The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 26

The Young Lady is acting strange.

Ever since she returned from her outing, she’s been glaring at me oddly and blatantly scanning my body, leaving me with a rather peculiar feeling.

‘What is this?’

It felt like being sexually harassed on the subway.

Maybe it’s because a pretty woman is looking at me.

Strangely, it didn’t feel bad.

-Softly.

I waved my hand lightly.

The Young Lady followed the motion of my hand with her face.

‘Oh…!’

I discovered something amusing.

When I spun my hand left and right, the Young Lady moved her head to follow it, and when I moved it up and down, she nodded.

‘Down. Up. Left. Right. Again.’

How many times did I repeat it?

“Damn it!”

The Young Lady threw the fork she was holding at me. Why was she staring at someone else’s body? I easily dodged it and handed her a new fork.

“Young Lady.”

“What?”

“What are you looking at so intently? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“No, but I am uncomfortable.”

The Young Lady looked up at me.

Sitting on the bed, she glanced at me and then nodded her head.

“I’m fine.”

I wasn’t asking about her feelings, though.

“Take responsibility for the wounds you’ve caused my heart.”

The Young Lady didn’t even respond.

She continued to stare at my wrist. If her gaze had a temperature, my wrist might have suffered a third-degree burn by now.

Normally, we’d be enjoying a happy time of her throwing forks and knives in anger over the evening’s paprika-filled menu. But today, she seemed more curious about me than the food.

Prioritizing me over food?

Am I finally stepping into the ranks of a successful butler?

For some strange reason, I felt good.

Even while setting the table and serving the food on the bed, the Young Lady’s gaze lingered on my wrist.

She lowered her head, trying to peek inside my sleeve.

I lightly curled my fingers and flicked her forehead.

“Ack!”

The Young Lady clenched her fist.

“That hurt!”

“I hit you so it would hurt.”

“Why did you hit me!”

“Because you kept staring.”

“I wasn’t staring.”

“Liar.”

The Young Lady quickly turned her head toward the window, avoiding eye contact.

“I wasn’t staring!”

Whether it was in the past or now, looking at the window while lying hadn’t changed.

“What do you mean you weren’t staring? You were looking so hard at my sleeve that I thought it might catch fire. I almost died from the heat.”

“It wasn’t hot. I was looking at you with the coldest gaze possible.”

“So you admit you were looking.”

The Young Lady couldn’t say anything.

She pressed her lips together tightly.

She poked at her stew.

“Why doesn’t this damn stew have any meat! This is meat abuse. It’s disrespectful to meat!”

“But it’s healthy.”

“I don’t accept that.”

I ended the dinner by feeding her a piece of paprika.

I should rest in my room today.

And then it happened.

The Young Lady drank her milk and let out a satisfied “Ah,” as if signaling overtime work, stopping my heart as I waited to clock out.

“Ah, Ricardo, I’m going to take a bath.”

“What?”

What on earth is this woman saying?

A bath after the maid has clocked out? A massive bomb dropped on the heart of this Confucian Boy, and I flinched my shoulders.

The Young Lady looked up at me.

With her cat-like eyes, she stared at me. Her wide-open eyes sent a powerful threat that if I refused, she’d go on a hunger strike.

This time, I turned my head toward the window.

“Don’t avoid my gaze.”

“I’m not avoiding it. The sun is just too bright.”

“It’s 9 PM right now. How is the sun out!”

“Sometimes it might be, don’t you think? Maybe the moon is tired.”

“Nonsense!”

“Woof.”

The Young Lady loved baths.

To the point where she’d pass out in the tub.

She loved soaking in hot water.

When she submerged herself in the bath, she’d go “Hooee” like a slime, and when it was time to get out, she’d cry “Ugh!” in protest, truly embodying her passion for bathing.

She was so devoted to baths that collecting bath bombs became a hobby.

It was a clean and hygienic hobby, which was nice, but the Young Lady took it too far.

Mint-Scented Bath Bomb.

Beef-Scented Bath Bomb.

Lamb-Scented Bath Bomb.

She collected all sorts of bizarre bath bombs.

After Becoming a Beggar, she gave up her strange hobby, but her desire for bath bombs still hadn’t faded.

‘When I have time, maybe I should make bath bombs with her.’

I felt proud thinking of an activity to enjoy with her, but when I remembered her peculiar Bathing Philosophy, my shoulders trembled again.

When the Young Lady was ten years old.

She stripped off her clothes in the valley and said this:

-You know, bathing is done naked! Bathing with clothes on is just doing laundry. Got it, Beggar!

-Please put your clothes back on.

-No!

The Young Lady insisted on bathing naked. Knowing her unique philosophy that bathing with clothes on was no different from doing laundry—

I asked her in a tense voice.

“You’re saying you want to take a bath now?”

When I asked for confirmation, the Young Lady gave a short, decisive answer.

“Yes. I’m sticky from sweating.”

“You won’t die if you skip a day.”

“No, I might die.”

“Then I’ll bring you a warm wet towel.”

The Young Lady firmly said.

“I’m going to soak in warm water.”

Added a condition.

“Take everything off.”

Oh my, oh my. What is this woman saying right now? Is she seriously suggesting this in front of a fully grown man?

