Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Crazy Heroine

Khaterine stumbled slightly as she bumped into someone outside Richmond’s office.

Her face immediately contorted in irritation, but it froze the moment she looked up and saw Richard standing there, his sharp gaze fixed on her.

“Khaterine,” Richard said, his voice calm but laced with suspicion. “What are you doing outside my brother’s office?”

Khaterine straightened her posture, feigning nonchalance as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Nothing that concerns you,” she replied dismissively, brushing past him in an attempt to leave. Richard’s hand shot out, lightly gripping her arm to stop her.

“Nothing that concerns me? You’re lingering around the Major General’s office, Khaterine. That’s bound to raise questions. Why are you even in the base? Who let you in?”

She wrenched her arm free, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “I don’t owe you any explanations, Richard,” she snapped, her tone biting.

Before Richard could respond, the door from another office creaked open, and Richmond stepped out, his towering frame casting a long shadow in the corridor.

His piercing gaze landed first on Richard, then shifted to Khaterine, narrowing slightly.

“Khaterine,” Richmond said, his tone clipped and cold. “What are you doing here?”

Khaterine stiffened, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance. She hesitated, her mind racing to come up with a plausible excuse.

“I… I was just passing by,” she stammered, her earlier defiance melting into nervousness under Richmond’s scrutinizing stare.

“Passing by?” Richmond echoed, his voice dripping with skepticism. He folded his arms across his chest, his eyes boring into hers. “This is not the academy.”

“This hallway leads directly to my office and nowhere else. If you were just ‘passing by,’ then where were you planning to go?”

Khaterine faltered, her usual confidence crumbling. “I… I thought I’d…” she began, but Richmond cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand.

“Enough,” he said sternly. “If you have no legitimate business here, leave. Now.”

Khaterine’s face burned with humiliation as she glanced between the two brothers.

Richmond’s icy demeanor and Richard’s unrelenting stare left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and hurried down the corridor, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

As her figure disappeared around the corner, Richmond turned to Richard, his expression unreadable. “Why was she here?” he asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Richard replied, his voice edged with concern. “She seemed… out of place. Almost like she was eavesdropping or waiting for something.”

Richmond frowned, his jaw tightening. “Keep an eye on her,” he said after a moment. “I don’t trust her motives.”

Richard nodded, his mind already working to piece together the odd encounter.

Something about Khaterine’s presence outside Richmond’s office didn’t sit right with him, and he had no intention of letting it slide.

“Don’t worry, Brother,” Richard said, his voice low. “I’ll find out what she’s up to.”

As Richmond stepped into his office, a strange, acrid scent hit his nose, faint but unmistakable.

He paused, his instincts immediately on high alert, but before he could turn back, a thin, gray smoke began to fill the air around him.

His vision blurred, and a sudden wave of dizziness overtook him.

“Richard…” Richmond managed to rasp out before his legs gave way beneath him. He collapsed just as Richard rushed forward, catching him before he hit the floor.

“Brother!” Richard shouted, his voice laced with panic.

He glanced around, noticing the faint haze of smoke lingering in the air and the oddly sweet, chemical-like smell that accompanied it.

Without wasting a moment, he hoisted his brother over his shoulder and carried him out into the hallway, shouting for help.

“Get a medical team now!” Richard barked at the nearest soldier as he sprinted toward the academy’s medical wing.

Minutes later, Richmond was laid on a medical bed in the infirmary. Doctors and nurses hurried around him, setting up monitors and administering medicines.

With his head whirling and his fists clenched, Richard stood outside the room.

The thought of Khaterine loitering close to the office in the last few minutes before the awful incident kept coming back to him.

He pulled out his communication device and immediately contacted security. “This is Imperial Major Richard Mors.”

“Secure the academy premises and detain Khaterine Imee Lumagloria for questioning. She was the last person seen outside Major General Richmond Mors’ office before he collapsed.”

The officer on the other end acknowledged the command. “Understood, sir. We’ll locate and detain her immediately.”

Richard disconnected the call, his jaw tightening as he turned back toward the infirmary.

The scene played over and over in his head, Khaterine’s nervous demeanor, her vague excuse, and the timing of the attack. It all lined up too perfectly to be a coincidence.

A doctor approached him, her expression grave. “Sir, we’ve identified traces of a paralyzing agent in the Major General’s bloodstream.”

She did something…

“It was likely administered through inhalation. He’s stable for now, but it’s fortunate you acted quickly.”

Richard nodded, his chest tightening with anger. If he hadn’t been there, his brother might not have survived.

He would get to the bottom of this, and Khaterine would answer for her actions.

–

Meanwhile, Khaterine was cornered by security in one of the academy’s dormitories. Her expression shifted from confusion to indignation as they informed her of her detainment.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, her voice trembling with fear and outrage.

“You’re being brought in for questioning regarding an incident involving Major General Richmond Mors,” the officer stated flatly.

Khaterine’s eyes darted nervously, but she tried to maintain her composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is a mistake!”

“We’ll see about that,” the officer said, signaling for his team to escort her away.

As Khaterine was led toward the security office, Richard’s cold, calculating expression flashed in her mind. For the first time, her confidence faltered completely.

In my last life, Richard was never a hindrance to my happiness. Khaterine’s heart pounded as the security team escorted her down the academy’s dimly lit corridors.

Every step echoed ominously, amplifying the dread building inside her. Richard was kidnapped and he never got to enter the academy! Why was he even alive?

She stole a glance at the officers, searching for any signs of doubt or leniency, but their expressions were unreadable.

Her palms grew clammy as her mind raced, formulating excuses and denials for the confrontation she knew awaited her.