Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

The morning came far too quickly for my liking. The first rays of sunlight trickled through the curtains, casting uneven patterns across my bedroom floor. I groaned, turning over and pulling the blanket over my head, determined to steal a few more moments of peace.

But peace wasn't in the cards.

[Liria, it is advisable to rise. Your energy levels have stabilized, and maintaining a consistent routine is optimal for progress.]

Oh, great, I thought sarcastically. Just what I need another morning pep talk.

Still, I couldn't deny the system was right. After last night's chaos, I felt… different. Stronger, maybe, but with an underlying unease I couldn't quite shake. The memory of the voice still lingered, its sinister tone like a shadow at the edge of my mind.

I sat up, my hair tumbling messily over my shoulders. A quick glance at the mirror confirmed my suspicions: the black side of my hair had spread even further, the once-clear divide now uneven, with silver strands struggling to hold their ground.

"Great," I muttered, running a hand through the darkening locks. "At this rate, I'll be midnight black by next week."

A sharp knock at my door interrupted my musings.

"Liria!" Enara's voice carried through the wood, her usual imperious tone softened though not by much. "Are you coming down, or are you planning to waste the day?"

"I'm coming!" I called back, already reaching for my clothes.

As I dressed, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. Enara's idea of "wasting the day" usually meant not diving headfirst into some grand scheme or another. And after last night, the last thing I needed was another round of sparring, strategizing, or, heaven forbid, training with Seraphis.

When I opened the door, Enara stood there, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. Her dark eyes flicked over me, sharp as ever, before she raised a brow. "Rough night?"

"You could say that," I replied, brushing past her.

She followed me down the hallway, her gaze heavy. "You look… different," she said carefully.

I froze mid-step, turning to face her. "Different how?"

Enara shrugged, her tone casual, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity. "Your aura feels stronger. Darker, maybe. Like you've tapped into something new."

I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure how to respond. Enara was perceptive—sometimes annoyingly so—but I wasn't ready to share the details of last night. Not the voice. Not the growing blackness. Not the fact that part of me was starting to wonder if I was more dangerous than I'd ever imagined.

"Must be all that training with Seraphis," I said lightly, forcing a grin. "She's a relentless witch, after all."

Enara smirked, clearly amused. "You're not wrong there."

We reached the dining hall, where the table was already laden with an assortment of food: fresh bread, steaming pastries, fruit glistening with dew, and a variety of teas and juices. Ananara was perched smugly in the center of the table, his pineappley form an affront to the otherwise elegant spread.

"Well, look who decided to join the living," he said, his tone dripping with mockery.

I rolled my eyes, plopping down into a chair and reaching for a pastry. "Good morning to you too, oh mighty fruit overlord."

"Your sarcasm needs work," Ananara sniffed, his leafy crown quivering indignantly.

"Your face needs work," I shot back, biting into the pastry.

"Host," the system interjected, its voice calm yet insistent, [it is inadvisable to engage in verbal sparring with your familiar. Such interactions rarely yield productive outcomes.]

Noted, I thought dryly, though I had no intention of stopping.

Breakfast passed in relative peace, though I caught Enara giving me sidelong glances more than once. By the time we finished, I was itching to escape her scrutiny.

"I need some air," I announced, pushing back my chair.

Enara raised a brow. "Air? Or an excuse to brood?"

"Maybe both," I said with a grin, heading for the garden.

The cool morning breeze was a welcome relief as I stepped outside. The garden was quiet, the only sounds coming from the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. It was one of the few places where I felt like I could breathe.

I wandered aimlessly, my thoughts swirling. The voice's words played on a loop in my mind: You'll see, my daughter.

Daughter.

I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. How was I supposed to make sense of it all? The power surges, the changes in my appearance, the voice it all felt like pieces of a puzzle I didn't have the edges for.

[Host, it may be prudent to seek counsel from those you trust.]

And say what? I thought bitterly. 'Oh, by the way, I think some creepy disembodied voice is calling me their daughter'? Yeah, that'll go over great.

[Isolation will not yield clarity,] the system countered.

I sighed, sinking onto a stone bench beneath a sprawling oak tree. The system wasn't wrong I hated when it was right but I wasn't ready to let anyone in. Not yet.

