The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 279

Another peaceful day at the Academy.

Shuen, dressed in a convenience store uniform, was clutching the hot bar Hanna handed her with a sly grin on her face.

"Heehee."

"...What?"

"Heeheehee."

"Just hurry up and ring it up. I'm busy."

Hanna clicked her tongue as she looked at Shuen, who was giggling uncontrollably. She wondered if Shuen had finally gone mad.

'Oh dear...'

"Heh..."

Ever since her butler left, Shuen had started behaving in inexplicable ways. Whenever she came to the convenience store to buy snacks, she'd giggle, mutter "Ohoho," sneak in a pat on the rear, and wink. Hanna felt sorry for the Magic Department's oddball, whose actions were a mix of harassment and pity.

"Ohohoho..."

It seemed like Academy life was taking a toll on her.

Was it because she'd gone crazy chasing after Senior Mikhail, or because her brain malfunctioned after losing the butler who used to have lunch with her? One thing was certain: ever since the butler disappeared, Shuen had been giggling aimlessly, like a girl in love for the first time.

Hanna, looking at Shuen's lewd smile, spoke.

"Hey..."

"Ehehe...!"

"Hey... Shuen."

"Ohohoho! What is it?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Shuen glanced at her uniform, then smiled brightly and began to boast.

"Ohoho... Histania Hanna. You finally noticed, didn't you?"

Pinching her uniform with two fingers, Shuen began to share unwanted TMI.

"I, Shuen, have started a new job! Do you see it? My new outfit...!"

"No... that's not it..."

"This uniform, let me tell you, is a legacy left to me by Pyeongmin before he departed! He pinned this name tag—'Employee Shuen'—directly to my chest and entrusted me with SU Convenience Store!"

"...Sigh."

"With excellent elasticity! Superior sweat absorption! This is the uniform exclusively given to SU Convenience Store employees!"

"No..."

Hanna shook her head as she watched Shuen stretch the uniform with her teeth. She couldn't fathom how someone could be so stupid.

"Sigh... Never mind. Forget it."

"Heh."

"Just ring me up already. I have to get to class."

"Understood!"

"By the way, Shuen, aren't you attending classes?"

"Ah! I've given up on graduating!"

"What...?"

"I have a plan, you see!"

Hanna shook her head at Shuen's nonsensical declaration, which was essentially a creative way of saying she'd given up on life. She accepted her change and left.

"Anyway, I'm off. Take care of the store. Let me know if you need anything; I'll help out."

"Thank you!"

"Yeah."

Shuen watched Hanna's retreating figure with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, Miss Hanna."

"Yeah?"

"You said you liked Pyeongmin... I mean, Ricardo, right?"

"Huh...? Did I tell you that?"

"Yes!"

"Oh... yeah. So what? Planning to mess with me?"

Shuen shook her head and replied to Hanna.

"Just wanted to confirm!"

"What an anticlimax."

Watching Hanna leave the convenience store, Shuen muttered under her breath.

"Histania Hanna... you've become my rival...! Heh... I'll concede the position of main wife to you. I'm a generous person, after all!"

Shuen was quite open to polygamy. The more popular the person she liked was, the more her own value seemed to rise.

"Heeheehee..."

With a mischievous smile, Shuen pulled out a discarded bento hidden under the counter and grabbed a spoon.

"I, Shuen, will not lose...!"

-Ding.

"Welcome! This is the happy SU Convenience Store!"

Shuen smiled as she thought of the commoner who would one day return to the Academy.

***

Another peaceful day at the Desmond Estate.

"...Snore."

The Young Lady, riding on Gomtangi's back, leisurely picked her nose as she strolled through the Duke's Estate.

"Move to the side."

-Gooooom.

"Ugh! I said move to the side."

-Goooooom.

"Ugh!"

Of course, Gomtangi, who moved as she pleased, didn't follow the Young Lady's commands. Still, the Young Lady tugged at Gomtangi's head, trying to steer her.

"Go!"

-Gomgom.

"Ugh! If you don't listen to me, I'll turn you into stew!"

-Gom.

Whether she cared or not, Gomtangi wagged her short tail and continued on her path.

Olivia's destination was Ricardo, seated at a table.

Having the audacity to abandon his master and leisurely drink tea, the butler was about to face the Young Lady's wrath.

The Young Lady, feeling the warmth of the teacup, called out to me.

"Ugh! Ricardo!"

"Yes, Young Lady."

"The snack isn't listening to me."

"'Snack' is Gomtangi."

"Same thing."

"No, if you say that, it sounds like you're serious about turning her into stew."

"Ugh... Anyway! She's not listening to her master."

Smiling brightly, I replied to the fuming Young Lady.

"It's because you're too easygoing, Young Lady."

"Ugh!!! Bite him!"

-Gom.

"Not me, bite Ricardo!"

-Gooooom!

Another peaceful day at the Desmond Duke's Estate.

Having finished my shift at the convenience store, I was enjoying the rare bliss of an unemployed life.

