The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The sky is blue.

“…”

Shuen’s hair was also blue.

‘I like it…’

For the first time, it was a moment spent with Senior Mikhail. Sitting at the same dining table and sharing a meal with someone she admired felt like a dream come true.

Of course, they had eaten together at the Academy before.

-You must have been hungry; you’re eating so fast.

-Ugh, ugh! (It’s just a habit!)

Having gotten used to eating in the bathroom, she quickly left her seat back then. Now, sitting at the dining table and looking at Mikhail, Shuen held her fork in reverse and thought.

‘Today is my chance! The love-filled life of me, Shuen, and Senior Mikhail!’

Being with someone she liked in a nice place. Right now, at this very moment with Senior Mikhail, Shuen felt like she was dreaming.

She didn’t know how to put this feeling into words, but one thing was certain—it was sweet.

‘Hehe… Hehehe!’

She couldn’t help but let out a sly giggle.

Mikhail placed some pasta on Shuen’s plate and spoke.

“How’s life at the Academy these days? Do you think you’re managing well?”

“Oh ho ho… It’s very fun! Studying is easy, and that damn… I mean, the thief got caught too.”

“Right… It’s good that we didn’t catch the wrong person… That’s a relief.”

Mikhail’s expression darkened briefly before he shook his head and smiled.

“Eat a lot. I’ll pay, so order more if you’re still hungry.”

“No, no! I’ll pay!”

“No, I invited you, so I should pay.”

Shuen gazed softly at Mikhail and thought. He was just too handsome.

‘Even commoners are handsome, but Senior Mikhail has a different charm… Oh no! What am I even thinking?!’

Shuen shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts.

‘Disappear!’

-…Don’t be scared.

‘…No, just stay a little longer.’

Recalling Ricardo’s encouragement in her mind, Shuen smiled faintly.

The conversation continued without pause.

As if the awkwardness had never existed. Mikhail shared his stories with Shuen, telling her things about the Academy and tips for daily life that she hadn’t known before.

-Did you know? There’s a huge flower field behind the Academy.

-Really? I’ve never heard of it.

-Haha… Of course, you wouldn’t know. Only a very few people at the Academy are aware of it. It appeared after I enrolled, so it’s been around for about three years.

-Who made it?

-It seems so. It’s filled entirely with canary flowers.

-Oh…

Mikhail promised to take Shuen there someday as he picked up his fork.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes!”

Shuen listened attentively to Mikhail’s stories, and Mikhail adjusted his storytelling to match her reactions.

She had thought that someone with a name like Mikhail’s would be hard to approach, but as they talked, she realized he was just an ordinary person.

Shuen was happy.

Right now, at this very moment.

If there was only one thing weighing on her mind…

-Thump…

It was the inexplicable ache in her heart that wouldn’t go away. Ever since she met the commoner in the public bathroom, her heart had been hurting.

The commoner’s smile kept lingering in her mind, and the image of him smiling brightly while saying it was all done wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

-Smile for me.

-Huh?

-Pfft! Not like that.

When she looked at Senior Mikhail, her heart didn’t hurt. Instead, it felt comfortable and fun, like meeting a same-gender friend. Her heart kept racing, but Shuen couldn’t figure out why.

‘This is strange.’

Shuen glanced around the restaurant, searching for someone. She remembered the person who said they’d be watching from the side, and when she didn’t see them, she felt disappointed, her heart pounding.

‘Am I dying from some incurable disease?!’

Shuen’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like she might have arrhythmia.

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t an unpleasant pain. It was just…

-Thump thump.

Her heart beating harder than usual.

Mikhail, noticing Shuen holding her hand near her chest, spoke cautiously.

“Shuen, are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t look so good.”

“Ah… No, I’m fine.”

“Really?”

Shuen thought to herself.

It was probably nothing.

She assumed it was just a side effect of being under sudden stress. Overthinking can sometimes lead to overload, after all.

“It’s nothing…”

Shuen shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts.

And so, time passed.

They explored the market following Senior Mikhail.

