Voyage Of The Villainess

*Knock! *Knock! *Knock!

"Who\'s there?" Elred said as he fixed his glasses and arranged the paper works.

"It\'s me, Iris."

"Please, come in."

"So it seems, I\'ve returned at the wrong time?" Iris asked.

Elred glanced at her then put down the documents he was holding. "How did you get here?" Elred raised his right brow.

"Those teleportation talismans." Iris casually took a seat on the sofa.

"You know, you\'re still a wanted criminal in Hacien. Don\'t just casually walk in here. Those chiefs from the Taleba tribes are growing suspicious of me. So, as possible, know your boundaries at my place."

"Oh? Are you worried about me? I\'ll be fine. And besides, there is nothing for me to do anyway since I help you free your elves from the emperor. And you were given this land to manage."

"And because of that, it\'s a hassle how the emperor really tries to find things to trouble my race," Elred casually gestured to one of his maids. The said maid got out of the house. 

"Well, I\'m awesome." Iris crossed her legs and put her arms on the leaning sofa confidently. " I wish I saw his face when you presented all the shreds of evidence of fraud and illegal poaching that the duchess has done. And when he has no choice but to free you and your people, that will surely be a bliss."

Elred clasped both his hands. "Now, tell me. Are you still looking for her?"

"I\'m not looking for her but rather waiting for her." Iris casually said but her face suddenly changed.

"It looks like you still have high hopes for her, huh. It\'s really been half a year since she disappeared. Are you sure she is going to come back?" Then Elred remembered the time that Malaya was engulfed by that blazing fire. "Or perhaps she\'s already dead?"

"That girl will be dead? Are you serious? She\'s better than the cats because she has more than 9 lives." Iris just chuckled, but Elred saw the quick fear in her eyes. "It\'s beyond impossible. Since she promised me that she will not make plans that will kill her, I know she is still alive somewhere. I believe in her and I always do."

"You surely trust her deeply. Isn\'t she the one who caused your revolution to fail back then and I even heard that one of your close comrades got killed?" 

"If one expects to start a war, always expect that you\'ll lose something. When it comes to war there\'s no winner since both will lose something that they love and care about. " Iris said. "And besides, our plans just got intertwined with each other. It is just nothing but my fault that such a tragedy happened. If she didn\'t return, I don\'t know what direction I should head now." Iris stood up and faintly smiled.

"I just checked things out here when I heard that you arrived at the capital. But it seems everything is working fine as it is." Iris changed the topic and she brought out a talisman. "I\'ll go now."

"I hope she will return soon," Elred said with a casual smile. " And when that moment will come. For sure she became stronger and wiser than before."

"Yeah for sure, she always made the best expressions above all," Iris replied with a grin. "Or else I don\'t know how to keep the sanity of those two if extended a year or more." With that said, Iris finally ripped the talisman.

Elred was left alone in the room. Then faintly smiled. \'I hope she indeed returns because she\'s the only one who could bring back life to the people who help me. Too bad, if she indeed returns, I will not be able to join their adventures now since I\'ve got the Rabesa duchy to manage now.\' Elred touched the pendant he was wearing.

"Brother!" The door suddenly opened revealing his once sickly youngest sister, Mariella. But now that they got free and she was able to have proper medicine, she looked completely healthy now and cheerful. She had the same golden hair and blue eyes as Elred.

"Marielle, what\'s with the rush?"

"Lady Iris! Wait" She suddenly stops and looks at every corner of the place."Where is she? I heard she\'s coming here!" 

"She already left," Elred said with a smile. "Since she still needs to wait for someone to return." He glanced towards the window. The sky was clear and the people in the city of Hacien were striving hard with their daily lives as always.``

He stood up from his chair and his ears became long pointed. His golden blond hair waved as he gazed back at his sister.

"Brother, your disguise!" Mariella said with worry.

"I know and don\'t worry too much about me. It\'s alright. I don\'t need to hide my real appearance. I want to express myself who I really am without hiding anything and trying to fit in into this place." Elred extended back his hands to his sister. "My work here in the city is over. Let\'s go back to our new home now, Marielle. A home where we truly belong." She genuinely smiles.

"Aw," Mariella pouted. " But brother, I want to stay here for more."

"Don\'t worry we will return here again."

"Fine," Mariella then reached into his hands. 

\'But it\'s not that bad. Since I\'ve got to spend my time with my people and my one and only sister. So I hope you will also find the direction where you could truly live and someone who has a long life. I hope to hear those tales when the time comes.\'

---⚓⚓⚓---

Iris appeared in the Bituin where Rein just walked out from the cabin. He was holding a tray containing a pitcher, some snacks, and two cups.

"You have returned back, Lady Iris. How is Elred?"

"You hated that guy very much before and you\'re asking about him now?" Iris put her hand on Rein\'s forehead trying to check if he had any sickness " Hmm your temperature looks fine."

"Hey stop!." Rein placed down the tray on the wooden table to remove Iris\'s hand. "He made that emperor enraged, how can I not like him?"

"He said he likes him. Don\'t tell me this is what I think it was?" 

They both look to see Hyun Jae coming out to the cabin with Dorris. 

"Yes," Dorris giggled. "A human and an elf! Who do you think will be best in the top and bottom?" 

The two girls giggled at each other as their imaginations ran wild.

Rein\'s smile faltered. "You. two." 

Both Hyun Jae and Dorris both stiffened when Rein was looking at them with a menacing grin. "It seems the lectures I gave you both are not enough."

"Run!" Dorris grabbed Hyun Jae\'s hands as they ran inside the cabin. 

Iris just held her head, at the scenario in front of her. Since the demon king was no longer here. Hyun Jae decided to stay with their group since there was nothing really she could do else in the empire. And it was not like she was able to return back to her world again. At the end of the Fate of the Stars where she was supposed to marry any one of her harems, none of that happened. The crown prince, well, he quite made a fuss but other than that, he didn\'t stop Hyun Jae from doing what she wanted. And taking his royal lessons as the next emperor rather well now.

\'Well though, his reasoning.\' Iris just shook her head when she remembered the crown prince\'s words to her.

"When I become the emperor, I\'ll send troops to drag you back here if something bad happens to you, Hyun Jae. So better enjoy your time with them to the fullest. May you live the life you loved!"

\'What a way to say, just take care and enjoy your trip. Truly a \'dere.\' Iris shook her head even more. \'Why did I even write such a character in the first place? Now I\'m more worried about the future of the entire Sahaya empire. Well at least, he lifted up Malaya\'s banishment.\'

Iris glanced at the blue and clear skies with some birds freely flying above there. The wind blew with a soft breeze. " So you better return now, or else we will leave you now and travel by ourselves. Where we keep moving even if you are not here at our side as a captain. Whatever happens to you and wherever you are, may you be in a good place."

"That certainly is not a good thing if you leave." 

Iris\' eyes widened when she heard the voice that she longed to hear again within six months now. The person she has been waiting for.

Her ocean-blue hair was casually waving along with the wind. Her calm light aquamarine eyes looking at her and that annoying smile of hers. She was casually sitting now on the stool and holding one of the cups with tea.

"Yo, Iris. Miss me?" Malaya said with a smile. "I finally returned back well,  just as I promised.  So you can cry your tears of joy now.." After Malaya said those words she sip once more from the cup of tea that she was holding.