Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Or if, perhaps, I'd already lost far more than I realized.

Exhaustion seeped through my bones, my body heavy with lingering aches from the brutal fight against Vorath. The oppressive silence of my chamber pressed down on me, wrapping tightly around my thoughts. With a weary sigh, I moved toward my bed—a stark, narrow frame carved from blackened wood and sank onto it, the thin mattress barely cushioning my weight.

Closing my eyes, I tried to silence the storm of doubts swirling relentlessly in my mind, but rest remained elusive, slipping further away the harder I chased it. The system stayed mercifully quiet for once, sensing perhaps that even its sarcastic presence wouldn't be welcome now.

Finally, exhaustion overcame me, pulling me into an uneasy sleep.

At first, darkness.

My dreams shifted, forming into something achingly familiar yet impossibly distant. I stood beneath a violet sky streaked with silver clouds, surrounded by lush gardens blooming wildly. The scent of jasmine and night-blooming roses filled the air, soothing and sweet, carrying with it memories I'd fought to bury.

"Liria!"

My heart stumbled at the voice bright, sharp, laced with affection and challenge.

Enara.

She stood only a few steps away, bathed in moonlight, dark hair cascading down her shoulders, her midnight eyes sparkling defiantly. She looked exactly as I remembered beautiful and fierce, strength radiating from her like sunlight through storm clouds.

"Are you just going to stare, or are you coming?" she asked, arching a brow, hand resting impatiently on her hip.

Words caught painfully in my throat. She looked real, felt real, every detail as vivid as if she'd stepped from memory directly into my dreams.

"I thought..." I murmured softly, hesitantly stepping closer, "I thought I'd lost you."

Enara tilted her head slightly, her expression softening. "You haven't lost me, Liria. You're the one who left."

My chest tightened sharply, guilt twisting like a knife. "I didn't I had no choice."

She shook her head slowly, stepping nearer until barely an arm's length separated us. Her gaze was searching, painfully familiar yet impossibly gentle. "There's always a choice. You chose darkness. But you can still choose something else."

I looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "It's too late. I've already done things terrible things."

Her hand reached out, fingertips brushing lightly against my cheek, warm and comforting. My breath caught at the contact, aching deeply from the tenderness I'd denied myself. "You're still you," she whispered softly. "No darkness can change that. No Sovereign, no monster, nothing."

I raised my gaze slowly, meeting the depth of her eyes again. "Why are you here?"

She smiled gently, sadly. "Because you called me. Because part of you still remembers who you are who we were."

My heart twisted painfully. "This isn't real. You're not real."

She sighed softly, her touch fading as she stepped back. "Maybe not. But your feelings are real. The pain, the regret that's all real, Liria. You can't run from that forever."

I reached out desperately, but the distance between us only widened further, the garden dissolving into shadows. "Don't leave me please."

Her eyes glittered with sadness, her figure beginning to blur. "I'm not the one leaving, Liria. You're the one walking away."

My chest constricted sharply, panic surging as the dream unraveled rapidly. "Enara—!"

But she vanished completely, leaving only darkness behind, swallowing me whole.

I jolted awake, gasping for air, sweat soaking my skin, heart racing wildly. I sat up shakily, clutching the thin covers in trembling hands, my breath coming in ragged pants.

Just a dream. A cruel, haunting dream.

Yet the lingering warmth of her touch, the weight of her words, felt painfully real. Enara my greatest regret, my greatest weakness. I'd fought so hard to bury memories of her, believing it would protect me, make me stronger. But she'd reemerged, tearing open old wounds I thought had long healed.

[Quite the vivid dream, wasn't it?] The system spoke softly, voice unusually gentle.

"Too vivid," I muttered shakily, forcing myself to calm. "It means nothing."

[Dreams always mean something. They reflect truths we try desperately to ignore.]

I pressed a hand against my forehead, willing the pounding in my skull to subside. "What truth? That I betrayed her? That I became a monster?"

[No.] The system hesitated. [That despite everything, you still love her.]

I froze, heart skipping a painful beat. Love. I'd banished that word from my vocabulary long ago, convinced myself it was weakness a distraction. Yet the moment Enara appeared, every carefully erected wall crumbled instantly, leaving me vulnerable and exposed.

"I can't afford love," I whispered bitterly. "Not anymore."

