The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 71

Hanna’s crying continued until dawn.

*

A bright morning.

For Hanna, who would be returning to the Academy this afternoon, I stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

The Young Lady, sitting at the dining table with half-closed eyes, rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked me in a groggy voice as I cooked in the kitchen.

“Ricardo. Did you conquer the Chocolate Kingdom today?”

The Young Lady, who had finally achieved her dream.

Curious about the ending of the Chocolate Kingdom, I asked her about it, suspecting that she had resolved the conflicts in a rational way that the citizens would accept.

“Did you become a Virtuous Monarch?”

The Young Lady nodded and said.

“Yep. I ate it all.”

“…?”

“It was delicious.”

The Young Lady spoke with a dreamy smile.

“My dream is World Domination.”

“…Let’s give up on that.”

The Young Lady threw the fork she was holding.

It’s beneficial for mental health to give up on unattainable dreams early on.

Hoping for the royal family to last long, I placed an earthen pot, crafted personally in the workshop, on the gas stove powered by a magic stone.

A black earthen pot.

Though I had made it myself for the Young Lady’s hearty breakfast, she disliked it, saying it looked strange—like a cursed kettle.

In my previous life, I had enjoyed hot gukbap, so I used it with satisfaction.

Today, I planned to prepare a light menu for breakfast.

Instead of something stimulating like tteokbokki, I decided to make steamed egg, a dish from Korean cuisine, for Hanna, who had been through emotional turmoil.

Since it had been a while since I visited the Possessor’s house, preparing a mundane meal would hurt the Possessor’s pride.

To uphold the dignity of a butler, I furrowed my brow and focused on cooking.

“…Ricardo.”

“Shh. I’m concentrating on cooking.”

“It’s serious.”

The Young Lady showed me an empty plate and said.

With the plate completely empty, the Young Lady urged me to give her food.

The Young Lady spoke straightforwardly.

“Bread.”

“You should eat rice.”

“I’m hungry.”

“If you eat too many snacks before the meal, you won’t be able to eat your rice.”

The Young Lady said with a serious expression.

“What’s for breakfast today…?”

Prioritizing the breakfast menu over plans for the future or the flow of politics, the Young Lady spoke with a serious expression.

I spoke to her with confidence.

“Steamed egg with rice.”

The Young Lady clenched her fork with both fists. It seemed she was looking forward to steamed egg after a long time. While I felt good thinking that her oil-laden stomach, accustomed to meat, was ready to embrace a revolution—

The Young Lady wore a dissatisfied expression, clearly not ready to embrace the revolution.

With a face full of discontent, the Young Lady said.

“The mother hen will be sad, so change it to meat.”

“The mother hen’s child has already crossed the point of no return, separated into yolk and white.”

“…Ricardo.”

The Young Lady looked at the earthen pot with a gloomy expression.

“The mother hen is crying.”

“…”

“Ricardo, can’t you hear the mother hen’s ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ cries? The sorrowful cries of a mother searching for her child in the coop… It’s making me sad.”

The Young Lady became unusually sentimental when it came to the topic of meat.

With a sulky expression, the Young Lady spoke to me again.

“Give the steamed egg to the mother hen, and make breakfast with meat today.”

“Dismissed.”

“Eeeek!! Meat! Meat! The mother hen will come to haunt you, Ricardo!”

“The mother hen is destined to become dinner tonight, so if you wait a little, she will reunite with her child.”

The Young Lady had a question mark floating above her head.

“Chicken?”

“Yes.”

“She went to a Good Place. The mother hen will be happy too.”

The Young Lady nodded vigorously, paying her respects in her heart to the Cock-a-doodle-doo Family that had become her daily sustenance.

It was the cold composure befitting the Empire’s greatest Villainess.

After a brief moment, a scream echoed from the second floor.

-Aaaaaah!! Are you crazy!!!

Hanna, who had just woken up.

The sound of her violently kicking the blanket traveled down the stairs.

-Crazy… Crazy… How could you hug him there… Ugh! Crazy woman…!

The Young Lady lifted her head and asked.

“Ricardo, she’s calling me a crazy woman.”

“…No, she’s not.”

“Yes, she is. She’s saying I’m crazy.”

“It seems like she’s calling herself crazy.”

“Really…?”

To comfort the Young Lady, who looked upset, I placed a piece of bread on her plate.

The Young Lady, touched, bit into the bread.

“Nom.”

The Young Lady’s wounded heart was healed with just a piece of bread.

-Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of weak footsteps came from the stairs. The protagonist of this morning’s meal, Hanna, filled with shame.

Hanna cautiously appeared in the dining room, her head hanging low.

“Ah… Did you sleep well?”

With bread in her mouth, the Young Lady looked at Hanna and said.

“Crybaby.”

Flustered…!

Hanna’s ears turned bright red.

“…Please don’t tease me.”

“Crybaby. You cried buckets.”

“…”

“You even took my chocolate.”

The Young Lady still held a grudge over the chocolate taken from her last night.

Hanna blushed and sat down. She didn’t forget to bow her head slightly to greet me, who was cooking in the kitchen.

Like a chef, I sprinkled salt on the steamed egg with dramatic gestures, then turned around to greet Hanna.

“Good morning.”

“Yes… Good morning… Um, Butler, last night…”

“Yes, I slept well.”

The Young Lady inserted herself into our awkward exchange and said.

“Ricardo didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

“…”

“He kept coming in and out of the room, saying he was worried… Hey! Don’t cover my mouth!”

“I am embarrassed.”

“Eeeek!!!”

Hanna couldn’t lift her head out of embarrassment.

