Reincarnated as the Villainess's Unlucky Bodyguard-Chapter 176: A Path Set in Shadow

Morning arrived with a biting chill, the kind that settled into the bones and refused to leave. Enara stood at the castle’s entrance, arms crossed, her breath visible in the crisp air. The sky overhead was an expanse of cold gray, tinged with the first hints of dawn, as if the world itself was reluctant to wake.

She wasn’t in the mood to be awake either.

The carriage was already prepared, sturdy and reinforced with obsidian plating, its enchanted wheels designed to move swiftly over any terrain. Two massive onyx-scaled drakelings were harnessed to the front, their reptilian eyes glowing faintly as they snorted against the cold.

Daena was already there, leaning against the side of the carriage like she had all the time in the world. She was dressed for war—midnight armor fitted perfectly over her powerful frame, her weapons strapped neatly to her sides. She looked relaxed, but Enara knew better. Daena was never truly relaxed. She was watching, waiting. Calculating.

Enara hated how much that reminded her of Liria.

Verida and Nyssara stood nearby, overseeing the final preparations. Verida, ever the warrior, was giving last-minute instructions to the soldiers who would remain behind, her golden eyes sharp with authority. Nyssara, in contrast, was calm as always, her presence like a cold, unmoving river beneath the surface of a storm.

Enara adjusted the straps of her gloves, flexing her fingers against the leather. She wasn’t nervous—she refused to be. But there was an undeniable weight pressing against her chest, one that had nothing to do with the mission itself.

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A hand landed heavily on her shoulder.

She didn’t have to look to know it was her mother.

"You’re thinking too much," Verida said, her voice gruff but not unkind.

Enara scoffed. "And you don’t think enough."

Verida smirked. "That’s why we make such a good team."

Enara rolled her eyes but didn’t shake off the hand.

Nyssara approached next, her silver gaze sweeping over her daughter. "You’re certain about this?"

Enara stiffened. "I don’t get a choice, do I?"

Nyssara studied her for a long moment before sighing. "You do. You always have a choice."

Enara’s jaw tightened. "Not this time."

Nyssara didn’t argue. She only reached out, brushing a cool hand against Enara’s cheek. "Then be careful."

Enara hesitated, but only for a second, before nodding.

Daena cleared her throat. "As touching as this is, we do have a schedule to keep."

Verida let out a sharp laugh. "Try not to traumatize my daughter too much, Daena."

"No promises," Daena said, flashing a smirk before pushing off the carriage.

Enara rolled her shoulders, shaking off whatever emotions had tried to settle in her chest. She turned toward the carriage without another word.

Ananara was already inside, reclining against a pile of silk cushions like he owned the place. His leafy top bobbed as he inspected his reflection in a polished bronze plate.

"If you die, can I take your room?" he asked casually.

Enara threw a dagger at him.

Ananara ducked. "Rude."

She climbed in, shoving past him as Daena followed, securing the door behind them. The carriage jolted as the drakelings took off, their powerful strides carrying them swiftly through the castle gates and into the wilds beyond.

The ride was smooth but tense, silence stretching between them like an unspoken argument waiting to happen.

Enara stared out the window, watching the landscape shift from the familiar walls of the demon capital to the vast, dark expanse of the wilderness.

Somewhere out there, past the forests and mountains, past the abyss itself Liria was waiting.

She clenched her fists.

And this time, she wouldn’t let her slip away.

The rhythmic thud of hooves against the frostbitten earth filled the carriage, a steady, unrelenting sound that should have been soothing but only set Enara’s nerves further on edge. She stared out the window, the blurred landscape passing in muted shades of gray and black, shadows stretching like twisted fingers across the terrain.

She wasn’t expecting to see anything of interest just the vast, sprawling lands of their kingdom, untouched by war but no stranger to darkness. Yet, her mind refused to stay quiet.

Somewhere out there, beyond the forests, beyond the abyss itself, Liria was waiting.

And Enara had no idea what she would find when she finally reached her.

The thought gnawed at her like a dull blade, carving its way through the cracks she tried to keep sealed tight.

"Stop brooding."

Enara turned her head, fixing Daena with a scowl. "I’m not brooding."

Daena arched a brow. "You look like you’re plotting a murder. Which, to be fair, isn’t out of character, but it’s a little early in the morning for that level of homicide."

Ananara stretched out lazily on his cushions, completely unbothered by the tension in the air. "I’d argue that any time of day is perfect for murder, depending on the target. But really, Enara, you should consider relaxing a bit. You’re going to give yourself wrinkles before your time."

