The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 282

"Dad... Dad... Please save me...!"

In the scene where his daughter's desperate screams echoed, Rowen stood frozen in place.

"..."

His entire body was drenched in blood.

His face was soaked with tears.

And in front of his daughter, whose voice was hoarse, he stood there, frozen.

He knew this scene was a dream, as he had seen it every night, but as a father, his legs moved on their own, running toward her despite knowing it wasn’t real.

"Histania Hanna...!"

Rowen's hand, kneeling before Hanna, could not reach her. As if the only thing permitted to a sinner was to stand by and watch, his hand flailed helplessly in the empty space and disappeared into nothingness.

How pathetic it was.

To cry as the head of a household. Yet, the weight of his emotions, which did not lessen with time, compelled him to repeat the same actions over and over.

When his father died, he hadn't even shed a tear, but now, seeing himself cry in a mere dream, he thought it was disgraceful.

"Hanna... Please, open your eyes..."

Regretting things that had not even happened.

And at the moment his daughter’s breath ceased.

Rowen woke up from the nightmare.

"Hah... Hah..."

Rowen wiped his sweat-drenched face. Feeling the dampness on his cheeks, it seemed he had been crying.

"How disgraceful."

Sitting on the bed, Rowen let out a hollow laugh and muttered quietly.

"No matter how much I train my body, I cannot train my emotions, can I..."

He had swung his sword on countless battlefields and led many to victory, yet in this nightmare, he could not claim any victory. Faced with this, Rowen let out a bitter laugh.

In the dream, he was endlessly weak, a powerless bystander, and so Rowen could not lift his head.

Even now, Rowen did not think his choices were wrong.

They were for his daughter.

They were for his family.

They were for the sake of the household.

Even if it seemed rigid, he had followed in the footsteps of the predecessors who built the current Histania, and he did not think he was wrong. If he was wrong, then they were wrong as well.

However.

-Do not ever appear before me again.

-I will not inherit the position of Head of Histania.

The results of the choices he believed were the best were shaking Rowen’s emotions without him realizing it. Ever so slightly.

His daughter had left his side.

And the eldest son, whom he thought he had raised without lacking anything, had left in search of a "dream."

"..."

Was this truly the right thing?

The results were devastating.

Could his stubbornness still be right?

Sitting on the bed, Rowen repeatedly mulled over his complicated thoughts. It felt like he was only now beginning to grasp where things had gone wrong.

The cause didn’t seem far away.

All the arrows pointed in one direction, and perhaps, unwilling to admit it, he had been denying it.

Thus, Rowen decided to seek out a man.

-It’s because you lack the talent to teach.

A young man who had been the beginning of it all. He thought that if it were him, he would reveal the truth without reservation.

"..."

Rowen let out a heavy sigh as he looked at the rising sun.

***

The Young Lady's Estate in Hamel.

-Clink.

Sitting in the parlor, Rowen silently stared at the steaming tea before him.

"..."

What words did he wish to say by coming here?

I silently met Rowen’s gaze, offering no words in response to his silence, as he had requested a private meeting. I didn’t have much to say either.

'...Is it because of the heretics?'

With a faint smile, I greeted Rowen, whose lips remained tightly sealed, as if to urge him to speak instead of keeping me in suspense.

"Welcome to the Desmond Estate, Head of the House of Histania."

"..."

"I’m not sure if it will suit your taste, but this is tea brewed from mandrake root. It’s good for vitality and health, so please try it."

Rowen stared at the steaming tea and gave a slight nod.

"Thank you."

"Not at all. It is an honor for the Sword of the Empire to visit us."

I couldn’t quite grasp why Rowen had come to this estate. We didn’t share a good relationship, nor had he come to see the Young Lady.

While I had some guesses, the fact that he had remained silent until now made me think otherwise.

Perhaps sensing my uneasy thoughts as I pondered inwardly, Rowen finally opened his tightly shut lips and spoke.

"...Ricardo, was it?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"I heard you accomplished something remarkable in the capital."

"It was nothing."

"And in the North as well."

"..."

Noticing my expression harden, Rowen spoke in a light tone, as if to dispel any concerns.

"Only a few people know about it. You don’t need to worry about rumors spreading."

I remained silent.

What he said might not necessarily be a compliment. It could be a form of caution or suspicion. Considering how suspiciously entangled I was with the heretics, such doubts were reasonable.

