The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

A carriage heading back to Hamel.

As I loaded the luggage into the carriage’s storage area, I let out a relaxed sigh, wrapping up the journey to the North.

I had come with an empty bag, but now it danced at my fingertips, filled to the brim with souvenirs. Money really did solve a lot of problems.

But, there was one flaw, just one.

“Young Lady.”

“Mmm?”

“Could you stop just sitting there and help me a bit?”

The problem was the young lady, who was just sitting still.

Seated in the first-class seat of our carriage, she had no intention of helping and simply sat there, petting the horses while chewing on some jerky given to her by James. She then offered the jerky to me, speaking as though nothing was wrong.

“…”

“It’s good.”

Maybe because she’s an aristocratic villainess, but her lack of awareness was something she must’ve left with the rabbit on the moon. For a fleeting moment, I regretted not raising her with more discipline, but as a faithful butler, I held back and took the jerky she offered with a small nod.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right?”

“But it’s kinda… moist.”

“Yeah, I was eating it before I gave it to you.”

“…?”

I looked at her with eyes full of slight resentment.

“Why would you give me that?”

“I seasoned it for you. Otherwise, it’d be too bland.”

“…”

I stared at the soggy jerky in my hand.

-Soggy.

Now that I looked closely, there were clear teeth marks—all thanks to the young lady’s perfect white teeth. I nodded while staring at the jerky.

‘This is a bit… much.’

I tore off the end of the jerky and started chewing. Though it felt a bit wasteful, I had to maintain my dignity as a human being, so I had no choice.

It wasn’t because I was thinking about an indirect kiss, really. It’s just that wasting food seemed wrong, not because of any other thoughts.

“Hmm…”

With the added seasoning, it certainly tasted good.

“It’s really good.”

“Right?”

“It must be because it’s a northern specialty.”

As if she didn’t even consider any of my words, the young lady continued proudly, saying the taste was better because of her contribution.

“It’s because I made it less salty.”

“…”

“Want me to prepare you another one?”

Looking at her as she pulled out another piece of jerky from the bag, I let out a small sigh. What should I even do with this villainess?

“Yes.”

Of course, I didn’t decline.

After leisurely chewing on the jerky for another 30 minutes while packing the luggage, I saw two familiar figures approaching from a distance.

“Hey!”

It was Yuria and James, the latter still in a patient’s gown, carrying several bags in their hands as they hurried toward us.

Despite the bright smile on James’ face, I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t resting in the hospital as he should have been. I smiled faintly and greeted them both. After all, it wasn’t me who was sick. 𝑅�

“Miss Yuria, Mr. James!”

“Huff, huff… You said you’d tell us when you were leaving! I bought some souvenirs!”

“Well, Miss Yuria said she’d stay behind to take care of her father, so we were trying to slip away quietly. And Mr. James, don’t you know the meaning of absolute rest?”

James, standing there in his hospital gown, let out an awkward laugh and patted my shoulder.

“Haha! Staying cooped up in the hospital was making me restless! My life’s savior is leaving, how could I just lie in bed and do nothing? I feel better knowing I at least saw you off. Isn’t that right, Yuria?”

“Yes…”

“Ah! Let me introduce you to my daughter, Yuria, whom I mentioned before. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Ah… Dad!”

“She takes after her mother. Isn’t she just stunning?”

“Come on! Will you stop already?”

“Why not, Yuria! He’s the best guy I’ve ever met. You should at least let me play matchmak—ugh!”

Yuria elbowed him in the stomach to stop his nonsense, clearing her throat. I chuckled lightly at the sight of her bantering so freely. Perhaps northerners were just naturally this easygoing. It had been a while since I’d seen Yuria so relaxed and unguarded, and it brought a smile to my face.

“Why are you smiling…?”

“Just because you look happy.”

“That’s embarrassing…”

“It’s nice to see you with your father, smiling like that.”

Yuria’s face turned red, and she muttered something I couldn’t quite catch, but it sounded like a soft, “He called him Father…”

James, noticing how Yuria’s ears were turning red, grinned like an old man who had just seen something cute. He even covered his mouth with one hand and chuckled softly, like a housewife lost in a soap opera. Then, pulling a paper bag from the ground, James handed it to me.

“This is a northern specialty.”

“Oh, no need, we’ve already received so much.”

“Take it. I received much more.”

James gave me a thumbs-up, clearly picturing the brand-new inn he’d be building under Malik’s guidance.

“Thanks to you, I’ll even be able to hang a sign with ‘Friends of the Forest Soup Shop’!”

“Wait, what?”

“Ah, right. I was supposed to keep that a secret. Oops!”

“Mr. Malik is the one who arranged that?”

“As soon as I mentioned you shared the recipe, he whipped out the contract.”