They wandered the streets and watched a circus.

In the evening, they enjoyed beer at the night market, having a great time.

It was a moment too delightful to enjoy alone.

As the dreamlike moments repeated and their time together grew longer, the bright sun in the clear sky began to set. And the commoner, who had occasionally appeared, was no longer in sight.

Even while exploring the market, she had seen the commoner from afar.

-Oh ho ho… Next time, I’ll take the commoner to a restaurant they can’t afford…

[Shuen, you shouldn’t say things like that.]

-I mean…! Next time, let’s go eat something delicious together. I’ll treat you.

The commoner, who had helped her by throwing a paper airplane, disappeared from view and was nowhere to be seen now.

Shuen, who had gained courage because the commoner was watching, now felt a pang of regret as she walked through the streets, having grown closer to Senior Mikhail but missing the commoner’s presence.

Under the darkened night sky, Shuen began searching for the commoner frantically. She wondered if they might still be nearby. It was almost time for her to confess to Senior Mikhail, but the commoner’s absence made her clench her fist.

‘Where did they go?!’

They said they’d be watching.

As the commoner disappeared without a sound, Shuen lost track of the conversation. Mikhail paused his words and called out to her.

“Shuen.”

“…”

“Shuen!”

“Yes?!”

Startled, Shuen looked at Mikhail, who asked if she was looking for someone.

“Were you planning to meet someone?”

“Huh? No?”

“You’ve been looking around for a while now… Are you sure it’s not something important?”

“Ah… No! The most important thing to me is spending time with Senior Mikhail!”

“Oh…”

Shuen let out an “Oh!” and carefully observed Mikhail’s reaction, realizing she might have unintentionally revealed her feelings.

“…Shuen?”

Shuen tightly closed her eyes and thought.

It felt like the time had come.

In the middle of this bustling street, where no one would pay close attention to her voice, Shuen thought the opportunity had finally arrived.

She was also feeling tipsy.

For some reason, Shuen started to purse her lips, thinking this might be her only chance to muster courage.

“Phew…”

With a serious expression, Shuen looked at Mikhail and spoke.

“Senior Mikhail…!”

“Hm…?”

“Actually… actually, I…”

Mikhail, with a solemn expression, looked at Shuen and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Stop, Shuen.”

“What do you mean? I was about to say something really important…!”

A deep sigh escaped from Mikhail. Shuen’s eyelids trembled at the ominous feeling, but Mikhail continued without waiting for her.

“You know, Shuen.”

“…”

“I want to remain just close junior and senior friends with you.”

Without letting Shuen finish her confession, Mikhail spoke. Having heard confessions countless times, he could read the flow of the situation.

Realizing what Shuen was about to say, Mikhail cautiously opened his mouth as he faced her tearful eyes.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something, which is why I arranged to meet today.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry, but I just had to ask.”

Mikhail’s hesitant words made Shuen close her mouth.

“Shuen… what do you think of Ricardo?”

“The commoner? Why…?”

“You seem to get along well with him these days, so I wondered if there was something between you two.”

“Something between us? No, more importantly, why are you asking about the commoner? Today was supposed to be about…”

-Clench.

Mikhail clenched his fist and, with trembling eyes, spoke to Shuen.

“Has Ricardo ever said anything strange about me? Like that I’m annoying or that he’s upset with me… anything like that?”

Shuen’s shoulders shook at Mikhail’s trembling gaze. She couldn’t understand why he was asking such questions.

She had never imagined that, after setting the mood, he would say something like this… The overwhelming emotions started to rise.

“No… hic.”

“Shuen…”

“No… hic. You promised to spend today with me. You promised to eat and hang out with me.”

“This is really important to me.”

“Right now, this moment is important to me!”

Clenching her fists tightly, Shuen vented her frustration. What was this? How could he say such things to someone who couldn’t even confess properly and was already rejected? Shuen pushed Mikhail’s shoulder as she spoke.

“You should’ve asked him at the Academy! Why are you embarrassing me like this?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“If you dislike that commoner so much, you should ask him directly! Why are you asking me?”

