Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Azael Veyrith stood alone in her private study, the dim chamber bathed in a soft, unsettling violet glow. Shelves lined the walls, packed tightly with tomes bound in ancient leather, their spines cracked and faded from centuries of use. The scent of old parchment mingled with the faint aroma of incense, a heady fragrance that sharpened her focus and clarified her thoughts.

Yet today, even this carefully crafted sanctuary failed to calm the frustration gnawing relentlessly at her composure.

She ran her slender fingers along the edge of a blackened tome, nails sharp enough to leave faint grooves in the aged leather. Golden eyes narrowed, burning with cold intensity as her thoughts inevitably circled back to one increasingly vexing problem:

Liria.

The girl had promise no, more than that Liria possessed power, talent, potential beyond any mortal she'd ever trained. The Abyssal Requiem magic that flowed effortlessly through her veins was unlike anything Azael had seen in a thousand years. She should have been the perfect pupil, obedient, ambitious, eager to seize the darkness offered to her on a silver platter.

Yet stubborn hesitation lingered, poisoning Liria's resolve. She continued to cling foolishly to fragments of sentiment, chains of loyalty that bound her to the past. Her heart still belonged to that insufferable demon princess, Enara.

Azael's lips curled slightly in irritation, a flicker of disdain crossing her features. Enara was a distraction—one she should have severed entirely long ago. But sentiment made fools of even the most gifted individuals.

And she would tolerate no fools.

"You test my patience, child," Azael murmured softly into the oppressive silence, withdrawing her hand sharply from the shelf. "It seems you leave me no choice."

She moved gracefully toward the center of the room, her presence dominating even without effort. A raised obsidian pedestal awaited her, its polished surface engraved with intricate runes designed for spellcraft of the darkest nature.

Azael reached out, conjuring a small orb of darkfire into her palm, allowing it to hover gently above the pedestal. The flames flickered with hypnotic elegance, violet and black entwining in an endless dance.

Her decision was made.

If Liria refused to release her ties willingly, then Azael would simply remove the obstacle herself—by reshaping the girl's mind into something more obedient, more useful. Sentiment would become irrelevant. Hesitation would vanish. Only loyalty to Azael and her cause would remain.

Manipulation magic was not without risks, but it was a price worth paying. And Azael had never feared consequences.

She lifted one hand gracefully, conjuring a shimmering, ethereal grimoire from thin air, pages flickering rapidly beneath her fingertips as she sought the spell required. Words of ancient magic flowed effortlessly into her mind, each syllable sharp as glass, heavy with power.

"Memory chains, will entwined," she whispered softly, voice echoing hauntingly through the chamber. "Obedience forced, choice unaligned."

The darkfire orb spun faster, flames sharpening into pointed tendrils that stretched outward like weaving threads. Azael's gaze sharpened further, determination etched into every graceful movement, each precise incantation.

She continued reciting, voice resonating with authority as magic flowed steadily from her fingertips, fueling the orb's dark purpose.

"Bind the heart, command the mind,Erase the past she left behind.From doubt and fear now set her free,Only loyal shall she be."

The flames spun rapidly, weaving tightly into intricate shapes a twisted marionette suspended helplessly within violet-black strings. The metaphorical imagery was not accidental. Liria would become exactly that: a puppet, utterly under Azael's command.

Yet as she prepared to seal the spell, something within her chest twisted unexpectedly hesitation, faint but undeniably present. Azael faltered slightly, surprised by her own unease. It had been centuries since sentiment last troubled her.

"Ridiculous," she whispered sharply, fingers tightening as she regained control. "I have no time for foolishness."

But still, the question lingered: Was it weakness to force obedience rather than inspire it? Azael clenched her jaw, quickly dismissing the thought.

Sentiment was a poison she'd sworn never to drink again. She would not falter now, not for anyone not even Liria.

She exhaled sharply, gathering herself with practiced discipline, and resumed the incantation:

"Threads unseen, bind her fate,Seal her will within my state.No other love, no lingering ties,Only me within her eyes."

The spell pulsed fiercely, resonating through the pedestal, vibrating through Azael's bones. The marionette image within the orb sharpened, solidifying fully. Dark threads wound tightly around the figurine, binding it so thoroughly it ceased to move, awaiting only Azael's command to activate.

She lowered her hand carefully, the spell suspended yet incomplete, awaiting its final target Liria herself.

For a moment, Azael stood silently, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The magic felt heavier than she'd anticipated, a burden she hadn't fully expected.

But sacrifices were necessary. Strength required ruthlessness.

