The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 11

It rained early in the morning.

Perhaps because it was the season signaling the end of summer, a late monsoon had begun.

-Drip drip drip….

The sound of raindrops hitting the window.

My already pudding-like tender heart turned as sentimental as soft-serve ice cream.

‘It feels like my estrogen is kicking in.’

-Slurp. While sipping green tea, I looked outside the window.

‘You probably won’t be able to go to work today. It’s raining too much.’

Watching the swelling river water, I thought about the maid who must be preparing to leave for work. A middle-aged Honorable Maid in her 40s. Though she had no experience and was just an ordinary commoner housewife, I hired her because her cooking was delicious.

Since I told her not to come to work when it rained, she probably wouldn’t show up today.

Looking at the dirty bed sheets, I let out a sigh.

‘Life is bitter.’

I shouldn’t have fed her breakfast.

When she said she wanted to sleep more, I should’ve let her.

Thinking about the Young Lady’s health, I woke her up to feed her breakfast, but the drowsy Young Lady ended up dozing off and hitting her face on the table. Naturally, the soup spilled too.

Luckily, it had cooled down.

If it had been hot, it could’ve been a disaster.

-Slurp. The cheap green tea spreading in my mouth felt especially bitter today.

Today is also a day off from adventurer work.

I had told Hanna yesterday that we should take the day off if it rained heavily.

Before I realized it, it had been over two weeks since Hanna and I started working together.

My wallet had grown significantly.

Now, even eating meat five days a week didn’t make my wallet go on strike.

The Young Lady’s laughter had increased.

And I found myself laughing more as well.

In many ways, I was grateful to Hanna.

‘Quest.’

[Q. The Tragic Extra with a Short Life, ‘Hanna’]

Neglected by her father and ignored by the servants, she always resents her own pitiful talent.

She is starved for praise.

·

·

·

1. Give compliments to boost her self-esteem.

(5/10)

2. Raise her favorability to 40 or above.

[Favorability: 32]

3. Defeat the ‘Elite Orc Gladiator.’

(0/1)

Reward: Swordsmanship Lv. 6. Strength +3 Increase.

Hanna: Swordsmanship Lv. 4, Beginner Aura (C).

Failure: Histania Hanna dies.

────────────────

It seems about a week remains.

I thought even four weeks would be tight, but Hanna has been keeping up better than expected, so it seems entirely possible within three weeks.

Of course, with Hanna’s current skills, she would undoubtedly lose 100% of the time against the Elite Orc Gladiator. After all, an Elite Orc isn’t just any ordinary monster; it’s a special monster with the “Elite” modifier.

However, after about a week of training and teaching her the strategy, I was confident Hanna could defeat it.

Hanna’s growth was rapid.

Even with the smallest praise, she would blush but gain motivation, quickly improving and making it her own.

She would listen attentively to even minor advice, improve, and make it her own, which made me proud. I wondered if this was the feeling of being a master.

‘If you think about it, she is my first disciple.’

It’s the first time I’ve officially taught someone.

Hanna wields the sword well.

And she loves the sword.

If she had shown such passion in a household that made a living through swordsmanship, they would have cherished her like a treasure, but her complicated family circumstances were unfortunate.

‘But Swordsmanship Lv. 6, huh.’

According to the setting book, Level 5 is the highest level an ordinary person can achieve through effort.

Beyond that is the domain of talent.

Thinking of Awakened Mikhail or the novel’s antagonists starting from Level 6 made it easier to understand.

So, am I entering the boss tier now? The fact that my martial arts had reached a level where I wouldn’t die on the street was reassuring. With Swordsmanship Lv. 6, I could even contend with Awakened Mikhail.

Finally, my relationship with Hanna, which was nearing its end, felt bittersweet and full of anticipation.

-Drip drip….

“The rain is falling harder.”

Rain makes people sentimental.

What is it about water falling from the sky that stirs the heart so melancholically?

It’s damp, and the laundry doesn’t dry, so what’s so great about it?

‘Still, the sound of rain is nice.’

There was someone else besides me who was immersed in sentimentality. The Master of the House, staring blankly outside the window with melancholic eyes.

“Ha…. It’s nice.”

