Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Enara sat stiffly at the dining table, fingers clenched around her fork as she picked half-heartedly at the remnants of her food. Liria and Daena had already left, leaving her alone with her mothers, their watchful eyes never quite allowing her to sink into the silence she craved.

"Enara," Nyssara began gently, setting her glass down with a quiet clink. "You know we've been watching how you interact with others here in the court."

"Yes," Verida continued, her gaze piercing. "And it's time we spoke about it. Your conduct toward Liria today—"

"She was disrespectful!" Enara interrupted, her voice rising defensively. "She refused to follow my orders. She was practically—"

"Liria is here as your bodyguard, not your subordinate," Verida cut in smoothly. "And respect, Enara, must be earned. It cannot be commanded through authority or demanded through fear. This… resistance from others that you face? Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate how you wish to approach them."

Enara's brows knitted, her face a mask of simmering frustration. "I don't understand what you want me to do. Every time I try to speak with the others, they act like I'm some… some kind of monster."

Nyssara's expression softened, and she exchanged a look with Verida, a look heavy with something Enara couldn't quite place pity, perhaps, or maybe disappointment. "Enara, we know you're capable of kindness, of strength, of more than just being feared. You can make friends, too, if you choose to show others that side of yourself."

"Friends?" Enara scoffed, folding her arms. "As if anyone would want to be friends with me. They're all scared of me."

Nyssara took a deep breath, reaching across the table to gently touch Enara's hand. "You underestimate yourself, Enara. If you show others the same loyalty, the same fire we see in you every day, you may find that they will warm to you."

Verida's tone was gentler as she added, "Liria could be a good start, you know. We chose her because we trust her. She could be more than just your protector; she could be someone you confide in. Someone who, unlike most, isn't intimidated by your title."

"Or your temper," Nyssara murmured, with a small, knowing smile.

Enara dropped her gaze, feeling her cheeks warm. Confide in Liria? The human girl had seemed more than willing to stand up to her, yes, but she was also stubborn, defiant a frustrating presence that Enara could barely tolerate. How could her mothers possibly think she'd want to confide in someone like that?

"I'll… consider it," Enara mumbled, hoping it would end the conversation.

"Good," Verida said, her voice stern but encouraging. "We're not asking you to change who you are, Enara. But we are asking you to consider what kind of relationships you want to foster here."

What kind of relationships I want? Enara thought bitterly. She barely had relationships with anyone her age, and the thought of Liria her stubborn, impertinent new bodyguard as her "friend" felt almost laughable.

Her mothers' words left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she forced herself to nod. After all, it was easier to agree than to argue against two of the most powerful beings in the realm. She pushed back her chair and excused herself, nodding obediently as Verida ordered two servants to escort her back to her chambers.

The walk through the dark, quiet corridors left her alone with her thoughts, which twisted and churned inside her like stormy waters.

Flashback

The memories drifted back unbidden, pulling her into a moment from her past that she wished she could forget.

She had been younger then smaller, wide-eyed, and hopeful. She'd spent days rehearsing the speech she'd give to the other children at court, even practicing her smile in front of her mirror. She wanted so badly to make friends, to laugh and play like she'd read about in her storybooks. But she had also been warned by the elders that her position demanded strength, demanded authority. So, she'd tried to balance both.

The children had been gathered in the courtyard, laughing and talking with one another in carefree voices that Enara had never heard directed toward her. Her stomach twisted with nerves, but she walked forward, her chin held high, reminding herself of her royal blood, her responsibility.

"Greetings, everyone," she'd begun, giving a small, forced smile.

A few of the children looked her way, and she could feel their eyes studying her. Her voice grew firmer, but there was still a small edge of desperation. "I thought… perhaps we could play together? There's a game I heard about… a game where we—"

Her words had been cut short by the whispers, by the fearful, wary glances they cast at her. She remembered the way one child had tugged his friend back, muttering, "Do you think she'd hurt us if we said no?"

Another child, braver than the rest, had actually laughed. "Why would we play with you? You'll just tell your mothers if we don't do exactly what you want."

They had walked away then, leaving her standing there alone, her cheeks burning with shame and her chest aching with a strange, empty pain that she would eventually come to know as loneliness.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

End of Flashback

The memory faded, leaving Enara with the familiar heaviness in her heart as she walked the last stretch of the corridor toward her chambers. Her mothers didn't understand. They thought she could just… change, that she could wave away the fear and mistrust of everyone around her.

As she reached her room, a sound stopped her in her tracks a muffled laugh, light and genuine, filtering through the stone walls from the room beside hers. She froze, recognizing the voices instantly. Liria and Daena. They were laughing together, and there was a warmth in their voices that made her chest tighten.

A pang of something sharp and bitter clawed at her insides, the familiar ache resurfacing. That should be me. She was the princess, after all, wasn't she? But her mothers barely had time for her anymore, too caught up in royal matters to even spare a moment for her unless it was to lecture her on "proper behavior."

Meanwhile, Liria a stranger, an outsider had managed to capture Daena's attention, to make her laugh in a way Enara hadn't heard in years. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, fighting the impulse to barge in and demand to know why they were even talking.