Azael shook her head irritably, dismissing lingering doubts before they could root themselves further. She turned from the pedestal, striding toward a nearby mirror, its reflective surface clouded softly with shadows.

With a whispered command, the shadows parted, revealing an image of Liria sleeping fitfully within her chambers. The girl tossed restlessly, her expression pained, tormented even in slumber. Azael's gaze softened fractionally, betraying emotions she quickly buried once more.

"You force my hand," she murmured, voice cool yet tinged with faint regret. "It will be easier if you simply surrender."

Her reflection gazed back, eyes sharp and merciless, reminding her who she truly was Azael Veyrith, the Dark Sovereign, a conqueror, unbound by petty sentiment.

Steeling herself once more, she stepped forward, emerging from her study into the shadowed halls. The fortress itself seemed to hold its breath, aware of the magnitude of her intentions.

Her footsteps echoed gently as she walked toward Liria's chamber, each step reinforcing her resolve. Yet even now, her heart wrestled stubbornly with unease.

At Liria's door, she hesitated briefly, hand hovering above the heavy wood. This was the moment of choice—once cast, the spell was irreversible.

"Enough," she whispered harshly to herself. "I will not hesitate."

She pushed open the door silently, stepping inside the dimly lit chamber. Liria still slept, unaware of the darkness approaching, vulnerable and open in a way that made Azael's throat tighten unexpectedly.

Carefully, Azael raised her hand, the spell threads coiling delicately around her fingertips, poised to plunge into Liria's mind, to rewrite the girl's soul and erase all traces of doubt.

Yet as she stared down at Liria's troubled expression, the faint furrow between mismatched eyes, the subtle tremble of parted lips, Azael found her resolve slipping dangerously.

Why did the girl's vulnerability affect her so profoundly? Liria was a tool, nothing more a means to an end.

Yet even as she reminded herself of this truth, memories surged unbidden moments when Liria had smiled genuinely, laughed softly, gazed at her with cautious respect that bordered strangely on warmth. It had been centuries since anyone had looked at Azael with anything other than fear or obedience.

Had she truly grown so soft?

The spell wavered slightly within her grasp, flickering uncertainly. Azael's fingers tightened instinctively, attempting to steady the magic, yet her mind hesitated.

Was it true strength to break another's will, or was it greater power to inspire loyalty freely given?

She drew a shaky breath, golden eyes troubled deeply for the first time in centuries. "Who am I becoming?" she murmured bitterly.

Slowly, painfully, she withdrew her hand, allowing the spell to dissipate silently into the ether. The darkness retreated, leaving only shadows within her own heart.

For now, at least, she would grant Liria one final chance one final choice. If the girl failed again, Azael knew she'd never hesitate a second time.

Yet as she stepped silently from the room, leaving Liria to sleep peacefully, a small voice whispered traitorously within her heart:

Perhaps strength wasn't merely control perhaps true strength lay in allowing oneself vulnerability, even at the risk of pain.

Azael pushed the thought away sharply, eyes narrowing once more into cold resolve. Tomorrow would reveal everything.

But for tonight, she allowed herself a single moment of weakness a fleeting hope that perhaps Liria would choose correctly, without manipulation.

Even as she returned silently to her chambers, doubt lingered faintly, weaving delicate threads through her cold heart, invisible yet undeniable.

Sentiment had betrayed her once before. She vowed silently it never would again.

Yet deep within, a quiet fear whispered softly that perhaps the greatest betrayal of all was not sentiment itself but denying its existence entirely.

Azael Veyrith walked through the dim corridors of her fortress, her steps silent, her mind anything but. The spell had been ready, the threads woven with perfect precision, waiting only for her command. And yet, in the final moment, she had hesitated.

Hesitation. A word she despised, an affliction she had long since purged from herself. Or so she had believed.

She clenched her jaw, golden eyes flashing in the darkness. This was a mistake. Mercy no, weakness had no place in her rule. She had given Liria more chances than she deserved, allowed sentiment to fester where only obedience should remain.

And yet, the memory of Liria's restless sleep lingered in her mind, the quiet vulnerability of a girl still caught between two worlds. The past and the present. The light and the abyss.

Azael exhaled slowly, pressing her fingers to her temple. One last chance. That was all. If Liria failed to sever her ties completely, if she continued to falter next time, Azael would not hesitate.

She would take Liria's will into her own hands.

And this time, there would be no turning back.

With that final thought, she disappeared into the shadows, waiting for the moment Liria's choice would finally be made.