The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 367



367 – Meteor is Always Right. -2-

There are three forces in the western sea.

One is the Wolfgang family, who holds the real power in the west.

The second is the pirates who target the merchant ships.

The last and third is the Belian duchy, the former ruler of the west.

The reason the west has been able to develop so much is because of the Belian duchy.

One of the few sword masters in the empire.

The trade route opened despite the opposition of the imperial family.

The management of the previous duke, who thought of the western residents more than anyone else, is the reason the west is what it is today.

However.

That glory fell to the bottom when the head of the family was lost to a beast.

The Wolfgang family, who had flattered the Belian duchy, began to gnaw away at the duchy’s power as soon as the head of the Belian family died, and gradually the influence of the west began to transfer to Wolfgang.

-Hmm…

When I suggested bringing in Belian, Darvav didn’t react very well.

-I don’t think it’s a very good idea.

It would be good to have more hands if we bring in a new force, but wouldn’t it be a hindrance if we bring in someone who knows nothing?

Darvav’s statement wasn’t wrong, but there was something I wanted to gain from this subjugation. So I worked hard to persuade Darvav.

One of the treasures that appeared in the side story.

To obtain [The Fertility of the Dragon King].

This was one of the reasons I decided to travel to the west. I also wanted to create someone to check Wolfgang in the operation to subjugate the beast.

The Fertility of the Dragon King is a one-time use item, but it is a treasure that even the emperor of this empire would covet.

‘The Fertility of the Dragon King’ is an item that allows you to overcome death once.

“Hmm…”

Walking lightly along the roadside in the west, I stopped in front of a huge mansion where no one seemed to live. A mansion comparable to the Desmond mansion.

And I let out a small sigh.

“…Wow.”

The mansion looked completely unmaintained.

The mansion in front of me was so full of cobwebs on the windows that it was hard to believe it was the mansion of a duchy, and there were no knights guarding the entrance.

The mansion looked like that of a fallen noble rather than a duchy, and I let out a hollow sigh and shook my head.

The current duke must not be in good condition.

A son who lost his father at a young age and suddenly became the head of the family. He tried to lead the family somehow on his own, but he couldn’t overcome the trials that came all at once and collapsed. That must be the current state of the duke.

“…It doesn’t seem like it will be easy.”

The late Duke of Belian had one son.

He was 13 years old when the Duke died.

At the same time, he became the head of the Belian family at the age of 13. The hands reaching out to the young Duke must have been filled with malice, and perhaps after countless betrayals, he would have closed the door to his heart.

I would have done the same.

I thought it would take a lot of effort to win over the Belian family. I tried to coax them into restoring the family’s honor, but I thought it wouldn’t go as planned.

I knocked on the grand door of the Duke’s mansion and waited for someone to come out.

-Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Is anyone there?”

I was holding bread that the Duke might like, trying my best to maintain the etiquette of a noble.

So, 10 minutes passed.

“…”

20 minutes.

“…”

After 30 minutes, unable to overcome the boredom, I slowly began to enter the Duke’s mansion.

I could sense that there were people inside.

From noble mtl dot com

“Excuse me.”

I passed through the overgrown garden and headed towards where I felt a presence. It would have been heartbreaking to leave without delivering the gift I had brought.

“Is it here?”

Seeing the relatively clean window, I peeked inside the mansion.

And then.

“What is this…”

I discovered the Duke’s suspicious hobby.

At the same time.

“Huh…?”

“Ah…?”

“Hello?”

“Uh…”

I also saw the Duke’s secret.

“Ahhh!!!!”

*

The duke, having changed into his ceremonial attire, approached me while bringing tea.

His face was full of anger.

At the same time, it was full of hostility.

I knew why the duke was making such an expression. Coming to the duke’s house without a letter and without permission, entering the duke’s house at will, was no different from trespassing. Honestly, I had no excuse even if I was reported to the guards.

Even though I had become a criminal, there were many things I wanted to ask.

What was the duke making?

And.

How was it that he was a woman?

What kind of novel had so many women disguised as men? Mikhail, whom I thought was the male protagonist, turned out to be a woman, and the Duke of Belian, who appeared as a man in the original work, was a woman. What kind of situation was this?

Just as I was about to get angry at a novel that had nothing proper, the duke frowned and spoke to me.

“Who are you?”

