I will not die a Villainess's death

"It's noisy out there today. Is there some kind of festival I was not told about?"

The emperor asked as he took part his seat on the throne. He was having a hard time lately with all the riots taking place and preparing for the war at the same time.

He had sent a messenger to the Akatsuki kingdom but that messenger had yet to return and that worried the emperor. He was afraid that the war foretold by the Head Priest was inevitable.

'This war was not supposed to happen if I did as Head Priest Yohan asked of me. I even invited beef with my son because of his words and this was the reward I get?'

The emperor was seething in anger as he remembered all the wrongs he had deliberately done to make sure Eve and Adam would end up together.

He had even ignored Lord Dirac as he had neglected Elysia as a possible match. All to make sure this situation does not arrive in the future. If Lord Dirac did not have a connection to the royal family, he could not use it to threaten the emperor.

That had been the plan but somewhere things had gone wrong and even Adam had ended up against him. Everything was falling apart at his end.

"Call for the Head Priest to meet me right now. I need him to answer a few questions for me right now."

The emperor called out to his air, hoping to get a positive answer. He had been denied an audience with the Head Priest for a week now and now he was pissed off.

As the emperor, he had never been so neglected by anyone. And the primal part of his being was furious at the blatant disrespect shown to him.

"S-Sir, we did. B-But the Head Priest refused to allow us entry. The S-Saintess has gone missing since yesterday so he is busy looking for her."

The slider who had become the bringer of that bad news felt his life flash before his eyes as he felt the pressure their emperor was exerting on him.

His insides were chilled and he found it difficult to breathe. All he could do was keep on sitting there waiting for his death.

"M-My lord, Prince Yohan has gone missing as well. We went to take a look at him since Lady White was with him but when we went to check on them, they were not in his castle. We don't know where they went."

The emperor's heart sank as soon as he heard the guard's words.

If there was one person who could match the emperor in raw strength, it was his son. Lady Elysia Dirac and Lucas Dirac were the only other two candidates who could come after his throne.

"Find my son right now or you will all die. Hurry up and take your forces out right now."

The emperor's order was above anything else. The nobles were afraid to see their emperor so angry at them.

He was a joyous man by nature and was hardly ever angry. So to see him driven to the brink like this was a new experience for his court members.

"L-let's go and find the Crown Prince right now."

"Y-Yeah. The sooner we find him, the sooner we will be able to secure our lives."

The guards and the other members of the court left quickly with their tails tucked between their legs. The anger of a dragon was too much for them to bear.

The emperor watched it all happen with a heavy heart.

He knew that whatever was happening was his fault to a degree but he had not anticipated things to end up like this. It made him wonder if what he had done was even worth it in the end.

"I should have never listened to that stupid Head Priest no matter what he said. He might have the prophecy on his side but that did not mean he knew the future."

The emperor moaned as soon as regret hit him. He had messed up heavily.

"So you are willing to admit your faults now? It seems like you still have a chance at redemption if you tell me everything you know."

The emperor looked back with a startled expression. It was Lucas Dirac who had stepped inside his room in all his glory.

Lucas Dirac was not someone the emperor had expected to see again in his life. And especially more so after that last mishap he made.

"Y-You? How did you get in here without anyone knowing? Are you looking to seek your death?"

The emperor asked, suddenly all alert. Here was one of the only dangers to him in this world, standing in front of him like he owned the castle.

But contrary to his beliefs, Lucas Dirac did not move in for the kill. The second he had decided to reveal himself, it had been clear that the emperor's death was not his end goal.

"You should sit down, for now, your majesty. There are things we need to discuss. After all, you do not want your empire to be conquered by another nation just because you were too stupid to listen to me, right?"

No matter how calmly Lucas said those words, they were ultimately a threat to the emperor. He had no other choice but to sit down and listen to Lucas out.

"Fine then. I can now guess who was behind the kidnap of Saintess Eve and who helped my son escape his palace. As such, I will hear you out for their sake. But you better not waste my time."

The emperor tried to maintain his authority by making the meeting on his terms. He wanted to ensure that he still held some stakes in this meeting.

However, both parties involved in this exchange knew who held the real power here.

"I am sad to see you being reduced to this state, your highness but this is something you chose for yourself so I have no right to complain and neither do you. Now, sit down so that we can discuss things further."

The emperor had no choice in this matter. He had to bow to the Dirac lord and listen to him out.

________________________

"My lord, you have a guest waiting outside for you. Would you like us to invite Lady White in?"

Adam had all intentions to refuse his guest entry until he heard Lady Emma White's name. He remembered her as an associate of Sorias so that was why he allowed her entry.

"She can come in. And also make sure that no one disturbs us for the new few hours."

Adam could hear the maids giggle at his order. He could just imagine what their small minds were thinking while they watched their Crown Prince welcome a female into his palace.

With a glare aimed their way, the maids left the corridor and it was empty all of a sudden. Emma White entered the hallway, carrying with her a familiar scent.

"Greetings to the crown prince. I brought with me what Lord Lucas asked me to. Here, I am sure it will come in handy."

Adam picked up the small ball-like divide he had been sent. He looked it over to see what it was before he felt around it with his energy.

Massive amounts of energy met Adam's and he grinned.

For the first time in his life, Adam was glad to have an ally on his side. Lord Dirac was surprisingly resourceful.

"I cannot believe this is a mana stone Lucas sent me. Isn't this thing really valuable?"

"I don't think Lord Lucas cares about how costly it is. If it helps bring his sister back then he will do anything he can. Even I stood no chance against his persuading and had to head back home."

And that was the only reason Emma White had been able to approach Adam in his palace. His father had not paid much attention to her since she had seemed unrelated to Lord Dirac after almost a year of observation.

"So, when are you breaking out of here? Can you do it after I am gone from here? I don't want to waste my hard-earned freedom helping you out."

Adam had to give it to her. Emma White had the guts to snap at him. Most people would not even have dared to utter a single word in presence, never mentioning a whole complaint.

But Adam was not a considerate person so he did not care if Emma had to give up her freedom or whatever.

"Sorry to say but I cannot wait around any more. I am breaking from here right this second and you will have to become an accomplice to me."

Adam apologized before he blew up the wall. The mana stone helped him in this regard and he was finally free.

All Emma could do was to look at that happen with a pained expression.

"I knew this was going to happen. Why did I agree with Lord Lucas to be the delivery girl?"

But despite saying that, Emma had a satisfied look on her face.