The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 50

Srrk.

Yuria slowly opened her eyes.

As the bright streetlight glow hit her eyes, she frowned. Had she fainted for a moment? The scene before her was no longer the dark alleyway but a street illuminated by street lamps.

A peaceful street with shops around and couples passing by. Her wrist, which had been grabbed by the big-built man, still stung, but the tranquil surroundings seemed indifferent to her troubled heart.

The tension eased.

The thought that she was now safe made her body lose strength.

“Thank goodness…”

The passersby were like that.

The moving street lamps were like that too.

Now safe…?

‘The street lamps are moving…?’

Yuria touched the ground she was lying on.

A soft texture could be felt beneath her. Turning her eyes to the ground, she saw a luxurious pink cushion.

“Huh…?”

Yuria felt a sense of foreboding.

As her mind filled with worries of “Could it be…?”

A faint vibration was felt against her back.

A sharp yet leisurely voice, like that of a stray cat, came from beside her.

“It’s cramped…”

In the corner of the cart, Lady Olivia, with her shoulders hunched, came into view.

Olivia, dressed in a black dress with white hair.

When their eyes met, Olivia awkwardly turned her head toward the outside.

“The weather… is nice.”

Watching the young lady awkwardly speak while looking at the darkened sky made Yuria’s head throb.

Since when had this been happening?

She had come for a preliminary survey with Mikhail and Ruin, but this happened while the two went off briefly to buy gifts.

Feeling sorry for a begging child, she had placed a pouch of gold coins into a tin can. Then, upon seeing the child being cornered in an alleyway, she had chased after them…

Ah.

As the puzzle pieces of her memory fit together, her vision began to clear.

-Bite!

-…That’s what I should be saying.

-Bite…!

Her face flushed hot with embarrassment.

‘I’m insane…!’

Only now did the red-haired butler come into view. Ricardo, the butler, was sweating as he vigorously pulled the cart.

‘I’ve caused trouble again…’

Ricardo turned around, confirmed that she was awake, and greeted her with a small smile.

“You’re awake?”

His voice carried concern.

It was the same voice that had been a source of comfort during her gloomy days at the Academy.

“You suddenly fainted, so… I apologize for the intrusion.”

“…You could have just left me.”

“I didn’t think of that. Haha…”

Ricardo, pulling the cart, offered an awkward laugh and apologized. He led the conversation, mentioning things like being sorry for laying her in such a shabby place and asking if her backside was uncomfortable.

It was awkward.

Sitting in the cart was awkward.

Being indebted to Ricardo was awkward.

The thought of “again” kept circling in her mind.

‘Ha… This is driving me crazy.’

She couldn’t lift her head.

It was awkward.

She didn’t know what to say.

She needed to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come out. Was it because of her stubbornness, or because the young lady was sitting next to her?

She didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

-Glance…

“Uh… um…”

Olivia was watching her cautiously.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak recklessly.

Olivia’s gaze seemed to plead, “Please don’t talk to me.”

When the cart hit a stone with a “thud,” her backside jolted with a “thump.”

“Ow…”

Seeing her grimace, Olivia moved further into the corner and timidly patted the cart floor.

“Sit here…”

A sharp voice came out reflexively.

“Don’t mind me.”

Olivia sulkily turned her head and muttered.

“It’s my cart…”

Yuria didn’t know what to say to Olivia.

To Olivia, who had tormented her in the past… she didn’t think she could say anything kind.

She didn’t want to act as if nothing had happened, nor did she want to foolishly forgive others like she had decided not to after dealing with those two.

She crouched in the cart, waiting for time to pass.

As Olivia began to nod off, Ricardo, with his red tousled hair fluttering, laid Olivia down in the corner of the cart and spoke.

“You must have been very startled.”

“…”

The sudden words of comfort left her speechless. It was unfair how gently he asked.

She silently stared at her palm.

Her fingers, fidgeting and picking at her nails, betrayed her embarrassment.

