Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 106: THIRD POV.

He rubbed his hands together nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Might I plead with you to grant us one favor," he said, a nervous, shaky smile on his face as he looked up at the two figures on the balcony.

He looked incredibly desperate, his large shoulders slumping as he prepared to beg for their lives.

"If what you seek is a safe trip back to land, then consider it granted," Jacob replied without even waiting for the man to finish his sentence.

He knew exactly what a survivor of a pirate attack would ask for. They didn’t want gold or riches right now; they just wanted to feel solid dirt beneath their shoes and know they weren’t going to be sold into slavery.

Rudwig’s eyes widened on hearing him, a look of total shock freezing his features before a deeply grateful look emerged on his face.

It was as if a mountain of bricks had just been lifted off his chest. Not only his face changed, but the little silver-haired girl and the three maids looked up with bright, emotional eyes as well. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

One of the maids even started crying tears of relief, covering her face with her hands. The young man named Flounder didn’t smile, but his rigid posture relaxed just a tiny bit, his grip on his wounded side loosening.

’Not even going to ask for permission from your captain,’ Priscilla thought, holding back the strong urge to smile at Jacob’s immediate response. She glanced at the back of his head, highly entertained by how he just took control of the whole conversation and gave away promises without even glancing at her for approval.

For one who talked so much about being a perfect first mate and respecting the captain’s final word, he sure was taking matters into his own hands right now.

He had laid out a massive guarantee to these people without even a single glance in her direction to see if she was cool with it.

Of course, she had no intention of stopping his promise or making him look like a liar in front of their new guests.

She was actually quite happy with his decision, in fact, since it meant she could help the little girl as well.

Hearing about that small child being trapped in that cold cage under the dark water had struck a real chord with her.

Even if she was a rough and tough sea warrior, she wasn’t a heartless monster who would leave an innocent kid to die or turn them away when they were begging for a safe harbor.

"Alright, please, what is it you’d like to know," Rudwig said, bowing his head slightly as he adjusted his grip on the little girl’s small hand.

He looked ready to answer whatever they threw at him, just as long as it kept his companions safe from any more harm.

’ Now that’s more like it.’ Jacob was quite pleased with the current development.

"There’s a lot we’d like to know. For one..." Jacob started, leaning his forearms against the smooth wooden railing of the balcony. He looked down at the group with a steady, unblinking gaze that demanded honest answers.

"Who are you people... And why did those pirates seem so hellbent on eradicating you all?" he asked.

’ It’s not everyday you see pirates so hellbent on causing so much pain and suffering.

Sure evil pirates exist, but the level of cruelty he saw back there was completely uncalled for.

Why kill so many when they could be sold into slavery for a good profit? Or keeping the females onboard to relieve themselves in the future whenever they pleased.

While cruel, it was far more tactical than what they’d done back there.

********

The question hung heavily in the air between them, the word eradicating showing just how serious he was about the extreme violence they had witnessed today.

The pirates hadn’t just tried to rob them; they had tried to wipe out every single trace of their existence from the face of the earth.

"Isn’t that two questions, though?" the young man mumbled beneath his breath, his voice incredibly quiet as he kept his dark eyes fixed firmly on the deck.

He was still wary it seemed, his face tight, but his stubborn attitude clearly hadn’t changed one bit.

With Jacob’s keen senses, which were far more advanced than any regular human’s due to his unique nature, he obviously heard the boy’s quiet remark clear as a bell.

His eyes twitched for a fraction of a second, a small vein nearly popping on his forehead, but he didn’t speak out regarding it.

He deliberately chose to ignore the comment.

He wasn’t interested in wasting his breath or arguing with this young man right now when there were much bigger things to worry about.

He had a job to do, and an idiot who possessed not an ounce of awareness, wasn’t going to get under his skin.

"My name is Rudwig Benatos. I am but an attendant of her highness," Rudwig said, clearing his throat to draw the attention back to himself and away from the young man’s dangerous mouth.

He took a deep, steadying breath, pulling his shoulders back to try and find some of his old dignity despite being completely soaked from head to toe.

"Highness?" Jacob raised a brow, his gaze instantly shifting away from the chubby man and locking onto the little silver-haired girl who was trying her best to blend into Rudwig’s wet coat.

"Yes, indeed. All of us here are but loyal servants of young lady Rebecca. She is the only daughter of the current king of the Leones empire," Rudwig explained, his voice dropping into a highly respectful tone as he introduced the child.

’So she was a royal? No wonder those guards had such exquisite attire,’ Jacob said to himself, his mind immediately flashing back to the dead body he had found sinking in the dark water.

AN: So everyone, I’ve decided to abolish the power stone vending machine for now. I’ve noticed it’s not easy for you guys to meet the requirements so from now until further notice, I’ll be updating daily, sometimes 2, sometimes 3, in rare cases 1. So don’t fret and continue enjoying the story.