The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 44

The dining table is finally fulfilling its purpose after a long time.

Since Yuria, the table had been gathering dust, but now it was back in use.

From the kitchen, I looked at the people seated at the table.

A young lady with a sullen expression.

Hanna, the youngest Aura User in the Empire.

And the Master of Culinary Arts… No, even Malik, the eldest son of the Histania Family, was sitting at the humble table, sipping hot black tea.

Hanna, savoring the scent of black tea, looked at me with a small smile.

“It’s not green tea this time?”

“I splurged a bit since I thought Miss Hanna might visit.”

At my straightforward comment, Hanna smiled.

“Really? I was planning to surprise you.”

It must have been a joke that suited Hanna’s taste.

Hanna carefully examined her teacup.

With a subtle smile, she touched the handle of the teacup and muttered to herself.

“Green tea was… good too.”

Seizing the moment, I rummaged through the pantry and pulled out the cheap green tea I had stashed away.

The cheap green tea that the young lady and I had tried to finish but ultimately failed. After tasting the artisan black tea, the green tea had been left untouched, and I thought this was the perfect chance to get rid of it.

I showed Hanna the steel green tea canister.

“Would you like some?”

The young lady, noticing my dark intent to dispose of leftovers, spoke up.

“Ricardo, dealing with leftovers is bad.”

“Leftovers? I’m merely serving tea to suit individual preferences.”

“…That’s still dealing with leftovers.”

She was a young lady who lacked tact.

Hanna awkwardly shook her head.

Though she said it was fine, I regretted not being able to dispose of it and suggested she take it home, but thanks to the young lady’s candid confession, I failed.

With frustration, I told the young lady.

“Then, tomorrow’s snack will be green tea and biscuits.”

“…Dealing with leftovers is bad.”

“It’s fine. Sometimes the master of the house has to handle leftovers too.”

“Then…”

The young lady looked at Hanna.

With eyes pleading for salvation.

“You drink it.”

And handed the green tea to Hanna.

Hanna declined.

She said the green tea I brewed tasted good or something like that.

With a heavy heart, I put the green tea back into the pantry.

Dinner was quickly prepared.

Tonight’s menu was tteokbokki.

It was a humble dish to serve to guests, but since Hanna had brought a pile of gifts and requested it, I had no choice but to make it.

Hanna wanted it too.

And it was also tonight’s planned menu.

However, showcasing a new dish in front of the Master of Culinary Arts was inevitably nerve-wracking.

Malik had been watching my cooking with his arms crossed for a while.

Malik’s demeanor reminded me of a cooking show from my previous life. It felt like he might say, “Hey, come down here for a second,” at any moment, making it hard to focus on cooking.

“Hmm… Not bad.”

Malik, observing my skillful handling of ingredients, gave a brief assessment.

I couldn’t decide whether to take it as praise or tell him, as a guest, not to evaluate and just sit down.

Malik, intrigued by the dish taking shape, asked curiously.

“What are you making?”

“Ah, is this your first time, Mr. Malik?”

Malik nodded.

The only ones who had tried tteokbokki in this estate were the young lady and Hanna.

Come to think of it, Malik had never tasted tteokbokki before, so an explanation of the dish was necessary. Just as I was about to give him a brief explanation, Hanna’s sharp voice came from her seat.

“Just shut up and eat.”

“…Alright.”

Malik was utterly subdued in front of Hanna.

Last time, he seemed desperate to get the better of Hanna, but their relationship had changed significantly.

Perhaps my advice last time helped, as the two now seemed to get along better, resembling siblings.

Bickering and all.

“What are you doing in someone else’s house?”

“It’s an occupational habit…”

“Occupation? Isn’t your job being a knight?”

“Th-that’s right…! An Imperial Knight.”

“Then act like a knight and stay still.”

Or not?

He seemed more like a boss deeply committed to his profession…

Anyway, it was good to see them getting along.

Though I was still worried about the young lady and Malik’s relationship.

The young lady had been glaring at Malik with her arms crossed for a while. She seemed annoyed by the uninvited guest.

They had been at odds since their first meeting.

-Who are you?

-…You?

-Yes, you.

