The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 47

After sending off the Histania Siblings.

I stood in front of the Young Lady’s room door, holding her breakfast.

Today’s breakfast was the Young Lady’s favorite in the world—‘Paprika’ juice and bacon toast. It was a meal plan designed with her health in mind, as she had been eating only meat for the past week.

Juice made by blending carrots and paprika, along with crispy bacon toast.

The Young Lady would surely say, upon seeing the thickly blended juice, “This isn’t something humans should eat.” But as caring for the master’s health is also a butler’s duty, I decided to try a bit of noble abuse today.

After a week of noble expansion, it was time to scale back.

Just imagining the Young Lady’s expression after drinking the juice brought a smile to my lips.

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was no response.

Instead, I heard the sound of the Young Lady’s passionate snoring from beyond the door.

-Snore… Hoo… Grrrk…

-Hoo. Grrrk. Hiyoo…

The Young Lady seemed to be in a deep sleep.

Considering she had stayed up late talking with Hanna, her enthusiastic snoring was understandable.

It seemed to have been a conversation about Mikhail.

Eavesdropping wasn’t my hobby, but it was clear that the Young Lady had stayed up far past her usual bedtime.

That must be why she was snoring so loudly.

-Snore… Hoo… Growl… Hoo…

Out of consideration for the Young Lady’s deep sleep, I waited about five minutes before opening the door.

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Excuse me.”

A chilly air flowed through the room.

The window was wide open.

Despite my repeated reminders to close the window before sleeping, the Young Lady had once again left it wide open.

I sighed.

“Honestly, after all that trouble with a cold last time… Again…”

-Mmm… Grrrk..!

Seeing her peacefully sleeping face, my nagging words disappeared. It was my fault for not checking. I just needed to be more attentive.

I approached the Young Lady’s bedside and spoke softly.

“Air raid alarm…”

Flinch.

The Young Lady furrowed her brows.

I leaned closer to her ear and whispered, like a past life’s ASMR.

“Young Lady, it’s an air raid alarm.”

At the sound of my voice waking her, the Young Lady tried to pull the blanket over her head, but as someone who had been waking her up for 13 years, I easily stopped her.

I grabbed the edge of the blanket, preventing her from escaping into it.

“Hngh! …Ugh…”

The Young Lady scrunched her face in frustration.

“Ricardo… The gravity is too strong… The blanket won’t budge…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I felt sorry for waking her from her deep sleep, but as a butler who believed breakfast was essential, I had no choice but to wake her.

The Young Lady would surely be angry, but her health was more important than anything else.

Tap. I touched the Young Lady’s cheek.

She furrowed her brows.

Seeing her adorable expression, I brought my mouth close to her ear. And then.

-Yawn──!

I bit her ear.

“Eek!!!”

The Young Lady opened her eyes and screamed.

“Hiiiek!! I’m being eaten! I’m being eaten by a slime… Huh?”

The Young Lady shot up noisily.

Above her head, a familiar blue window began to appear.

[Desmond Olivia Lv.0.5]

[Occupation: Unemployed]

[Favorability: 82]

[Favorite Conversation Topics: Food. Meat. Bath Bombs. Ricardo’s Health. Gold Coins. Walks (New)]

[Disliked Conversation Topics: Mikhail. Vegetables. Paprika. The Past. Debt]

‘Huh…?’

Something was missing.

What is this…?

Thinking I might have seen it wrong, I rubbed my eyes, but one of the keywords that had been there for a year was gone.

The familiar name that always occupied the first spot in her favorite conversation topics.

[Mikhail]

That name had disappeared.

I rubbed my eyes.

Wondering what on earth was going on.

The old keyword I had thought would disappear someday.

I asked the Young Lady, who was now throwing a doll at me.

Just to check if this was a dream.

Had she finally ended her long unrequited love?

Or was she just taking a temporary break?

I cautiously asked the Young Lady.

“Young Lady.”

The Young Lady, wiping the saliva from her ear with irritation, looked at me.

“What…”

The Young Lady rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I couldn’t sleep well because Ricardo woke me up.”

“It’s the magic that wakes the Sleeping Beauty.”

“Am I a princess?”

“No. You’re a pig.”

The Young Lady furrowed her brows.

I asked the Young Lady.

