The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 14



14 – Birthday Gift -1-

Commander of the Imperial Knights.

Histania Roen.

In the novel, he appeared as Mikhail’s master. He had an overflowing affection for Mikhail to the point where it was unimaginable for him to be an indifferent father who couldn’t even give him a birthday present. He appeared as a kind character who treated the female protagonist like his own daughter and cherished and praised her.

He was quiet and didn’t say much, but I remember he was a reliable support for the female protagonist. In the novel, the reason for his affection for the female protagonist was said to be because she resembled his deceased youngest daughter.

He was a character I quite liked as well.

The story of being the strongest knight who lost his beloved daughter was both sad and made me understand how much he cherished the female protagonist.

There was no mention of Hanna in the story. She was only mentioned intermittently in the scene where the commander said, “It was my fault….” and received comfort from the female protagonist.

I thought he was a somewhat kind father… But honestly, he was just a man who had late regrets.

Like an alcoholic.

When he gets drunk, he acts like a dog, but when he wakes up from his drunken stupor and sees his messed up room, he asks for forgiveness, just like an alcoholic. I think anyone can feel regret, but it wasn’t endearing to see him like that, maybe because he was directly responsible for Hanna’s death.

Honestly, it’s a meaningless complaint.

Regardless of what evaluation I make of him, it won’t change anything.

I can’t go and confront the commander directly, nor can I say to him, “If you continue like that, your youngest daughter will die.” That’s not my place.

However, I felt something was missing.

A father who ignored his birthday.

A daughter who came home in a downpour to the house of a villainess.

The scene of her crying over a plate of spicy rice cakes makes the commander look bad.

How can I get back at that nobleman? While thinking about what would be the biggest and most liked gift for Hanna, I came up with one present.

“From now on, Miss Hanna will train at our mansion until school starts.”

“What?”

“She has to defeat Mikhail, right?”

The commander’s astonishing growth.

And the act of deeply rejecting his father and committing unfilial acts by saying, “I don’t need your help” would be the ultimate way to give him a taste of humiliation. Until now, Hanna has been a filial daughter, so she can overlook a momentary act of unfilial conduct. If she is kicked out of the house, she can be employed as a maid in our mansion.

Of course, the salary would be as high as salt.

It was an extreme conclusion, but I was confident that there would be no better gift.

The one week passed quickly.

I stayed in the mansion for a week, and although the young lady and I argued a lot and had our differences, we managed to patch things up and develop a friendship.

– You beggar!

– Who are you calling a beggar?

– Well, if you’re not a beggar, why aren’t you going home?

– I… I have a home!

Of course, the young lady resisted at first, but it was still a meaningful time for us.

While a week alone for Hannah might have been a time for honing her swordsmanship skills, a week with us was a time for both mental and technical growth.

– Is this a birthday gift?

– I didn’t know what you would like, so I brought something that came to mind.

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Leap in Strength [A]

◈ When consumed by individuals with a strength attribute of ‘+30’ or less, it increases their strength attribute by ‘+10’.

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– Is this valuable potion for me? This… can’t even be bought with money. It’s an unobtainable elixir, even at the black market.

– Think of it as an investment.

– No, it’s too much for me. I have my pride too. How can I repay this favor? I absolutely cannot accept it.

– Please accept it.

It was a potion I had created countless times through my knowledge of the original work. I had given it to the young lady and had taken it myself, a kind of tonic.

It was easy to make, but I refrained from selling it on the black market because it could put my life at risk. This opportunity allowed me to cheaply fulfill a birthday gift while conducting human experimentation, making it a good deal.

Of course, Hannah held my hand and sobbed profusely at the time.

– Why are you treating me so well? I always behaved badly and thought of myself as an ugly person in front of the master.

– You thought of yourself as ugly in your heart?

– …No.

– Well, you could. I’m just unlucky.

– You really know how to touch someone’s heart, don’t you?

– It’s one of my talents.

This time, her smiling face was a pleasant sight, mixed with happiness, unlike the sorrowful smile she had shown at the mansion.

Hannah had grown stronger.

The help of the potion was significant, but the effort and time she showed within the mansion created ample time for self-growth.

Thus, today marks a week.

Hannah and I were preparing for the final stage.

‘Quest.’

[Q. Transient Extra, ‘Hannah’]

Disregarded by her father and the servants, she constantly resents her own lackluster talent.