-Then who are you?

-I’m the master of this house.

-Ah… So you’re the infamous Villainess Olivia?

-…Are you picking a fight?

The young lady glared at Malik.

Malik glared back at the young lady.

The two were suffocating in many ways.

As their fierce gazes clashed, Hanna jabbed Malik’s side hard.

“…Don’t act up.”

Hanna had become Malik’s assigned bully.

Hanna seemed to have changed a lot. Her timid demeanor, stemming from her inferiority complex about the sword, was gone, replaced by a confident and assertive attitude. She looked good this way.

When the tteokbokki was ready, I put on mittens.

Seeing this, the young lady said.

“Ricardo is hurt, so Malik, you bring it over.”

Malik glared at the young lady, but under Hanna’s firm jab to his side, he reluctantly walked over to the kitchen.

***

The pot was emptied quickly.

Malik, who had been watching the food with interest, abandoned noble etiquette and devoured his plate greedily, while Hanna, sweating profusely, muttered, “This is the taste…!” and rapidly emptied her plate.

“My dinner…”

The young lady, holding a fork, looked at the empty pot in despair, muttering, “Ah… This can’t be…” with a tearful expression.

Perhaps because Hanna and Malik were swordsmen, they had an exceptional talent for eating. Watching them eat so heartily, I couldn’t help but feel good.

Of course, the young lady’s expression soured.

“Eat a little less, you pigs…!”

“…”

“…”

“Don’t ignore me!”

By the time the pot was completely emptied.

I carefully decided to interrupt their meal.

The question I couldn’t ask earlier.

‘Why are you here?’

Since I couldn’t ask earlier due to the chaos, now that there was time, I decided to ask.

“So, what brings you to our mansion?”

It didn’t seem like they came to hang out, nor did they come just to eat.

I pointedly addressed Malik.

Because I had a guess about the reason.

“Judging by the way you brought so many gifts, it seems like you came for another reason. Isn’t that right, Mr. Malik?”

Malik, who was stabbing a rice cake with his fork, flinched. Then he lightly shook his head, wiped his mouth, and answered.

“It’s not like last time with the mantis… or Pascal. I came to express my gratitude.”

As expected. It seemed they came because of the potion I sent this time.

I had sent a sword to Hanna and a potion to Malik by parcel. They must have come to thank me. I feigned ignorance.

I believe that pretending not to know is a form of humility. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to get a Friends of Forest meal voucher or some allowance in the process.

I looked at Malik with an expression that said I had no idea.

“A thank-you?”

Malik, as if reading my thoughts, let out an empty laugh.

“Yes, a thank-you… It’s faster to show it directly than to say it.”

Malik put down his fork and clenched his fist.

A shimmering energy glowing in light brown.

It was small and faint, but it was definitely aura.

Malik flashed a refined smile. His provocative gaze seemed to ask, “How about this?” But I wasn’t fond of men’s smiles, so I wanted to plant my fist in his face.

But since he was a patron, I had to endure it.

As the head of the household, I had to bear the weight of responsibility and unclenched my fist.

Malik spoke to me with a face that seemed to say a burden of ten years had been lifted.

“Thanks to the potion you gave me, I was able to surpass my limits.”

Hiding my dark intent, I shook my head at Malik’s words.

“Oh, come on… What help could I have possibly given? It’s all thanks to your hard work, Mr. Malik.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Malik nodded.

“That’s certainly true.”

What a shameless guy.

In a way, Malik’s words were correct.

If it were possible to awaken aura just by using a potion, then who wouldn’t? If a wealthy noble could do it, they would all be flying around using aura. Considering that the youngest aura user before Hanna was an ordinary commoner, it was nearly impossible to gain aura through doping.

Malik knew this fact as well, which is why he shamelessly acknowledged it.

Still, it was annoying.

Malik wore a wistful smile.

“Since that day, I gained enlightenment.”

“By enlightenment, are you referring to my exceptional swordsmanship?”

“Do you have no humility?”

“…Isn’t it true, though?”

Malik clicked his tongue and made a face that screamed annoyance as he continued.

“Anyway, after that battle, I realized how lacking I was. I was so caught up in my sense of superiority that I couldn’t see those around me.”

