The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

To the Original Form (2)

***

[Q. To the original form.]

A long time ago.

There was a girl who had a crush on a boy.

He was like a prince from a fairy tale, the kind of person who extended his hand to a girl abandoned by her parents and left all alone.

The first meeting between the girl and the boy was not what you would call pleasant. After all, under the bridge in the slums is far from a romantic place.

A meeting between a beggar and an orphan.

Despite not having anything special, the girl came to like the boy.

However.

Though the unrequited love ended in tragedy, the girl still liked the boy. Even now, as an adult, she could not forget him.

After experiencing the painful sadness of separation and growing up, the girl met a man.

A man with red hair, much like the boy.

But unlike the prince from the fairy tale, this man had a twisted personality, and he often said that violence was closer to him than the law.

The girl disliked the man.

He brought trouble wherever he went.

He showed no mercy.

And there was not a shred of justice in him.

The girl disliked the man who was so similar to the boy.

Without ever having a proper conversation.

Without ever having an honest discussion, the girl judged him based solely on his superficial traits and came to hate him.

Unaware of the man’s true feelings.

(!) Please listen to the story of the man you dislike (Ricardo).

1. Show Ricardo your true self. (0/1)

2. Go on a date with Ricardo. (0/1)

3. Listen to Ricardo’s sincerity. (0/1)

-Will you accept?

Michail clenched his fist.

The Blue Window was offering to show him the truth he had missed, and Michail bit his lip as he clenched his fist.

He hated it.

He hated the idea of facing Ricardo, of talking to that man. It made his skin crawl.

But…

Reward: The survival of Lee Minhyuk.

The offer was so sweet it was almost sickening, and Michail found himself wavering.

If he could just close his eyes and endure it once, he might finally be rewarded for all the efforts he had made up until now.

Michail clenched his fist and suppressed the anger rising within him. The appearance of the Blue Window itself was a sign that the boy’s survival was still possible. Perhaps this Blue Window would deliver the miracle he had been hoping for. ℞

Michail squeezed his eyes shut as he looked at the Blue Window.

“I… I can’t give up.”

Suppressing his boiling anger, Michail gritted his teeth and nodded.

“I’ll accept.”

-Confirmed.

The Blue Window glowed brightly before fading away, leaving behind faint letters.

-Ricardo’s eyes are covered.

-A spell is cast on the caster ‘Michail.’

The reflection of Michail in the mirror began to change under the influence of the small spell.

***

Today, the streets of the capital were peaceful.

Having come to the capital for the first time in a while to buy a snack for the young lady, I sat in a café, having left her behind at the Desmond estate.

-See you soon.

-Yes.

-Bring back some chocolate.

-Yes.

-Say goodbye to your father, too.

-Take care.

“Hmm…”

I could have bought chocolate in Hamel, but since I had more money now, I wanted to indulge in a bit of luxury, like a nouveau riche.

I nodded as I looked out the window.

“There are a lot of people.”

As expected of the capital, the streets were crowded.

Students in academy uniforms.

Nobles dressed in fine gowns.

Couples walking arm in arm, flaunting their affection.

The bustling streets of the capital brought a sense of joy to the diligent but occasionally neglectful butler who had taken a rare break from his duties.

‘It’s nice to spend some time alone like this once in a while. Though, I’d prefer to be with the young lady, but that wouldn’t be a proper break.’

The only downside was that the Affection Window was acting up.

[The Affection Window is currently unavailable.]

‘Is it on strike?’

I shrugged lightly and took a sip from my straw, slightly amused at the sudden malfunction of the Affection Window, which had been quite useful to me.

-Slurrrp.

The bitter taste of the coffee filled my mouth, a small pleasure that invigorated the butler’s weary life.

“Bitter.”

It was 12:50 in the afternoon.

There were still 10 minutes left until the chocolate shop that catered to the young lady’s picky taste would open.

And the line was already long.

As expected of a popular chocolate shop that only opened for three hours, there was a long queue in front of it.

I let out a small chuckle as I looked at the line in front of the shop.

“I’m going to get scolded by the young lady…”

I had tried to act like a refined butler who enjoyed the luxury of a cup of coffee, but it seemed I might not be able to buy the chocolate after all.

Smiling wryly, I took another sip of my coffee.

Since I was going to get scolded anyway, I figured I might as well take my time and enjoy my break.

