Anna steeled herself, her head elevated and her eyes cold. "Very well. About the break in that took place two days ago,"

"You’re accusing me of attacking you?" Leon growled, his eyes furious.

"Why? Third time’s a charm, isn’t it? You already tried to kill me twice. Your innocent act is terribly unconvincing, General."

Leon made to move. Azul pushed the dagger closer, drawing a small drop of blood and freezing Leon in place.

"Who’s to say you didn’t hire someone to do your dirty work?" Anna went on, getting the hang of it. She smiled, a sweet and innocent smile sharpened into a blade. "A faceless shadow. Someone who could easily vanish without a trace. Matter of fact, of everyone in this place, you know the castle in and out."

No one moved.

Leon scoffed. "This is ridiculous."

"Is it? Everyone knows how much you hate me. You have a clear motive for my murder, General. Perhaps you feel disgusted being indebted to me and want to level the playing field."

"I would never—"

"Oh, but you did. Twice."

He didn’t answer.

Anna felt a rush of power so strong her knees shook and goosebumps covered her skin.

She turned to the guards. "Arrest him."

The guards hesitated, throwing nervous glances between Leon and her.

Her eyes darkened and her spores flared a pale purple. "Did I stutter?"

"No, your highness!"

Anna stared at Leon. He looked ready to murder her. Actually murder her, crack her skull open and spill her brains all over the floor.

"It would be a shame whipping our General. Tell me, would you still take the hit for him?"

"Affirmative." Leon hissed.

Something in Anna hardened. "Have him whipped. Ten lashes."

"Yes, your highness!" The guards exclaimed.

Anna spun on her heel so she wouldn’t see his face. "Azul, come with me." Her voice shook and her hands trembled. She grabbed her skirt and held it tightly.

Azul stepped out from behind Leon and bowed. "As you wish, your highness."

Anna walked away, all the way to the library without stopping. Azul followed behind her, a massive and silent shadow.

[Ding!]

Anna twitched marginally in response to the System.

[Congratulations on completing your task, hostie~ you did wonderful!]

[275,000 villain points awarded! An extra 20,000 points for creativity and cruelty. Domestic violence is so in, don’t you think?]

Anna gripped her skirt together, her jaw tightening.

[Just like a true villainess~]

[Two surprise packages, two Plot Reveals and five original memories granted as a bonus.]

"Your highness?" Azul’s voice made Anna pause and turn to him. "You’re bleeding," he gestured to her palms.

Her nails lengthened into sharp claws, slicing through the soft flesh of her palm. Anna stared at the blood, bright red, full of life. The pain registered. But she didn’t want it to stop.

If I cause pain, I deserve pain back.

Even in this world.

So she grit her teeth and kept moving. "I’m fine."

News quickly spread through the palace. The Princess had her husband, the General, arrested and whipped.

The Council wasn’t surprised. They already speculated that her previous defense of him was an act promising future cruelty, and they were right all along.

The king and queen were happy. The General had hurt their daughter twice. And everyone knew the Princess wasn’t to be messed with.

The servants trembled with fresh fear. If the Princess didn’t spare her legal husband from punishment, who are mere servants?

The other husbands got the news.

Kai barely reacted, although his eyes darkened to a stormy blue and he spent the rest of his day lurking in the shadows but not coming close to Anna.

And somewhere in a hidden location, a locked up snake beastman grinned with pride.

Somewhere in the rafters, Ray stirred.

His eyes opened, his brows furrowed in worry. He heard her heartbeat, and his findings were alarming. Lately, he had been tuning out most sounds and focusing solely on the Flower Princess and her crazy heartbeat.

But today, it was different.

80bpm.

The lowest he’s heard from her in days.

An unfamiliar feeling rose inside him. Shivers raced up his spine, and he felt the way he had when he first met the Princess.

The overwhelming presence of a heartless woman.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

He jumped down from the rafters and went to find her. She was in the library. He made to approach her, only to freeze in his tracks.

She’s different.

