I will not die a Villainess's death

"They looked around everywhere they could, but alas, no solution was found in the end. They were not able to retrieve Elysia in the end and-"

"Sara, I will hit you hard if you do not quieten down right this second. I am not in a good mood today."

Eve wanted her familiar who made a hesitant motion of closing her mouth. But the amused smile on her face did not lessen even with that.

Sara did not mean to laugh or poke fun at Eve's expanse but there was nothing else to discuss. This was the only topic Eve was even remotely welcoming and Sara would take what she could right now.

"I know that you are not in a good mood but come on. You cannot spend the whole day mopping like this. People spent a lot of money on this party. At least learn to enjoy it a little."

Sara pointed out, trying her best to get Eve to join in on the fun. But Eve was being a killjoy and had no intention of being a part of the celebration.

For the first time since she had started participating in these situations, Eve was keeping herself entirely out. She had just done the customary greeting and nothing else.

Sara didn't even have the heart to force her to socialize if she did not want to.

On the other hand, Adam was doing a remarkable job of keeping his wits. He was going around and taking note of the situation.

He was also meeting and greeting nobles in the meantime.

'But I guess it is because Lucas is forcing him to and not because Adam wants to do his work.'

Adam had a sour look on his face that betrayed how uncomfortable he felt right now. He was struggling to hold his temper in but he could not explode in front of Lord Lucas as well.

Both Adam and Eve were suffering in their ways and seemed to be punishing themselves for failing to achieve what they had set out to do.

And then there was Lord Adam who was in his category of 'foul mood'. It might not show on his face but his actions were a little more forceful and calculated.

Someone was going to get ruined today.

'But then again, it is none of my business what happens. I am sure whosoever ignited Lord Lucas's ire deserves it.'

Sara decided to not interfere with them.

The person she was most interested in was Emma White, Sorias, and Enma. the trio stood on the side, doing their best not to be noticed.

Well, Lord Sorais was doing his best not to be noticed while Emma was trying to attract his attention.

And Enma, the one who was said to be the god's messenger had a weird temperament. He looked not only a little jumpy but also scared. His face betrayed a man who knew something that was about to happen but did not say what it was.

'Should I head over there and check things out?'

Sara was worried. But more than that, she was bored. She needed excitement in her monotonous life.

And currently, Enma's expression said that he was that 'fun factor' she was missing. His eyes were open wide as they looked down outside the window.

"Hey, kid. What's going on? You looked spooked out and-"

"I don't feel so good. Can I be excused right now?"

Enma did look white in the face. Sara was immediately concerned for his well-being and decided to get him out.

She had all but taken the kid out when the ground shook. It was a small and untimely earthquake that was not worrisome in a general sense but Enma's cursing made it seem like a big deal.

"Shit, fuck. I cannot believe I got caught up in such an obvious red-flag situation. Why did I think that nothing would happen if Elysia was not here?"

Enma had a lot to say but nothing he said made much sense to Sara. She quickly picked the kid up and took him outside.

The gardens were quickly being occupied by the other guests of the royal castle as well. The earthquake might have been mid but it was concerning.

After all, no natural disaster should have been able to take place in the royal castle of the capital. It all smelled of foul play but Sara had no idea who it could be.

"If you know anything about all this, you better open up your mouth now. It will be too late once they start investigating."

Sara warned and Enma quickly shook his head as negative. He knew nothing about what happened.

"Are you sure? Enma, you should tell us the truth and-"

Sara was cut off by the entry of a scared guard. The poor man seemed out of his mind as he crawled toward where the royal pair was standing.

He suddenly clutched Adam's legs in a show of bravery and his eyes were wide in fear.

"M-Monsters. There are monsters on the right side of the gardens. A-And we also saw a ghost. The vengeful ghost of Elysia Dirac is back to seek vengeance on us all."

Whatever sympathy Sara had for that fool evaporated into smoke. He had made a grave sin by saying anything about Elysia.

Not only did he manage to enrage Adam but also gather everyone's attention. Most of the nobility that had gathered here were those who had known the Diracs personally.

As such, they also knew who Elysia was. But unlike Adam or Eve, they needed an excuse to launder a fault over Dirac's head. And Elysia's sudden appearance along with her connection with the unnatural things happening served them this purpose.

"*ehm*. May I know what this fight is about? Did you say that the ghost of Elysia Dirac appeared and caused all this? But Lady Dirac is not dead, right? Then, does that mean she did this on purpose?"

An old noble came out to say this. His voice was already giving up on him and so was his hairline. But his eyes shined with the ambitions he housed.

He was an elder of one of the houses that held major power after the Diracs. And he benefitted a lot from lowering the reputation of the Diracs down.

Public opinion mattered a lot to the nobility. But what mattered more was the opinion of their new emperor.

He might be close to Lord Dirac now but this was the perfect opportunity to lower his dependency on the Dirac lord and fish him toward their side.

They had gotten no opportunity to do that this far but now it was finally their time to shine. If only the new emperor gave him a minute, the old man was sure he would be able to drag him to his side.

"Emperor Adam, I would like to-"

The old noble turned toward where his emperor had been standing but the white-haired boy was already gone.

And not only he but the Saintess was also gone as well. They both had not even given him enough time to finish talking before they had left.

"They left quite a while ago. You should get out of here if you want to save your face now."

Some other noble said which caused the old man to lose face and quietly make his exit. He had realized that the royalty did not intend to give him any face.

Even the former queen was pretending like she had not heard anything.

As for Lord Lucas Dirac? He looked constipated and irritated. Anyone could see that he wanted to go after his sister but he had to stay back for their sake.

And if anyone irritated him, they won't be safe from his scheming hands. He could easily make anyone fall to their ruins.

"We should watch what we say from here on. It seems like Lord Dirac has a lot of influence. I wonder what the temple will decide for Elysia Dirac and if they would be able to capture her or not."

Another noble whispered and then another. Their talks grew in volume until the whole hall was talking about Elysia Dirac's impending punishment.

But one look from Lucas Dirac knocked them all into line. His eyes were burning so harshly that even the guards personally trained by him found it hard to step out.

Meanwhile, both Adam and Eve had bolted from their seats as soon as they heard 'Elysia's' name. They needed to see it with their own eyes to believe that she was back home.

"Don't annoy me right now. I am not in the mood."

Adam yelled as he yanked the monsters out of his path. They were annoying and he hated dealing with them.

"Get out of the way. Let me deal with them."

Eve's magic managed to drive the monsters away and clear out the way to the center where a familiar figure stood. Elysia was out there, fighting against these annoying pests of creatures and they both felt relieved to see her alive.