Faced with Senior Mikhail’s question about his nemesis, Shuen was left speechless and stared blankly at him.

“No, I’m sorry, Shuen. I misspoke. I was just curious about how he’s been doing.”

“…I hate everything.”

“Shuen!”

Pushing Mikhail away, Shuen started running without a clear destination, wanting to shake off the suffocating feelings in her chest.

“Uwaaah!!! I hate everything! I hate the commoner! I hate Senior Mikhail! Why am I always just a supporting character?”

“I want to be the protagonist too! Even for just one minute, like a triangular gimbap, I want to be the protagonist! Why am I the only one treated like this?”

“Everyone’s a stupid idiot!”

-Thump…

Her heart pounded wildly.

-Thump. Thump.

A strange pain began to surge. Even in this moment, Shuen swallowed her tears and stomped her feet, wondering why that man’s face kept appearing in her mind.

“Get out of my head. Commoner!”

-Thump… Thump…

“Huwaaaaah!!!”

After running for a while,

“Huh…?”

Wiping her tears, Shuen found herself standing in a dark alleyway, her expression blank.

“Where… am I?”

A dark, unfamiliar path.

In an alleyway that seemed like a ghost could appear, Shuen sniffled and tilted her head in confusion.

“It feels like I’ve reached the end of the road… but it must be my imagination, right?”

As her tears stopped, Shuen awkwardly turned around to leave the alleyway.

“Hehe~~”

A rough voice echoed from ahead.

“Hey, miss. You’re pretty.”

“Got some time? Why don’t you hang out with us? You came here because you’re lonely, right? Did your boyfriend dump you?”

Faced with more than five thugs, Shuen awkwardly smiled and stepped back. She had never experienced something like this before.

“N-No. I just took a wrong turn…”

-Bang!

One of the thugs kicked a bucket lying on the ground and leaned his head toward Shuen.

“Huh? We’re nice guys.”

“What…?”

“We’re way better than your boyfriend.”

“What kind of vulgar nonsense is that…? I… I don’t know anything about that.”

“Pfft! Cute.”

Shuen exhaled trembling breaths as she gathered her mana. She could easily handle thugs like these. Though she was scared, in this place where she had no one to rely on, she could only trust herself. Shuen tightly closed her eyes and shouted.

“O Earth, grant me strength…! Lend me your power…!”

-Clench…!

“Hey, hey, wait a second!”

“Boss, I think this girl’s a wizard.”

“Ah, damn it. Let’s get out of here!”

The thugs, who had flinched at Shuen’s outstretched hand, soon burst into laughter and began mocking her.

-Fizzle…

‘Huh? What the…?’

“Pfft, hahaha! What are you doing? Trying to cast magic? Damn, you scared me for a second.”

“Huh…? Why isn’t the magic working?”

“How would I know, you damn girl!”

As one of the thugs, holding a knife, reached out toward Shuen, she muttered with a sudden realization.

‘Ah… I drank alcohol.’

Shuen couldn’t use magic when she drank. Sensitive to alcohol, she lost control of her mana flow whenever she consumed it.

As her mana scattered, the thugs’ rough hands reached for her dress.

“Hmm… You live quite an interesting life, Miss Shuen.”

Through a cloud of dust, a red glare began to envelop Shuen’s vision.

“I told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?”

Smiling, the man looked at Shuen and asked.

“So, how does it feel to be rejected? Do you feel relieved now?”

-Thump. Thump.

“You f*cking bastard!”

“Hey, get him! He’s alone!”

Shuen couldn’t hear the voices of the delinquents. Right now, the man’s voice in front of her was all that echoed in her ears.

Shuen asked Ricardo in a trembling voice.

“A commoner… I think I have arrhythmia.”

Her heart was pounding wildly.

-Thump. Thump.

Ricardo smiled and said.

“You’re like a migratory bird.”

“What?”

“Whoever it is you’ve come to like, it seems you’ve fallen in love.”

-Thump.

“Ah…”

Shuen replied with a bright smile.

“I think you’re right.”