Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 119

Chapter 119: A Confession
Richmond remembered that day vividly, though, at the time, it had seemed like just another passing encounter.

The academy grounds had been bustling with students, all eager to catch a glimpse of the visiting Major General.

He had been there to give a lecture on mecha warfare tactics, a subject he had mastered through years of grueling battles and strategic victories.

Yet, amidst the sea of curious faces, one figure stood out to him more than he cared to admit, Khaterine.

She was just another student then, young, impulsive, and undeniably persistent. He had seen her before, though he couldn’t recall when exactly.

It was strange how she always seemed to cross his path. Once by the courtyard fountain, another time in the training arena, and yet again in the simulation room.

Each time, she would glance his way with eyes filled with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He had dismissed it as coincidence.

After all, the academy wasn’t small, but it wasn’t vast enough to avoid running into the same people occasionally.

That particular day, Richmond had been standing by the central plaza, answering questions from students when a timid freshman approached him.

She was nervous, her voice trembling as she asked about maneuvering lightweight mechas during low-gravity operations.

Richmond listened patiently, offering a detailed explanation and even drawing a quick diagram on his datapad to illustrate the techniques he mentioned.

The girl’s eyes lit up with gratitude, and Richmond smiled faintly, pleased to see her enthusiasm.

But the moment shattered when a sharp voice cut through the conversation.

“What are you doing with him?” Khaterine’s tone was laced with jealousy, her steps hurried as she approached.

The freshman turned, startled, and Richmond raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Excuse me?” Richmond asked, shifting his gaze from the freshman to Khaterine.

“You,” Khaterine said, pointing at the girl, “shouldn’t be here. He’s not available for your silly questions.”

The freshman stammered an apology, glancing between Richmond and Khaterine before scurrying away, leaving Richmond baffled.

“Khaterine, isn’t it?” he asked, crossing his arms. “That was unnecessary.”

Her face flushed with anger and something deeper, something uncomfortably close to obsession.

“She was bothering you. I know you don’t like being approached like that,” she said confidently, as if she understood him better than he understood himself.

Richmond frowned. “I don’t mind students asking for help. It’s why I’m here.”

“But you’re not here for her,” Khaterine said, voice trembling with intensity. “You’re here for me. Don’t you remember?”

“Remember?” Richmond repeated, confused.

Khaterine stepped closer. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears, but her lips were pressed into a determined line.

“We’ve always been connected,” she whispered. “Even if you don’t remember it now. In every life, in every world, it’s always been us.”

The words unsettled Richmond. He took a step back, his mind struggling to grasp the weight of what she was saying. “We’ve never met before this academy,” he said carefully.

“That’s what you think,” Khaterine said, her voice breaking. “But I remember. I remember the wars, the betrayals, the promises. I remember you.”

Richmond’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t believe in destiny or reincarnation. He was a soldier, grounded in reality, in the cold calculations of strategy and survival.

Yet, something in her eyes made him hesitate. It was as though she were speaking a truth buried so deeply that he couldn’t reach it.

“You’re mistaken,” he said firmly, forcing the doubt away. “I’m a Major General. My duty is to the empire and my responsibilities. I don’t have time for… this.”

Her expression twisted into one of heartbreak. “Why do you always say that?” she asked, more to herself than to him.

“Why do you always put your duty first? Don’t you see that it destroys us every time?”

Richmond turned away, uncomfortable with the conversation. “I think you should see the counselor,” he said over his shoulder.

“You’re clearly distressed, and I don’t want to escalate this.”

He walked away, expecting her to shout after him or cause another scene. But she didn’t.

When he glanced back, she was standing frozen in place, tears streaming down her cheeks as she whispered words he couldn’t hear.

That night, Richmond tried to forget about the encounter. He buried himself in reports and simulations, but Khaterine’s voice echoed in his mind.

“We’ve always been connected… in every world, it’s always been us.”

Days passed, and he continued his duties as if nothing had happened. But Khaterine didn’t disappear.

She began appearing in the background of every event he attended, standing at the edge of the crowd during his speeches, sitting in the back row during tactical meetings, and even passing by his office window when she had no reason to be there.

The encounters became so frequent that Richmond reported the behavior to the academy administration.

They assured him it would be handled, but nothing changed.

Eventually, he started to feel her presence even when she wasn’t there, as though she had embedded herself into the very fabric of his surroundings.

Then came the night of the blood moon. Richmond had stayed late in the training hall, calibrating a prototype mecha.

As he left the building, the academy grounds were bathed in crimson light. He paused, unsettled by the eerie glow, when a voice whispered from the shadows.

“Richmond.”

He turned sharply and saw Khaterine standing beneath a gnarled tree, her pale face illuminated by the red moonlight.

“I remember everything,” she said softly. “Even if you don’t. I know you feel it too.”

Richmond clenched his fists, trying to resist the strange pull in his chest. He didn’t believe in fate or reincarnation, but something about this moment felt inevitable.

“You need help, Khaterine,” he said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“I need you,” she corrected, stepping closer.

The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet, and Richmond’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.

He reached for his communicator to call for backup, but the device shorted out in his hands.

Before he could react, shadows rose from the earth and coiled around his legs. Panic surged through him as the darkness crept higher, tightening like a vice.

“It’s time you remembered too,” Khaterine whispered, her eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

Richmond struggled, but the shadows were relentless. His last coherent thought was that he should have walked away sooner. Then the darkness swallowed him whole.