Reincarnated and Regressed Villain - Make heroines beg for forgiveness

33  Chapter 33- A drama Indeed

Inside the prince's palace, a small girl was walking down the long hallway in a maid's outfit.

Alia moved through the extended corridor on her way to work.

"Hey, have you heard about the Prince being possessed by a demon?"

Suddenly halting, Alia heard maids murmuring ahead and slowly moved toward them.

"Yes, he is possessed by a devil," one of the maids whispered, referencing the recent event where the crown prince mercilessly killed two maids.

"What did you just say?"

'!?'

Startled, both maids turned towards a little girl with sapphire eyes and short silver hair.

Seeing a little girl they felt somewhat Relieved for not getting caught.

"It's not like we are lying or something, you are still a child to u-nd-.....Kheeukkk?! " Before the maid could finish her sentence, her breath got stuck.

Thud

"Kyaa~!!"

Another maid fell to the ground, witnessing a water ball forming on the other maid's head, causing suffocation.

"Ah, my legs?!"

The fallen maid suddenly felt paralyzed; it seemed as if she couldn't move.

Both maids could only watch as the little girl moved towards them.

"If not for my current status, I would have killed both of you," Alia's cold voice reached them, horror filling their faces before she turned to leave.

SWOOSH

"S-to-p....Cough!...Haa..haa." The water ball on the maid's face suddenly vanished, making her struggle for breath before collapsing on her knees with teary eyes that had just witnessed death.

Ignoring them, Alia continued towards her work, her mind filled with various thoughts, the major one being a recollection of the maid's words.

Those words had triggered a very familiar memory that resurfaced, compelling her to use her abilities.

Alia possessed complete control over water Essence.

Although, from a normal perspective, control over water might not seem overpowered, being a heroine, her control surpassed to the point that manipulation of bodily fluids like blood was the least of her strength.

Her absolute control over this element allowed her to handle it at an atomic level, manipulating the very essence of fluids.

This ability enabled her to alter the very properties of any liquid by changing the bonds between atoms from weak Vander waal Forces to strong Nuclear forces, causing her crystalline ice to reach the hardness of a diamond.

But the point remained: how was Alia, from this world, aware of forces like Nuclear or Van der Waals?

Then, all credit goes to Ryuk Von Selvius.

Being with her since childhood, Ryuk taught her the complete way to utilize her abilities, enabling her to control and understand her abilities much faster than others due to personal guidance from a genius.

While walking, those words of the maid reverberated in her mind repeatedly, making her realize that she was also one of the people who called Ryuk being possessed by a demon.

Since the time he started telling her about ways to utilize her abilities, she started to realize how much knowledge a seven-year-old kid held.

The problem was the fact that this knowledge was uncommon in this world, making her doubt if he was possessed by something otherworldly.

Slowly, from being interested to bewildered, and then to fear—this was the transition phase she went through until reaching 25 years of her life.

But even these thoughts were not enough to make her betray him, 'I will make sure to kill you Dia—'

"Hey, Alia." The voice broke her out of her thoughts. Turning towards that direction, she saw the head maid approaching her.

"You need to go to the Princess's palace now." The head maid hurriedly informed Alia about being called by Olivia.

'Why is she calling me?' Alia felt confused, not understanding the reason for Olivia to call her when they don't even know each other in this life.

"I will go then." Alia moved towards the direction of the palace while thinking about the reasons for which she could be called, 'Does she have past life memories too?' Several doubts arose in her mind, but not wanting to delve into something she was not sure about, she kept moving.

.....

Inside the princess's palace, the scene differed from other's expectations.

Instead of going to the prince's palace to talk or something, the princess was relentlessly pacing inside her room while biting her nails, clearly in a state of agitation.

'Is the princess angry?' One of the maids thought, noticing Olivia's unusual expression that differed from her usual demeanor.

Krieeeek

The door slowly opened, drawing everyone's attention towards it.

They saw a little girl with sapphire eyes standing before them.

Alia bowed while clutching her dress in noble's Etiquette "Greetings, Your Highness. I was informed abou—"

"Everyone, leave," Olivia interrupted Alia, commanding the others to exit the room.

While still in a greeting position, Alia understood that Olivia would likely ask her to stay away from Ryuk, as she had done before.

In the previous life, at this age, Olivia had begun summoning her to the palace to warn her to stay away from Ryuk.

Alia couldn't comprehend how Olivia could do that when she was appointed by Her Majesty herself as His higness's personal maid.

Gradually, Alia began paying less attention to Olivia's warnings because they became increasingly unbearable, evolving from mere maid to using terms like commoner and filth in her words.