Ricardo awkwardly laughed and changed the subject.

“Where are your companions?”

“…At the plaza.”

“The plaza? You’ve gone completely in the opposite direction. Who are you with…”

“Mikhail and Ruin.”

Ricardo fell silent.

He awkwardly smiled and muttered, “I see,” as he quietly headed toward the plaza.

When her companions, who had been searching for her, gradually came into view.

Ricardo, who had been silent, stopped the cart in a secluded spot and opened his mouth.

In a small, quiet voice.

“Miss Yuria.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

His voice, filled with concern, sounded sweeter than ever. Though his words were formal, why did they resonate so deeply?

She hated how her heart raced foolishly.

Ricardo let out a deep sigh and said.

“It feels like every time we meet, it’s always in situations like this, where I’m just worrying about you.”

Every time…

A question arose.

A question about him, who always appeared like a hero in moments of danger. Yuria wanted to ask Ricardo, but he spoke first, answering her unspoken question.

“Just to be clear, this wasn’t something I orchestrated.”

“I… I know.”

“Your face says you’re suspicious to death, though.”

Yuria covered her face with her hands.

Was it that obvious? She wondered.

Ricardo awkwardly smiled and extended his hand to me, who was sitting on the cart.

“Can you walk?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s a relief.”

I looked toward the plaza. When I saw Ruin running around in the distance, searching frantically for me, I raised my hand slowly to wave and let him know not to worry, that I was here.

“Wait a moment.”

Ricardo urgently grabbed my wrist carefully. Seeing the deep blue bruise on my wrist, Ricardo let out a heavy sigh.

My chest tingled.

“What is this?”

“Ah… I think I got hurt earlier. It’s fine.”

“Fine, my foot…!”

Ricardo’s voice, filled with genuine irritation, echoed in my ears. Taking out an ointment from his palm-sized bag, Ricardo handed it to me roughly and said,

“What do you mean fine? Your wrist is completely bruised.”

I remembered when Ricardo had said something similar before, back when I was crying after being bullied by the noble ladies.

-Were you here? You run incredibly fast.

-Why… did you follow me?

-Isn’t this something precious?

I recalled the red-haired butler’s face as he retrieved the pendant the noble ladies had thrown into the pond, handing it to me with a foolish smile.

The image of him with seaweed dangling from his head as he handed me my mother’s keepsake kept overlapping in my mind.

-Sniff… Th-thank you…!

-Why are you crying again?

-…I wasn’t crying.

-You’re such a fool. Truly.

Moments like these always confuse me. Is he really a bad person, or is he just a good person pretending to be bad?

He keeps making me misunderstand.

“There, all done. Don’t carry anything heavy, and make Ruin fetch water for you.”

Ricardo knelt on one knee and applied the ointment to my wrist. Watching him crouch and carefully apply the ointment felt unfamiliar, yet it reminded me of Ricardo from the beginning of the first semester.

Ricardo nagged.

It wasn’t the kind of nagging Mikhail or Ruin would do, but purely practical nagging.

Not the kind of praise like “Your reckless actions are impressive,” from Mikhail, or the admiration like “How can your heart be so kind?” from Ruin, but the kind of nagging that would sound annoying if it came from anyone else.

“Why would someone who can’t even handle a single goblin go in there?”

“I can handle a goblin…”

“What kind of person who hasn’t even learned Fireball thinks they can handle a goblin?”

“…”

“It was truly dangerous.”

I argued back at Ricardo’s words. Because I believed I had done the right thing. I had been taught that at the Academy, and I had lived believing that justice was the right path.

Yuria vented her frustration at Ricardo.

“Still, if it weren’t for me, that kid would’ve kept getting beaten. He might’ve gone hungry tonight.”

“Maybe. Or he might’ve been beaten to death, or had his begging money stolen and cried his heart out tonight.”

Ricardo spoke emotionlessly, as if it were nothing.