-I really tried my best, so why does no one acknowledge it… Huuuh… I worked so hard…

-Do I not acknowledge it?

-…Butler, when you keep doing that, I… I get the wrong idea…. Huaaah….

-Don’t cry. The Young Lady dislikes it when you cry.

-…Ricardo is mine…

-Huaaah….

I thought it would be hard to face her too. After crying her heart out in someone’s arms, acting as if nothing happened and meeting their gaze might actually be stranger.

Understanding Hanna’s embarrassment, I awkwardly smiled and placed the steaming steamed egg on the dining table without saying much.

What could have made her so sad?

I kept my questions about why she cried to myself, instead hoping she would enjoy the meal I had worked hard to prepare. With a small smile, I approached Hanna.

“This is risotto made with eggs. I hope it suits your taste.”

Hanna, her ears turning red, carefully scooped up some steamed egg with her spoon. She gulped as she looked at the jiggly yellow egg.

She cautiously brought it to her lips, wincing slightly at the heat, but as she slowly adjusted to the unfamiliar dish, her eyes widened.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Really…”

Hanna lowered her head as she stared at the spoon.

“It’s delicious…”

Overcome with emotion, Hanna bowed her head deeply.

Hanna, full of sensitivity.

Just as I was about to quietly step away, the Young Lady, who had been watching Hanna intently, interrupted the moment.

“Crybaby.”

“I am not crying!”

“Liar.”

“…Young Miss, you’re a crybaby too.”

“I am the Iron-blooded Lady who knows no tears.”

Though the Young Lady spoke haughtily.

When she saw my unbandaged right arm, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

“Uuuuh…”

“Why are you crying, Young Lady?”

“…It’s just sad.”

The Young Lady, too, was full of sensitivity.

Time passed, and the afternoon when Hanna was to leave the estate arrived.

Standing at the front gate, Hanna looked at me, the Young Lady, and.

-Gomtangi…!

She was staring at Gomtangi.

Hanna, with trembling eyes, gazed at Gomtangi. As if she were looking at something that shouldn’t be in the estate, she whispered softly so Gomtangi wouldn’t hear.

“Is that a pet?”

“Yes. I picked her up from the Hamel Mountain Range.”

“The Hamel Mountain Range? What kind of puppy comes from a mountain… Wait, is that… a bear?”

At Hanna’s question, I answered firmly.

“It’s a puppy.”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like a bear.”

“It’s a puppy.”

Gomtangi, seemingly fond of Hanna, rubbed her fluffy head against Hanna’s leg.

As Gomtangi’s soft head touched her calf, Hanna’s expression turned peculiar.

She flinched, her shoulders trembling with fear, yet her face also showed a desire to touch the fluffy fur.

Seeing Hanna’s complexion looking more at ease than yesterday, I felt slightly relieved. From behind my back, I carefully brought out a paper bag and handed it to her.

“I made some cookies.”

Hanna stood still in her spot.

She seemed deeply moved by the unexpected gift, simply staring at the paper bag in her hands.

Teasing her hesitation, I spoke playfully.

“Your hands will get tired.”

“But I haven’t given you anything…”

Shaking my head, I replied.

“You can give me something later.”

Succeed and repay me.

Nothing in this world is free.

Thinking of Hanna’s future as a successful prosecutor who would become a great benefactor, I smiled gently.

“I believe in you, Miss Hanna.”

Blushing, Hanna carefully accepted the paper bag. Clutching the handle tightly as if she would never let go, she looked at me with teary eyes and said.

“I will definitely repay you later. I’ll succeed so much that you won’t be able to refuse my gratitude.”

‘I feel like the meaning is being misunderstood somehow…’

The Young Lady, sitting in a chair, also waved her hand slightly, bidding farewell to Hanna.

“Goodbye, crybaby.”

“I am not a crybaby.”

Just as I turned back toward the estate. Hanna called out to me in a loud voice.

“Butler!”

Hanna ran toward me.

Wondering if she had forgotten something, I stood still, but Hanna kept running without stopping.

‘What is she doing?’

Closing her eyes tightly, Hanna stopped in front of me, clenching her fists and standing on tiptoe.

“Did you leave something behind… Oh?”

‘Smooch,’ her cold lips touched my cheek. A soft sensation. Is this what heaven feels like?

Stunned, I stood there blankly.

Touching the spot where her lips had landed, I remained dazed. Hanna, seeing my reaction, gave a mischievous smile.

“This… This is just a goodbye kiss, so don’t misunderstand.”

My face burned with heat.

“Yes…”

The Young Lady clenched her chocolate tightly.

“Eeeek!!! Get out!”

The Young Lady was very angry.

***

After Hanna left, darkness fell upon the silent estate.

The Young Lady, with a serious expression, was looking at me as I lay with my head resting on her thigh.

Flaring nostrils.

A furrowed brow.

Looking at the Young Lady, I asked.

“What are you doing?”

With a serious expression, the Young Lady replied.

“Disinfecting.”

The Young Lady was rubbing a handkerchief on the cheek where Hanna’s lips had touched.

My cheek, red and flushed.

It wasn’t because of the handkerchief rubbing against it. My body is not that weak.

The shadow cast by the Young Lady’s chest made my face turn red.

It was a magnificent view.

Far more breathtaking than the autumn leaves I had seen in Hamel.

The Young Lady spoke with a pouty expression.

“No kissing allowed from now on.”

“Where does such a rule exist?”

“It exists starting today.”

The Young Lady seems to have a strong sense of possessiveness.

“Because Ricardo is mine…!”

I responded to the Young Lady with a smile.

“I understand.”

I liked this side of the Young Lady.