After everyone left, Alia anticipated what was about to happen. 'She will call me a mere maid at fir—'

"Alia, I want a favour from you."

'!?'

'This was unexpected,' Alia thought upon hearing those words from Olivia.

It was the least she expected, especially her asking for help. 'Is she trying to ask for my help to talk with Ryuk?' Alia couldn't fathom the whole situation and attempted to inquire, "I-I don't understand, Your Highness."

"Alia, I can help you awaken your powers," Olivia said, folding her hands as she looked at Alia.

She understood that now was the time to use her past life knowledge to gather these powerful individuals and gain loyal supporters.

Although this strategy was efficient in securing loyalty, there was a slight problem—the girl in question was different.

'Is she for real?' Alia turned to look at Olivia, who stood confidently, as if she had formulated a master plan.

Alia quickly deduced that Olivia was aware of her possessing powers and had knowledge about her.

Alia was certain that Olivia could never have calculated the possibility of her possessing something like that; it felt more like Olivia knew.

Everything pointed to one conclusion—'She has past life memories too.'

Despite wanting to tell Olivia that she, too, possessed past life memories, Alia stopped herself.

Calmly assessing the whole situation, She understood that Olivia was just like her, possessing memories of a past life.

From Olivia's approach, it was clear she was unaware that she also had these memories.

'Are others the same, too?' A doubt arose in Alia's mind.

There could be a chance for other women to have these memories too, causing her to clench her fist as she remembered one of them, someone who had been involved in the destruction of her life.

'Don't tell me Ryuk, too.' Alia's pupils dilated with anxiety.

Although she had observed something amiss from his usual behaviour these days but there was still a sense of confusion.

Unlike these maids who saw a young Ryuk acting like an adult, Alia had become accustomed to his behavior from previous life, which caused her to neglect the fact that his actions were unlike a child's.

Familiarity with his ways played a significant role in preventing Alia from doubting him.

'If she really has memories then,' Alia saw a glimmer of hope.

It was hope to use Olivia as a ladder to achieve what she desired.

Alia was nothing but a mere maid but Olivia..

She belonged to royalty, and her maternal family were Dukes, possessing enough power to sponsor her ambitions.

Unlike commoners, Alia didn't seek noble titles or superficial distinctions; what she craved was strength.

Her ability and It's understanding had allowed her to grow much stronger than in her previous life, but witnessing the events of that day on the battlefield, made her realize she needed to become even stronger.

'I need to become strong enough,' she thought, desiring to reach a level where she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Ryuk.

And to achieve that, she needed the source of her energy — Elemental Stones.

In the Heindal Continent, Mana mines existed, producing Mana Crystals used as energy sources for magic circles or artifacts.

These crystals contained dense amounts of mana, enough to open teleportation gates to other kingdoms, showcasing their immense power.

However, within these same mines lay another energy source — Elemental Stones.

Unlike the shiny, lustrous glow of Mana Crystals, these stones had a rough appearance and were often discarded as mere pebbles.

Little did many know, these stones had the ability to enhance one's elemental affinity.

Alia knew that at present, no one was aware of the existence of Elemental Stones.

Until Ryuk discovered their properties in his research, it would remain impossible for others to know.

But Olivia might be aware of them, prompting Alia to calmly contemplate everything.

"But do I really have some power, Your Highness?" Alia feigned ignorance, pretending to examine her hands, not wanting to raise any suspicion.

This gesture seemed to satisfy Olivia before she moved towards her table.

"Yes, you have that power, and I can help you with that," Olivia stated as she moved towards her drawer, retrieving a rock engraved with a small water droplet marking—a pebble-like object.

"Here, check for yourself," Olivia handed the Elemental Stone to Alia.

Then, she took out a small ring-like Artifact, tossing it onto the floor and creating an illusion that enveloped the area.

This precautionary measure was to prevent others from discovering the stone's abilities, confirming her control over this young girl, whom she planned to use extensively before discarding.

Olivia's intentions were clear; she needed Alia's help to grow stronger until Ryuk himself began to approach her.

After that, Olivia was determined not to let anyone, especially the other women, touch a single strand of Ryuk's hair.

Unlike in her past life, she would not struggle for his attention.

This time, she vowed to become powerful enough for Ryuk to seek her out, recognizing her true worth and realizing how valuable she truly was.

WHOOSH

The moment Alia's hand made contact with the stone, it began glowing brightly in a resonating blue light, aligning perfectly with her elemental affinity.

It was an Aqua Elemental Stone, exactly what she desired.

Without any hesitation, she started absorbing its essence, causing cracks to form on the stone.

