The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Under the falling stars, the lady and I gazed at the early morning sky.

“Hehe…”

The lady wore a bright smile, unable to hide her happiness. The seed of hope had sprouted, marking this momentous day, and she couldn’t suppress the grin that tugged at her lips.

“Hihihit…”

Lying in bed, the lady kept staring at me, laughing. Her gaze was one of those expecting compliments, and under those weighty eyes, I returned her look with a small smile.

“Why are you staring at me like that, my lady?”

“Hehe… Just because.”

She flared her nostrils slightly, clearly waiting for the answer she desired. As I tried to feign ignorance and turned my head away, she snorted once more and spoke again.

“Hehe… Ricardo, aren’t I impressive?”

The honesty in her expression made me smile slightly, and I gave a small nod.

“Yes, you are impressive.”

“How impressive?”

“As vast as the sky and as deep as the earth, my lady.”

“Wow…! As vast as the sky and deep as the earth!”

The lady smirked, muttering quietly, “I know….” Her innocent honesty always had a way of lifting my spirits, making me smile no matter the situation.

Despite the cold wind blowing into her room, there was a warm breeze between us, carrying a surge of emotions that swelled within.

It might seem like nothing to others, but to us, this was like a task that had seemed endless—a question without a solution.

No deadline.

No foreseeable end to the challenge.

I can’t think of the right metaphor, but it felt as miraculous as stumbling upon a clue to a question that had gone unanswered for two years.

“Heheh…”

The feeling of euphoria wouldn’t fade so quickly.

Every time she left the bathroom, the lady would glance at me shyly, yet that embarrassment seemed now replaced by a sense of pride that she couldn’t hide.

“Heheh… I’m amazing.”

Looking at her as she proudly stroked her own head, I smiled gently and said,

“Aren’t you laughing a bit too evilly? Anyone would think you were a public official who just smuggled something.”

“It’s such a huge achievement, it can’t be helped.”

“That’s true.”

I liked the lady’s straightforward replies. Her candid words, without any shame, relieved any pressure I felt when talking with her. Conversations with her, where we both spoke our minds openly, were always enjoyable.

I rubbed my tired eyes and glanced out the window. The sky still blanketed in darkness hadn’t yet brightened. Morning was still far off. If I fell asleep now, I knew I’d oversleep.

I carefully voiced a question, hoping to hear the answer that would allow me to avoid breakfast.

“Yaaawn… Should we sleep in late tomorrow—or rather, today?”

“Hmm… I guess.”

The lady blinked her wide eyes and furrowed her brow, lost in deep thought. Her sharp, shiny eyes clearly showed she still had energy to spare. She must have realized that I was trying to slack off; the lady had a keen sense about these things.

“Lack of sleep has a negative impact on skin health, you know.”

“My skin is fine, though.”

Grabbing my hand and rubbing it against her cheek, she motioned for me to feel it. I nodded.

“Indeed, it is quite fine.”

As expected from the most beautiful person in this world, when it came to her appearance, there was nothing to criticize. While there were many areas where her inner self still needed improvement, I supposed life is fair in that way. Once again, I tried to think of an acceptable excuse to slack off.

‘Hmm…’

No ideas came to mind. I mean, given my profession, I had to follow my master’s wishes if that’s what she wanted.

All I could do was wait for her to say something positive.

The lady turned her body slightly and spoke cautiously while staring at me.

“Ricardo, are you sleepy?”

“Yes?”

“You’ve yawned a lot, and you seem tired.”

“Isn’t it just because it’s early morning? Despite what you see, I’m still a growing boy, you know.”

“Ricardo, your dreams are too big. You’re older than me, so stop acting like a kid.”

“Please stop attacking me for my age.”

“Hehe…”

As expected, the lady was not one for holding back.

A long while passed as she continued to rub her cheek against my hand. Soon, she began playing with my fingers with her small hands, stretching each finger out as if they were fascinating. She watched me like a curious cat ready to pounce before stopping her playful movements.

“Why are you looking at me like that, my lady?”

“…”

“My lady?”

Suddenly, her mouth opened wide.

-Ahhhh… Chomp!

“Eek! Why are you biting me!”

Opening her mouth slowly, the lady bit down on my hand, but not hard enough to hurt. Though I tried shaking her off, she refused to let go.

“Ugh… Mmm!”

The more I shook my hand, the more her head wobbled with it. With her cheeks puffed full of air, she left drool all over my hand, her eyes brimming with delight.

After what felt like an eternity of my hand being soaked in drool, the lady finally let go with a bright smile, looking satisfied.

“Whoo…!”

