I will not die a Villainess's death

"Emperor Adam, Lady Eve, welcome to the temple. Head Priest Yohan did tell me that you both would be coming and to welcome you to the inner chamber once you do."

The priest looked happy to see the pair come up to him. It was no different from being treated as they always have been. The temple seemed to have forgotten all the mishappenings that happened.

But that was not the case for the royal pair. They could not forget anything that had happened and how they had been forced into this corner.

"Would you like to have some coffee? Tea? Any other beverage you would fancy? Ah, I know. We have the childhood favorite of the Saintess, the banana slushie."

Eve found it odd how confident the priest was when he spoke about her likes and dislikes. As far as Eve remembered, she did not like milk products but had endured for someone's sake.

But no matter how hard she tried to remember, she could not make the face out.

'Must be Lady Elysia Dirac. I remember things related to her but not her specifically.'

"No need to bring anything to us. We are here for a quick visit so get tell Head Priest to hurry up."

Eve's tone came out chilling which caused the priests to be taken aback. They had never heard her talk like this to them personally. But then again, they had not interacted with her too much as well.

They just knew Eve as the kind saintess who served the god.

"There is no need to be this cutthroat with the priests, Eve. I thought I taught you better than this."

Head Priest Yohan came out from the back door. He had heard everything that happened and now regarded Eve with harsh eyes. Eve did not back down from his stare either and they both were not willing to give up.

But just because this stare-down was going on, that did not mean that Adam was going to sit this one out. He was the one ticked the most due to his incomplete bond and his longing for more.

"You should be the one to watch your mouth, Head Preist. My patience with you had been exhausted. Bring that man to me now."

Adam's eyes hardly had any of their white currently. He was like a beast hunting his prey and the Head Priest had to back down to not get chewed up by him.

Head Priest Yihan regarded the head priest with caution, not willing to back down but also not willing to engage him.

He knew that something had gone wrong but he could not remember what it had been.

"I don't know what you-"

"Emperor Adam, we found the secret passage and I think I can escort you now. There is no longer a need to engage in pointless talks."

Of course, Sara was the one who opened the door. She had heard everything that was being said and could not help herself from interfering.

Head Priest Yohan had a closed-off expression on his face as he looked at Sara and they both regarded each other with caution. They had tried hard to not cross oaths but it was difficult.

"Sara, know your place. The temple is not some kind of place you can just roam around as you please-"

Head Priest Yohan was agitated but it soon turned into fear as he was grabbed by his throat. He quickly used magic to get Emperor Adam's hands off his throat but the magic did not work.

As soon as his magic eroded the emperor's sleeve, they met hard draconic scales and bestial eyes looked back at him.

"I warned you before, Yohan. Do not test my patience but you are making it difficult for me. I don't know why I decided to keep you alive for this long but it will no longer be the case."

Head Priest Yohan could have tried to break the hold on his throat in a thousand ways but he had a feeling that nothing would work out for him. In the end, he was staring at death in the eyes and he was afraid.

Thankfully, he was saved yet again by a timely entrance.

"Now now, I don't think that will be necessary for you to do. This man is a crucial ingredient in fulfilling this world's fate so I would prefer it if you left him alone. Of course, that is not the case if you decided to give up on Lady Dirac."

Grey eyes on a blank face. It was the man who first spoke of the forbidden word to the pair. He was also the one who could bring Elysia back.

Adam was in a predicament and he did not want to let the Head Priest go. But he had no other choice not because he wanted to know more about Elysia. And keeping this man alive was not the way to go.

"Tsk, fine. You get to live one more day. But I wonder just how long your good luck will last. One day, you will run out of everything you hold precious."

Adam's words were not a threat but a promise. He was going to ruin Head Priest Yohan as soon as he managed to bring Elysia and this world under his command. His dominance would no longer allow him to sit back.

"Emperor Adam, you need to learn to sit back and enjoy life a little. Being this hasty would only bring your downfall, you know."

The man spoke like he knew the future. His eyes also swirled with forbidden knowledge and that made Eve convinced about his true identity. This man, would not mind even if the world crumbled around him.

As long he had his goal achieved, he would not mind sacrificing anyone and everyone around him. This fear was what kept Eve rooted in her spot.

"Fine, I guess we do have more important things to discuss. We will follow behind you but do not try and cross me. I am not a forgiving monarch."

Adam was the only one who could hold Axia's gaze like this. Even Eve had to look away due to the force she was being subjected to.

However, Axia seemed to not find Adam's actions repulsive. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying his defiance quite a bit.

"You truly are like a dragon. Unhinged and unflinching. I knew you were the right one ever since you were born and that was why I decided to reward you with a soulmate. Who knew you would spit un my good grace like that and bond with someone else."

The grey-haired man waved his hand and the priests left the room. Their moment looked like controlled puppetry and Eve had goosebumps.

This man was not holding anything back and he was not afraid to show forbidden art. He was not afraid of anything, not even death.

​ "I am not here to talk ideally. Tell me where you had kept Elysia Dirac and we can both we on our merry ways. If not, then I am afraid that you will no longer get to live a long and healthy life."

Adam sounded 100% confident when he said that and any normal man would have been trembling at the threat.

But Axia just gave a happy smile back, not concerned by the threat at all. Eve wanted to ask him how he was this confidence that he would not die but something told her that it would be better not to ask him.

However, she did not need to ask Axia to tell her anyway. His happy and carefree smile hide some kind of secret that he was not willing to tell anyone.

"Well, you will not be the first emperor to threaten me or even to try and kill me. You are not unique in that sense or even the most powerful one out there. In fact, I am more afraid of Lucas Dirac than I am of you."

Adam did not take that insult well. His fist collided with the wall behind Axia and dented it horribly. Axia did not even flinch as he watched the first break the wall apart.

His eyes remained calm and serene as he stood his ground. He was still unphased and the look in his eyes took Eve aback. He was still blank as a white paper.

He took Adam's fist in his hand and returned it to Adam's side. He even healed the small bruise Adam had mockingly.

"There is no need to force yourself to attack me. Nothing will change even if you kill me here and now. It might be worst for all of you if you did. After all, you will not know how to get Elysia Dirac back."

Axia's taunts were the last straw and Adam finally caught him by his collar.

"Where and how did we get Elysia back? Hurry up and tell this to me right this second."