“…”

I clicked my tongue in amazement at Malik’s efficiency. I wasn’t sure how well stew would sell in the North, but something told me that since Malik was involved, it wouldn’t fail.

I smiled as Malik’s image came to mind.

‘Well, he knows what he’s doing.’

-Rest first.

-Huh?

-I’ll come for the recipe later, so focus on getting some rest. No objections.

-And what about the cleanup…?

-I’ll handle it. I’ll write the report myself, so stretch out and sleep well.

-Sir?

-I’m leaving.

Even though I had thought Malik was one of the most rigid people in this world, he still managed to surprise me by being the most capable. I nodded slightly, wishing James the best of luck as well.

“Do your best. You’ve encountered a stroke of good fortune.”

“Have I? I’m not really familiar with capital trends.”

“Yes, it’s an incredible stroke of luck. I’ll occasionally visit with the boss, so prepare well.”

“His martial arts are impressive, and now he runs a business too?”

“No, I’m just tagging along. The real brains are the boss.”

James and I talked about the business for quite a while, right up until all the jerky in the lady’s treasure pouch had run out. Finally, it was time for the last farewell in the North.

As I climbed onto the carriage, I gave a small wave to both of them.

“Well then, we’ll be off.”

“Safe travels.”

“Thank you. Savior!”

Olivia waved gently at Yuria.

“Take care.”

“…”

Yuria gave a small nod.

Carrying with her the weight of a debt that wasn’t unpleasant, Yuria expressed her gratitude for Olivia’s farewell in her own way.

*

On the road in the carriage.

Pulling out a fresh piece of jerky from a new bag, the young lady was gnawing away, trying to pass the boredom caused by the bumpy ride.

“Ughhhhh!!!”

“Young Lady.”

“Ughhhhhhh!!!”

“Chewing like that won’t make your teeth fall out, you know.”

The young lady, stubbornly wrestling with the jerky to see if it was stronger than her gums, showed no signs of giving up in this tug-of-war.

“Ughh! Ricardo, scissors.”

“…”

I sighed lightly and drew a neat line across the jerky for her. After all, with my Sword Master abilities, this kind of thing was child’s play.

“Oh!”

The young lady, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me, whispered a cheerful “Thank you” and resumed chewing on her jerky.

-Clunk.

I spoke lightly to her.

“Young Lady.”

“Huh?”

“How long have you been hiding the black magic?”

“Gasp…”

She froze mid-bite, like a game character frozen in place when you paused. As if trying to figure out what to do, she cautiously glanced at me from the corner of her eye, then quickly resumed ferociously chewing her jerky.

“You said no one should disturb anyone while they’re eating, Ricardo.”

“We finished eating an hour ago.”

“No, we didn’t.”

“Ha…”

I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head at her lame excuse. Clearly, I wasn’t going to get a straight answer from her easily.

But I had to press on. I needed answers. That way, I could prepare myself properly and avoid any unnecessary hurt. So, I spoke cautiously.

“I won’t scold you.”

“You’re lying.”

“Maybe a little scolding, but not much. You did save my life this time.”

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, nervously chewing on her jerky faster and wiping her lips as if bracing to confess.

“You really won’t scold me?”

“Yes. Just a little.”

“Really, really?”

“I promise.”

The young lady began fidgeting with her fingers, her voice dropping to a small whisper.

“From the start…”

“Pardon?”

“Ever since my leg got hurt, I could use it. I felt something… whoosh, and boom…”

“Haha…”

I kept a serious face, nodding as she confessed with a timid expression.

“I see.”

“Mmhm.”

“And why did you hide it from me?”

“I was scared you’d be mad. You don’t like it already, so I thought you’d hate me more.”

I smiled softly and placed my hand on her head.

“Correct answer.”

-Aaaagh!!

A scream echoed through the carriage as I pinched her forehead, applying light pressure only to genuinely tease her.

“But now, what do we do?”

“What?”

“I already told the family head.”

“Huh?”

“That…”

-The Young Lady has regressed.

“I let him know you’d become younger. He’s probably reading the letter just as we speak, right?”

“Really?”

With an awkward smile, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. Well, I figured things would work out somehow.

I rested my eyes for a bit.

*

After traveling for what felt like a long while, we finally arrived at the young lady’s home.

Under the darkened sky, the mansion lay in a shadowy silence, its lights dimmed. I expected there’d be a lot of cleaning to do since it had been vacant for some time. I stuck my head out the carriage window, gazing at the familiar estate.

“Wait…?”

In front of the mansion’s gates stood a gigantic carriage. The emblem of Desmond Olivia covered its side, boldly declaring its presence.

Laughing to myself, I watched as someone stepped out of the massive carriage.

-Olivia!!!!!

I heard the voice of the ultimate father-figure echo loudly.

End of Chapter.