‘While I’m in the capital, I might as well stop by the tteokbokki shop and the candy shop Malik just opened. That should make it somewhat acceptable.’

I sipped my coffee, savoring the brief moment of leisure.

And then, at that moment.

“Huh…?”

“…”

“Who are you?”

A woman was staring at me, her face pressed against the glass window.

Long silver hair.

A white dress.

A woman with a large chest was staring at me intently.

“…”

I shook my head and avoided her gaze. She didn’t seem to be looking for me.

It was our first time meeting, after all.

And she was too beautiful.

There was no way a butler like me would forget such a stunning face, so I shrugged and shifted my body to make it easier for her to find her companion.

To the right.

-Slide.

To the left.

-Slide.

‘What is this?’

The woman’s deep gray eyes followed me wherever I moved.

‘Is being too handsome a problem?’ I briefly entertained the thought, but judging by the stern expression on her face, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Then what could it be? If I had to guess, she might be someone from the academy who held a grudge against me.

-Slide.

It didn’t seem like she had good intentions.

Cautiously, I pointed to myself, asking if she was looking for me.

-Nod. Nod.

I awkwardly smiled as I saw her nod and mouthed the words.

‘Me?’

-Nod.

‘Why?’

-…

The woman didn’t answer.

After a long, silent standoff, the woman, unable to win the staring contest, suddenly turned around and walked into the café, sitting down in front of me.

“…”

“Excuse me.”

The woman stared at me without saying a word.

I spoke to her in a serious tone.

“I’m sorry, but this café has a one-drink-per-person policy.”

“Oh…”

The flustered woman hurriedly fumbled through her pockets. Despite her awkward behavior, it seemed she had a sense of conscience. Watching her clumsy movements, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly, hiding my smile as I watched her search for her wallet.

‘Pockets in a dress?’

She was quite amusing.

Most women would carry a handbag, but she seemed to be the type who was a bit scatterbrained.

‘Well, I guess I have no choice…’

Being the professional pushover that I was, I slowly stood up, ready to open my wallet once again.

“Don’t go!”

The silver-haired woman, who had been sitting, hurriedly called out to me, grabbing my sleeve with a panicked look in her eyes.

“Go…”

She bit her lip and spoke.

“Do

Her voice trailed off as she lowered her head, looking dejected. I let out a small laugh. I wasn’t so heartless as to leave after she had come all this way to find me.

Gently removing her hand from my sleeve, I responded.

“I’m not running away.”

“…Then?”

“You mentioned the one-drink-per-person policy. I just finished my coffee, so I was on my way to buy another one. I’ll get you a drink while I’m at it.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Is there anything you’d like? Tea? Coffee?”

The woman lowered her head and answered in a small voice.

“Mandrake tea.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Why?”

“No, it’s just… an interesting choice.”

I chuckled softly as I walked away from her.

And then, I asked her quietly.

“What’s your name?”

“Mi…”

The startled woman quickly covered her mouth, then after a moment of hesitation, she spoke with difficulty.

In a very small, timid voice.

“It’s a secret.”

“I’ll keep it a secret too, then.”

I smiled softly and nodded.

I had a feeling I knew who she was.

Though I wasn’t sure why.

At that moment, Michail, sitting in the café, clenched his fist as he watched Ricardo’s retreating figure.

‘This can’t be…’

Michail could see it clearly.

-The subject is under a spell.

[Ricardo’s Affection towards ‘Michail’: 71 > 80]

Michail felt that something was wrong.

The affection was unusually high.

Ricardo’s tone was unusually kind.

And the fact that Ricardo hadn’t shown any hostility towards him despite Michail’s rudeness was surprising.

It wasn’t a huge change, but…

Something had begun to turn, like a small cog in a machine.

Michail watched as Ricardo approached with a tray of drinks, deep in thought.

He just wanted to accomplish his goal and leave as soon as possible.

He didn’t want to waste any more time and wanted to return to swinging his sword.

“Here you go, Miss Secret, your drink.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

“And here’s mine.”

Michail spoke up.

He had always thought that Ricardo’s true feelings were ones of hatred and insults towards him.

“Um, you dislike…”

“Ah.”

Ricardo interrupted Michail and spoke.

“You’re beautiful.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’ve been wanting to tell you that for a while now.”

End of Chapter