Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

I stood at the edge of a frozen lake beneath a sky that bled twilight, violet and gold swirling softly into the descending darkness. Snow dusted the shore, glittering softly, untouched by any footprints other than my own. The air was silent, a hush so profound it felt as though the world itself had paused its breath, waiting for something someone.

For her.

I'd been here before. I knew it instinctively, the same way one recognizes fragments of dreams forgotten upon waking. Yet every detail was vividly, painfully sharp. I stepped forward, my breath crystallizing into delicate puffs of frost. Beneath my feet, ice stretched like smooth glass, solid enough to hold me yet shimmering with a hint of fragility.

"Liria," I whispered softly, the name escaping my lips like a prayer.

As if summoned by my voice, the wind rose gently, carrying with it the faintest scent of roses mixed with shadows, a fragrance unmistakably hers. My heart quickened painfully, recognizing her presence before my eyes ever found her.

She appeared slowly, emerging from the misty shadows on the opposite side of the lake, gliding forward effortlessly as if weightless. Her hair a blend of midnight and silver flowed softly around her shoulders, catching the fading light. Her eyes, those hauntingly mismatched jewels of amber and emerald, locked onto mine with an intensity that pierced through layers of memory and regret.

"Liria," I said again, louder this time, my voice trembling despite my attempts to steady it. "You came."

She paused halfway across the ice, standing perfectly still. Her expression was unreadable beautiful, fierce, distant as though she stood upon a precipice, caught between two worlds.

"Enara," she finally answered, voice soft yet carrying clearly across the frozen distance. "You keep calling me back here."

My chest tightened painfully. "Do I?"

She inclined her head slightly, studying me carefully. "Every night. Like you can't let go."

I swallowed hard, taking another step forward, careful not to fracture the delicate surface beneath my feet. "Can you blame me? After everything… after how it ended?"

Her gaze flickered briefly, shadows deepening within her eyes. "We both made choices."

My throat closed painfully, memories rising unbidden the night she left, the bitter silence, the burning tears I'd refused to let fall. "You chose darkness. I chose—"

"To stay," she finished quietly, watching me with an intensity that made my heart ache. "You chose loyalty."

I hesitated, unable to move closer, unable to retreat. "Would you have chosen differently, if you could?"

Liria's expression softened slightly, revealing a vulnerability she'd long hidden away. "I don't know. Sometimes, I think there was never really a choice at all. Fate pulled us apart."

I shook my head slowly, eyes burning with emotion. "Fate? No, Liria. It was you. You walked away, willingly."

Something shifted within her eyes pain, remorse, perhaps regret. "Because I thought it was the only way."

"Was it?" My voice cracked slightly, betraying the emotions I'd tried to contain. "Or was it just easier to surrender yourself than to fight for what we had?"

Her jaw tightened briefly, then relaxed. "I wasn't strong enough to stay. You know that."

I took another careful step, closing the distance between us bit by bit, fear coiling tightly in my chest fear she'd vanish before I reached her. "You're the strongest person I've ever known. Stronger than anyone even the Dark Sovereign."

She looked away, the muscles in her jaw tightening. "You shouldn't believe in me. I'm not that person anymore."

"You could be," I whispered softly, urgently. "If you just let me help you."

She hesitated, the ice beneath us groaning quietly, a warning neither of us heeded. Her gaze returned to mine, tormented and uncertain. "Do you truly believe that?"

"Yes," I breathed, desperate hope fluttering painfully in my chest. "I've always believed in you, even now especially now."

Slowly, tentatively, she took another step toward me, the ice creaking softly beneath her weight. The distance between us narrowed, the cold air growing warmer, charged with anticipation and memories we both clung to desperately.

When we were close enough that I could see every delicate line of her face, the subtle tremor of her lips, the sadness and longing etched deeply into her eyes I reached out, fingers trembling slightly, needing to feel the truth of her existence, to know she wasn't merely another phantom conjured from longing.

"Liria," I whispered again, voice barely audible.

She lifted her hand, her fingertips hovering just a breath away from mine, hesitation written plainly across her features. "If I touch you… this all ends."

My chest tightened painfully. "Then we stay here. We don't leave."

She shook her head gently, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We can't live in dreams forever."

"Maybe not," I admitted softly, heart fracturing even as hope clung desperately to my chest. "But at least here, I still have you."

