The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 381



381 – The Times Consumed by Revenge -2-

Tears fell to the floor without knowing the reason.

“…Huh?”

Shalltear stood there endlessly, staring at the tears that had fallen to the floor.

“…This.”

Because she didn’t know why she was crying.

There was nothing unpleasant.

Rather, she was delighted that the crown prince’s position was shaking.

But the tears that flowed down her cheeks showed no sign of stopping. Like someone reminiscing about old memories.

“…Ha, why am I like this?”

Shalltear wiped her tears with the back of her hand and swallowed her breath. She told herself not to do this where people were passing by.

“…I need to pull myself together.”

Even if her heart ached.

Even if her heart was constricted as if someone had stirred it up, she was scolding herself not to do so, but the tears that couldn’t easily calm down kept falling repeatedly.

In the repeated sadness, Shalltear clutched her aching chest and exhaled. She wondered why she suddenly felt this way.

It felt like her heart was being squeezed.

Her chest felt tight, and she couldn’t speak.

As someone once said, the hardest sorrow in life is when there is pain that cannot be told to anyone, the inexplicable sadness was raging without giving her time to think.

Even now, this emotion.

“Sniff…”

She thought it was such an emotion.

As her aching chest gradually found stability, Shalltear took a deep breath and calmed her trembling heart.

And then, when she saw the words on the blue window in front of her, it felt like her heart stopped with a thud.

-Quest completed.

It was just one.

She had only found one, yet she felt this way.

Shalltear thought she wouldn’t be able to handle the trials that came without reason.

It was nothing.

“The problem is that there are too many tears…”

She thought it was something she could ignore.

Otherwise.

“…”

It felt like emotions would settle down like tears falling to the floor. Shaltier deliberately ignored this feeling and moved towards the office.

To write a letter to someone.

*

At the same time.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“My nose is blocked.”

“Try blowing it with a ‘sniff’.”

“Sniff!”

“…You should cover your nose with a handkerchief when you blow it.”

The young lady, with snot dangling from her nose, and I were sitting on a bench with a beautiful view of the setting sun and the sea.

“It’s a spectacular view.”

“Yes.”

The young lady, who had caught a cold from playing too hard in the sea, blew her nose with a long sniff.

“Hieee?”

The young lady’s snot flew away with the wind.

“…”

In most creative works, it would be plausible for a lover’s handkerchief or a dove’s feather symbolizing peace to fly away, but unfortunately, the young lady next to me, who couldn’t dream of such a romantic picture, made it disappointing.

As I watched the snot fall to the ground, I wiped the young lady’s nose with a handkerchief and said,

“Blow with a ‘sniff’.”

“Eeeek…!”

“Not ‘eeek’, but ‘sniff’.”

“Heeeing!!!”

“That’s right.”

The young lady, looking refreshed, wiped her nose.

“Shall I blow your nose too, Ricardo?”

“No.”

“Okay…”

The wind was blowing coolly.

The sunset, as if signaling the end of the busy schedule, was beautifully illuminating the western horizon.

I put the handkerchief with my snot into my inner pocket and looked at the sunset as I spoke to the young lady.

“This is the end of our sea sightseeing.”

“Yes.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes. The sea was beautiful, and playing with you was fun. And I liked getting a new pet. What about you, Ricardo?”

“I was happy to see your swimsuit, my lady.”

“Eek?!”

“I can’t lie.”

“I am quite something, aren’t I?”

The young lady nodded her head and expressed her honest feelings about the compliment. She was never one to be humble.

A lot had happened.

We had a quarrel with the crown prince.

We caught the beast of the west.

I saw the young lady’s swimsuit.

I couldn’t predict what changes this event would bring to the novel, but whatever it was, it was fun, so that was enough.

“Sigh… Let me go again.”

“Yes.”

It seemed like things would change for the better.

The beast that was supposed to fall into the hands of the heretics came into my possession, and Wolfgang’s power weakened because of this event.

In the original work, he pretended to join hands with the crown prince, only to betray him and plot a rebellion to seize the throne, but now he wouldn’t have the strength to do so.

Since Mikhail obtained the holy sword, there was no need to worry about the main characters, who were like weaklings, meeting tragic ends.

The martial prowess of the main characters in the novel was following the original work, so I thought the time to worry about the flow of the novel had passed. Of course, if there was anything to gain, I would scrape it all up without hesitation.