“Ah…”

“Are you a spy sent by Wolfgang?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself. I am Ricardo, the butler of the Duke of Desmond’s household.”

“…Butler?”

The duke let out a frustrated sigh and spoke irritably.

“Now even butlers are coming to the duke’s house?”

“…Haha.”

“There should be a limit to looking down on Belian… Trespassing and even peeping into a noble’s bedroom….”

“I’m sorry. I have no excuse even if I had ten mouths.”

“No, it’s my fault for not leaving even though I heard the knock.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Grace.”

“What you saw…”

“I saw nothing.”

The duke, seemingly satisfied with my response, let out a small smile and then asked me as if throwing the question.

“…Did the Duke of Desmond send you to gather information? What does the beast of the west look like?”

With the duke’s somewhat relaxed words, I smiled and shook my head. I knew from the novel what the beast looked like and what its weaknesses were.

“No.”

“Then why did you come? It doesn’t seem like you came to see my face.”

“Hahaha…!”

In the novel, Duke Belian appeared as Mikhail’s revenge began. From the moment Wolfgang Louis killed Mikhail’s mother, Mikhail began to show strong hostility towards the West.

In the process, Mikhail visited the Belian family, and since they shared the same hostility towards Wolfgang, they joined forces to defeat Wolfgang Louis as depicted in the novel.

“Speak without hiding anything. The butler of the Desmond family.”

The duke’s character in the novel was bold.

It seemed that he still had that personality.

He didn’t trust people, but he was cheerful, and although he didn’t let anyone into his heart, he had an exceptional talent for making people feel comfortable.

It was the same relationship with Mikhail.

– Puhaha!! You plan to catch Wolfgang alone? I couldn’t do it in 11 years as the head of the family.

– …I can do it. No, I will definitely put Wolfgang in prison with my own hands.

– Interesting…! Can I join in on that? I want to do what even my father couldn’t.

It was a relationship where they could distinguish between benefits and losses while being like friends.

Knowing that, I came to make a proposal to the duke, and I came to this place to make an offer that the current head of the Belian family, who desires to revive the family, could not refuse.

Many people are now calling Duke Belian incompetent, but no one has worked as hard as she has to revive the family.

After organizing my thoughts, I spoke to the duke.

“I have come to make a proposal to you, Your Grace.”

“If it’s a proposal, isn’t it proper for the head of the Desmond family to come personally?”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you in person, so I was rude.”

The duke’s eyes were trembling greatly. It was an act of disrespect for a mere butler, not the head of the family, to come to the duke’s family with a proposal.

It was an act of ignoring the duke.

It was an arrogant act.

If I didn’t have the backing of the Desmond family, there would be no reason for the world to criticize the duke for immediately expelling me and retaliating.

Understanding the duke’s feelings, I began to speak carefully.

“I think the Belian family is the greatest family in the West.”

“…”

“I believe that the current head of the family, who loves the West more than anyone and works tirelessly behind the scenes to protect it, is the reason the West remains strong.”

“Are you mocking me now?”

“No. I have come to make you an offer that you will never receive again.”

“Arrogant.”

“It’s a proposal that can make the Belian family the master of the West again. Can’t you refuse after hearing my story?”

The duke bit his lip once at my unwavering gaze and nodded. With a look that seemed to say, “Let’s hear the story,” the duke opened his ears.

“Let’s hear it.”

“…Thank you.”

“A story that can save the duke’s family….”

“…”

“If it’s a lie, I’ll cut off your head.”

I nodded and replied.

“Gladly.”

*

The day was breaking.

The forces aiming for Desmond’s neck and those seeking to reclaim past glory were trembling as they faced each other.

Wolfgang’s eyes trembled as he looked at the young head of the Belian family standing before him. As if to say, “Why is that person here?”

“Why is the head of the Belian family… here?”

“This is the place to fulfill my father’s long-cherished wish. I can’t miss it.”

“…”

“I thank Wolfgang for his sacrifice.”

Wolfgang muttered to himself in a trembling voice.

“Rather… if we sweep away the duke’s family here… it wouldn’t be bad.”

The two forces were glaring at each other.

Even though their swords should be aimed at the sea, they were revealing hostility towards each other.

On the right were Wolfgang and the crown prince.

On the left were Desmond and Belian, glaring at each other.

Darvav smiled slightly and said,

“Shall we go? To catch the beast.”

The time had come to subdue the beast that had threatened the west for hundreds of years.