Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 51 -: 50 Elizabeth Augustus Hayes!

A soft, feminine voice floated in from the entrance like a summer breeze, except this breeze carried the faint promise of a storm.

"It has been a while, Archbishop Raven."

The moment those words rang out, every single person in the throne room, knights, attendants, guards, even the stone-faced attendants near the walls, dropped into a deep, respectful bow.

Archbishop Raven bowed lowest of all.

"Indeed it has, Lady Elizabeth," he replied smoothly, still bowed. "Far too long."

"No need to be so formal," the woman said with a light chuckle as she stepped fully into the room.

The instant she appeared, a ripple of quiet awe spread through the hall.

It wasn’t just her presence; it was the way she carried herself, like she owned every inch of air she breathed.

Long golden-blonde hair cascaded down her back like liquid sunlight.

Her eyes were a striking ruby-red, bright and gem-like. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Her face was breathtaking, perfectly sculpted, almost too beautiful to be real.

Yet there was that tiny edge of arrogance curling her lips, mixed with something playful and mischievous.

Anyone who knew Julius would instantly see the family resemblance: same sharp beauty, same spark of trouble in the eyes.

This was Elizabeth Augustus Hayes, wife of the current patriarch, Nathaniel, and proud mother of Julius.

"You’re still as up tight as ever, Archbishop Raven," she said, her tone warm and teasing.

"Hoho, you flatter an old man, my lady," Raven replied with a genuine smile, straightening up.

Elizabeth laughed softly and continued walking toward the throne with graceful, unhurried steps.

Nathaniel, who had been the picture of calm confidence the entire conversation, suddenly looked like a man who’d just remembered he left the stove on for three days.

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his face. His long black hair seemed to droop a little.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat twice.

"Ahem, Eli..." he started, voice cracking just the tiniest bit. "What... what are you doing here?"

Elizabeth stopped right in front of the throne.

She tilted her head slightly, eyes closed in a sweet crescent-moon smile, lips curved in perfect innocence.

But.

A single, angry vein throbbed visibly on her smooth forehead.

"Husband," she said.

Her voice dropped to something soft... cold... and dangerously polite.

"We had an agreement, didn’t we?"

She opened her eyes.

Those ruby-red gems darkened like storm clouds rolling in at sunset.

"By any chance... did you forget?"

The throne room went dead silent.

Nathaniel swallowed once. Hard.

["Please, wife, don’t do it,"] Nathaniel sent through a mental transmission, voice low and pleading in her mind. ["You know I wanted to meet our son too, but that son of a—"]

Elizabeth’s ruby eyes snapped to him like twin daggers.

He shut up instantly.

[How many times have I warned you not to use that kind of language?] she transmitted back, tone icy enough to frost the throne room windows.

[What if my sweet boy picks up that garbage from you?]

[But...] Nathaniel tried, very weakly.

She didn’t let him finish.

In one smooth motion, Elizabeth turned away from her sweating husband and faced the room full of wide-eyed knights, attendants, and the still-bowed Archbishop Raven.

Her face transformed in a heartbeat, back to warm, graceful, perfectly composed lady of the house.

"My apologies, everyone," she said sweetly, voice like honey over silk.

"My husband and I had a small... agreement. We were both supposed to travel to the continent of Alaskar to visit Julius. He’s studying at the Royal Arcane Academy right now."

She gave a tiny, motherly sigh, as if the whole thing was just a harmless family misunderstanding.

Archbishop Raven straightened up with an easy smile and waved a hand casually.

"No problem at all, Lady Elizabeth," he said warmly.

"It’s only natural. The Patriarch has been quite busy lately, hasn’t he?" He let out a soft, knowing chuckle.

"Haha," Elizabeth laughed lightly in return, covering her mouth with delicate fingers.

"You’re right, Archbishop. But you know how it is, a mother’s heart can’t be helped."

She glanced sideways at Nathaniel.

Just one tiny, lightning-quick glance.

Nathaniel sat very still on his throne.

The sweat on his forehead had somehow multiplied.

He looked like a man who had just remembered every life choice that led to this exact moment.

Elizabeth lightly cleared her throat and smoothly pulled her sharp gaze away from her very nervous husband.

"Ahem. Anyway, Archbishop Raven," she said, voice once again warm and perfectly polite, "you came here to invite our family to the Saint Trial, correct?"

"Yes, exactly!" Archbishop Raven’s face lit up like a lantern.

He nodded eagerly, clearly relieved the conversation had swung back to safer ground.

"Her Holiness would be deeply honored if the Hayes Clan could grace the event with its presence."

Elizabeth gave a small, graceful nod.

"As I’ve told you," she continued, letting her words float gently through the room, "my son Julius is currently studying at the Royal Arcane Academy on Alaskar."

She paused for just a heartbeat, long enough for everyone to picture the handsome, troublemaking young man who looked so much like both his parents.

"I haven’t seen him in quite a few months now," she added softly, a genuine touch of motherly longing slipping into her tone.

"So I was thinking... why not travel to the continent of Alaskar myself?"

"I can attend the Saint Trial as the representative of our family, and once the sacred event concludes, I’ll pay my sweet boy a little visit at the academy."

*Gulp.*

Nathaniel’s throat worked visibly. Loudly.

Every eye in the throne room slowly turned toward him. Knights. Attendants.

The most powerful man on half the continent suddenly looked like he’d rather face a dragon raid than this particular family discussion.

Elizabeth turned her head toward him, ruby eyes sparkling with perfect innocence.

"So," she said sweetly, "I will be accepting the invitation on behalf of the Hayes Clan."

She tilted her head just a fraction, smile never wavering.

"Would that be alright with you... husband?"

The silence that followed could have been cut with a butter knife.

Nathaniel opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

He glanced around at the sea of politely curious faces staring back at him.

Then he looked at his wife, really looked at her.

The vein on her forehead had mysteriously vanished. Her smile was angelic. Too angelic.

He knew that smile.

He also knew what happened when that smile stayed on too long without getting what it wanted.

Nathaniel drew in a slow, defeated breath.

"...Of course, dear," he said, voice remarkably steady for a man whose soul had just left his body for a brief vacation.

"That sounds... perfect."

Elizabeth’s smile bloomed into something genuinely warm and pleased.

"Wonderful!" she chirped, clapping her hands together once. "Then it’s settled."

She turned back to Archbishop Raven, all grace and sunshine again.

"Please tell Her Holiness that the Hayes Clan will be honored to attend."

"I look forward to witnessing this historic Saint Trial!"