If there was one concern, it would be the crown prince.

“Hmm.”

“My lady, you shouldn’t eat chocolate secretly.”

“Eek? How did you know?”

The crown prince, who would already be troubled at this point, was even more troubled than in the original work.

Wolfgang, who was supposed to grow his power, was sinking like crazy, so he must be feeling the heat. The situation where Wolfgang, who was strong in the west, was losing power to the Bellian family would not be pleasing to him.

So, I told you not to join hands with Wolfgang.

‘Idiot…’

Same goes for the slave trader.

We need to recover from the damage caused during the period when the canal was frozen, so maybe there’s nothing left but to fall further.

‘…I think I should say something soon.’

I think I should talk about the issue with Mikhail and his mother before it’s too late… Maybe it’s also good to mention who his real father is.

Whatever it is, just when a satisfied smile appeared on my face after the successful schedule in the West.

“Ricardo.”

The lady who was secretly eating chocolate spoke to me.

“Yes.”

The lady, staring blankly at the sea, bit into the chocolate with a crunch.

“Ricardo…”

“Yes.”

“What would you have been doing if I hadn’t picked you up from the slums?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Just curious.”

What kind of wind blew for her to bring up a future-oriented story? Just when I wanted to applaud the lady for asking a question more dignified than I expected, she answered with a determined expression.

“You would probably be begging.”

“…?”

“Ricardo, you would have become the king of beggars by now.”

“…That’s a bit.”

“Since you’re good at cooking, you might have opened a restaurant.”

“That’s possible.”

The lady nodded her head.

“Then I would have become a regular at Ricardo’s restaurant.”

“Probably?”

“Maybe you could have even gotten a job with our family. I might have taken a liking to you and recommended you.”

“You would have been on the road to success.”

“Yes, exactly. It would be good to be in my good graces.”

A restaurant… That might have been possible. If the possessor’s life didn’t go well, he was planning to open a restaurant with the money he begged for.

I smiled slightly and teased the young lady.

“But, it would cost a lot to hire me. Even the exclusive chefs of the forest friends don’t change jobs.”

“Hmm…”

“No matter how low, I think I would need at least ten thousand gold per month to work as an exclusive chef…”

“Eek?! Ricardo, you thief!”

“Aren’t I that competent?”

“Eek…”

I burst into laughter at the young lady’s serious reaction to my meaningless joke. She was doing better than the delusional me who had opened a restaurant.

The young lady, who was biting her lip and seriously contemplating, looked at me and answered with difficulty.

“As long as I can keep seeing your face, that’s enough… You don’t have to pay me much.”

“…Isn’t that too much?”

“I’m pretty, so it’s okay.”

“Puhaha!!! That’s true.”

I laughed heartily at the young lady’s bold words and placed my hand on her head as the setting sun glowed.

“Eek?!”

“Still, I think living as your butler is the happiest for me. Who else can put their hand on the head of a noble lady? An exclusive chef who only holds a frying pan couldn’t even dream of it.”

“…”

“Besides, I get to watch the most interesting and beautiful person in the world up close. The benefits are incomparable.”

“Ugh…”

The young lady fidgeted with her fingers and lowered her head.

“…”

As I wondered about the young lady’s reaction, which didn’t seem very happy, she spoke to me in a dejected voice.

“Being with me… makes things hard for you, Ricardo.”

“…What?”

“Sick… can’t go out to play… no friends.”

“I have many friends.”

“Name ten.”

“…”

“…Ugh…”

So that’s why she brought this up.

I hadn’t realized it because she didn’t show it on the surface. I never thought she would have such thoughts.

I thought she was someone who lived with an empty mind, but to think she could say something like this. A sense of pride welled up in my heart.

I spoke while looking at the sea that seemed to embrace the sun.

“I’m happy because I can see your smile up close. There’s nothing more interesting than that.”

“…Ugh.”

“If you really feel sorry, please eat bell peppers more often.”

“I don’t like that…”

“Then broccoli.”

“I’ll die if I eat that.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

The lady and I talked for a long time while looking at the sea.

And then.

The next day, I smiled wryly as I looked at a letter that had flown in from the capital.

[Leogarde Shartia]

-When you come to the capital, drop by the office.

“Is it… work?”

I wanted to be fiercely unemployed.