Malik tried to hold Hanna’s hand.

It seemed familial affection was welling up.

Hanna frowned and smacked Malik’s hand away. Then, she said something to Malik’s face that older brothers often hear.

“What are you saying, you filthy idiot.”

They really seemed like siblings.

Malik shared various stories.

He apologized to Hanna.

He said he was beaten to a pulp at the academy.

He boasted that he begged Hanna, who refused to forgive him, and got beaten with a scabbard, with aura, and even in front of people like a dog.

He seemed like a crazy bastard.

The young lady thought the same.

“Crazy bastard.”

She left the same impression as me.

Anyway, Malik said he gained enlightenment through that process.

Thanks to that, he awakened his aura.

Hanna said she came to our mansion to thank us for the legendary sword we gifted her.

Wrapping up the story, Malik pointed to the gifts piled next to the dining table.

A doll. Flowers. Accessories. And.

“Huh?”

Even the young lady’s favorite Friends of Forest meal vouchers.

The young lady’s eyes widened as she saw the meal vouchers in Malik’s hand.

“Ricardo meal vouchers. A whole… ten of them!”

The brightest smile I had seen from her today appeared on her face.

I leaned in and whispered into the young lady’s ear.

“He’s the boss.”

“The boss?”

“Yes… of Friends of Forest.”

The young lady looked at me as if asking why I was only telling her now.

With an incredulous expression, she looked at Malik, then back at me, asking if that made any sense. I nodded in response.

The young lady whispered to me.

“A household that only knows swords?”

“Yes.”

“Even though they’re idiots who only care about swords?”

I nodded.

“So, is he the one Ricardo mentioned? The one who paid a lot of money?”

“Yes.”

“…Did I mess up?”

The young lady fell silent.

Then, awkwardly, she extended her hand to Malik.

“Uh… I look forward to working with you.”

Malik coldly replied.

“Too late.”

The young lady looked like she’d lost the world.

*

As it got late, the Histania siblings decided to stay the night at the mansion.

It was an overnight stay made possible by the young lady’s efforts to win Malik’s favor and my suggestion.

Hanna went with the young lady into her room, while Malik and I sat in the dining room, drinking tea.

“Phew…”

Cooling down his hot tea, Malik expressed his gratitude for the dinner.

“It was delicious. It was my first time trying that dish, and it was really tasty.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

After a brief silence, Malik spoke to me with a serious expression.

“So, about that… I’m thinking of adding that tteokbokki dish to our store’s menu.”

I swallowed hard.

“What?”

Malik continued, saying he’d pay royalties for the recipe and even proposed a joint venture, claiming it was a dish bound for success.

“I’ll make it a 3:7 split so you won’t feel slighted. Let’s conquer the Entire Continent’s Culinary Industry together.” I looked at Malik, who had set his sights on such an unusual goal, and spoke.

“Mr. Malik.”

“What, you don’t like it? Fine, then let’s make it 6:4… but no more than that.”

It seemed Malik had an Innate Talent for this kind of work rather than the sword. Of course, he wielded a sword at a masterful level, but still…

His talent in the Culinary Business was truly outstanding.

“Wasn’t your dream to become a Knight Commander?”

Malik pressed his lips together tightly.

After the business talk ended, Malik pulled A Sheet of Paper from his pocket.

“In exchange for giving me the Recipe, it’s a 3:7 split. I’ll handle the operations, and you’ll handle the development. No complaints, right?”

“Yes. Mr. Malik, you can take care of the tedious tasks.”

“…How annoying. Fine, let’s wrap up this discussion and move on to this paper. I know you’re most curious about this.”

Malik spread the paper out on the Dining Table.

A Blueprint with two large wheels attached to either side of a chair was laid out on the table.

“I read the letter you sent. Your handwriting was atrocious, but I managed to solve it by hiring an Ancient Language Interpreter… It was horrifying. The handwriting, I mean. Anyway, judging by the drawing, it’s undoubtedly an extraordinary invention.”

Malik, with a Question Mark on his head, asked.

“What did you say this chair was called again?”

I told Malik.

“It’s called a Wheelchair.”