The Villainess Leader

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gem recognized him, as whenever her father's at home, he will come to their fortress to report military stuff. 
 
He's always stiff and solemn. It was intimidating at times with those fierce, dull eyes. 
 
Gem sized him up and nodded. Despite his intimidating demeanor, she couldn't deny the handsome and heroic aura he's emanating with that military uniform.
 
His features were striking—sword-like eyebrows, sharp contours, thin lips pressed in a grim line, and a commanding nose. His towering height demanded attention, forcing others to look up to meet his gaze.
 
This person embodies everything just and righteous, a principled individual, albeit overly serious.
 
According to the book, his fate was sealed, he would die on the battlefield a year after the male leads, accompanying the heroine and her other suitors in successfully finding her hometown. However, his sacrifice would not be in vain, as he would succeed in slaying the enemy's leader and boosting the soldiers' morale, ultimately securing victory at the cost of his own life.
 
His death would pave the way for Pierro, his younger brother and the sole remaining heir. 
 
Pierro was benefited by his brother's meritorious deeds and was given the title of general. And achieved a happily ever after with the heroine, of course sharing her with the other male leads. 
 
Gem couldn't help but feel disgust at the author's manipulation, reducing such a noble character to mere cannon fodder for the advancement of another. 
 
How pitiful. 
 
Lieutenant Wilde who suddenly received a pitiful look. "..."
 
"This Miss is indeed of House Barsocchini," Gem declared, rising to her feet and observing proper etiquette.
 
In that moment, Gem appeared composed and dignified, a stark contrast to her previous slump in the chair.
 
The lieutenant acknowledged her with a hum before turning his attention to the men on the floor, silently assessing the situation.
 
Gem's attention shifted as she heard hurried footsteps approaching—the knights, most likely.
 
Her family moved faster than she thought. Not even a day had passed before she was found, truly powerful.
 
Gem didn't bother to look at the men on the floor and strode out of the room, met with the incredulous gazes of the men who came to the rescue.
 
She paid no attention to the weird gazes as she entered the carriage and ordered the confused coachman to return to the mansion.
 
Upon arriving home, chaos greeted her. Everyone was running around, making her dizzy.
 
Gem couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she looked at them.
 
"Are they that worried about me?" she wondered. But she remembered that her temperament wasn't that good in this life either and could even be considered trash. So why? 
 
Everyone seemed too busy to notice her arrival until...
 
"M-my lady?" A servant's voice sounded, breaking the silence.
 
As if on cue, all eyes turned toward her, and the room fell silent.
 
"Gem? Oh, my daughter, thank goodness you're safe!" Mariyah ran to her, enveloping her in a warm embrace.
 
Feeling the familiar warmth, Gem finally relaxed. This was her mother after all. Though she had appeared carefree after subduing the thugs, Gem had never truly let her guard down.
 
After a moment, she hugged her mother back, a sweet smile blooming on her face.
 
"I'm home," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
 
Reluctantly, Gem pulled away from the hug, realizing she was dirty from her ordeal with the thugs.
 
"Are you hurt? Are you uncomfortable? Tell Mother" Mariyah said, checking Gem's body for injuries.
 
She noticed the bruise on Gem's wrist caused by the rope. Against her fair skin, it looked serious.
 
Gem also looked at it and was honestly surprised. Her wrist was purple, and the hands she used to exchange blows with the lieutenant looked even worse.
 
When did she become so delicate?
 
Mariyah's hands trembled as she carefully touched the bruise.
 
"Someone dared to hurt my poor baby? Tying her with a rope!? And what's with her hands!? Why are they black!?" Gem looked at her mother helplessly.
 
No doubt, her mother still exaggerates things.
 
Gem noted that her hands, though serious, were not black, just dark purple. She dared not say they weren't from the thugs, lest the stern lieutenant also face punishment. 
 
Let the blame fall on the thugs, none of this would have happened if not for them, after all.
 
Silently, Gem lit a candle for them.
 
"Call the physician." A man's voice broke through the commotion.
 
Gem looked up at the man, recognizing him as one of her brothers in this life. Tall and handsome in his military uniform, he bore a striking resemblance to her, though his features were more defined, giving him a commanding presence.
 
If he were in modern society, he could be an idol, popular with young girls.
 
Mariyah seemed to snap out of her daze, nodding vigorously. "Of course, of course. A physician, right away!"
 
Without warning, Gem's strength gave out, and she began to fall, but her brother caught her just in time.
 
"She needs rest, Mother. I'll take her to her room," he declared calmly.
 
"Yes, yes, forgive me. You must be scared. Take a rest, and I'll fetch the physician to your room. Where is that physician anyway!? Does he not want his job anymore!?" Mariyah exclaimed in frustration as chaos ensued once more, everyone scrambling to find the missing physician.
 
As Gem was princess-carried by her brother away from the foyer, the frantic voice of their mother faded into the distance.
 