Her expression twisted painfully, the conflict tearing her apart clearly visible. "Do you still love me, Enara? Even after everything I've done?"

The question cut deeply, reopening wounds barely healed. Yet I didn't hesitate. "Always. I've never stopped."

A single tear traced silently down her cheek, catching the dying twilight in its wake. "Even knowing what I've become?"

I leaned closer, heart aching fiercely. "You can change. You can come back."

She closed her eyes briefly, a quiet sob escaping her lips, shattering the silence. "I wish it were that simple."

"It can be," I urged desperately, my fingertips brushing gently against hers, the smallest of contacts sending warmth flooding through my body. "Just trust me. Come home."

For a fleeting moment, she hesitated, torn between darkness and the fragile hope my presence offered. Her eyes searched mine, desperate, haunted, filled with questions neither of us had answers to. Slowly, her fingers entwined gently with mine, the warmth of her touch sending a powerful ache rippling through my heart.

"I want to," she whispered brokenly. "Gods, Enara, I want to."

"Then do," I urged softly, holding her hand tightly, afraid to let go, afraid she'd vanish like smoke in the wind. "Just stay."

She leaned closer, gaze locked intently on mine, eyes glittering with desperate longing. "Will you wait for me, even if it takes forever?"

My chest constricted sharply, the promise painful yet precious. "Forever isn't enough. I'll wait longer."

She smiled gently, sadly, leaning in until our foreheads touched softly. "Promise me?"

"Always," I breathed, holding her as though she might disappear any second. "Just come back."

Her lips brushed softly against mine a whisper, a memory, a promise. Warmth spread through my chest, sweet yet bittersweet, as she pulled back, sorrow written deeply in her eyes.

The ice cracked violently beneath us, a sound like thunder splitting through the silence. We both glanced downward as the world fractured into shards, darkness spreading rapidly between us, pulling her away.

"Liria!" I shouted desperately, grip tightening painfully around her fingers, panic surging as the ice crumbled beneath my feet.

She stared back helplessly, regret and longing written deeply in her expression. "I can't I'm sorry—"

"No!" I cried, reaching desperately, feeling our grip slipping. "Don't let go!"

Her eyes met mine, heartbreakingly gentle, filled with love and sorrow. "You have to wake up, Enara."

My heart fractured as she slipped from my grasp, plunging into darkness, swallowed completely by shadow.

I jolted awake violently, gasping desperately for air, tears streaming silently down my cheeks, heart racing painfully. I sat upright, chest heaving, the room around me dark and quiet yet utterly empty.

The loss of her warmth, the ache of her absence, pierced deeply into my chest. I clutched the sheets tightly, fingers trembling, fighting against the overwhelming grief that threatened to consume me completely.

"Liria…" I whispered into the darkness, voice broken, filled with longing and loss.

She was gone again.

Yet the pain of losing her once more reminded me vividly, cruelly, of how deeply I still loved her. My heart stubbornly refused to release the memories we'd shared, clinging fiercely to fragments of hope I'd sworn long ago to bury.

I lay back slowly, tears still escaping quietly, staring blankly at the ceiling. I knew she was right we couldn't live in dreams. Reality was far crueler, far colder. Yet even knowing this truth didn't lessen the ache of her absence.

But something nagged at the edge of my thoughts, tugging insistently what if this dream was more than just a desperate longing from my heart? What if it was a warning, a premonition reaching across the void between us?

Was it possible that Liria had experienced the same dream, felt the same desperate pull toward me? Could our connection, even after everything, still run deep enough to bridge the chasm separating our worlds?

I turned onto my side, clutching the pillow tightly, heart pounding with the possibility. My pulse quickened as memories flooded back her expression, so filled with genuine pain and remorse, as though the dream had been as real for her as it had been for me.

Could she truly regret her choices, or was my mind grasping hopelessly at illusions?

Yet the thought refused to fade, gaining strength with every heartbeat. Perhaps our souls had reached out to one another, crossing barriers of darkness and betrayal. Maybe beneath all that had happened beneath the cruelty, the anger, and the pain something still lingered between us, a bond that defied reason, logic, even destiny itself.

"Liria," I whispered softly, testing the name against the silence. It felt alive, powerful, filled with possibility rather than just painful memory.

If there was even the faintest chance that she'd felt what I had, then maybe, just maybe, not all hope was lost.

Maybe the dreams were guiding us back toward each other, and all I needed was to trust in them to trust in her once more.