I wasn’t one to hold back my curiosity.

“Young Lady, about Mikhail.”

“Mikhail?”

At the mention of Mikhail’s name, the Young Lady’s expression hardened in real-time.

I felt like I was about to be scolded.

It felt like I had stepped on a landmine.

I wondered if I had been too hasty.

But confirming this was more important to me.

“Do you still like Mikhail?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious.”

The Young Lady would know what kind of response to expect from me, who usually only spoke ill of Mikhail.

If she answered ‘yes,’ she would know I’d call him a ‘Lolicon…’

She would also know the atmosphere would turn sour.

I thought to myself.

If she still liked Mikhail, she would scold me. If her feelings for him had cooled, she wouldn’t say anything.

I waited for the Young Lady’s answer.

I was used to being scolded, but hearing that she still liked Mikhail might sting a little.

The Affinity Window does not lie.

Everyone said so, and the Young Lady said so too.

However, the idea that Mikhail’s name could disappear from the Young Lady’s heart was even harder to believe. I wanted to hear it directly.

Clutching the tray tightly in my hands.

I waited for the Young Lady’s answer.

“Hmm…”

The Young Lady fell into thought. She picked up the cup placed on the tray and pressed it against her forehead to cool down.

“Hey, Ricardo.”

“…”

“I don’t want to hear about Mikhail anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I… now…”

My lips felt dry.

Even though I knew what the Young Lady was about to say, hearing it from her lips was terrifying.

I was worried about having to fight another long battle, and I feared I might be disappointed if the answer I had hoped for didn’t come.

Biting my lips tightly, I waited for the Young Lady’s answer, and she finally said the words I had wanted to hear for the past year.

“I don’t like Mikhail.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t like him. He’s ugly.”

“Didn’t you say he was handsome?”

“No.”

The Young Lady looked at me.

“He’s ugly. Too skinny, not my type.”

‘It’s true.’

There was no trace of a lie on the Young Lady’s face.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

This won’t do.

Today, I should go out with the Young Lady…

-Gulp… Gulp…

Huh?

Why did that go over there?

The Young Lady was drinking juice.

She was drinking a poisonous concoction of paprika and carrot like a true tough guy.

‘Ah, this is bad.’

The Young Lady, who had emptied the cup cleanly, looked at me with dull eyes.

“What… is this?”

“…Paprika juice.”

“Pa… paprika?”

Drip. The Young Lady spat out the juice from her mouth.

“Ack…!”

The Young Lady spewed out the juice and collapsed.

It was a somewhat successful assassination.

***

I was able to start the day in a good mood. It felt like pulling out a bad tooth, and my body felt light as a feather.

However, the Young Lady’s mood was not good.

The Young Lady glared at me.

“Noble Abuser.”

“…”

“Noble Killer.”

“…”

“Noble Assassin.”

The unintended assassination had succeeded, and the Young Lady was curled up in a corner of the bed, glaring at me.

The Young Lady declared that she would never eat anything I gave her again.

Even when I offered her three chocolates to appease her, she turned her head away and pouted, saying she wouldn’t negotiate unless it was ten.

The Young Lady poured out words of resentment toward me.

She scribbled something small on a piece of paper.

[Paprika is the evil of society.]

The Young Lady waged a timid protest.

I wasn’t supposed to laugh, but I couldn’t help it.

The Young Lady shouted at me as the corners of my mouth lifted. She shouted while rinsing her mouth, and it was so adorable I thought I might go crazy.

“Why are you laughing!”

“I’m not laughing… Pfft… not at all.”

“You laughed!”

“No… Pfft… Puhaha! No, how can I not laugh? Paprika through the nose… Puhaha…!”

The Young Lady crumpled the paper in her hand irritably.

“Eeeek…!”

Then, like a baseball player, she took a stance and threw it.

-Whoosh!

It drew a large arc.

-Thud.

It fell weakly to the floor.

My gaze awkwardly met the Young Lady’s as we both looked at the pitifully fallen paper ball.

“Pfft…!”

“Don’t laugh!”

Our shoulders shook as we tried to hold it in.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

The Young Lady couldn’t stop her anger.

I gave the Young Lady a thumbs-up.

“It was an excellent trajectory. With a little more effort, you might actually hit the target.”