This brother, named Percival, had been barely mentioned in the novel. As the second young master of the Barsocchini family, he naturally pursued a military career. At the age of 19, he held the rank of captain, with subordinates ranging from cadets to lieutenants.
 
 
Here's the structure of the military:
 
Cadet
Second lieutenant
First lieutenant
Captain
Major
Commander
Colonel
Commodore
Major General
Lieutenant General
General/admiral
Field Marshal (the highest rank)
 
In normal circumstances, he might have been hailed as a genius. However, being a supporting character in a romance novel meant he was destined for a less-than-ideal fate.
 
 
Gem sighed, realizing that everyone around her, regardless of their abilities, would likely meet a grim end. She bet that the author had water in his or her brain when he or she wrote this novel. Questioning the author's logic because how could the so-called male leads seem to achieve greatness by shirking responsibility and only knowing how to romanticize!? 
 
Gem could only sigh heavily again. What could she expect from a romance novel with no common sense? 
 
Percival heard his younger sister's heavy sighs. He noticed that ever since she came back, she'd been quiet. Could it be that she's frightened?
 
 'Normally', if she's wronged even in the slightest, she'll throw a tantrum for the whole day. Turning Barsocchini’s fortress up and down. 
 
He wasn't very familiar with this youngest, as he's often on the battlefield. Accumulating merits and defending the kingdom from invaders and bandits. 
 
But from the limited interactions they've had, he discerned her as arrogant, spoiled, willful, yet remarkably vulnerable. 
 
He peered down at the girl with her eyes closed in his arms, her small bruised hands tightly gripping his uniform as if seeking comfort. It was distressing.
 
Arriving in Gem's chamber, Percival gently laid her down on her bed.
 
He summoned some servants to assist Gem in taking a bath and changing into her nightgown.
 
Gem was truly exhausted, never imagining that her current body was so fragile that such a minor incident could take such a toll.
 
Percival tucked her in as they awaited the physician.
 
He still needs to investigate this matter, so after tucking her in, he turned around and opened the door. 
 
Just as he was about to step out of her room, he heard her soft and weak voice say, "Thank you, brother. Good night." If not for Percival's keen hearing, he might have missed it.
 
Stiffening, he glanced back at Gem, who had drooping eyes. Fighting her sleepiness.
 
His brows furrowed. "Rest," he instructed before completely leaving her bedroom and unconsciously closing the door gently. 
 
Percival paced the hallway, his brows so tightly knit together that they could catch a fly.
 
His proud sister had actually addressed him as "brother" and had acted coquettishly for the first time.
 
Was she subtly hinting at him to take care of the people who had kidnapped her? Was she requesting that he torture them?
 
What else did she want him to do when she attempted to please him by calling him brother?
 
Now, Percival was thinking about how to make those people responsible for this incident wish for death. 
 
Should he cut their hands for laying it on his sister? Incarcerate? Burn? Cutting their tongue? Gouging their eye balls out of their eye socket? Smashing their fingers one by one? Or skinning them alive? 
 
Gem lay with her eyes closed, her mind replaying the events of the day.
 
From going to the king to annul the engagement, comforting Alea, taking a stroll, and then being "kidnapped," her life was indeed full of events. 
 
In just a day, so much had transpired. But what could she expect when she was living inside a novel? Yes, she was currently inside a novel, and not just any character—an intriguing villainess at that.
 
Gem smirked, realizing that today's events had deviated from the plot. She had broken up with the prince instead of chasing after him like a fool.
 
Furthermore, she had advised Alea to give up on that dog of a man. In the novel, Alea, at this point, was still lonely and stressed due to business problems. These negative emotions led her to burst out whenever she saw Pierro and Alyzza together, ultimately going against the heroine and bringing about her own demise, landing her in prison. Gem couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at altering the course of events.
 
Gem couldn't shake off the grim fate that awaited Alea in the novel. 
 
Imprisoned by the man she once admired, she spent a year isolated in darkness.
 
Upon her release, she found Pierro gone, engrossed in his life with the heroine in a distant land.
 
Her family's businesses faced bankruptcy, leaving them with only a struggling inn barely making ends meet, reducing them to the status of commoners.
 
In the end, Alea met a tragic death—a knife piercing her chest in a dark street after a robbery. Alone.
 
But now, Gem hoped that their ending wouldn't be terrible and that her knowing the plot could change something. 
 
A fleeting smile graced her lips, but it faded quickly as she remembered something. 
 
So this is the reason why she felt as if she'd forgotten something. 
 
Today's event of kidnapping was in the plot. If she's not mistaken, this incident was orchestrated by Alyzza and taken into action by the leader of the bandits, one of Alyzza's suitors! 
 
And that she's not the only one who was kidnapped. It's fucking everyone! 
 
Gem bolted upright, the fatigue-induced drowsiness vanishing in an instant.
 
"Shoot!"
 

•~•

Apologies for the once-in-a blue moon update! Anyway, let's warmly welcome our new characters, Captain Percival Everard Maliah Aux Barsocchini and Lieutenant General Cassius Octavian Wilde (≧∇≦)/