I will not die a Villainess's death

"It had been a while since I last saw you, your majesty. I hope you have been well in the time we did not meet each other."

Emma gave a low blow toward the queen, making sure to only address the queen at first and now show any reaction toward Elysia or Eve. She could not afford to give herself away and her young age was going to be her weapon.

There was also the fact that she had been on Elysia's side all this time so it lowered the suspicion toward her even more.

"There is no need for you to be this formal toward me Lady White. You can just act your age and say what you have on your mind. I promise I will not hold any offense if you talk informally to me."

The queen laughed in joy at Emma's formal greeting. This child had always been so formal to her ever since they had first met.

That awkwardness had never gone away ever since Baron White had accidentally told Emma about her apparent match with Adam. It was before the time Adam got engaged to Elysia Dirac so it was an invalid promise.

But that did not make the queen feel any less guilty for getting a child's hopes up. It was lucky that Emma managed to fall in love with someone who was not Adam.

The queen was not a maleficent person and her heart hurt when she realized that Lady White's love was not a match she would be able to catch. But the queen was also happy that she would not be an obstacle in Adam's way.

"It had been a while since we last met Emma. how are you doing back home? Is everything alright?"

Elysia was much more compassionate toward Emma than anyone else. Her words were full of curiosity and interest toward the youngest lady.

Emma seemed to be thinking over her words before she replied. She was a cautious lady who weighed her words before opening her mouth.

"Everything is better than it was before so I have nothing to complain about. However, dare I say it but there is something different about you right now."

Emma looked confused as she looked Elysia up and down. She could feel a weird and foreign energy inside Elysia that she had never felt before.

The queen laughed out loud at Emma's question. Elysia also had a blush covering her face and she seemed unable to look Emma in the face after that question was asked.

"So you can feel it already? You are a lot more sensitive than your father when it comes to the aura. And looks like you won't be able to hide your secret for much longer Elysia."

The queen teased Elysia and even jabbed her in her ribs lightly. Elysia's face went red and something clicked around in Emma's mind.

She had not thought of it as a possibility until now but it seemed like Elysia Dirac was pregnant with the next crown prince.

No wonder this wedding was taking place in such a hurried manner and everyone was involved. It also complicated things for Emma since she did not want to involve an innocent unborn child involved.

And there had not been any mention of this in the report she had been given. It meant that Emma would have to get back to the Head Priest and make modifications to her plan. They could no longer rush head-first into this situation.

"Oh, congratulations are in order then. I hope nothing happens to you and your future child."

Emma's mouth sprouted out the lies as her mind fought against her rational side. She did not want to hurt Elysia but she did not have a choice.

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"You did not tell me that Elysia Dirac was pregnant. Do you expect me to sacrifice a pregnant lady?"

Emma complained once she was back in the temple. She had snuck inside as soon as she had gotten a chance to come here and complain.

She was in luck since the lunatic person who had called himself the 'the World's consciousness' was here as well. He was the one Emma wanted to pick a beef with the most.

"Calm down Miss White. I heard you clearly but I cannot believe your words. There was nothing mentioned like this in the prophecy or the records of the future. How can I believe your words just like this?"

Head Priest Yohan seemed to be having a hard time swallowing his words. He could just not believe what he had heard come out of Emma White's mouth.

How in the world could Elysia Dirac be pregnant? The fates should not have allowed that to happen at any cost. Wasn't the fate of this world about Adam and Eve? If anyone should be pregnant, then it should be Eve.

He looked toward 'the World's consciousness' as well, wanting an answer from existence.

"Well, it was always a possibility if things derailed from the real fates. The kid is our insurance for this world's safety so he should be born without any problem. We will have to change our plan's date to next year now."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she heard that.

Now, she could kill a kid if it meant her love would be safe. It was not out of her reach to be able to do that. But that did not mean Emma wanted to perform such an action. She did not want to be held accountable for a baby's death.

So it was lucky for her that she would not have to do it anyway.

"Emma White, use this one year and gain Elysia Dirac and everyone's trust. This is something you should be able to do."

'The World's consciousness' was a tough master and Emma wanted to refute him. But the other option led to Sorias's death so she had no choice but to follow his will.

Besides, it would also save her a lot of hassle in the future if she was ever suspected of murder. This connection could come in handy for her.

"No. I refuse this plan. We cannot allow this marriage to go through at any cost. It should be Eve, not Elysia who should be standing at Adam's side. That was what I always aimed to achieve and-"

"I don't care what you aimed for. Don't forget that our first objective is to ensure the survival of this world. Destiny and fate had derailed from their intended path a long time ago so it is time for us to adapt as well."

Head Preist Yohan was shot down and he could not say anything against those words. Especially since he knew that they were right.

It was only his love and affection for Eve that made him stubborn and want the best for her. But he was ignoring all the facts about her real happiness because of something that could have happened.

Emma looked at the stubborn man, feeling sorry for him. But she was not willing to say anything to him in this regard.

It was his fault for choosing to dedicate himself to a cause that was not possible. He should give up now and saved himself the heartache but he was being stubborn about his decision.

And as much as Emma did not want to care about his business, she could not help but see a shadow of herself in Head Priest Yohan's eyes. And that was why she could not bring herself to say anything against him.

What right did she have to ask him to back down when she could not back down herself? It was beyond unfair.

"Anyway, our primary objective will not change even with this new development. Sooner or later, Elysia Dirac will need to pay the price for disturbing this world. And once that happens, all the intruders who infected our peace would be killed off."

Those words sounded cruel to Emma's ears. She felt sorry for the fools who were about to be killed off because of this change.

She looked toward the Head Priest who had gone quiet all of a sudden. This sudden stillness on his part did not seem alright to Elysia and she was worried about what he was planning.

There was something about his aura that screamed 'danger' to her. And she was sure that she would need to keep an eye on this man. His ambitions were getting out of hand and Emma needed to control him.

"Then, let's end today's meeting here. I will contact you again when we need to proceed to the next step. Until then, perform the duties you have been assigned."

Emma would surely perform her duties and so much more. But before that, should she send a message to someone and tell them what was going to happen? Plausible denial was always a good thing to have at hand. It might help her get out of a stick situation in the future.