I will not die a Villainess's death

Adam's kiss was forceful but it was not hurting Elysia. It was essentially just a press of lips against hers and it reminded her of cotton candy with its gentleness.

The only thing Elysia found irritating about her situation was that the body she was occupying was not her own. She was taking liberties with Eve's body and that thought made Elysia break the kiss.

Adam looked glad and heartbroken at the same time. His golden eyes were shining with tears and Elysia was sure he was about to pull her back into a kiss.

But Elysia backed down before their lips could meet again. She did not want to confuse herself and Adam anymore.

​ "Adam, come back to your senses. I am Eve so don't mistake me for some dead person."

It hurt to talk like this and Adam looked pissed as well. It was good for him not to miss Elysia too much and focus on the present.

She expected Adam to do something else in his anger but he only smiled at Elysia instead. His anger was still there but he was trying his best to control his temper for her sake.

Meanwhile, Elysia could tell how uncomfortable her son was stuck between herself and Adam but he did not make a fuss. Elysia could feel inaudible growls hit her chest as her son showed his displeasure.

He turned to look at his father and Elysia could spot irritation in his eyes. But Adam paid no attention to his son, his eyes focused on Elysia the whole while.

She had no idea how Adam was able to tell that it was her inside Eve's body but she did not want to risk exposing herself even further in front of him.

"I don't know what your problem is, but I will not play around with you. I will be playing along with you."

Adam's grip on her hand tightened even further as he heard Elysia's words. She could tell that he was about to erupt any second now.

She was ready to take all his ire when Adam calmed down once again. It must have taken massive willpower for the emperor to back down like this and Elysia fell silent in awe.

"I will not fight you now that you are finally back with me Elysia. I don't care how you got into Eve's body, but I refuse to let you go."

Elysia's blood went cold once she heard those words. She suddenly realized that not only was Adam not concerned about Eve, but he also seemed to not even care.

That was a disaster Elysia did not want to happen and yet, she could see it happen in front of her eyes. She had no words to describe how she felt.

Flattered? Devastated? Angry? Scared? None of those emotions were the ones Elysia felt at that moment.

"W-Why and how?"

That was all Elysia could stutter out as she felt the contents of her vision fade away. It felt a bitter taste in her mouth after realizing that she was running away.

"Does it matter how and why? You should just know that I-You cannot escape me."

Adam realized what was happening the same second Elysia felt her connection begin to get cut off. Adam's magic reached out toward Elysia but it was far too late.

"Please, don't abandon us again…"

Those afterward were all but a whisper of a wish. Adam was reaching out toward Elysia in those last moments, his eyes looking back at her desperately but Elysia did not want to go back.

Going back would mean that Eve would not have a body to live in any longer. She did not want to deprive Eve of that right and Elysia also had a place she needed to get back to.

The only regret she had was the son she had abandoned again. That solid weight was missed by her arms and Elysia felt lonely without her son in her grasp.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

When she finally came about, water was rushing into her mouth and she coughed to get it out. She finally emerged from the ceremonial pool, only to face a terrifying pair of eyes and an amused one.

"Look, I told you lady Dirac was alright. Although I do not know what happened to her, I can tell that her life force is as strong as ever."

It was Head Preist Akane who spoke those words. His eyes smiled as he looked at Elysia and she felt shivers go down her spine at that easy-going look.

She did not like how the Head Priest was eying her like she was a specimen he could not wait to dissect and look inside of.

"B-But the d-drowning and s-so long ann-and…."

The sister who had likely come to fetch Elysia stuttered as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen. She had watched Lady Dirac almost drown in the ceremonial pool but now the lady was alright.

She had been down in the depth of the pool for so long that the sister had been afraid of her dying.

That was why she had broken all the rules and gotten Head Priest Akane involved with her mess. She did not go into the water herself since she was afraid of the curse.

"Lady Dirac, you are alright now? The sister here was so concerned about your well-being. You won't want to appear in her nightmares and cause her any trouble, right?"

Head Priest Akane's voice was gentle and caring as he spoke to Elysia. But his words were anything but gentle toward Elysia.

He was pressuring her to agree with his words. It was the most basic form of manipulation but it was darn effective.

Elysia wanted to curse the man out but she could not do that without attracting unwanted attention from the other sisters.

"Ah, I am alright so you do not need to worry about me at all. My condition is something that always happens when I prepare for a ceremony so you should not be concerned about me."

Elysia smiled a gentle smile but the sister did not look to be happy or even satisfied with her response.

Meanwhile, the Head priest looked like he could not be any happier with Elysia's words. He looked at Elysia with a curious expression and he even leaned into her to look her in the eye.

"This is something that always happens? So, what happens to you when you are in this state? Do you feel any pain? Any other discomfort? Is it weird or painful for you? What about-"

'T-Too close.'

Elysia lashed out without knowing, her hands coming in contact with the Head Preists' chest and she pushed him back.

The man looked back at Elysia with wide eyes, his eyes going dark before he calmed down. His red eyes made Elysia flinch but she refused to look away from him.

Finally, the Head Priest opened his eyes again and he looked alright again. His smile was back which made Elysia's breathing easier.

"H-Head Preist, we should be going now. We have a lot we need to prepare before we can start the ceremony."

The sister who had called for the head priest here looked scared all of a sudden. It made Elysia want to reach out to her and help her out. But she held that temptation back for now.

It felt dangerous to keep engaging the Head Preist any longer.

For a second, Elysia felt her eyes meet the sister's and the poor girl looked away, unable to look Elysia in the eyes. It stung to be looked away from like this but Elysia did not care right now.

Instead, she turned to observe the Head Preist who seemed to not pay any attention to her.

"Don't take too long to get back, Lady Elysia Dirac. I hope this rite turns out to not be a disaster for you."

Head Priest Akane's words were ominous and they sent a shiver down Elysia's spine. She did not want to find out what those words meant.

She was about to ask Akane what he meant by his words but the head priest was gone before Elysia could say anything to him.

The sister who had stayed behind with Elysia also bowed down before leaving her alone.

Suddenly, Elysia wanted nothing more than to run away and not be a part of this ceremony. The words that the Head priest had spoken had spooked Elysia enough to tingle her senses.

"I better send a message to Chrome that he needs to be extra vigilant today."

Elysia used her magic to form a bird and inscribed it with a message she wanted to send to the Akatsuki emperor.

Since Elysia was stuck in the temple right now, she would not be able to move as freely as she wanted to. It would be up to Chrome and her brother to clean up this mess they had suddenly found themselves into.

Elysia just hoped that this much was enough to elevate all their troubles.