I will not die a Villainess's death

As Elysia had expected, she got a letter from the temple that night. But the timing could not have been more unfortunate for the messenger bird to have arrived.

Because it landed right in front of Elysia on the dining table and eyed her food with a keen eye. It looked famished after having worked for the whole day.

Elysia felt bad for the bird but she could not sympathize with it right now. Not when everyone present in the room was eying the letter in her hand with interest.

"Eve sent this to me. I'll read and reply to it later."

Elysia quickly turned the letter over so that it only showed the temple seal. This was, it would be impossible to tell who the sender of this letter was.

That was what Elysia was thinking right now when she hid the letter. The more she relaxed, the better she would be able to hide her secrets.

"So Eve sent you a letter? It is sweet of her to do that but you should put it down for now. We will be having a really important guest today so make sure you remember their faces."

It was rare for her brother to say that and it made Elysia curious about their guest's identity.

"A guest? We are going to have another one? Isn't one brat enough?"

"H-Hey you cannot talk to me like that. I am a guest of this house and it's not like I wanted to come here in the first place. Don't blame me for things that are not my fault."

If two people had an explosive start to their relationship, it was Sora and Enma. Every time they met they took jabs at each other.

Elysia wanted to ask them both to stop fighting but she was just ignored by one side which pissed off the other even more. Somehow Elysia had ended up being the reason for their fight without even meaning to.

"Stop fighting and behave yourself. I won't tolerate anything going wrong and take care to not make their kids feel neglected. Those kids are somewhat special."

Lucas sounded certain of his words about the kids. It made Elysia curious to know just how 'special' those kids were.

And also, what age range were they talking about again? But Elysia's question never left her lips because a familiar face entered the room and disturbed everyone.

"Lord Dirac, our guests are here. Should I lead them in here directly or should I make them wait? Our present company is not exactly….suitable to receive guests. My nephew is always ready to help you out in this regard."

Who else could it be but the Head butler who gave the gathering in front of him a disapproving frown.

"Hector, what have I told you about correcting your behavior? I do not like how you talk to my sister and our esteemed guests."

Of course, Lucas was not in a mood to listen to anyone's bullshit, much less the Head Butler who had no idea what kind of circumstances they had endured.

"My apologies then. But Master, we should not keep our guests waiting without any company and we don't know if they would appreciate having an 'invasive' audience-"

"Ahhh, you look like Lord Lucas. She does, doesn't she, sis?"

"Of course she does. But there is a gloomy aura around her. You should smile more often or end up digging an early grave. Don't you agree with me, brother?"

Twin pair of eyes probed into Elysia's and she jumped back in fright. She had not even realized when those small bodies had managed to crawl near her and almost ended up in her lap.

And neither had Sorias because he tensed up and almost ended up hurting those kids in Elysia's lap.

His claws missed Elysia's leg by a centimeter as he lashed out by reflex but the twins were even more impressive as they managed to evade that claw rather cleanly.

"Susan Pheros, Mars Pheros, you both stop right where you are. I will not tolerate any more of your nonsense right now."

The lady who barged into the room did that rather elegantly. She looked very similar to the eight-year-old twins in front of her.

"I am so sorry Lord Dirac. I try to control them but these two terrors refuse to listen to me. You both, hurry up and apologize to Lord Dirac and Lady Dirac right now."

The lady had dark circles underneath her eyes as she tried to control the twins but they seemed to be ignoring them.

It was clear to even Elysia that these three were related in a familial way.

"N-No need to apologize to me. No harm was done anyway and kids are meant to be energetic. It is nice to see such a healthy pair of twins alive."

"Y-Yeah. Twins run in the family. And Lady Dirac is a child herself so she doesn't need to worry about adult matters. A-Anyway, I am here for that matter we discussed last time Lord Dirac. I am finally ready to accept your help in negotiations."

The lady seemed nervous when she answered Elysia but her tone sounded desperate when she turned to face Lucas. In a single breath, she had managed to belittle Elysia and divert the topic as well.

It was evident that something was wrong right now with that lady. It made even Elysia feel sorry for her but at the same time, she cannot help but feel neglected as well.

Elysia might be sixteen but she had seen a fair bit of the world. She should not be dismissed that easily.

"Please take a seat Lady Pheros and we shall continue our discussion. However, would you mind if Elysia sits in our discussion as well? My sister knows a fair bit about things like these so she would be able to help us out. She was raised in the temple after all."

Lady Pheros went white and then pink at the reprimand Lucas gave her. She raised her head toward Elysia but did not say anything.

The shame of being told off must be too much for her to bear but Elysia knew better than to console her. Anything she said now would come back to bite her later.

"If that is the case then I will hand myself over into Lord and Lady Dirac's care. B-But please help me keep my kids. They'll die if they enter their father's family."

Lady Pheros's voice held real worry and fear for her kids. It made Elysia's irritation over her earlier behavior fade away.

In the end, Lady Pheros was just a poor mother who was here to beg for her children's safety. But Elysia could not help her without knowing the whole story of the matter.

"Lady Pheros, I know I told you before but we cannot interfere if Baron Pheros makes it a legal battle. He does have more support in the court and we have no proof of his misdeeds."

The lady looked crushed at the news but Elysia could see that the Lord was not done yet.

"But I did find a way that could help you take custody of the children once and for all along with the Baron's fortune. Of course, the choice is yours to make."

Lady Pheros pales and Elysia was sure she was thinking the same thing Elysia was.