She is starved for praise.

·

·

·

1. Compliment to boost self-esteem.

(9/10)

2. Raise ‘liking’ to over 40.

[Liking: 51]

3. Defeat the ‘Elite Orc Inspector.’

(0/1)

Reward: Swordsmanship Lv. 6. Strength +3 increase

Hannah: Swordsmanship Lv. 4, Novice Aura (C)

Failure: Death of Histania’s Hannah.

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The quest has now reached its final stage.

Through compliments, I diligently raised Hannah’s self-esteem and, within the week, built up considerable liking with her.

A liking score of 51, indeed.

Up to a guarantee, it meant a relationship where, without a word, one could borrow around 3 million won from a social newcomer’s wallet.

Liking 60 is like that of close friends.

Roughly, it might become a relationship where one can borrow around 10 million won, but there haven’t been many who raised liking to over 60, so I’m not sure.

Liking over 70… since no one has achieved that, I don’t know. What’s certain is that the liking score of 51 between Hannah and me isn’t a negligible figure at all. If anything, it’s relatively high.

After confirming the high liking index, I nodded respectfully at the young lady who looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Two people politely bow their heads.

It was Hanna and me.

And the lady nodding her head on the bed like a queen raised her chin high and said, “Don’t go. Play with me.”

The enchanting voice of the lady, coaxing to become unemployed together. For a moment, I contemplated abandoning the path of unemployment, unbuttoning my black shirt at the waist, but I resisted with the weight of a butler.

Is this the power of a professional unemployed person?

I was afraid of the quite enchanting voice.

Watching this scene, Hanna let out a deep sigh.

“Please stop teasing the butler too, Lady. If you keep doing that, Lady will indulge the butler.”

“I can do as I please.”

Olivia arrogantly clenched her fist. In the provocative smile of a true villainess, Hanna clenched her fist tightly.

“Why can you do as you please? Isn’t the butler yours?”

“That’s right. Ricardo belongs to me.”

“Really?”

Hanna looked at me.

I nodded slightly as if responding to her question.

“In fact, I signed a slave contract 13 years ago that disregarded human rights. Of course, it’s been over 12 months without getting paid, but you know how it is.”

Nonsense. I’ve never even written a salary agreement, let alone a slave contract. The lady and I rely solely on verbal agreements based on trust. But her thick pride must have been hurt.

“Profit…!”

Sure enough, a strange scream came from the lady.

“Pfft.”

Hanna sneered at Olivia with a victorious smile.

“An employer who can’t even pay money~”

“A homeless butler!”

The two, oddly mismatched, strangely got along in unexpected places. They didn’t seem like they would become close friends. Yet, at some point, you’d find them sticking together. Perhaps because they like the same person.

I really hope they get along well.

Especially since I can go to the academy….

Actually, I have a slightly apologetic request for Hanna.

I hope that after the female protagonist graduates and Hanna becomes the student council president at the academy, she can create an opportunity for us to return to school. That’s why I’m trying to be better for her.

I feel sorry for making such a request, but I plan to ask her carefully after she wins the Elite Orc Exam and defeats Mikhail this time.

“Refusing would be a shame. I won’t think badly of it, and we can find another way.”

Hannah and Miss Han are still fighting diligently. Their knack for insulting each other without crossing the line was quite impressive.

Especially Olivia.

“Do you know how amazing Lady Han is!?”

“I do! She even makes tteokbokki and chicken!”

“Not that!”

“What’s more amazing than that?”

“Well…”

Hannah gave me a sly look.

“She’s kind, strong, and just amazing in every way!”

“I know!”

In the past, it would have been no surprise if Miss Han had used profanities, but her language had softened in a short time. Normally, Hannah’s hair would have been pulled out by now.

Hannah had improved a lot too.

The atmosphere in the mansion has brightened recently. The late monsoon season is over, and now only the final gate remains.

Watching the two of them chattering away, I bid my farewell.

“I’ll be on my way.”

***

Inside the grand mansion.

A middle-aged man, seated in a dining room with decorative swords lined up on the walls, spoke with a relaxed smile.

“How much time do you think is left until the first one arrives?”

“I think we can use a beginner’s aura in about three months.”

“Hmm…”

The middle-aged man, who had a satisfied smile, was the Emperor’s Sword, the esteemed head of the prestigious Histania family.