CRACK

In a matter of seconds, the stone shattered into pieces.

"S-See, this is what I was telling you," Olivia looked on in confusion as she witnessed Alia suddenly absorbing the stone's energy.

Initially expecting the stone to merely resonate with Alia's body's energy affinity, Olivia was surprised to see her absorb the energy.

Though unexpected to some extent, Olivia didn't dwell on it much.

"Y-Your Highness!" Alia swiftly lifted her gaze towards Olivia, sprinting towards her and clasping her hands between hers.

"W-What?!" Startled by Alia's sudden action, Olivia couldn't comprehend what had just happened before hearing Alia's words, "Thank you, Your Highness. You are just as His Highness described, a kind-hearted and merciful fairy."

'Did you really think I would fall for this again?' Olivia was accustomed to hearing similar flattery from everyone who attempted to manipulate her, be it servants or maids.

'As expected from you,' Alia noticed Olivia's expression, betraying her thoughts while trying to suppress her smile, felt satisfied.

"Leave my hands," Olivia, feeling uncomfortable with a mere maid—though it was Alia, whom she knew better than others—slowly withdrew her hands.

"F-Forgive me, Your Highness." Alia bowed in apology, both of them harboring different thoughts about each other.

"You can leave for now." Olivia ordered Alia, not wishing to spend more time with her as she was already reaching her limit.

Before Alia left, Olivia added, "You need to regularly come here to obtain these stones."

Olivia had decided to provide Alia with the stones regularly instead of in bulk, intending to extract information about Ryuk while also ensuring Alia's loyalty.

'Just for some time,' Alia heard Olivia's words and narrowed her eyes, comprehending the motives behind them.

Despite her discomfort, she kept it to herself, acknowledging that she currently had a use for Olivia.

"I understand, Your Highness," she replied before leaving the room.

As Alia departed, Olivia kept her gaze fixed on her disappearing figure, slowly fading into the hallway. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She reached for a handkerchief on the table to clean her hands, murmuring to herself

"Guess, I need to bathe again."

.

.

.

.

'Are they playing some kind of drama or something?'

"Leave me, You Bastard!"

Ryuk snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing a voice from beneath him.

He turned to see a little girl with caramel hair and two furry ears, struggling as he pressed her down on the floor.

"But weren't you the one who told me that you would not leave me?" Ryuk referred to the time when this girl had jumped on him while warning about not letting him go unscathed now.

"Ughh... Y-you're dead once I free myself!" Bella, unable to look at Ryuk, gritted her teeth in humiliation as he calmly sat on her body with folded legs.

"So, Mother, what were you saying?" Ignoring the girl who had attacked him upon his entrance, Ryuk turned to look at his mother, Alisia, who sat on the bed with her chin supported by her legs.

"Ryuk, don't pretend you didn't hear me," Alisia narrowed her eyes at Ryuk, who feigned confusion, prompting her to repeat herself, "Tell me, how did both of them become so proficient in their abilities?"

Present inside the palace, Alisia found it impossible not to notice Alia using her ability to harm some maids, despite partially understanding that it might be due to Alia inheriting her mother's bloodline, causing her ability to awaken sooner.

However, the issue lay with Olivia.

Olivia's ability was rooted in learning and experience.

The more artifacts she built, the more her ability improved.

This puzzled Alisia, especially when she witnessed the girl using an Illusion artifact—of course, it was useless against her.

"Because they are prodigies," Ryuk stated the obvious, maintaining his posture to conceal any further information from Alisia.

Alisia, observing her child, noticed how Ryuk seemed to have changed in just a few days.

'Your child is just like you, Ruken.' She couldn't help but see similarities between him and the personality of someone else,' Hiding things from me.'

"Now, leave her," Alisia commanded Ryuk, who then turned his attention to the exhausted girl lying flat on the floor.

"Are you dead?" Ryuk slowly stood, trying to tease Bella.

"Sniff....hic...You're all e-evil people," Bella burst into tears once again, feeling helpless before the son and mother duo. 'I want to go home.'

From being chased by unknown pursuers to escaping to this continent, then being kidnapped by cultists and having her blood extracted daily for rituals — Bella found her situation unbearable.

"You made her cry again," Alisia reproached the lying girl before looking at her.

SWISH

Slowly, Bella's body lifted and fell into Alisia's embrace. "It's okay, I told you to stay away from him."

"S-sob.....sniff," Bella wrapped her arms around Alisia, clinging to her like a koala, her tears gradually subsiding.

Before departing, Alisia reminded Ryuk.

"Your training will begin tomorrow."