"I’m not scolding you. I simply wanted to commend you for achieving such great feats at a young age."

"Thank you for the praise."

"I’d like to ask why you’re hiding your accomplishments, but... it seems like a long conversation, so I’ll refrain."

"Thank you for your consideration."

"However, there’s one thing I’d like to ask."

In a heavy voice, Rowen asked me.

"Was the Apostle strong?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, I answered. I couldn’t fabricate the Apostle’s strength.

"Yes, incredibly strong."

Rowen gave a small nod and asked me another question.

"How many people do you think could face them under current circumstances?"

"I don’t have a wide network, so it’s hard for me to say, but I believe it would be limited to the Head of Histania, the Tower Master, and the Head of the Desmond family."

"So, about four people, then."

Rowen nodded and added, "Including you, that makes five."

Certainly, considering figures like the Mercenary King, the Blue King, and the Empress, that might be reasonable, but since they weren’t favorable toward the Empire, I didn’t voice that thought. I shrugged and replied to Rowen with slight denial.

"I’m not someone of that caliber."

"You’re being excessively modest."

Finally, Rowen lifted his gaze and looked at me directly. Removing his eyes from the teacup, he scanned me and muttered briefly, "You’ve become a monster," before nodding.

Sitting across from Rowen, I clasped my hands together.

"So, what is it you wish to say to me?"

"I’d like to talk a bit more."

"Are you trying to recruit me into the Knights' Order?"

"Your arrogance is astounding. The Imperial Knights' Order wouldn’t accept a brute like you. And strength alone isn’t enough to get in."

Rowen took a sip of tea to soothe his dry throat and spoke to me in a light tone.

"You were Hanna’s master, weren’t you?"

"..."

"The reason I came to you today is not as the Sword of the Empire, but as Hanna's father."

"I suppose I should have talked more."

"In the Empire, you're probably the only one who can speak to me like that. Even the Emperor doesn’t dare speak to me carelessly... Your audacity is remarkable."

"Perhaps it’s because I think it’s worth trying. After all, this is also a meeting with a parent."

"..."

Rowen let out a heavy sigh and looked at me, wearing an expression as if he didn’t know where to begin.

It’s not about the Heretics.

It’s not about recruiting for the Knights' Order.

It’s about Hanna...

Since I couldn’t quite grasp what he was going to say, I focused on the words that would fall from Rowen's lips. If this were the Rowen from the novel, he would say something warm, but the Rowen I experienced firsthand was a man devoid of fatherly affection.

Before Rowen could say something strange, I spoke with a warning in my tone.

"If you’re here to talk about the last duel, I won’t give you any answers."

"...Why do you think I would bring that up?"

"Because there wouldn’t be any other reason for you to seek me out..."

"Is that how I appear to you?"

"Not just to me. I’m sure that’s how you appear to others as well."

"..."

Rowen took another sip of tea.

He muttered, "Not backing down a single word, huh..." as he swept his dry hand across his forehead.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"How do I appear to you?"

"You seem like the strongest person in the Empire."

"That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking how I appear as a father."

With a slight smile at Rowen’s words, I asked him back. He would need some time to prepare himself.

"Are you sure you’re ready for this?"

Rowen awkwardly smiled and nodded, as if urging me to say anything that could provide an answer to his concerns.

Without any consideration for his feelings, I spoke bluntly.

"I think you’re the worst."

"..."

"To someone like me, who grew up without parents, you seem like a father who insists only on his own stubbornness to the point of being unnecessary."

"..."

"As Hanna's master and as an individual, I view you very negatively, to the extent that I’d want to drive you out if I could."

"..."

Rowen, wearing a heavy expression, asked me.

"Then what should I do? To mend this relationship, should I acknowledge Hanna's Sword, or should I fully support her future?"

Shrugging at Rowen, who was spitting out stiff words, I replied.

"That, I don’t know."

How could I possibly know?

I’m an orphan who’s never even seen my parents' faces.

"What’s certain is that Miss Hanna probably won’t accept any gifts from you."

"..."

"It seems like the fundamental way you view things is flawed, Head of the Household."

Rowen nodded heavily.

"I see. I understand..."

Rowen began to acknowledge it.

"It was wrong from the very beginning."

He was referring to his own mistakes.

And then.

"Ugh...!"

Olivia was bored.