I quietly called out to Olivia.

“Young Lady.”

“Mmm?”

The Lady Villainess, deeply engrossed in gazing outside the window. Perhaps lost in a fantasy of sharing an umbrella with Mikhail in the rain, she didn’t respond when I called her.

I wanted to interrupt her.

The Lady Villainess was grinning as she looked at the window. Our Villainess wasn’t usually such a sentimental person, so perhaps the weather was changing her.

It was strangely irritating.

-Munch munch.

‘Munch munch?’

Not even a second after thinking how irritating it was, I heard the Young Lady’s exclamation.

“Mmm…. Delicious.”

I cautiously placed my hand on the Young Lady’s shoulder.

“Young Lady?”

Flinch. The Lady Villainess’s shoulder trembled.

Contrary to her startled reaction, Olivia remained stiffly facing the window. Normally, she would have looked at me and asked, “Why?” but her stubborn posture made me suspicious.

“What are you doing?”

“Guarding the house.”

Olivia was diligently gazing out the window as if she were a guard dog.

“Why are you guarding the house?”

“It’s my job.”

“Pardon?”

“I got a job last week.”

“Who’s paying your salary?”

“…”

The Lady Villainess didn’t answer.

I turned my head to look at the Lady Villainess’s face.

Swoosh. The Lady Villainess averted her gaze.

In that brief moment, I noticed something brown smeared at the corner of the Young Lady’s lips.

I had a hunch.

The Young Lady was eating chocolate.

Suppressing a laugh, I spoke to the Young Lady.

“It must be tough guarding the house, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. My sugar levels drop, and it’s exhausting.”

“Why would your sugar levels drop?”

“Because it’s raining?”

“Hmm. Then you must need some sugar?”

The Lady Villainess flinched for a moment.

She took the bait I threw out without hesitation.

She wasn’t the type to give up free snacks.

The Lady Villainess nodded vigorously.

“Yes, I need lots of sugar.”

With a serious expression, the Lady Villainess nodded. But since the sweet smell was already escaping from her lips, her serious tone was not convincing at all.

However, unaware of this, the Lady Villainess continued speaking in an expectant tone.

“If I could stock up on sugar, I think I could guard the house more effectively.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

I spoke to the Young Lady.

“By the way, Young Lady.”

“Yes?”

“Haven’t you eaten too much to say your sugar levels have dropped?”

Flinch. The Young Lady’s body trembled.

The Lady Villainess froze, as if she’d seen a ghost. She didn’t seem to have any talent for acting.

“What are you talking about? What did I eat?”

The Young Lady poured all her effort into her acting.

At times like this, I was glad the Young Lady didn’t have a strong ambition for acting. If she did, she would have been a One-Trick Villain.

The Young Lady exaggeratedly moved her jaw. I hid my smile and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know how you stole it, but I’ll have to confiscate it.”

“No! I saved it up!”

“The Young Lady I know isn’t someone familiar with saving money.”

“No, I got close to it starting yesterday.”

Mumbling, the Lady Villainess’s pronunciation was unclear. She reached out and pushed my face away.

Chocolate smudged on her fingers ended up on my face.

It was sweet.

She was a Red-Handed Culprit.

“Hand it over.”

“I don’t have it!”

“Considering how much is smeared on your hands, that’s hard to believe.”

“Really?”

The Young Lady looked at her own hands.

She nodded and admitted it.

It seemed even she thought this was too much.

Olivia began rummaging through her pocket.

It was the chocolate pouch I had bought.

With her clumsy technique, Olivia grabbed a handful of chocolates and made eye contact with me.

She tried to put on a pitiful expression.

But faced with my stern expression, she changed her strategy.

Olivia gulped.

“Ricardo, do you know what to do if a Tax Auditor comes for an investigation?”

“What? All of a sudden?”

“Evidence Destruction.”

-Munch munch.

The Young Lady poured the chocolates in her hand into her mouth.

“Young Lady!”

“Hahaha!”

At the sight of her laughing like an Evil Villainess, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“No… Puhaha! No, seriously!”

The Lady Villainess was enthusiastically munching away, not even offering the butler a taste. Annoyed by her selfishness, I reached for Olivia’s side.