The system remained quiet, offering no further comfort or taunt, sensing perhaps that I'd reached my limit. For once, I appreciated its silence.

I rose shakily from the bed, pacing restlessly through my chamber, trying to push away memories of Enara's soft gaze, her gentle touch. But the harder I fought, the more vividly they returned, haunting every shadow.

Eventually, frustration drove me from my room, into the dimly lit halls of the fortress. Minions scurried out of my path, sensing the volatile energy radiating from me. I wandered aimlessly, desperate to escape the thoughts that pursued me relentlessly.

Soon, I found myself at the entrance to the massive hall that served as the Sovereign's throne room. Despite the hour, faint light seeped from beneath the door. Hesitating only briefly, I stepped inside.

The Sovereign sat upon her throne, draped elegantly in black silks that contrasted sharply against her crimson skin. She glanced up slowly, golden eyes sharp yet unsurprised by my intrusion.

"You're restless tonight, child," she observed calmly. "Trouble sleeping?"

I stopped a respectful distance away, voice steady despite the turmoil within. "Dreams."

She tilted her head slightly. "Ah. The past can be persistent."

I swallowed hard, hesitating before speaking again. "Why does it matter so much what I feel, who I used to be?"

She regarded me thoughtfully for a moment. "Because attachment is weakness. Memories bind you to what you've lost, clouding judgment, dulling your edge."

I clenched my fists tightly. "And how do I sever those ties?"

Her smile was slow, dangerous. "Simple. Destroy what remains."

I stiffened, a chill racing down my spine. "You mean…kill Enara."

She arched an eyebrow gracefully. "The girl holds your heart captive. To free yourself, you must remove that threat entirely."

The words sliced through me, sharp and cold. Kill Enara. The very thought twisted painfully inside my chest, yet I couldn't deny the dark logic behind it. If Enara were gone forever, perhaps these painful bonds would finally shatter, leaving me truly free.

Yet even contemplating it made me sick.

[Don't do it, Liria,] the system urged desperately. [If you cross that line, there's no coming back.]

The Sovereign studied me quietly, noticing my hesitation. "You seem conflicted."

I met her gaze steadily, voice carefully neutral. "Merely considering the consequences."

She smiled faintly, amused. "Consider quickly, child. Hesitation invites disaster."

I inclined my head slightly, turning to leave. "Understood."

Her voice followed me softly, dangerous and smooth. "Choose wisely, Liria. Your future depends on it."

I exited swiftly, pulse racing, breath uneven. Alone again in the shadowed corridor, I leaned against the cold stone wall, pressing trembling fingers against my temples.

Kill Enara?

It was madness.

Yet the Sovereign was right Enara's existence kept my heart imprisoned, vulnerable. The dream had proven that clearly enough.

But could I truly end her life extinguish the only person who'd ever understood me, the one whose gentle touch haunted even my dreams?

[I know you want to silence these feelings,] the system murmured softly, its voice cautious. [But if you kill Enara, you'll kill something inside yourself. Something you'll never get back.]

I closed my eyes tightly, fighting tears that threatened to fall, angry at myself for my weakness. "Then what do I do? How do I break free?"

The system hesitated before answering carefully. [Maybe…you don't.]

My chest tightened sharply, confusion overwhelming me. "Then I remain trapped forever?"

[No,] it whispered gently. [Maybe accepting your heart isn't weakness. Maybe it's your true strength.]

My breath caught painfully. The thought seemed impossible accepting love, accepting vulnerability, after everything I'd done, after how deeply I'd betrayed Enara.

But as I stood there, haunted by visions of her tender gaze, her whispered promises, her fierce belief in the goodness she'd always insisted remained within me I wondered, just briefly, if the system might be right.

Maybe accepting my heart wasn't surrender.

Maybe it was finally reclaiming myself.

But could someone so stained by darkness ever truly deserve that chance?

I exhaled slowly, pressing a hand against the cold stone wall, grounding myself in the present. The echoes of Enara's voice still lingered in my mind, soft and insistent, refusing to be buried.

The Dark Sovereign had offered me an answer eliminate the past, sever the weakness. But was that truly strength?

Or was it just another form of fear?

[You already know the answer,] the system murmured.

I clenched my fists.

If I did, then why was I still standing here, trembling between the two worlds that threatened to consume me whole?