'This must be what makes life worth living,' I thought.

-Ugh!!! Go that way, you stupid bear!

-Goooooom!

-Ack...! Don't run!

-Goooooom!

-Ricardoooo!!!

Despite the Young Lady's antics, I was content, savoring the leisurely pace of life amidst this peaceful routine.

-Sip.

I had prevented the tragedy of a girl dreaming of an unattainable love, successfully wrapped up the new business I had started, and—

Though it didn’t receive an explosive response, I still felt a sense of accomplishment. Satisfied, I stood lightly from the chair to chase after the Young Lady disappearing from my sight.

"Where are you going?"

-Goooooom!

"Wow..."

Gomtangi, running with all her might, had already reached the wide entrance of the Duke's Estate. At this rate, she might surpass being Desmond's mascot and aim for becoming the Empire's mascot.

Smiling, I hurriedly followed behind the Young Lady, who was letting out a strange scream.

"Young Lady!"

"Hmmnya."

"Stop!"

"Ricardo. The bear won't stop."

The Young Lady, who seemed to have reached a state of enlightenment, embraced the wind blowing against her and felt freedom. Soon, she arrived at the main gate and, seeing the tense expressions of the knights, wore a sullen look.

"Ah... G-Greetings, Young Miss! I am Elang Bator, a knight guarding the Desmond Duke's Estate! And the knight beside me is...!"

"Hmmnya. Hello."

"To date, there have been zero external visitors and zero intruders, ensuring an impenetrable defense...! If... If you need anything, p-please feel free to let us know anytime."

"Hmm..."

"Young Miss, is there, uh... anything we can assist you with?"

The knight, intimidated by the presence of a high noble, fluently introduced himself while nervously gauging the Young Lady's reaction. It was only natural for him to be tense, given that the Young Miss notorious for picking fights with stray dogs was standing before him.

At that moment, a memory from ten years ago resurfaced in Elang Bator's mind.

-Grrrr...

-Young Miss...! It's a stray dog. Just ignore it and pass by...

-Eeeek! Let me go! It growled at me first, picking a fight!

-Young Miss...! Regardless, it's still a stray dog.

-Eeeek!

"...Gulp."

Having experienced the unreasonableness of the villainess firsthand, Bator worried whether the bear and the Young Miss might end up fighting. After all, there was no way she could win against a bear.

-Sniff sniff.

The bear the Young Miss had brought along sniffed at the scent of Bator's pocket and rubbed its head against him. Perhaps it had caught the smell of the jerky he had brought as a snack, as the bear pressed its nose against him as if ready to bite his leg. Bator grabbed the hilt of his sword and swallowed nervously.

Unsure whether he should fear the bear—

Or the Young Miss.

"Wait."

-Bear?

"It's not food."

-Bear.

"Haah..."

Bator let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the well-socialized bear, calming his pounding heart. He even thought it might have been better if a monster had appeared instead.

And at that moment.

"Young Lady!"

Bator's savior arrived.

Bator looked at me with a happy smile, as if to say, "Why are you only arriving now?"

"Butler!"

"Ahaha...! My apologies. You must have been quite startled."

"Not at all. I... Ha-ha-ha... Haa..."

Seeing Bator's pale face, as though he had aged ten years, I gave him an awkward smile. I could roughly guess what he was thinking.

Casually hoisting the Young Lady onto my back, I greeted Bator.

"Please speak comfortably, Bator. You used to do so thirteen years ago."

"Back then, I didn’t know you were someone important, haha...!"

"If I recall correctly, you even paid me to hit the Young Lady more..."

"Shh... Please, stop...!"

Glancing at the Young Lady, who wore a questioning expression, Bator quickly covered my mouth and discreetly slipped a gold coin into my pocket.

"That was all in the past. Please forget it."

"What’s this for?"

Truly, educated people are different in every way.

Smiling contentedly, I left Bator behind and began walking slowly toward the estate. The Young Lady, still on my back, looked at me and asked.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"Are you close with that knight?"

"Yes. You know him too, Young Lady. Back when we fought in the slum, he was the one who kept watch for us."

"Mhm."

"That’s him."

"Really?"

The Young Lady nodded lightly and then buried her face into my back. Grumbling, she spoke to me.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"When are we going home?"

"Hamel?"

"Mhm."

"Do you want to go home?"

"Mhm. I’m afraid someone might steal my chocolate."

"..."

Smiling faintly at the Young Lady’s small concern, I replied.

"We’ll head home tonight."

"Let’s buy some chocolate on the way."

"Understood."

At that time, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems awaiting us at the estate we had left vacant for so long.

After all, there were people guarding the house.

And I didn’t think anyone would threaten the estate.

However.

Someone unexpected was knocking on the estate’s door.

"...Please, just let me see them once."

A familiar middle-aged woman knelt and pleaded.

Seeing her pale complexion, I gave a bitter smile.

Her name was Ella.

She was the mother of a friend.