First Time Inside a Realm

Eli then recalled the incident earlier, starting from the evil mist's appearance to them being wolfed down by a monster of a plant.

Since she's still alive, it probably wanted to just send them there, but then again, it's a summoned creature who's behind this. She's definitely there for a purpose. With that, she begrudgingly concluded that this entire situation was indeed a kidnapping.

Her eyes then widened in surprise upon remembering that she wasn't the only one who'd been abducted.

"Cosette?! Where are you?! Ms. Cosette...!"

There was no response. She tried searching around for a while longer but only to find nothing.

Eli was now panicking, thinking she really screwed up this time. Even though it's all unexpected, she should've prepared for something like this beforehand. Now that it's here, she just had to involve an innocent student, albeit unintentionally.

"What should I do...? But then again, why didn't a villain show up in the first place? That thing earlier didn't seem like a summoned creature," Eli murmured, trying to piece the puzzle together.

She then gasped upon recalling Allen's explanation about these so-called hideouts. The facts that she'd been transported to an unknown world and that it took her specifically could only mean that she'd been forcefully taken to a villain's Realm. She also recalled that this fortress is impenetratable unless the summoned creature would give them access or they're currently at a vulnerable state.

"Oh no, I'm sooo doomed... If Hal and the others wouldn't be able to enter this place, how could we go back?"

Disheartened and troubled, Eli decided to fish her cellphone out from her skirt's pocket. She felt relieved that she had managed to carry it around. Raising it in front of her, she stared at the screen with a discouraged expression. But then, her reflection only returned an unamused, straight face.

"You're really a magnet for trouble, aren't you?" Venus greeted, lacking ebullience.

"Venus, what should we do? I must find Ms. Cosette before the enemy! Or what if she'd already been caught...?! What if they did something to her?! Nooo, I couldn't let them hurt her! He might kill me...!" Eli exclaimed exasperatedly, annoying her even more.

"I'm impressed you could still think of others in this situation..." the former Empress just deadpanned, much to her vessel's chagrin.

"...First of all, they're after you since you're the villainess here, not her. Second, you should calm down and think this through. The enemy still hadn't done a move on you, so there's a chance they still didn't do anything to her either. Panicking won't get you anywhere, so don't freak out too much and just do your best to deal with this situation."

"Venus..."

"What?"

"Thanks for comforting me."

"I wasn't, though."

Venus only heaved an exhausted sigh as Eli just continued staring at her with genuine appreciation.

Her vessel really trusted people too easily. Either that or she's just extremely dense. Looking back, she even thought that Noah and this Cosette girl were all lovey-dovey. Though she did find her insights unrealistic, she did snort at the idea for a bit. Now, Eli even fretted over the possibility that this person might get hurt, which was really a foolish thing to worry about.

For all they knew, this Cosette might not just be all that ordinary and normal like how they initially thought.

After all, there's her so-called rendezvous with that boy, as Eli had called it, then their meeting in the hallway, and now this whole abduction incident – they all had happened in one day, which was a bit odd. Although they may just be coincidences, Venus didn't become a ruler of an empire for nothing - she'd always take steps ahead even if it meant doubting the innocent.

However, she just decided to push her assumption aside for the meantime, not really wanting to add to Eli's worries right now.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble again, Venus. I should've escaped with her as soon as I felt it," Eli apologized out of nowhere, much to her surprise.

"No use crying over spilt milk now. I'll just help you sense the summoned creature's presence faster from now on," she replied, earnestness barely audible in her voice, making Eli look at her appreciatively once again.

"Venus..."

"No, I'm not comforting you."

"Eh?"

Their conversation was suddenly cut off at the sounds of buzzing and rustling. Eli instantly braced herself as she heard them get nearer to her. With all the tall grasses around, it's difficult to see the approaching company.

"Listen, Angelica, they took you here because they knew you're a potential ally. Now, try to act as villainous as possible. Don't wail like a toddler or act like a damsel in distress. Do your best to trick them to at least spare you," Venus explained with a stern expression, much to Eli's bewilderment.

In high society, a social mask is a must for every noble. It's more than an act of deception, however, for it is meant to protect oneself in a world where certain people would search for others' vulnerabilities in order to take advantage of them. Such is a similar case in their current predicament. If Eli were to spill the beans that she's not exactly who they accounted her for, it'd be like showing a damaged merchandise to a client.

It might even get to the point where they'll have no reason to keep her there, and ultimately, vanquish her.

"Whaaa...? Can you just take over me for now?" Eli whimpered, almost pleading.

"You're sorry for the trouble, right? Now, take responsibility," Venus chided through gritted teeth before fading out of view, leaving her stupefied.

Eli didn't know that Venus was capable of such humour.

She wasn't also aware that she caused this big of a trouble.