I will not die a Villainess's death

Elysia could see the teen's chest moving up and down in slow motion. It was the only indication that Feize was still alive and breathing.

However, from the way he held himself to the way he bowed, nothing gave away that he was even alive at that moment. Elysia was afraid to even speak to him since it felt like the illusion keeping Feize together would break apart.

"If you have something to speak to my sister about then you should right now. Both of us do not have time to be standing around here for."

Lucas was harsh in his words but Elysia could feel his concern leaking out into his voice. He was concerned about this kid as well.

But Feize took Lucas's harsh tone the wrong way and his body flinched before sagging tiredly. When Feize looked up, he looked ready to burst out into tears. It made Elysia uncomfortable to see but she still somehow kept her composure.

"I-I just wanted to apologize. I d-did not mean to reject my lady. B-But the circumstances were"

"We understand so there is no need for you to dismiss yourself. Akatsuki is still a considerably conservative country when compared to the empire so I can see why Elysia's request may sound offensive to you. Calm down because you are not in trouble."

Elysia had heard of how conservative Akatsuki was in comparison to the empire. Here, the distinction between male and female, noble born and others was not as prevalent on the surface.

But the lines of divide ran deep into the core.

Just because their emperor looked like a loose guy who would let things pass, the country itself was not as open about its ideals. And it would take a great deal of time for it to chance.

Even the empire had some of these prejudices and it was far more liberal than Akatsuki could ever hope to be.

"Don't worry so much because I am not mad. It is kind of my fault for putting you up like that in the court. I did not think my actions though so it is my fault."

Elysia felt no shame in admitting her mistake openly. It had been her fault in the first place so she needed to take responsibility for it.

Feize looked even more uncomfortable hearing Elysia apologize to him and he was suddenly not even able to look at Elysia properly.

She reached out to place a hand on Feize's shoulder but he not only flinched but avoided her hand entirely.

"I-I am sorry but you should not touch me like that. I-I mean, it's not you but it is me. I have a problem and…..I am sorry. Please forgive me for being like this."

Feize seemed to be having a mental breakdown in front of Elysia and Lucas. Not only were his words all over the place but his eyes were darting around as well. He was confused and lost in the moment.

Elysia felt sorry for him but she was curious about his avoidance even more. And her curiosity became even stronger when the teen accepted Lucas's hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down and take a deep breath Feize. I know all about you and our trauma so there is no need to apologize. In fact, I should be the one to say sorry since I forgot your circumstances for a minute there."

Lucas seemed to know what was going on with Feize. His gentle tone was one he often used on Elysia so she knew that it was likely a bad situation.

Elysia was curious but she held her desire to know back. Especially when Lucas signed for her to keep her voice and her questions down for some time.

"Did your sister send you here to try and win Elysia's favor back? Don't worry about it and go back. Tell her that you were caught by me and I ordered you to return. She will not make any hasty move then."

Lucas's brows were furred. He looked uncomfortable but determined at the same time to not let this kid take any blame.

"I…thank you."

The teen looked relieved to hear Lucas's words. He did look at Elysia again to see what she would do but Elysia only gave a harmless smile back to the kid.

But for some reason, the kid flinched again at seeing Elysia smile at him like that and ran away. Elysia was sure that she was not that terrifying to look at but actions spoke louder than words.

"Lucas, am I that scary? The kid ran away like I had lit him on fire."

"Maybe your smile was so enchanting that it scared the kid off."

Elysia's face flamed when she heard Lucas make those remarks rather lightly. She had never thought of her brother as a flirt but he was surprisingly apt.

She could not help but feel like she had seen a lot more faces of Lucas when she came back than she had gone away to that other world. Lucas was a lot more expressive toward her now.

'What the hell happened to him? Lucas is like a completely different person now.'

This change was both welcoming and terrifying. But it did tell Elysia that Lucas was opening up to her slowly. She was also the only one who saw his expressions regularly.

It felt something special to Elysia to be treated to this special behavior. But it was still creepy nonetheless.

"Anyway, it will serve you better not to get close to anyone in the court who is not pre-approved by either me or Chrome. This court is not as easy to navigate as the empire's court. Even those who look friendly here hide their intentions behind their smiles."

Lucas spoke with confidence and his every word conveyed his experience with navigating this court. It made sense that Lucas knew more about this situation than Elysia did.

She might have been keeping an eye on the political structure of the empire from the shadows to help Eve but that did not mean Elysia was apt at dealing with a confrontation.

"I will try to keep my distance. But should I just ignore someone if they try to get close to me? I do not want to be used but I am not the sharpest when it comes to guessing people's true feelings."

Truthfully speaking, Elysia had no sense of decency when it came to people. Even if she had the right skillset necessary, her nature rubbed people the wrong way from the start.

And in Akatsuki, a kingdom that had heard all about her and had already judged her, it would be next to impossible to change her image.

"Don't worry about it too much. In fact, there is no need for you to entertain these fools if you do not want to. If you find yourself in trouble, just say mine or Chrome's name and come find us. You will be able to escape any situation at any given time."

Again, it seemed like Lucas was speaking from experience. It made Elysia imagine him in his childhood, hiding behind someone bigger and stronger them himself and using them as a shield.

Just the image of that happening was funny enough to cause Elysia to crack up. She could not imagine such a thing being done by Lucas even when he was a child.

"What is so funny about me telling you to use my name?"

"Nothing. I just find the thought of you doing the same a little funny. I wonder who that great person would have been who was used by you when you were young."

Lucas went quiet, his eyes getting lost over time. He was reminiscing about a time when Elysia had not been there with him.

It was times like these that made Elysia feel alone. Even when Lucas was with her, he was so far away that it did not even matter if they were together.

Elysia was about to tell Lucas not to bother remembering anymore but she had no heart to say anything. Not with that sad and lost look on his face.

"Did you know that it was my mother who used to hide us and make excuses for us when we were young? Since she was Lucas's aunt, she took responsibility for him as well and brought him up as her child."

It was Chrome was quietly walking toward Elysia.

His face was blank when he talked about his mother but then it turned to an embarrassed flush as realization flashed across his face.

"Ah, sorry. That was rather insensitive of me to say this since I know of your and Lucas's circumstances. I apologize for my thoughtless words."

Elysia was quiet after hearing that. She did not mind these words but Chrome felt guilty.

"It's quite alright since I was not offended. Actually, I am rather interested to know more about Lucas and his past. It sounds like an interesting topic."

Elysia was interested and she was ready to hear about it now. She was sure that it would not hurt to know what she missed because she had more opportunities to make memories.