I will not die a Villainess's death

The sister looked stunned at Elysia's words and finally feel quiet. Elysia had a feeling that the sister was having a hard time accepting Elysia's words.

But it was not her task to bring the sister out of her self-imposed delusion. There was no need for Elysia to go as far as to make the sister understand just what kind of man the Head Priest was.

And Elysia had a feeling that even if she managed to make the sister see Head Priest Akane's real self, she would still ignore everything Elysia was trying to tell her.

Infatuation was a strong thing and anyone who fell under its spell tended to ignore reality a little bit.

'Then again, it is not my concern whether this sister managed to snap out of her delusion or not. I just need to get through this ceremony and it will be over for me.'

Elysia wanted to focus on what she could do, rather than what was about to happen. She quickly picked up the pace to reach the room that was assigned to her.

Outside the window, the world had taken a red shade as the sunset. It was beautiful but the mixture of that red and gold made Elysia miss Adam and Eve.

The sky was painted in their colors and it made Elysia feel lonely and grateful at the same time.

"It's beautiful, right? This mixture of gold and red is exclusive to this time of the year. Ah, that reminds me. Whatever happens tomorrow, you should not get surprised. I am sure you will find the morning beautiful as well."

The sister was speaking in riddles again and it irritated Elysia.

But she was too busy looking out of the window to care about what the sister was saying to her. She found it hard to tear her eyes away from the mixed sky.

"Skies like these remind me of that story from long ago. Are you interested to hear it?"

Elysia did not reply, not interested in hearing the sister out. But her silence was taken as a confirmation by the sister because she continued speaking anyway.

"A long time ago, when this world was young and still forming, the first sage had a vision from the gods. It was said that the light of the fire would save everyone as long as it had the dragon in its grasp."

"They were to become each other's strengths and to feed off on that strength to save the world when the time came. But then, the fire was cursed by death to separate from the dragon forever."

"The dragon opened the rift of time and space in his despair to get his lover back and that was how the enchanted forest emerged. It is a strip of that leftover power of space and time."

Elysia had to admit that it was an amusing story. She remembered reading about it somewhere in the Empire's history before as well.

But the version she had heard was a little different. Instead of death, it was said to be a witch who had been jealous of the par's love and had ended up curing the fire.

And the dragon had killed her using his flames. But the witch's curse had given rise to the enchanted forest in the end, not wanting to forgive those who had killed her.

But in the end, it was all stories told to deepen one's faith in religion.

"And, what is the purpose of telling me this story?"

Elysia was not surprised or interested to hear more but she had a feeling she should hear the sister out fully at least. That much courtesy Elysia was willing to give her aid.

The sister smiled after hearing Elysia's words, her face taking a mischievous smile as she put her finger on her lips in a gesture that said that it was a 'secret.'

"Well, it was said that since the lovers were cursed, they could not stay together any longer. But it was thanks to Herman, the god of fight, they got to reunite and that is the Herma's rite."

The story was not remarkable so Elysia had no idea why she was being told all this right now. As far as she knew, she had no interest in these stories.

"Alright, that was all. I can tell that you are getting a little irritated now so I will go back to my room. Have a nice night."

The sister finally left and Elysia sighed in relief at seeing her go. It had been so irritating to wait around like this and be told a story Elysia had no interest in.

But she did not say these words to the sister, not wanting to sour the moment between them.

That night, Elysia's mind was a combination of red and violet flashes. But when she woke up she did not remember anything of what had happened before.

When she woke up, it was to the rising sun shining down on her face. Elysia had not expected that to happen and she instantly tried to close her eyes.

But the more she tried to go back to sleep, the more she was not able to. Her own body protested against Elysia going back to sleep and she was forced to wake up.

Above her, the sky was painted in a distant shade of red and gold. It was all mixed in a beautiful pattern but the sun was nowhere to be seen.

She might have woken up the sunrise but the sun was not visible in the upper sky.

'I guess I should get ready for now. There is much to do before the ceremony.'

The world outside seemed like it was asleep and the temple looked abandoned at this time of the day.

It was so different from the temple in the empire and Elysia could not help but feel her heart hurt a little. She missed being back home so much right now.

But despite that, Elysia did not slow down to think about what could have been. She had been entrusted with responsibility and she needed to take care of it.

"First, I should look around for supplies. Then, I should head toward the ceremonial baths. I hope nothing happens this time."

Elysia's heart gave a painful tug as she remembered the golden eyes she had seen in her last vision.

She anticipated and dreaded her time in the ceremonial baths at the same time. She looked forward to seeing her child again but her heart also felt fearful of that future not coming true.

"Ah, lady Dirac. You are aware of this hour of the day? Is everything alright?"

Elysia stopped breathing as she heard the voice call her from behind. She did not want to turn around and face Head Preist Akane when she was alone like this.

But ignoring him was also a problem right now. Especially since Elysia was in the temple and had no ally at her side.

Enma was on the boy's grounds and he was also useless in a fight. Both Lucas and Chrome were not able to interfere and Sorias would not be here until late evening as well.

"I woke up and was unable to fall asleep again. I think I will get ready for the day now."

Elysia wanted to keep her conversations as short as possible. There was no need for her to entertain Head Priest Akane and they both knew it well

Despite all that, Head Priest Akane decided he did not want to head out and walked until he was in step with Elysia.

"If that is the case, then I should join you on your quest. I have never had a chance to observe how the people of the empire prepare for the ceremony so I am curious."

Elysia wanted to groan at those words. She was not sure if she was someone Head Priest Akane was suspicious of or if he wanted to hit on her. Both thoughts sent shivers down Elysia's spine.

"I don't think that is appropriate for someone of your station. You should just calm down for now since I will be heading toward the ceremonial pools soon."

The Head Priest finally fell quiet after Elysia's words. He looked taken aback by the easy admission Elysia made and she could spot that air of uneasiness in his eyes as well.

Head Priest Akane had finally taken a step back and it felt like a victory for Elysia.

"I-If that is the case, then I will let you be on your way. But do find me once you are done, Lady Dirac. I have things you need to learn before you can begin the ceremony."

Elysia gave an awkward smile at those words, not at all interested in what Akane had to say to her. She just hurried toward the ceremonial pool and that was the end of her encounter for today.

Or, that was what she hoped when she reached the pool and locked herself in there.