Struggling as a Villain

After surveying the area for a quiet while, Richard discerned that it was impossible to move in daylight unless they wanted to get caught immediately after walking out of the forest.

With the help of Emily, Richard was able to successfully retrieve four uniforms for the standard soldiers around the island. However, even with that, they have to wait for the night to infiltrate the main castle.

"I have been inside the fortress where the leader resides," Laila began, "I was the cleaner working at the fort for six months and I was among those people who were allowed to enter the conference room to clean up things."

"I know the premise well and can weave through the corridors to reach a deeper section of the fort. However, I have never even once spotted Rena. Nor have I heard anyone mentioning her."

Ben was worried, "Is she really here?"

Richard had a frown on his face as he slowly muttered, "Considering all the teleportation portals are operated from the main base, and the source of the power needs to be nearby, we should assume that Rena is inside there."

"But how will we find her without alerting anyone?" Emily asked; the main reason why they were working so secretively was because, without knowing about Rena's situation, it would be foolish to confront Jin directly.

There was a chance of him harming Rena or changing her position from the base if he realized the chance of winning. So they have to first verify Rena's situation and then only take any decision.

Richard told them something that made absolute sense, "Such a hefty amount of Aembr can never remain hidden for long. Once I get inside the base, it would be a piece of cake to track her."

The other two felt greatly relieved when Richard stated so confidently about their chances to track Rena. Emily was looking quite apprehensive however, she has learned how to mask her emotions in these years.

Soon, Ben took the role of guarding the area since when Richard was away, he and Laila took some hours of sleep.

"You can rest assured. The moment I sense danger, I will inform you." Ben told the blond girl who insisted on guarding the area with her barrier. However, considering how tired she was—having a barrier chanted for hours—Ben insisted she rest for the time being.

Richard had already unfolded a blanket as he led down on the makeshift bed made of leaves before he invited the blond,

"Just rest here, Emily. Ben is a responsible man."

Hearing his words, she no longer said anything and slowly walked towards him.

Seeing her taking out another duvet, Richard asked, "Any problem sharing mine?" He asked as he lifted the cover and invited her.

Emily's face turned red as she softly shook her head and slid into the same blanket as him—feeling his heat calming her down.

Richard wrapped her in his arms and whispered, "Sleep well, we have a long night waiting for us."

Emily hummed before she closed her eyes and allowed her mind and body to enjoy the peace that they desperately needed.

Laila's cheeks were red as she glanced at them before someone flicked her forehead—making the pinkhead wince.

Laila glared at the masked one while covering her head, as she heard him saying, "Focus on the work."

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Back in the ship, Bella was in charge of keeping an eye on the south. Lilia was taking care of the north. They were switching turns every six hours, and receiving the notification on her comm, Bella knew she could go back and rest.

Heaving a sigh, she walked back inside the ship and found Carl making his way to take her position.

"Thank you for your hard work." Carl thanked her as Bella smiled in response and made her way towards the lobby.

She spotted Lilia who was about to open the door.

Seeing the lady, Lilia gave her a nod before opening the door for her.

Bella raised her brows, "You don't serve me, remember that?"

Lilia shrugged, "Common courtesy."

Bella didn't continue that topic and entered the room followed by the brunette maid.

The room was warm and comfortable. Lilia arranged it and repaired the bed to make it a proper resting place.

Bella took out a bag of potato chips and dropped herself on the bed.

Lilia went towards the bedside table and poured herself some water before sitting down on the chair.

Seeing the maid elegantly sipping water, Bella couldn't help but ask, "Do you remain silent and well-behaved all the time?"

Lilia paused before she looked at the young woman in surprise, "It's common sense to not talk while drinking water."

Bella rolled her eyes, "I am not talking about that ... Being careful about your actions all the time…isn't it tiring?"

Lilia shook her head, "I have been trained to stay disciplined. That's why, most of the time, I remain cautious of my actions."

Bella raised her brows, "Did my mother teach you?" Although she asked that, Bella knew it was highly unlikely for that lady to teach someone discipline when she herself remains so spoiled most of the time.

…Well, at least around her son.

"Duchess Bellarine trained me physically. Discipline and mental fitness I received from my father."

Bella raised her brows, "I heard from Brother that he was a brave man."

The frost from her demeanor melted as she smiled and nodded, "Yes, he was."

The conversation came to a halt when suddenly someone knocked.

Lilia flexed her fingers, and using her telekinesis, she opened the door.

Bella couldn't help but feel jealous of her powers—she had never even realized her four fundamentals.

The blue-eyed individual entered the room while holding a tray of tea and cookies, "Thank you for your hard work."

Seeing the boy, Lilia said, "You didn't need to overwork yourself, Akira."

The younger one seriously replied, "I have the least amount of work; please allow me to help you whenever I can."

Lilia was surprised to see such diligence from a teenager, urging her to ask,

"Do you always remain so upright?"

"Look who is speaking…" Bella commented, only for Lilia to ignore her.

Akira shook his head, "I…thought if I remain serious all the time, Carl won't take me as a kid and will allow me to actively help the team out."

Lilia heaved a sigh; it was apparent that the kid had a very significant reason to be in this group. Revenge, most probably. And to attain what he desires he has adopted a mask that is slowly stealing his innocence away.

Resting her hand on his head, Lilia muttered, "Forcing yourself to act like someone you are not will only leave you helpless in the future. Trust me, I have tried and failed."

The little one looked at Lilia with bright eyes, seemingly closely considering her words.

Lilia smiled at him and told the boy, "Now go and rest in your room."

The boy obediently nodded and was about to walk away, when suddenly not only him but Bella and Lilia were frozen at their spots.

Bella was the first one to respond as she sensed the presence and felt unnaturally familiar with it.

Lilia followed her as she also hurried out of the room and headed towards the place from where she could sense the presence.

Lilia had already taken out her daggers as she spotted Carl also moving behind them, his axe held over his shoulder.

They were moving toward the northern post where Boris was stationed.

They soon reached the place, and instantly Lilia charged at the person who was standing over an unconscious Boris.

The silver-haired woman narrowed her eyes and extended her hand before silver lightning erupted from her fingertips.

Lilia scoffed before she strengthened her body and her figure became blurred, easily dodging the lightning as she stepped toward the intruder.

The silver-haired smirked as her whole body was covered in lightning as she waited for the brunette to attack her with the weapon.

Lilia was not someone to fall for such an obvious trap as she chanted a barrier right before her palm, and pushed the intruder with enough force to make her crash against the guardrail.

The silver-haired groaned; however, before she could have launched another attack, Lilia had her dagger pressed against her neck, drawing a single droplet of crimson.

"Move an inch and you are dead."

The silver-haired growled, ready to deploy an attack that might cause her severely as well. However, it would surely kill the target.

However, before she could have made a move, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts,

"Lena? Why are you here?"

The silver-haired's eyes widened as she turned to look at the person for whom she came here.

"M-My Queen…"

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A/N:- Chapter 72, if you don't remember. I changed her name tho.

I hope you all have been enjoying the story so far. If you may, drop a review to help new readers.