She wasn’t smiling. Her face was stern and focused as she flipped through three books at once. She didn’t gasp and do her crazy dances like she did the previous time.

It was like watching her. The old her.

Ray touched the collar. He didn’t know when he started to differentiate between the Old Princess and the New version of her.

But somewhere in the past few days, a line had began to show.

He looked at her again.

He feared that line was an illusion. A carefully crafted illusion. And she has been the princess all along. Nothing changed, and this was one of her many experiments. She was always ten steps ahead of everyone.

He felt foolish that he had believed she changed.

Ray didn’t know why he felt disappointed.

Meanwhile.

Anna was in a pickle.

I don’t understand shit!

The book Anna was reading "The Magnificent Eastern Empire: A History Carved In Brilliance" was an extensive record of the East Empire’s history, and half of it was mind bending.

Hours had gone by and Anna was still in thr library. Bella came by to deliver her nutrient pills and medicated water. Anna kept going, eager to find out about the detectors and shields that Leon was talking about.

And what she found blew her mind.

Not only was Princess Orchid the most evil woman in the history of the Eastern Empire, she was also the most brilliant.

She was so young, yet she was already in the history books. In the human world she’d be hailed as a prodigy.

In this world, she was called the "Once in a Thosuand Year Genius" and she was exactly that.

Anna felt a twinge of jealousy.

Maybe in this life, I’ll know what it’s like to be important. To be something. Someone.

A thought came to Anna’s mind.

"System, I’d like to use one plot reveal."

[What would you like to know?]

"How does Princess Orchid end in this story?"

The System was silent for two minutes.

[She dies.]

"When does that happen?"

[Would you like to use another plot reveal?]

"Yes."

[This happens at the 80% mark of the book, after Princess Lotus wakes from her coma]

Anna blood ran cold.

She had so many more questions. But only one plot reveal left.

She had to do it. She had to know.

"Who killed her?"

[...]

[host, perhaps ask another question.]

"Who killed her?"

The System hesitated.

[Leon.]

Anna sat with the revelation. The horrible realization that Leon was a real threat. He didn’t just hate her, he loathed her. He killed Princess Orchid.

It wasn’t hard to guess why he did it, especially since it coincided with Princess Lotus waking up.

Cold blanketed Anna. She wrung her hands together in her lap, her chest tightening in fear.

"She died alone...no one...no one helped her."

[Yes. Don’t forget that she’s the villainess of this story. It’s only natural that the male leads will eventually leave her for the real female lead.]

Anna laughed bitterly. She stared at the history book, the detailed accounts of Princess Orchid’s contributions to the Eastern Empire.

She gave so much. Her inventions kept the kingdom safe for years. She improved the lives for the army. She kickstarted the weapon trade that made the East respected and feared.

Why couldn’t she just be good? She could have been worshiped. Named a goddess. She had crazy impressive brains. She had beauty. She had power. Why on earth did she choose to be evil?!

[Host, don’t allow this to bother you. The Plot Reveal shows the future, yes. But this future isn’t set in stone.] 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Don’t patronize me. This book is complete, isn’t it? And You’ve seen it yourself. Leon has tried to kill me twice already. At this rate, he’ll succeed before the 80% mark."

[You don’t know that.]

"But you do."

The System didn’t reply.

Anna sucked her teeth and laughed. "I thought so."

[There’s a reason the future should remain unknown, host.]

Anna didn’t say anything. She quietly went back to the book, her mind reeling.

She felt like a giant clock counting down to her death had appeared over her head. And everyone except her could read it.

"Show me my stats."

A blue screen appeared immediately.

[Name: Anna Carson, Currently Anna DeMarchess, the Princess Orchid

Age: 20

Species: Cat/Orchid beastbloom

Current spore efficiency: 25%

Total Villain points: 526,000

Villain points required to goal change: 1,974,000

Rewards available: Persuasive voice (permanent). Five original memories. Two surprise packages.

Is there anything else you’d like to know, host?]