Why do I keep attracting Villainesses?

Chapter 108: THIRD POV. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Priscilla, on the other hand, stared at Jacob with interest rather than surprise. While the rest of the group looked like they had just seen a ghost drop from the sky, she simply leaned her chin on her large, furry palm and looked at her first mate with a deep, knowing smile.

This man surprised her yet again.

First was regarding how to become a so called legendary ruler of the seas, and now this.

Every single time she thought she had him figured out, he would open his mouth and reveal a piece of information that no regular person should ever have access to.

Or so it seemed.

He was like a walking book of secrets, and she was becoming more and more glad that she had dragged him onto her ship.

’I can’t believe I actually changed the story,’ Jacob thought to himself, his mind racing as he stared down at the completely frozen group of survivors.

The weight of his actions was finally starting to settle into his bones, making his chest feel tight.

’Wait, this isn’t even the first time,’ he realized, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked out toward the open sea.

By that, he meant him saving Persephone from dying, or technically saving her, had changed the future course of the story already.

In the original version of the book he had read back in his old life, Persephone was supposed to be a tragic figure who met a terrible end early on, sparking a chain of dark events. By stepping in and altering her fate, he had already shattered the true timeline.

Saving Rebecca, if you thought about it, was an even bigger problem. If she was alive, it meant she still had access to the throne.

She was a legitimate royal heir to the Leones empire, a direct piece of the puzzle that could decide who ruled one of the most powerful nation on the mainland.

And the only reason the Leones empire ever went to war with the merfolk in the first place in the original story was due to the specific person who took over the crown at the time.

’The crown prince... Astaris,’ Jacob frowned heavily at the bare mention of the name in his thoughts.

This was one of the major antagonists of the novel, a figure he remembered reading about with a sense of pure disgust.

A man who was as shrewd as he was cruel. Astaris didn’t care about honor, justice, or the lives of his people; he only cared about absolute control and power.

In the original book, the main protagonist seemed to have a very deep, burning grudge against this man in particular, a hatred so intense that it drove the entire plot forward through waves of blood and war.

’Wait a minute...’ Something suddenly clicked in Jacob’s mind, like two heavy gears finally locking together after spinning aimlessly for hours.

Why would the protagonist hate this particular antagonist so much?

Sure, Astaris was a bad person who did terrible things to a lot of people, but true hatred grew depending on the specific reason behind it.

The hatred described in the novel seemed deeply personal, as if it was due to the loss of a loved one, someone precious who had been taken away in the most brutal manner possible.

And coincidentally... it was around this exact time in the timeline of the novel that the protagonist actually began his long, bloody journey for revenge.

The timing was too perfect, the details matching up with the calendar of events he had tried so hard to remember.

This wasn’t some random coincidence. The sea was too vast for things to just happen by accident like this.

’It’s as if... Wait, could it be?’ Jacob’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly stared intently at the young guy standing next to Little Rebecca, his sharp eyes scanning every single detail of the boy’s face, his posture, and the way he held himself.

’His name is literally Flounder. It’s not a coincidence.’

’I can’t believe I missed it. It’s really him!’ A broad, unstoppable grin suddenly emerged on Jacob’s face, his lips curling up into a wide smile that probably looked a bit crazy to the people staring up at him.

To think he’d unintentionally run into the so-called protagonist of the story of the Knight of Blood and War, out here in the middle of nowhere at sea.

The very hero of the book, the legendary warrior who would eventually shake the entire world with his sword, was currently standing on the deck of the First Hornet as a weak, injured, young adult who could barely keep his own against him.

’So that’s how it is... Little Rebecca dies tragically due to her wicked brother’s influence, probably drowning right in that cage like she was supposed to, and a vengeful Flounder here goes on a massive, world-spanning quest to sate his thirst for vengeance against the crown prince...’

The pieces of the puzzle were completely clear now. In the original timeline, nobody came to save the ship.

The pirates twisted the cage, threw the princess into the deep ocean, and killed everyone else to bury what happened at sea.

And Astaris must’ve proclaimed her missing or assassinated.

Flounder who was the only survivor and the last person who knew the truth, must have been the sole survivor, dragged away by the currents, carrying the heavy trauma of failing to protect the little girl, which eventually turned him into a monster of war.

’Gosh, is this a great turn of events,’ Jacob thought, his inner dialogue filled with an absolute sense of excitement.

This was exactly what he was hoping for when he realized he was trapped in this fictional world.

Now that he’d run into this idiot, perhaps he could turn this darn story around entirely, unlike the absolute trashy novel he’d read back in his room.

He could fix the plot holes, stop the useless wars before they even started, and make sure the people who actually deserved to live didn’t end up as stepping stones for a messy, tragic plot.