His name was Roen Histania.

Roen, with bright brown hair, could be seen with a sword at his waist even during meals, indicating his obsession with swords.

Roen watched his children one by one with his black eyes. Well-raised children. Lovely kids with glamorous looks resembling himself and his wife.

They had talents that exceeded their peers and were talented enough that he wouldn’t be embarrassed to call them his own children, despite being in the same generation.

Until his eyes got blurry, it was still far away, but it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t catch up with himself.

Clearly, his son would succeed him and become the commander of the imperial knights, and become the empire’s sword.

His daughter would inherit the family’s knight squad and dream of elevating the name of Histania.

Just one thing bothered him, his youngest daughter who was not present. The least talented child among the three he had borne.

He had said she had no talent for the sword, but the only flaw in the family that did not let go of the sword, Hanna, had the biggest worry for Roen.

Because it was clear that if she wielded the sword with her mediocre talent, she would surely tarnish the name of Histania, Roen always had complaints about her youngest daughter’s sword.

The sight of his youngest daughter from a week ago flashed in his mind.

-Father, today is my birthday. If it’s not too much trouble, could I request a duel?

-I’m busy now.

-It will only take a moment.

-Didn’t you hear me say that I’m obviously busy?

Roen wished that Hanna would let go of the sword.

It wasn’t warmth born from selfless filial love that he wanted her to learn swordsmanship, it was simply his desire for his talentless youngest daughter to realize the reality.

She had earned ridicule from her friends.

She had been ignored by her family.

Others might say it was cruel, but Roen believed he was not wrong.

His siblings had also received neglect and comparisons from father and they had found their own paths and succeeded. Now that Roen had succeeded through his father’s education, he was confident that Hanna would also succeed if he taught her in the same way.

They say wounds make people stronger.

But strangely, the image of Hanna’s final appearance flashed in his mind.

-Why! Why is it only happening to me? Did I say that I will inherit the family duty? Did I ask father to teach me the family’s swordsmanship? It’s not even a difficult request… Please, just once, just like you do for my sisters and brothers, can’t you do it for me too?

The image of his youngest daughter screaming in frustration echoed in his mind.

‘I should try to find her.’

He had heard it from a servant that she had left home, so he wondered if he should send someone to find her. It had already been a week since she ran away.

‘Once she comes back, I should give her a piece of my mind.’

That’s when it happened.

“Father, is the reason you came this time because of Hanna’s birthday?”

It was his eldest son who broke the silence and cautiously brought up the topic. His confident demeanor and exceptional talent.

Although he was concerned about his arrogant personality, Roen thought that such a confident appearance was better than his timid youngest daughter.

Roen frowned and said,

“No.”

“Then why did you come?”

From Noble mtl dot com

“There was a report of missing people in the Hamel Mountain Range. The palace ordered an investigation and for me to come back.”

“The Hamel Mountain Range?”

Cracks appeared in the expression of the first. Rowen did not like that sight. If he was a knight, he should know how to hide his emotions. Is he afraid of the missing incident? It was not a good look to not have the basic stance.

‘He’s still far from it.’

Rowen bit his tongue silently and continued to answer the first question.

“There have been consecutive reports of A-class adventurers going missing in the Hamel Mountain Range. The emperor ordered me to go on vacation and investigate.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, especially the adventurer’s corpse found near the orc fortress was gruesome… Why is that?”

Rowen paused for a moment, placing the fork in his hand as he saw the expression of the first twist at the mention of the adventurer’s corpse.

Wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

It’s the second time. It was quite unpleasant to see that the basics were not being followed. But the words coming out of the first’s mouth left Rowen speechless.

“In fact, there was a report that the youngest has been recently working as an adventurer, and… I’ve heard reports that the main activity site is the Hamel Mountain Range…”

– Ding.

In an instant.

A clear and decisive sound pierced Rowen’s head.

He couldn’t regain his senses.

Because the blue window that appeared in front of him was saying something strange.

Something that he couldn’t possibly believe.

Because it was saying something that shouldn’t be believed, Rowen’s body stiffened.

[Today is the death anniversary of Histania’s ‘Hanna’.]

[Quest ‘Sinner’ Achievement.]

◎ You have obtained the qualification to read a part of the original work.

◎ You can read the death of ‘a part’ (Histania’s Hanna).

In an instant, Rowen’s blood ran cold.

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