"Anais!"
Kylian rushed to his unconscious wife, calling out her name. She was carefully laid down.
"The Empress is safe."
"What is the meaning of this?"
"We were merely following the High Priest's orders."
"Uhp... Uuhp!"
Anais's mouth was gagged, yet not silenced by magic, allowing her to make noise.
"Quiet."
After sheathing his sword, Kylian hugged the Empress's body. He was checking for Anais's heartbeat. In his haste, he couldn't feel her breath or heartbeat, which alarmed him.
He thought if Anais died this time, he would die as well.
"Hah..."
Feeling like his chest would burst, Kylian placed his hand on the Empress's neck to feel her pulse, trying not to shake.
"Uht... Your Majesty?"
"Wife."
Finally relieved, he sighed deeply. Tears falling on her face as he exhaled shakily.
"Your Majesty."
"I thought something happened to the wife... Ugh..."
Kylian couldn't hold back his tears, having thought he couldn't live without Anais again.
"Kylian."
The empress called his name, urging him to compose himself, but he continued to sob, holding her tightly.
"Kylian, pull yourself together."
But it wasn't easy. It took him a while to calm down.
"Kylian."
Kylian turned to the priests of death and demanded harshly.
"Explain what's going on here."
He was angry, so he ignored her call.
"We planned to offer Saint Lillith as a sacrifice."
"Why?"
"So the Empress could fully settle into that body."
"That's a lie, Kylian. They're lying."
Lillith quickly interjected. Kylian grew increasingly confused.
"Wife, what do you mean?"
"The empress has a headache and is speaking nonsense!"
"How dare you speak to my wife like that."
Kylian glared at the intermediate priest, who trembled under his murderous gaze.
"Kylian... Ugh..."
Lillith woke up but had no strength left, making it difficult for her to maintain consciousness.
"The high priest said that offering the saint as a sacrifice could perfectly stabilize the empress's unstable state."
"Why didn't you do it at the palace then?"
"It seemed like Your Majesty had feelings for the saint... That's why."
"What?"
Kylian hoped Anais hadn't heard that. Though he thought he had nothing to hide, seeing Lillith Isadora now reminded him of his wife's behavior when she was alive, making it hard to stay detached. He felt exposed.
"But wouldn't keeping my wife alive and well be more beneficial for you?"
"That's only if Anais's soul was attached to her body. In this state, reviving her might be impossible."
YOU ARE READING
When the Villainess Died, the Male Lead Went Crazy
RomanceAnais knew she was fated to die once the coup d'état ended. So, rather than dying in vain just as the original story mandated, she instead willingly stood in between Kylian, who she loved, and a gunshot, which would have killed him. And so, Anais di...