Enara ignored him. "I’m just thinking."

"Thinking," Daena echoed, resting her chin in her palm. "And what exactly are we thinking about?"

Enara hesitated.

She wasn’t going to say it.

She wasn’t going to let the words slip past her lips because then it would be real , real in a way that she wasn’t ready for.

Because it had been three years.

Three years since Liria had vanished.

Three years since she had walked away.

Three years since Enara had been forced to accept that she might never see her again.

Except she wasn’t accepting it, was she?

Her fingers dug into her gloves, gripping the fabric tight.

Daena was still watching her.

Ananara was still waiting.

And Enara she exhaled sharply, forcing the tension from her shoulders. "It doesn’t matter."

Daena didn’t push, but her knowing smirk was infuriating.

"Sure," she said lightly. "It doesn’t matter."

Ananara hummed, propping himself up on one leafy elbow. "Are we all just pretending that we don’t know exactly what this is about? Or should I be the one to say it and risk being thrown out of the carriage?"

Enara shot him a warning glare.

"Right," Ananara mused. "I’ll keep my observations to myself. For now."

The conversation ended there, but the weight in Enara’s chest remained.

The hours stretched long, the landscape shifting into rocky hills and sparse forests, the trees gnarled and skeletal, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky like the grasping hands of something long dead.

The temperature dropped the further they traveled, the air crisp with the promise of an approaching storm.

Then, without warning the carriage lurched to a halt.

Daena was on her feet in an instant, sword already in hand. "Stay inside," she ordered sharply.

Enara bristled. "Like hell I’m staying inside."

Ananara groaned. "Of course, we’re stopping. I was just getting comfortable."

Ignoring them both, Daena pushed open the carriage door and stepped onto the frozen ground, her boots crunching against the frost-laced dirt. Enara followed, hand resting on the hilt of her dagger.

The scene before them was… unsettling.

The road ahead was blocked. Not by fallen trees, not by a landslide, but by something else.

Figures stood in the mist, unmoving.

Their faces were hidden beneath heavy cloaks, their hands obscured by long, tattered sleeves. They were completely silent too silent.

Enara’s instincts screamed at her.

Something wasn’t right.

Daena took a step forward. "Identify yourselves."

No response.

The figures didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

Daena’s grip on her sword tightened. "You have five seconds before I consider you a threat."

Still, nothing.

The silence pressed in, thick and unnatural.

Enara shifted her stance, her body tensed for a fight. Whatever this was, it wasn’t normal.

Daena exhaled sharply. "Fine. You want to do this the hard way?"

The moment the words left her lips the figures moved.

Not like people. Not like anything human.

Their motions were wrong jerky and distorted, like marionettes being pulled by invisible strings.

Then, they charged.

Enara barely had time to react before one of them was already on her, its movements too fast, too erratic. She twisted out of the way, dagger flashing in the dim light as she slashed at the closest one.

Her blade met nothing.

The figure dissolved into smoke then reformed behind her.

A cold hand closed around her wrist.

Not human. Not alive.

Daena’s sword was already slicing through another, her flames roaring to life, but the figures didn’t die. They scattered, reformed, came back again and again.

Enara wrenched herself free, spinning around to face them.

"What the hell are these things?" she hissed.

Daena didn’t answer. She was too busy fighting.

Ananara, still inside the carriage, sighed loudly. "Well, I suppose this is the part where I get involved, isn’t it?"

And then, the real battle began.

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Enara barely had a moment to catch her breath before another of the smoke-like figures lunged at her. She dodged, rolling across the frostbitten ground, her dagger flashing as she slashed upward. The blade met resistance this time a brief flicker of solidity in the swirling darkness but the creature dissolved again, slipping through her grasp like mist.

"Great. Just fantastic," she muttered, bracing herself for the next attack. "We’re fighting ghosts now."

Daena, mid-swing, growled, "Not ghosts. Manifestations. Probably cursed ones."

"That doesn’t make it better!" Enara snapped.

From inside the carriage, Ananara sighed dramatically. "You mortals make everything so complicated."

Before she could tell him to shut up, the pineapple launched himself out of the carriage growing mid-air and landed like a boulder between them and the creatures.

His once-small form had expanded into something massive, armored vines spiraling around his body like plated armor. His leafy top rustled as he cracked his neck or whatever the equivalent was for a sentient pineapple.

"Alright, you miserable little clouds of disappointment," he rumbled, voice deeper than usual. "Let’s see if you can handle me."

Enara blinked. "I hate how cool he looks right now."