Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Liria adjusted her cloak as she walked, her footsteps steady but her mind in turmoil. The air outside the Wailing Caverns was cool, a sharp contrast to the suffocating heat that had nearly consumed her within. The others followed, their silence punctuated only by the crunch of gravel under their boots.

No one spoke about what had just happened.

Daena, ever watchful, had her arms crossed, her sharp violet gaze flicking toward Liria every few seconds. Enara walked at Liria's side, her midnight eyes narrowed in quiet thought, while Ananara the ever-critical pineapple was muttering to himself, floating just above Liria's shoulder.

"I do not like this," he finally broke the silence, his voice dripping with suspicion. "You absorbed something. I don't know what, but it reeks of trouble."

Liria didn't react.

Because if she did, she'd risk slipping up.

She could still feel it the power coursing through her veins, the overwhelming surge of strength, magic, and something else. Something dark.

But she wasn't about to tell them that.

The trip back to the castle was uneventful, but the tension never left. Daena occasionally looked like she wanted to say something but held back. Enara remained deep in thought, her fingers twitching at her side.

And then there was Ananara, who was not keeping his thoughts to himself.

"What if she's been cursed?" he muttered. "What if she's possessed? What if—"

"Ananara," Liria interrupted flatly, "if you keep talking, I'll turn you into a fruit salad."

The pineapple huffed. "Hmph! I would still taste better than whatever nonsense is happening to you."

Liria rolled her eyes but said nothing more.

She was different now.

And even if she wasn't showing it on the outside, she could feel it deep in her bones.

When they arrived at the castle, the guards barely had time to react before a familiar presence appeared.

Queen Verida stood tall at the entrance, her golden eyes narrowing as she took in their arrival. Beside her, Queen Nyssara regarded them with a calm but unreadable expression.

They had been waiting.

"You're back sooner than expected," Verida said, arms crossed.

Nyssara's gaze flickered over each of them before settling on Liria.

"Tell us what happened."

Liria met her gaze without flinching. "We found the treasure."

There was a beat of silence.

Then Verida's sharp gaze narrowed further. "And?"

Liria shrugged. "And we brought it back."

Verida and Nyssara exchanged a look.

Liria could tell they weren't satisfied. They knew something was off.

Inside the castle, the queens led them to a private chamber—no guards, no distractions. Only them.

The tension grew.

"Tell us everything," Nyssara finally said, her voice gentle but firm. "No details left out."

Daena spoke first, recounting their journey, the strange riddles, the monsters, and the battle before the treasure appeared. She carefully avoided saying anything about Liria's sudden increase in strength.

But Verida wasn't a fool.

"And the treasure?" she pressed.

Liria gave a nonchalant shrug. "Just some weird artifact. Didn't seem important."

Nyssara's eyes stayed locked on her, calm but piercing.

"Yet you seem... different," she said softly.

Verida wasn't as subtle. "Something happened to you, didn't it?"

Liria forced a small, lazy smirk. "What? Did I get prettier?"

Daena visibly resisted the urge to smack her.

Verida was not amused. "Liria."

Liria held her gaze. "I feel fine."

A long silence followed.

Nyssara, ever observant, finally exhaled softly. "We will see."

But Liria knew that this wasn't the end of their suspicion.

And the worst part?

She couldn't blame them.

Because even she wasn't sure what had changed.

The conversation with Verida and Nyssara ended on an uneasy note. They dismissed the group, but their scrutinizing gazes lingered on Liria as she left the chamber. She could feel their suspicion pressing into her back like a weight she couldn't shake.

She wasn't lying when she said she felt fine.

But she wasn't telling the truth either.

As she walked through the castle's dimly lit halls, Enara caught up beside her, her expression unreadable. The others had scattered Daena, still brooding, had gone off to sulk somewhere. Ananara had finally stopped hovering and disappeared, probably muttering to himself in some dark corner of the castle.

That left just them.

The silence between them stretched long, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

Liria could feel Enara's gaze flickering toward her, as if she were searching for something.

"Are you going to say something, or are you just going to stare at me until I combust?" Liria finally muttered.

Enara didn't smile, didn't even smirk. She just exhaled softly. "You scared me back there."

Liria blinked. "Huh?"

"When you touched that artifact." Enara's voice was quieter now, softer. "Something was wrong. I felt it."

