Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 107: THIRD POV.

’But wait... isn’t the Leones empire the very one who engaged in battle with the merfolk? The same ones who would go on to kill Persephone in the story?’ Jacob’s thoughts suddenly took a dark, heavy turn as his memories from his past life came rushing back into his head.

’ Why on earth would a princess of such a powerful nation, be all the way out here at sea, and attacked by pirates no less.’

It just didn’t add up.

His heart started to beat a little faster against his ribs. He knew the name of that empire all too well from the lore of the world he had landed in.

They were a powerful, aggressive nation known for their massive military strength and their brutal hatred for the sea dwellers.

He really did not expect to run into this specific nation so incredibly soon on his journey.

’Was the reason for that entire future war due to this child?’ He couldn’t help staring at little Rebecca for a long moment, his eyes scanning her small, shy face.

Had her disappearance or something involving her sparked the massive, bloody conflict that would eventually cost Persephone her life?

’No... that can’t be. There’s no way Persephone would ever harm a child like her, no matter how angry she got. Besides, I don’t recall ever reading about a princess of Leones named Rebecca from the story back then,’ he thought, his brow furrowing deeply as he tried to piece the puzzle together.

He had memorized so many details of the original tale, yet this little girl didn’t ring a single bell.

’Don’t tell me... Just like Persephone, she was destined to die in the early stages before the main story even began?’ The more Jacob thought to himself, the more he found himself delving deeper and deeper into the dark, hidden secrets of the story.

If he hadn’t changed his path, if he hadn’t forced Priscilla to sail out here today under his new rules, this cage would have sunk to the very bottom of the sea. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Little Rebecca would have drowned in total darkness, and the world would have moved on without anyone ever knowing what happened to her. By saving her, he had officially thrown a massive wrench into the timeline of the world.

"Wait a minute," Priscilla suddenly spoke up, her deep, raspy voice cutting through Jacob’s silent thoughts like a sharp knife.

"Umm... Yes? Captain?" Rudwig said, his voice turning incredibly nervous the moment the giant tiger-woman finally decided to speak up. He looked up at her massive frame, his round belly shaking slightly as he waited for her judgment.

"Captain is fine," she said, waving her large hand slightly, not going into any unnecessary details about her full name or her background.

"You’re saying this young lass is of royal blood? Actual imperial royalty from the mainland?" she said, her large golden eyes glancing down at little Rebecca, who was still hiding fearfully behind Rudwig’s broad frame.

"That is correct, Captain. She carries the true blood of the leones throne," Rudwig answered, nodding his head repeatedly to emphasize the absolute truth of his words.

"And yet you were hunted down by three meager pirate ships?" she said, a heavy tone of doubt bleeding into her voice. She leaned over the balcony rail, her ears pointing forward.

"An empire like Leones has hundreds of massive warships, elite naval captains, and soldiers who can march through fire. Yet a royal princess is out here in the deep sea with just one weak cargo ship, getting chased down and nearly murdered by a small pack of basic hoodlums? That doesn’t make any sense to me."

"I know it’s hard to believe, but let’s just say her highness is in an incredibly difficult position at the moment," Rudwig sighed, his face falling as a look of deep sorrow and shame covered his features.

He looked down at the wooden deck, unable to meet her intense golden gaze. "We couldn’t call for the imperial navy. We couldn’t use the official royal ports. We had to flee in total secrecy, using whatever hidden transport we could find just to get her away from the capital."

Jacob watched the old attendant’s expression for a second before a sudden realization clicked in his brain.

He remembered the basic political setup of the Leones empire from the background history he had read long ago. The pieces of the puzzle instantly fell right into place.

"You’re being targeted by the other heirs to the throne, aren’t you.... Due to the current king having fallen sick," Jacob said, his voice calm, flat, and completely certain.

"How’d you?!"

This time, the entire group of survivors was completely stunned. Rudwig’s jaw dropped open so wide it looked like it might unhinge, his blue eyes popping out of his head.

The three maids let out collective gasps of pure horror, instantly snapping their heads up to stare at Jacob as if he were a ghost.

Even the stubborn, silent young man named Flounder completely lost his cool; his eyes widened in absolute shock, his mouth hanging open as a look of deep panic covered his pale face.

They all stared up at Jacob with wide, terrified eyes, their bodies freezing completely.

Currently, it still wasn’t public knowledge anywhere in the world that the great king of Leones had fallen terribly ill, nor was it known outside the palace walls that the royal family had entered into a bloody, silent infighting for the crown.

It was a deadly state secret, hidden behind layers of lies and heavily guarded palace walls to prevent a massive civil war.

So hearing the exact truth spoken so casually by a total stranger out in the middle of the empty sea was definitely a massive, terrifying shock to their entire system.

They looked at him now not just as a savior, but as someone who knew things he shouldn’t possibly know.

’ Ayi.... Maybe I shouldn’t have said that in the first place.’ Jacob thought to himself, regretting opening his mouth about it in the first place.