The Young Lady threw the pen in her hand.

***

After some time, when the Young Lady’s emergency pouch had accumulated fifteen chocolates, I was finally able to appease her anger.

Looking at the chocolates sticking out from between her chest, the Young Lady beamed with a bright smile.

Acting as if she were doing me a favor, the Young Lady handed me a chocolate and spoke. The chocolate was warm, so I decided to put it in the drawer.

“I’m rich. Rich!”

“…Is it that good?”

“Yes. Ricardo, you only give me one chocolate a day.”

“That’s for your health, isn’t it?”

The Young Lady turned her head away with a pout.

“That’s Noble Abuse. I’m going to report you to the Noble Human Rights Committee.”

“Does such a thing exist?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

I was on the receiving end of a joke I had once made.

After the long breakfast ended, the Young Lady pointed her finger toward the corner of the room.

There was an item with shiny wrapping paper and a ribbon. It was a birthday gift I hadn’t been able to give her because my scar had been revealed.

The Young Lady pointed at the gift with her finger and said.

“That. Bring it to me.”

“The gift?”

“Yes, that one.”

With a rustling sound, I placed the gift in the Young Lady’s arms.

Ahem! The Young Lady cleared her throat and spoke.

“Turn off the lights and close your eyes.”

I followed the Young Lady’s words with a small smile.

The lights went out.

The Young Lady, making a clicking sound with her heels, began stacking chocolates on a plate.

It seemed she was making a cake.

Peeking through squinted eyes, I watched the Young Lady happily taking chocolates out of her pocket.

“You can’t open your eyes.”

“Yes.”

“Seriously, don’t open them.”

“I won’t.”

The Young Lady smiled contentedly.

Rustle. Rustle. The sound of wrapping paper being torn could be heard. Perhaps it wasn’t tearing easily, as the Young Lady let out an exaggerated “Hee-it! Huaaap!” while tearing at the wrapping paper.

Sniff. She wiped her runny nose on her dress.

Then wiped it again on her dress.

She didn’t look much like a Noble Lady.

It seemed like she was almost done.

Through my squinted eyes, I could faintly see the Young Lady placing candles on the chocolate-made cake and clearing her throat.

The Young Lady told me to open my eyes now.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Although the morning sunlight streamed in through the curtains, the fluffy atmosphere remained intact.

In my view was the Young Lady holding a cake made of crushed chocolate and a pair of gloves. Her radiant smile was more beautiful than ever.

The Young Lady placed the plate on the bed and picked up the prepared gift.

“Are these gloves?”

“Yes. It’s winter now, so your hands will hurt if they get cold.”

Yellow mittens with chick embroidery. It was a thoughtful gesture from the Young Lady, considering the winter season.

The Young Lady began putting the gloves on my hands.

Her clumsy touch, cautiously brushing against me with cold hands, felt oddly pleasant.

It was warm.

It was cozy.

While putting on the gloves, the Young Lady spoke to me.

“It’s late, but happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you something expensive.”

The Young Lady lowered her head and spoke to me.

I shook my head and replied.

“To me, this feels more valuable than a million gold.”

“…It’s worth one gold.”

The Young Lady was unnecessarily honest about such things.

The gloves began to warm my hands. A fluffy feeling rose within me, and a part of my chest felt warm.

About three minutes passed.

The Young Lady, who was putting the gloves on, made a strange sound.

“Huh…?”

Huff! With a spirited shout, the Young Lady looked down at the gloves stuck on the back of my hand.

They were too tight to go all the way up.

The Young Lady looked at me with teary eyes, her nostrils flaring and runny nose dripping, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“Are they too small…?”

I awkwardly smiled and said.

“They fit perfectly.”

“Sniff…! Don’t lie…”

The Young Lady cried.

Blaming the maid who had bought the wrong size.

“Waaahhh!!!”

She was bawling.

I thought to myself.

How could anyone hate such a Young Lady?

***

The Academy training grounds.

Mikhail, his silver hair fluttering as he sparred, spoke to his opponent, Hanna.

“That sword… it looks nice.”

Hanna smiled and said.

“It’s a gift.”

Thinking about the assignment due in a week, Mikhail asked Hanna.

“Can I borrow that sword for a moment?”

Hanna chuckled and said.

“Get lost.”