She wiped her saliva-covered lips with her sleeve, then proudly raised her thumb as if giving her seal of approval.

“Ricardo doesn’t taste good!”

“What in the world does that mean!”

“It’s an insult.”

“…?”

“I thought you’d taste sweet with your red hair, but you’re salty.”

“Wouldn’t it be weird if a person tasted sweet?”

“Hehe… True.”

As expected, I couldn’t fully understand the lady’s logic with my commoner’s brain.

Still smiling brightly, she began wiping away the drool from my hand with her clothes. In the past, she would have told me to clean it myself, but now her newfound consideration for me as a butler left me feeling touched.

The lady fell quiet as she gently traced the bite marks on my palm.

“Ricardo…”

Touching the rough calluses on my hand, she swallowed nervously, then sighed as she looked at the faint scars on my fingers.

After a long silence, she gazed at my fingers and asked in a soft voice, as if not to wake the sleeping birds in the night.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Sorry?”

“Your hand. Does it still hurt?”

“If my lady means from your bite…”

She interrupted me, murmuring in a quiet voice as she unbuttoned her sleeve.

“Not that… This.”

The moment she rolled up my sleeve, a series of scars that had once made her cry came into view.

Thanks to the Hand of Rehabilitation I had used, some dark marks still lingered on my forearm, though it wasn’t a pleasant sight. They would disappear with time, of course, but they usually remained for at least a day.

The lady stared intently at those scars with sad eyes, her voice filled with concern as she turned to me.

“It must still hurt a lot, doesn’t it?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I gave her an honest answer—that it didn’t hurt anymore.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“That’s a lie. It still looks painful…”

I patted her head with a gentle smile as she pouted, clearly upset.

“No. Really, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“With such dedicated care from my lady, how could I possibly still be in any pain? If it still hurt, something would be terribly wrong.”

Stroking her hair, which she had been idly tousling while staring sadly at the scars, I reassured her in a calm voice.

“These days, it doesn’t hurt at all. At this point, I’d only be faking pain.”

Though the scar itself might be unsightly, having someone worry about me, especially someone as beautiful as her, made it all worthwhile.

Upon hearing my response, the lady frowned and muttered in a sulky voice, calling me a fool.

“Ricardo, you don’t take care of your body enough.”

“Who takes care of their body better than me? I secretly make medicine and take it when you’re not looking.”

“That stuff tastes gross, so I won’t eat it.”

“I had planned for us to take it together, but I guess that’s a failure.”

“Hehe… I hate gross things.”

Even as she smiled, her gaze remained fixed on my hand.

Though I couldn’t be sure what she was feeling, I suspected it was guilt. She wasn’t supposed to know, but somehow the lady had found out the reason behind my scars. Her worry was sometimes heavy on my heart, but it also gave me a strangely warm feeling inside.

I hadn’t tended to these scars expecting any kind of hero’s reward.

Embarrassed by her concern, I was unsure how to respond. All I could do was stay quiet while receiving her delicate touches.

The lady repeated something she had said to me before.

“Don’t get hurt.”

“…”

“If Ricardo gets hurt, I feel hurt too.”

“…”

“When you said you were in pain before, do you know how much my heart ached?”

“I’m sorry.”

She gripped my hand tightly and bowed her head, likely embarrassed by her own words. Seeing her like that made my heart feel warm.

“You have to say something when you’re in pain.”

She extended her pinky to me as if asking me to sign a contract. Normally, she was someone who didn’t agree to such promises so easily, but I chuckled and willingly signed this one-sided agreement.

“Understood.”

“Don’t lie again like last time.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Ugh…”

“…Promise.”

She wasn’t easy to deal with.

Yawning as the dawn’s light began to break, I turned to the lady and asked,

“My lady, may I sleep in today?”

“Ugh…”

“And skip breakfast as well?”

“Ugh…”

“The butler is feeling unwell.”

I buttoned my sleeves with a mischievous smile.

“You did promise.”

Hearing me ask to skip breakfast, the lady hesitated, but “promise” finally won her over, and she nodded, wearing a slightly crestfallen expression.

“Mmm. I’ll allow it.”

She really is a kind person after all.

I stood up carefully from the chair and spoke before heading back to my room.

“How about we go on a trip this Thursday?”

Hearing the word “trip,” the lady looked up at me from her sullen stance, her eyes twinkling.

“A trip?”

“Yes.”

“Where to…?”

She seemed excited at the prospect of a rare trip. I hoped she wouldn’t get too carried away with her expectations.

I smiled softly and said,

“Anywhere we feel like. We can decide once we wake up.”

It seemed like sleep was now the last thing on the lady’s mind.

End of Chapter.