And if they do, then you can complain to us and we will take care of them all."

Eve sounded so proud of herself that Elysia had no heart to tell her that it did not matter what people thought of her any longer.

With Lucas in the state he was, why did it matter what kind of reputation Elysia gathered? It was not like people were going to associate her with anyone but the Dirac name now.

"Here we are. I will head in now to get a status check on our wedding preparations. I want to hold it on your birthday if you don't mind Elysia."

Adam was about to stand up and leave when Elysia reacted quickly and caught his hand. Even though she was surprised to see her actions but that did not stop her from making from asking what she needed.

"Please stop. I want our wedding to wait for some time. I don't think it's a good idea to hold it so early."

Elysia was terrified of the visions she had seen of her eighteenth birthday and what they meant for her future.

Although it was clear that those visions no longer mattered, they still terrified Elysia a lot. She did not want to experience them anymore.

Elysia did not realize she was hyperventilating until she sucked that sharp breath. Eve's hand in her own was what brought Elysia's senses back to herself and she looked into a pair of worried blue eyes.

"Take a deep breath, Elysia. We won't force you into marrying if that is not what you want from us. But we both think it will be better for you to get married before you have our kid."

Elysia's brain stopped working when she heard Eve address the kid as 'theirs'. It was a feeling that Elysia did not consider feeling.

And once she considered what Eve was saying, Elysia flinched. Of course, getting married and having the kid after marriage was the best option for her kid's future. His legitimacy to the throne would be in question if Elysia had her child out of wedlock.

She did not care much about this and she knew that her lovers did not as well but there were the nobles and other people who were going to create so many problems for her kid.

From what she had seen of the future, her kid was already going to be in trouble anyway. She did not want her kid to face even more.

"I…you do have a point. I guess I have no other choice but to get married. My nervous feeling will go away soon as well."

The more Elysia thought about getting married, the calmer she got. Her nerves were settling down now that she considered her child's position.

And even the noble's eyes did not make Elysia feel as nervous as they would have at any other given chance. She was able to raise her head and face them properly.

"Lady Dirac, you are being called into the queen's chambers. If you do not mind, can you head toward the Rose Palace?"

Elysia recognized the bowing maid in front of her as the queen's personal maid. She had seen the girl around a lot but had never paid attention.

Beside Elysia, Eve sighed in annoyance but her eyes softened as soon as she noticed Elysia's lost expression.

"It is alright. The queen has always had a soft spot for you so you will make it through this meeting. Do you want me to come with you? I am your personal knight after all."

At any other time, Elysia would have taken Eve up on this offer and brought her alone. Eve was such a big help to her when it came to providing her courage.

But this time, Elysia knew she needed to handle this situation alone. She could not drag Eve if the situation got ugly.

"There is no need for you to come along with me Eve. You have not been appointed as my knight yet so there is no need for all this formality. I will be back soon enough."

Elysia waved her hand as she made her way toward the queen's chambers. The old lady had always been fair to Elysia so she was not afraid.

Besides, the worst that could happen had already happened so Elysia was sure she would not get any more hurt than this.

The queen looked to be in the pink of her health. Her skin was glowing and soft to the touch. She gestured for Elysia to take a seat and poured her tea.

Elysia did think about refusing her because the smell of tea was making her stomach hurl but she forced her feeling of disgust down and took a sip.

"So, I heard from Adam that you are pregnant. I am so sorry for my foolish son's actions but I am happy to see that you accepted him anyway."

Elysia coughed as she felt the tea go down her windpipe. The unexpected comment from the queen had taken her aback. She looked back at the queen with a surprised expression, almost unable to believe what she just heard.

"I….excuse me. I think I misheard something. Give me some time and I will be alright again.

Elysia waved off the queen's helping hand as she corrected her position. It hurt to feel the water go down her windpipe but the pain was helping her shocked mind.

The queen also backed down, for the time being, knowing that it was not a good time for her to bring up any shocking news.