As if he had experienced it himself.

“But Miss Yuria, you could have been in danger.”

My fists clenched.

Why does he care about me?

You’re the bad person who tormented me.

If you were consistent, at least I could hate you.

And so, I got even more annoyed.

To convey the meaning of not confusing me.

“But still, I could give him hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope that not everyone in the world is bad. Hope that somewhere in this world, there are proper adults…”

Ricardo awkwardly smiled and said,

“Even so, wasn’t it dangerous?”

Looking at the brightly lit plaza, Ricardo turned his back.

As the streetlamp’s light cast a cold glow on Ricardo, Yuria swallowed hard.

“What if, in the slightest chance, something bad happened to you, Miss Yuria?”

“If something bad happened to me?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think would happen if something bad happened to me? Isn’t that what you want, Mr. Ricardo? At the Academy, even now, don’t you wish for me to fail?”

Ricardo awkwardly laughed. Scratching his head, he muttered, “That’s true…” His response made my heart ache.

“But still. If Miss Yuria were hurt, I think it would hurt my heart.”

“What?”

“Just saying.”

Ricardo lightly turned around and pushed the cart. As he gently laid the sleeping young lady’s head on a soft cushion and slowly moved forward, Ricardo spoke quietly as he walked.

“And, Miss Yuria.”

Ricardo trailed off. He silently stared at the alleyway, gripping the handle tightly.

“Not everyone is a good person.”

Ricardo looked at the plaza.

Seeing Ruin’s face as he ran toward me, Ricardo lowered his head and pushed the cart.

Slowly departing, Ricardo said to me one last time.

“Don’t meddle unnecessarily.”

His words carried various meanings.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.

And at the same time, my heart raced. Yuria called out to the departing Ricardo.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really a bad person?”

Ricardo smiled faintly and replied,

“Yes. I’m a very bad person.”

***

The alleyway was cloaked in the night shade.

The loud chatter of vagabonds broke the stillness of dawn.

The late-night alleyway, filled with boisterous laughter and tales of heroics, became a time for boasting about who was the biggest trash.

-If it weren’t for that guy, I could’ve made a fortune.

-Man, this kid’s acting gets better by the day.

-You should learn some acting, bro. You almost got caught because it was so obvious.

-Hahaha!! Why don’t you teach me? By the way, are the places you got hit okay?

-If I said it hurt, I’d already be dead.

They were the vagabonds who had targeted Yuria.

Their conversation, which started with vulgar remarks about Yuria, crossed the line as it spread.

From one corner of the alleyway, a chilling voice rang out.

“Don’t you think so too?”

A black shadow loomed at the alley’s entrance. The silhouette of a red-haired man blocked the moonlight.

The vagabonds drew daggers from their pockets. The sharp blades reflected the red hair.

“It seems the calculations are incomplete. Don’t you agree?”

The red-haired man dragged his sword along the ground as he approached. Srrk. The chilling sound of the blade scraping the ground echoed through the alley.

“If you’re going to do bad things, at least pick your targets wisely. That’s how you survive in this world.”

I raised my sword.

To settle the unfinished calculations from earlier.

A familiar face came into view.

The kid Yuria had saved.

The big-built man who had grabbed Yuria’s wrist.

Even the thin man who had sprayed medicine on the handkerchief.

A fishy smile crept onto my face at the sight of their frightened expressions.

I looked at them and said.

“I won’t kill you. I’m not that bad of a person…”

“Instead, let’s call it quits with your business. Your lives should be enough of a price.”

Red hair became soaked with blood.

*

Groans could be heard.

The ground was drenched in blood, and the vagabonds were retreating into the deep alleyway, carrying their fallen comrade.

-Plod… Plod…

A new guest is arriving.

A man whose small shadow blocked the moonlit alleyway.

I looked at him and said.

“It’s been a while.”

The sub male lead with silver hair and a sword.

“Mikhail.”

He was glaring at me as if he were looking at trash.