Liria swallowed, pushing down the instinct to deflect, to joke.

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'm fine, Enara."

"Are you?" Enara stopped walking, turning to face her fully. "Because you don't seem fine. You seem… different."

Liria held her ground, crossing her arms. "Different how?"

Enara was silent for a moment before she reached out. It wasn't hesitant, wasn't timid. Just sure.

Her fingers brushed Liria's wrist, barely a touch, but Liria felt it like a spark.

"I don't know," Enara admitted. "But I don't want to lose you."

Liria's breath caught.

The air between them shifted charged, uncertain.

It wasn't the first time they had moments like this, these fleeting pauses where something unsaid hung between them. But this time, it felt heavier.

Liria wanted to say something anything but her mind was a storm of thoughts she didn't know how to sort through.

And then Enara's hand slipped away.

"You don't have to tell me," she murmured, looking away. "But just… don't shut me out."

Liria hesitated.

Then, before she could stop herself, she reached out. Her turn.

Fingers grazing Enara's wrist, just enough to make her pause.

"I won't," Liria said, voice quiet but certain. "I promise."

Enara's lips parted slightly, surprise flickering in her midnight eyes. But she didn't pull away.

She didn't let go.

And neither did Liria.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The castle halls were quiet, the faint flicker of torchlight casting shifting shadows along the stone walls. Liria's fingers still rested against Enara's wrist, the warmth of her skin grounding in a way that felt strangely important.

She should have pulled away by now.

She should have made a joke, brushed it off, acted like nothing was different.

But she didn't.

"You're staring again," Liria finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maybe I like what I see," Enara shot back, quick as ever. But there was something different in her tone something softer.

Liria's breath hitched. It wasn't the usual teasing, the usual smirks and arrogance. This was something unsteady. Something she wasn't sure either of them knew how to handle.

"You're insufferable," Liria muttered, finally forcing herself to let go.

"And yet, you're still here."

Enara's lips curled, the hint of a smirk there but her midnight eyes held something else.

Something Liria couldn't name.

She rolled her eyes, turning away. "I should go before Daena starts hunting me down."

But she had barely taken a step before Enara's fingers caught hers light, hesitant.

"Liria."

The way Enara said her name it was different. It wasn't a demand. It wasn't a command. It was just…

Her.

Liria swallowed hard. "Yeah?"

Enara didn't answer right away. Instead, she took a step closer, close enough that Liria could feel the warmth radiating from her.

"You don't have to tell me what's wrong," she murmured. "Not if you're not ready. But don't forget you're not alone, alright?"
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Liria blinked, caught off guard by the sheer earnestness in her voice.

Enara wasn't good at vulnerability. Not in the way others were. She wasn't the type to spill her feelings easily, to say things plainly.

But she didn't need to.

Not with Liria.

"Yeah," Liria said, voice quieter than she intended. "I know."

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, a steady, unfamiliar rhythm.

Enara studied her for a long moment, and then without another word she released Liria's hand.

Not in a way that felt like goodbye.

Just in a way that felt like something waiting.

Liria turned away, exhaling slowly.

Neither of them said anything else.

They didn't need to.

Not yet.

Liria walked away slowly, her boots barely making a sound against the polished stone floors. The castle air was cool, but she could still feel the lingering warmth where Enara's fingers had brushed against hers. It was ridiculous how something so small could make her feel so… unsteady.

She clenched her hands into fists, flexing her fingers as if trying to rid them of the ghostly sensation. This is stupid, she told herself. I've fought monsters. I've been through hell. A single moment shouldn't be enough to shake me like this.

And yet, it did.

She made her way through the dimly lit corridors, each step echoing faintly. The halls of the demon castle had always felt vast and endless, but tonight, they felt suffocating. Not because of the darkness, not because of fear—but because of something she couldn't quite name.

Something had changed.

Not just in her body, not just in her magic or her strength, but in the way Enara looked at her. In the way she felt when Enara looked at her.

That wasn't part of the plan.

Liria exhaled sharply, shaking her head. Focus. Don't get distracted. You have bigger problems.

And yet, as she turned the corner, she found herself glancing back—just for a second.

Enara was still standing there, watching her go.

Liria didn't know why that made her heart race.

But it did.