“Heehee! Let go!”

“Didn’t I tell you that eating so much would rot your teeth? Especially since you already dislike brushing them.”

“Let go!”

“I won’t let go until you hand over all the hidden chocolates.”

After relentless tickling, Olivia finally began to reluctantly reveal her hidden stash with a sulky expression.

Like a General Affairs Officer caught embezzling a slush fund, the Lady Villainess looked as if she’d lost everything in the world.

She even looked more sorrowful than when she was dumped by Mikhail.

Under the pillow.

Under the sheets.

And then.

“Why did you hide it there?”

“Just… I thought it wouldn’t be found.”

The Young Lady pulled out chocolate from between her chest. The chocolate was heavily melted.

I adjusted my posture.

Gently pushing away the Lady Villainess’s hand holding out the chocolate, I said.

“Don’t put it there.”

“Why? It’s the perfect hiding spot.”

“Because it makes me uncomfortable.”

For a while, I couldn’t get up from my seat.

***

The Young Lady and I stared out the window again.

This time, we absentmindedly observed Outside the Window with cheap green tea and cheap snacks in hand.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“This tastes awful.”

“…”

Olivia tightly shut her eyes and gulped down the green tea.

As if crushing her hopes, I refilled her empty teacup with more green tea.

“It’s good for your health.”

“…”

Did my concern for her health reach her?

Olivia’s warm gaze pierced my hand.

“Son of a b*.”

“Woof.”

I barked softly.

Time passed by faster than expected.

Perhaps because there were two fools who got along so well, the drizzling rain didn’t feel so bad.

The rain was still pouring heavily, and no Guests came to the house.

The two fools sipped their tea, showed their Truthful Brows, and played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would pour the next cup.

It was fun.

“It’s raining a lot.”

“If you go out now, your sugar levels might drop completely.”

“No matter how much you gaslight me, it won’t work. Today’s snacks are all green tea.”

“Ugh.”

Outside, a downpour was pouring relentlessly.

The river water had risen significantly.

It was easy to spot the guards wrapping up their patrols and heading home.

Once the rain stopped, I would likely need to climb onto the roof for repair work, but for now, I looked up at the sky, hoping the ceiling wouldn’t leak.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Someone’s coming over there.”

The Young Lady pointed toward the marketplace with her finger. I didn’t believe her. There was no way any noteworthy person would come to our mansion in this weather. I figured she must have seen a drenched puppy instead.

To clear up the Young Lady’s misunderstanding, I replied lightly.

“No, that’s just a dog.”

“A dog?”

“Yes.”

She nodded slightly.

Olivia fell silent again.

I also quietly looked out the window.

“Ricardo.”

Olivia pointed somewhere again, this time closer than before.

“Someone’s coming over there.”

“Are you bored?”

“A little?”

“I’ll tell you a scary story in a bit.”

“Eek…!”

Olivia tightly shut her mouth.

I followed Olivia’s finger with my gaze.

‘What is this?’

There really was something there.

Something brown was rapidly running toward our mansion.

“Huh?”

It was then.

The fast-moving figure stopped right in front of the mansion’s front gate.

Olivia looked at me.

I gave a small nod.

Both she and I knew.

Anyone coming to our mansion in this weather was either a ghost or a thief.

With a fearful heart, I carefully examined the front gate.

‘Who could it be?’

A woman with her head bowed low, spinning in circles in front of the mansion’s front gate.

She looked strangely familiar.

Brown hair.

Wearing leather pants, her shoulders drooped like a mouse soaked in the rain.

“Huh?”

Olivia glanced up at me cautiously.

“Is it really a person?”

“It seems so. I’ll go down and check.”

“Okay.”

I quickly ran toward the front gate.

Grabbing an outer garment and an umbrella, I ran to the person standing in front of the gate.

A woman drenched in rain was standing there.

It was a familiar woman.

I had seen her just yesterday.

I even remembered parting with her when her face was full of laughter.

She knocked weakly on the gate.

“Is anyone there?”

“Uh…”

A drained voice came through.

“I came because I missed the green tea flavor.”

Hanna had come to our mansion.