ILTV - The Villainess Fell in Love with Me

Chapter 7 - My Poor Rei

*From Claire's Point of View*

It had been two days since we arrived home from our vacation in Euclid. I sat on our terrace, reading a book, blissfully aware to surrounding events.
Summer felt like it was now rolling in, and I found myself wearing more white dresses with short sleeves for better comfort. I was careful not to go out too much, as I was under the impression Rei would be upset if I caught a tan, or was sunburned.
There was a wonderful breeze that wasn't too biting, and felt satisfying on an otherwise hot day.
I drank some juice as I continued reading.
The book I was reading was a 'yuri'. It was about two women who fall in love, a princess and an adventurer. A dragon acts as the antagonist of the story, acting as a wedge between the princess' and the adventurer's relationship.
I was pretty close to the ending by now, and as invested into the story as I was, I found myself more worried for the adventurer. She had death flags galore.
It did not help that the princess and the adventurer shared their first kiss directly before the climax of the story.

As I continued, I was surprised to be wrong! Or so I thought, as once the princess and the adventurer slew the dragon with a mighty blade, the adventurer collapsed to her knees, bleeding profusely from her stomach.
The dragon used its talons to impale the woman before its death.
Finding this outcome depressing, I closed my book.

It was conveniently at that moment I saw two young women approaching me. One was tall, and the other was shorter and slimmer. I quickly took note of their tattered clothes. I also took note of the smaller woman's nun uniform.
Could it be...?
I set my book to the side and stood up.
The smaller woman was Lily Lilium, I knew that for a fact, but I didn't recognise the other lady. What was more important was the state they were in. I rushed towards them.
"Cardinal Lily! What happened?" I asked, concern written all over my face.
Lily moved her weary head up to face me. Her beautiful face was covered in cuts, dried blood and bruises.
"Euclid is gone." She said wearily.
What?!
My eyes widened with more worry.
"What do you mean gone?!"
"A giant monster came from the sea and destroyed Euclid!" The tall woman said.
I turned my attention to the house.
"REI!!" I yelled.

It wasn't a moment later before Rei rushed out of the house.
She immediately took note of my expression, and the two women behind me. Her face immediately turned serious.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"Euclid was attacked..." I said gently.
Rei looked at me with disbelief. I could tell her stomach immediately sank at my words.
Her fears were confirmed. She knew there was something in the sea, but she didn't know when.
If anything, I imagine she would be feeling a lot of survivor's guilt, even if she wasn't personally there.
"Miss Lily and I arrived at the Bauer Kingdom earlier. We were quick to seek an audience with King Thane."
I turned my attention back to the tall woman.
"By the way, my name is Isabelle. Miss Lily told me to bring her here." The woman known as Isabelle said, a small smile on her face.
Rei was quick to tend to Lily's more extreme wounds.

"Can you keep Lily here for a little while? To rest up."  Isabelle asked.
I quickly nodded.
"Of course."
"Thank you so much."
"I get to sleep in Rei's bed...? Do I get cuddles?" Lily said tiredly. She must be very sleep deprived, but I wanted to affirm that Rei was not Lily's, and it was our bed, not just Rei's.
"I'm going to head back to Euclid to make sure those affected get as much help as needed. I put my baby in the care of the church for now."
Rei and I nodded.
"I'll come with you," Rei said.
I turned to face her.
"I'll come too."
"No!" She said, putting a hand to her hip, her face deadly serious, "what about May and Aleah?"
She was right. Somebody had to care for them.
"Rei, we agreed that we would never leave each other." I said.
Rei looked away. I knew what she was thinking. She was concerned for her parent's well-being. She wouldn't want anybody to see her vulnerable side.
I grabbed Rei's hands, and pulled her closer to me.
"We will have Lily care for May and Aleah in our stead. We will go to Euclid together, okay?"
After a moment, she nodded. I planted my lips to hers, running my fingers through her soft hair.
We held each other for a while, prepared for our inevitable trek back down to what was left of Euclid.