Contrary to my bold thoughts, my pupils shook greatly. Whether in my Previous Life or Current Life, he was undeniably a Handsome Man, but still, an inexperienced greenhorn when it came to women.

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

A Young Lady who loves baths.

And a Butler trying to protect his dignity as a man.

“I refuse.”

“Why…”

“Well, because I am a man, am I not? And a perfectly handsome one at that.”

“You’re not handsome.”

“Don’t lie.”

“…It’s true.”

The Young Lady puffed her cheeks.

It seemed she disliked the Butler who was rejecting her request despite her insistence. Though my resolve wavered, I couldn’t abandon the old saying that men and women shouldn’t sit together after the age of seven.

“Hmm.”

The Young Lady glared at me again.

This time, the Young Lady began smirking as she glanced at my sleeve and body.

She truly looked like a pervert.

“Hehe.”

“What is that laugh supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

Despite saying that, the Young Lady’s gaze was fixed on the window.

“Then let’s do it this way….”

***

“Take this!”

I threw the Young Lady straight into the bathhouse. With a splash, she fell into the bathtub.

Seeing the Young Lady, now soaking wet, glaring at me with a grudge-filled gaze, I felt an odd sense of satisfaction.

“Hehe.”

When I flashed a bright smile at her with a refreshed expression, the Young Lady threw a bar of soap at my face.

“Such a crude attack won’t reach me even in a hundred years.”

“Hmph.”

The Young Lady turned her head sharply.

I had the urge to pinch her puffed cheeks.

I dipped a finger into the bathwater where the Young Lady was steeping.

‘It’s warm.’

The water wasn’t too hot nor too cold. It was a temperature the Young Lady would likely enjoy.

“How’s the water temperature?”

I asked the Young Lady to confirm.

“Hmm. Feels like I’m turning into boiled pork.”

The Young Lady answered, indicating she liked it.

In the Young Lady’s words, cold water meant pig’s feet, and warm water meant boiled pork. It seemed she liked today’s water temperature.

“Phew.”

The Young Lady was wearing clothes.

Faced with firm rejection, the Young Lady decided to take a step back.

-Then let’s do it this way. I’ll wear clothes—a bathrobe should be enough, right?

Wearing a white bathrobe and pouting her lips, the Young Lady muttered as she splashed water at me.

“This isn’t a bath.”

“Indeed.”

“No, this is laundry.”

“Then let’s do the laundry.”

I lathered shampoo onto my hands and began washing the Young Lady’s hair.

When I demonstrated a Fantasy Scalp Massage, the Young Lady, unable to keep her composure, let out a small moan.

“Ugh… I’m being laundered.”

“Please be quiet. You’re breaking my concentration.”

“Ughhh.”

The Young Lady couldn’t collect herself.

As time passed and the bath neared its end.

I spoke to the Young Lady.

“Young Lady.”

Sitting in the bathtub while eating snacks, the Young Lady slightly turned her head at my call.

“Hmm?”

“Next week, I might have to leave for about two days. Is that alright?”

“Why? Are you going bug hunting again?”

“No. It’s something similar, but different.”

I need to gather a Fortuitous Encounter.

Two weeks later, there will be an article about an Undiscovered Dungeon near the peak of the Havel Mountain Range.

That’s how it was in the Novel.

An Ancient Maze Dungeon, hailed as a historic find, where many Adventurers flocked, filled with various Artifacts and Gold Coins.

In the Novel, it was an important Episode where the Heroine and Ruin made time to explore the dungeon.

During this process, the Heroine and Ruin clashed with Heretics, but that was their problem to solve.

Ultimately, I plan to separate the Fortuitous Encounter that Ruin and Yuria are supposed to take.

Leaving behind what’s necessary for the Story.

And taking what’s unnecessary for myself.

I intend to secure useful Fortuitous Encounters before too many hands can reach them.

With my Swordsmanship level at Lv. 6, I didn’t have to worry about dying even if I encountered Heretics in the dungeon. Instead, I’d have the opportunity to farm items, which was a bonus.

I could also bring back a sword for Hanna and an elixir for Malik, and while I was at it, loot some treasures to make it perfect.

So, when the time came to ask.

I sought the Young Lady’s permission.

The Young Lady hesitated.

“Is it Dangerous Work?”

“No. I’m just going for fun.”

“Really?”

The Young Lady’s expression didn’t look good.

It seemed she was mistakenly thinking I’d be doing something arduous, like the last Bug Hunting trip.

To ease the Young Lady’s worries, I mixed truth and lies.

“I’m just going to the mountains to gather some herbs. Since the weather is getting colder, I thought I’d prepare some tonic.”

“Hmm.”

After a long consideration, the Young Lady nodded, signaling her approval.

“But don’t bring back anything too bitter. Only gather herbs that taste like Chocolate.”

“Such things don’t exist in this world.”

“They might.”

Once the Honorable Maid comes to work tomorrow, I’ll ask her to adjust her schedule so she can stay home for two days.

“By the way, Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

As my thoughts lingered.

The Young Lady looked at my hand and spoke.

“Why is your forearm so dark?”

Through my wet shirt, my blackened forearm was visible.