I will not die a Villainess's death

Elysia tried to drag her body out of the pool but forgot an essential fact during her trial run to pull her body out: her still-broken hand.

It was painfully throbbing and Elysia suddenly realized that she was not supposed to get her bandages wet.

Now not only had she disobeyed her doctor but she also made her condition significantly worse than before. Why had she forgotten to ask Eve to cure her hand? And, would it have even mattered in the end?

"Lady Dirac, your one minute is up. Should I come in and help you-"

"STAY OUT THERE. YOU WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE IF YOU COME IN NOW."

Elysia knew what shouting at the poor maid would do to her reputation but she did not have a good reputation anyway.

The least she could do was to throw her dignity as a peaceful person away to divert an incoming disaster.

Seeing as how the maid did not offer again, Elysia was sure that her message had gotten across to her. And the person on the other side of this door had to be a maid because no sister would have even dared to offer Elysia a helping hand.

The poor maid was still standing in front of the Ceremonial Pool's door with a frightened expression when Elysia came out.

The maid was not from the Dirac estate but held a royal crest on her clothes. This was someone from the Royal Palace.

'Great. Now the whole Royal Palace would gossip about the 'rude Lady Dirac' and how glad they were to be rid of her.'

Elysia did not even realize how bitter her thoughts were but she did take a deep gulp of breath to steady herself.

"Did the Head Priest send you here? Is it time for the ceremony already?"

Elysia tried to get the maid to relax but it was pretty clear to her that her image had been set in the maid's mind.

She was sure that rumors about this confrontation would be out by the next morning.

"Y-Yes. Head Priest Yohan send me to fetch you while another maid was sent to fetch Lord Dirac. You need to get fitted in the ceremonial garbs so that we can start."

'Ah, that! I forgot that it was a thing that we should be doing to check the clothes sizes. But surely there was no need to call for me since I've not outgrown any of my previous grabs.'

As a temple member and the resident person to take over ceremonies for Eve when she could not attend them (or was not in a mood), Elysia had her own set of ceremonial robes.

However, if she had been asked to come then she would not question this decision.

"Understood. Let's go now."

Elysia did not speak up in the way and the maid leading her did not try to clarify anything either.

The hall Elysia was led to was mostly empty but there were a few familiar faces as well. Most noticeably, her brother was already in the room along with Sora.

Sara was there as well but her face was covered and she was standing near the guards and then there was the Head Priest standing near Eve.

But the most noticeable person in the room was the king and the Crown Prince.

"Elysia, hurry up and join my side. The Head Priest will tell us what he needs us to do."

Elysia quietly joined her brother's side. She refused to look at either Eve or Adam this whole time.

She could feel their stare digging into her skin but Elysia knew she could not look at them right now. They had gotten her message so they should have expectations from her.

And those expectations were ones Elysia could not fulfill right now. She had not braced herself to face them.

"I briefed you both on what to do yesterday but I'll give you a quick run-down today as well. A Holy Chalice is an object that can store holy power. Every year, different noble houses form a union to fill it because it required too much magic."

"This time, the responsibility will fall onto the Dirac house and the temple's representative. Since Elysia is someone who stayed in the temple, I would like for her to be our representative. As for the Dirac House, it would be Lord Dirac, right?"

Head Priest Yohan quickly summarised what Elysia had missed yesterday. She was surprised to hear about her appointment as the representative of the temple.

But it also made sense in a way. Filling up the Holy Chalice was not an easy task. It required a bond of trust and dependence.

And since they could not trust Lord Dirac not to hurt anyone else, Elysia was the natural scapegoat they had.

Not that Elysia minded much about this offer. She trusted her brother to keep her safe.

"I have a better idea. Why not let me do it instead of Lord Dirac?"

However, the person who spoke up right then was the unlikeliest person to have objected.

Everyone looked at Eve as if she had lost her mind but Eve refused to back down from her claim.

"I'm sorry to say but Lady Dirac is a person of the Dirac house now and we cannot ask her to represent the temple anymore. But since I and Elysia have been friends, I am sure I will be able to carry this duty out with her."

"Of course not. Little Eve, you need to wait around in the back and do your part with the Crown Prince. You know you cannot participate in this ceremony-"

The one who objected was the King. He was the only one as well but his words carried the most weight in the room.

"Can't Prince Adam carry out the after-math part alone? It won't be right for me to do that with him when the formal paperwork for his engagement has not been processed properly. And Elysia cannot do that as well since she is needed in the ceremony."

Eve's words did have a point but the kind looked far from happy. Anyone who looked at him could tell that this was not what he wanted to happen.

"Little Eve, the whole world knows about the annulment of the engagement. No one would fault you even if you did show up with Adam. Adam, why don't you say something to make Eve agree to go with you?"

Now all eyes were on Adam who looked bored with everything. Elysia could spot the feeling of annoyance in his eyes at being forced to speak up.

And she could even see the spark of something negative in his eyes as he stared Eve down. Meanwhile, Eve had a trump look on her face that whole time.

"I can do my part alone. I told you all that I am not giving up on my engagement and I have no regard to flaunt your forced engagement either. Eve can do what she wants to."

The king looked surprised at Adam's words. Elysia saw something like doubt enter his eyes for the first time but then it was gone in the next moment.

"Fine, do what you all want to. No one listens to me anyway."

The king let out a dramatic sigh but no one took it as anything but a disappointment.

"Perhaps it is you who don't listen to people. We won't be in this current situation if you have listened to me before."

Elysia had a feeling she knew what Adam was talking about and she was 90% sure it had her as a subject.

______________________________

Eve gave Adam a smirk as she pointed toward Elysia with her eyes. She was letting Adam know that she was winning Elysia's favor.

Eve was getting to do something Adam had not been able to do with Elysia. She was going to perform the Holy Chalice ceremony with her.

Even if both Eve and Elysia had been a part of the temple ceremony team, this would be the first ceremony they would be undertaking together.

Usually, a ceremony did not require more than one person from the temple and even if there were more needed, it was never Elysia and Eve.

Head Priest Yohan had not taken any chances of things happening after that first incident. But it seemed like he was finally letting things be.

And Adam looked annoyed to see that happen.

'Look at me. I am the one who gets to spend time with Elysia now.'

Eve knew she was playing a dangerous game by egging Adam like this but it was so much fun.

They both had red Elysia's letter to them asking them for a little more time to get her emotions under her control.

Not only that, but she had also asked the pair to only approach her during the hunting festival that was going to be held soon.

But now there was a prime opportunity for Eve to stay together with Elysia without contradicting the conditions set forth.

"Head Priest Yohan, will it be alright on the temple's side? I don't mind stepping down to let Elysia have my spot."

If possible, Eve would have jumped down and hugged Lord Dirac right then and there. He was one person who seemed to understand what Eve needed and how good she was for Elysia.

The only flaw the man had was that he was equally impartial toward Adam. But beyond that, he was the perfect brother material.

'And he will also be my brother-in-law one day so I must get along with him.'

Eve instantly turned toward her father, giving him the eye. He would not refuse her this small favor because he promised her.

"It is alright form the temple's side as well. It was a good opportunity to introduce the next saintess to the mass and show that there is no conflict between the temple and the Dirac house."

'Father, I am willing to temporarily forgive you for anything bad you did to me. This is so much better than any birthday present I ever got.'

Eve felt delighted as soon as she heard the confirmation.

Her father might have agreed with her because he wanted to improve her reputation but it did not matter to Eve now.

What did matter was that she had permission to be with Elysia for the duration of the ceremony.