The Villainess Wants To Retire-Chapter 496: Compromise

The crushing weight of Rael’s body against Eris’s chest was the only thing keeping her soul from fragmenting.

As she rocked him, his jagged, hysterical sobs slowly began to lose their edge, tapering off into rhythmic hiccups and small, exhausted sniffles.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his small hands fisting into the damp fabric of her tunic with a strength that spoke of a child’s absolute terror of the dark.

"Mama," he whispered, the word repeated like a prayer, muffled against her skin. "Mama, Mama."

"I’m here, Rael," Eris murmured, her voice finding a steadiness she didn’t know she possessed. She had to be the foundation now; she had to be the stone that didn’t crack. "You’re safe. I’ve got you. Nothing is going to touch you."

She felt him relax slightly, his shivering subsiding as the familiar heat of her body, tempered now to a gentle, maternal warmth seeped into his bones.

The Mother’s presence was an ancient magic, more potent in this moment than the dragon fire or the imperial ice. For a few seconds, the crumbling palace was gone, replaced by the sanctuary of her arms.

But Rael was Caelen’s son as much as hers, possessed of a sharp, restless mind. He pulled back, his face tear-stained and blotchy, his lower lip still trembling as he searched her eyes.

"Where’s daddy?" he asked, his voice small and fragile. "Want daddy. Is daddy okay?"

Eris felt a fresh wave of agony wash over her. She couldn’t tell him that his father was standing in a ruin, blade drawn against a nightmare that wore a human face. She couldn’t describe the blood on the marble or the monsters in the walls.

"Daddy is busy, my love," she said, her voice soft and reassuring, a necessary lie woven with threads of hope. "He’s helping people. There was a big noise, and he’s making sure everyone is safe." She leaned forward, kissing his forehead, her lips lingering on his skin. "He’ll come to see you very soon. I promise."

Rael looked at her for a long beat, searching for the crack in her story. Finally, he gave a small, shaky nod, accepting the promise with the pure, devastating trust of a child.

Eris looked over Rael’s head at Mira. The gratitude that swelled in her chest was so immense it felt like a physical pressure.

Mira stood there, her own gown torn and her face pale with a shock she was clearly fighting to suppress, yet she hadn’t faltered. She had carried the Prince through the shaking earth and the breaking doors without once letting go.

"Thank you," Eris said, the words weighted with everything she couldn’t articulate. "Thank you, Mira. For keeping him safe. For being there when I wasn’t."

It wasn’t just a royal acknowledgement of duty. It was a personal debt that Eris knew she could never truly repay. Mira bowed her head slightly, her hands still trembling at her sides. "Always, Your Majesty," she whispered, her loyalty a quiet flame in the gathering dark.

Beside her, Ryse remained a silent, vigilant sentry. His hand was still resting on Mira’s shoulder... A brief, grounding touch that spoke of an unspoken connection. He looked at the girl with a raw relief that he didn’t bother to hide, his professional guard dropping just enough to show how much her safety mattered to him.

"You’re alright?" he asked her, his voice low.

Mira met his gaze, nodding once. "I’m fine, Sir. I’m fine now."

The brief exchange was loaded with the weight of the night, a shared understanding between two people who lived in the shadow of the throne. Ryse squeezed her shoulder once before turning back to Eris, his face hardening back into the mask of the Commander.

"Your Majesty," Mira said, her urgency returning as a distant roar echoed through the vents. "What is happening? The sounds... the shaking... it felt like the world was coming apart."

"There’s been an attack," Ryse answered for her, stepping in to deliver the cold, hard facts. "Vetra... she’s transformed. She’s become a monster. And she isn’t alone. There are multiple creatures in the palace, and they are targeting the Empress."

The horror that spread across Mira’s face was visceral. She looked at the child in Eris’s arms, then at the shadows of the corridor, the danger finally taking a shape more terrifying than a mere earthquake.

Eris’s mind was racing, clicking through the layout of the palace like a tactician. She knew the truth that Ryse hadn’t voiced: she was a beacon.

As long as the dragon Pyronox stirred within her, the Syvrak pack would follow her scent through stone and soil. If she stayed with Rael, she was hand-delivering the monsters to his doorstep.

The realization was a jagged blade in her heart. She had to separate. It was the only way to ensure the hunters stayed away from the child.

"Ryse, I need you," Eris said, her voice snapping with a sudden, imperial authority. "I need you to take them. Now."

"Your Majesty?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"The North Tower," she decided, her thoughts settling on the ancient structure. It was a relic of the old fortress... the stone walls were ten feet thick, and it had a single, narrow spiral staircase that was a nightmare to storm.

It was the most defensible spot left in the palace. "Take them there. Barricade the doors. Do not open for anyone, not for guards, not for nobles. Not for anyone but Soren or myself."

Ryse straightened, his eyes meeting hers in a silent acknowledgment of the plan. "Understood, Your Majesty. We will hold it."

Eris felt the bile rise in her throat. She had just found him, and now she had to let him go again. She pulled Rael closer for one last, crushing hug, memorizing the weight of him, the warmth of his breath against her neck.

"Mama?" Rael sensed the shift in her energy, his little hands tightening their grip on her tunic.

Eris pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes, projecting every ounce of strength she had left. "Rael, listen to me. You need to be brave. Can you be brave for mama?"