"Hey," Enara's voice cut through my thoughts, and I looked up to see her standing a few feet away, her arms crossed.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked, though my tone lacked bite.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, walking over and sitting beside me. "You've been... off lately. More than usual, I mean."

I laughed, though it was hollow. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

She didn't laugh. "I'm serious, Liria. Whatever's going on, you can tell me. You know that, right?"

I hesitated, my gaze dropping to the ground. For a moment, I considered telling her everything. The voice. The changes. The fear gnawing at the edges of my sanity.

But the words wouldn't come.

"I'm fine," I said finally, forcing a smile. "Just tired. Too much Seraphis, not enough sleep."

Enara didn't look convinced, but she didn't push. "Fine. But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

I nodded, grateful for her understanding even if I wasn't ready to take her up on it.

As we sat there in silence, the morning sun climbing higher into the sky, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer I could keep everything bottled up.

The quiet moment in the garden stretched on, the sunlight filtering through the leaves above us in patches of golden warmth. I leaned back on the bench, closing my eyes and trying to let the calm of the morning settle into my bones. But no matter how hard I tried to relax, the weight in my chest refused to lift.

Enara shifted beside me, the faint rustle of her movement breaking the silence. "You know," she said after a long pause, "brooding suits you, but I think it's about time you snapped out of it."

I opened one eye to glare at her. "Is this your idea of motivational support?"

She smirked. "It's my idea of not letting you spiral into some dramatic existential crisis."

"Too late for that," I muttered, though her words did manage to pull a small smile from me.

Enara stood, brushing off her skirt with an exaggerated sigh. "Come on, if you're not going to wallow in self-pity effectively, you might as well do something productive."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Train? Plot revenge against Seraphis? Find out why Ananara keeps sneaking off in the middle of the night?"

I blinked at her. "Wait, what? You've noticed that too?"

"Of course," she said, crossing her arms. "He's not exactly subtle. Last night, I saw him waddling down the hallway like he had somewhere very important to be."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought you already knew. He's your familiar, after all. Shouldn't you have some kind of mystical bond or whatever?"

"Sure," I said dryly, "because nothing says mystical bond like constant insults and passive-aggressive commentary."

Enara laughed, the sound light and genuine, and for a moment, the tension between us eased.

"Fine," I said, standing and stretching. "Let's investigate the Case of the Wandering Pineapple. It's not like I had anything better to do with my day off."

"Glad to see you're finally embracing your inner detective," Enara teased, leading the way back toward the castle.

We spent the next hour combing through the halls, asking anyone we came across if they'd seen Ananara. Most of the servants gave us bemused looks, clearly uncertain how to respond to questions about a sentient pineapple.

"I'm starting to think he's hiding on purpose," I said as we made our way toward the kitchens.

"Probably," Enara agreed. "He does love making your life difficult."

Just as I was about to give up and declare the search a lost cause, a familiar voice echoed down the hallway.

"You two have the subtlety of a stampeding herd of wyverns."

We turned to see Ananara perched on a windowsill, his leafy crown angled in what I could only assume was his version of smug superiority.

"There you are!" I said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Where have you been sneaking off to?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied, his tone infuriatingly coy.

"Yes, that's literally why I'm asking," I snapped.

Ananara hopped down from the windowsill with a little bounce, his expression—or what passed for one—annoyingly unreadable. "A familiar is entitled to some privacy, you know. Not everything I do revolves around you."

"You're my familiar!" I shot back. "It's kind of your job to revolve around me!"

Enara, clearly enjoying the show, leaned casually against the wall, her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips. "This is better than any drama class."

"Shut it, Enara," I muttered before turning back to Ananara. "Look, if you've got some secret pineapple business, fine. But at least tell me you're not getting into trouble."
Continue your adventure at empire

Ananara hesitated for a fraction of a second—just long enough for suspicion to bloom in my chest.

"What are you up to?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Nothing that concerns you," he said loftily.

"That's not reassuring," Enara chimed in.

"Why don't you two focus on your own problems instead of poking your noses where they don't belong?" Ananara said, turning and waddling off down the hallway.

I exchanged a glance with Enara, her expression mirroring my own mix of frustration and curiosity.

"Should we follow him?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I said, already moving after him.