Struggling as a Villain

It was her father's orders to attend this ceremony or Emily wouldn't have considered coming here.

There was a reason why, despite being one of the regressors, Elizabeth was not someone who tried contacting Emily or Eleanor. And also, why Emily wanted to avoid Elizabeth until they had to face each other in the academy.

It was Elizabeth's intolerable personality.

Back when the four were dating Ethan, she was the one who usually created problems for him by making such demands which could make the other three jealous. Elizabeth even tried harming the other three and always got forgiven in the end.

Even though her attempts became less frequent with time and against the Deity of Death Elizabeth played a vital role, it still was a fact that Emily didn't like that girl. At all.

However, when Eleanor stated the possibility of Elizabeth taking any action which could turn Duchess Scarlette against her and the Empire, Emily knew she had to attend this party.

Elizabeth couldn't harm Richard. He was not the same person they thought him to be but Elizabeth was unaware of that. And if she makes any hasty decision then before the King of Death, they might have to face the Crimson Witch.

'Haah..these parties always tire me out...' Although she has been a nobility since her birth and has attended over a hundred formal gatherings, Emily still wasn't accustomed to it.

However, displeasing her father any further was not an option. He was already quite pissed after hearing that the Scarlette clan had broken off the engagement. The official annulment has yet to be done but it was just a matter of time.

Without a doubt, someone from the mansion has reported everything that happened that day. The conversation Emily had with Richard and why he decides to back off from this relationship. Everything must be in knowledge of the Count.

'Know your limits while making a decision—her father said. And truth be told, it broke her heart.

Maybe the talks of the annulment have already been rumoured since many people were giving her looks which showed pity and amusement. After all, the son of the great Duchess has abandoned her, not the other way around. But she was content with it.

What still bothered her was that ring....that ring which she, for some unknown reason, still has the possession of.

"Would you like a drink, my lady?" The waiter asked, to which Emily shook her head in denial.

She was about to stand in the corner and use 'Detection' to keep an eye on Richard...when suddenly she saw a pair of young teenagers making their way through the crowd toward the inner side of the palace.

'Huh? Ehhhh?!' She couldn't believe her eyes that the handsome young man and the adorable girl were none other than Richard and Elizabeth.

She didn't think that Richard would follow the girl so obediently...and where were they even going? Somewhere isolated? But why?

'Wait! Is she going to murder him in secret?!' That would be a pointless venture! The Duchess would easily discern where her son was taken and who could be behind his murder. In the last timeline they had 'her' with them, so it was possible to fool the Duchess and make her antagonise the Ambrobates. However, it would not be possible to do the same if Elizabeth acted so rashly.

And in the first place, Emily didn't want Richard to die!

Before the blond beauty realised, she was already moving in their direction. They disappeared while she was contemplating, but thanks to her 'Detection', which she had polished over time in her previous life, she was able to locate the two without much trouble.

For her, in that moment, the world disappeared, and the only thing that mattered was to reach them and stop Elizabeth.

Holding the hem of her gown so it doesn't hinder her rush, she reaches the inner side of the palace and darts towards the reception area.

Reaching there, she looked at a stunned Richard and amused Elizabeth before shouting,

"You can't do anything to him!"

Her breathing was slightly unsteady as she slowly made her way toward the duo and asked Richard, "Umm...if possible then can you leave the two of us alone? Please?"

Whether she wanted to talk to Elizabeth or wanted to separate Richard from the Princess remained uncertain. For now, she just didn't want Richard to remain here.

Richard shared a glance with Elizabeth before he nodded slowly, seemingly confused by the whole farce before he got up and bid his farewell to the Princess,

"Your Highness, it has been an honour to spend this time with you. I bid you farewell and wish you a pleasant evening." Without even glancing at Emily again, he walked out.

Emily continued to look at him until he was out before she drew her palms closer and slowly separated them—revealing a cyan translucent orb made out of ether.

Being the barrier specialist she didn't find much trouble creating a soundproof barrier around them before Emily took the liberty to sit beside Elizabeth and ask the girl in an exasperated tone,

"What were you even thinking, by inviting Richard here?"

Elizabeth frowned; not liking the way the other party talked. But she tolerated it for now and replied indifferently,

"I have my suspicion on him so I was just interrogating. Why are you reacting so much?"

This time it was Emily's turn to frown as she asked, "What suspicion? Did you find something odd about him?"

Elizabeth scoffed, "When you and that bitch were playing around, I was investigating him to find a concrete reason to slaughter that asshole."

"Language, Elizabeth. Eleanor is a family. And Richard has a name."

"Whatever." The Princess shrugged.

Emily was both anxious and confused.

Confused since Elizabeth was taking things rationally rather than lunging on Richard with the intention to kill him. And anxious because it seems Elizabeth has discovered some clues to prove that Richard is a wandering soul.

While gripping the hem of her skirt Emily asked, "Do you...have found any proof?"

Elizabeth grinned before she began the story,

"My suspicion grew from the moment I heard he saved some children and women out of humanity and some shit. That's why I started looking for someone to interrogate Richard.

"Some time ago...I found myself a great puppet who held animosity against that dog but was too timid to take any action. So I just used some methods to manipulate him into abducting Richard and making him spill the beans."

Emily's eyes widened as she nearly shouted, "You are the person behind Richard's kidnapping?! Are you crazy?! Why would you go to such lengths?"

Elizabeth spat back, "I will do whatever it takes to prove him worthy of death! And when the time comes, I will rip that cunt into pieces and piss on his dead body!"

The madness her eyes carried when she uttered those words made Emily shudder as she was reminded of those dark times when she had to face this maniac daily.

Disintegrating the barrier, Emily got up before relaying her last of the words, "Don't do anything that can make Ethan hate you. He won't be the same person who would tolerate your 'mistakes' so be careful."

***********

Richard was finally back home. He was still in the capital, but back in the mansion, he felt a lot better than he was at the palace.

It was stuffy there, and under those many gazes, he was feeling quite out of place.

Thankfully his mother understood his misery and took her leave even before the banquet.

Currently, he was resting inside the bathtub, which seemed more like a pool. The water was a little warm and perfect to relax his muscles.

Today, he was met with some absurd situations.

First, that Princess was acting weird and out of character. She was definitely trying to check whether Richard knew anything about Ethan and, presumably, the future. And now Richard's suspicion of her involvement in his abduction has solidified.

The Illusionist, The Great Wall, The Alchemist and The Manipulator—these are the titles of the four heroines. And Elizabeth received the title of being the manipulator with her mind-influencing spells.

Initially, he didn't have much faith in the theory, but after meeting her today, Richard was now ninety per cent sure that she was behind Richard's abduction.

'But why is she taking unnecessary steps to hurt me? Was she told to be cautious? But who?' He had a lot of questions, and no one was there to help him.

*Ka* *Chak*

Richard was startled to hear the doors of the bathroom suddenly snapping and a person walking inside.

"M-M-Mom?" Richard stuttered and blushed slightly in embarrassment as he went even deeper into the water to hide his naked self. However, the greater reason for concern was what she was wearing.

A see-through lingerie!!

*******

A/N:- Ahaha! I feel so great leaving the chapter at this point! Come on, praise me!

The world is slowly expanding. As I said, I am new to this kind of story, so give me some time. Once they enter the academy, there will be more battle scenes and character development.

Stay tuned.