The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 75

“…”

Pascal, who was restrained by the military police, was looking at me with coy eyes. It seemed he wanted to continue the conversation with the Insect Doctor he hadn’t seen in a while.

He looked at me with teary eyes, resembling a female mantis, which made me uncomfortable.

“Don’t cry. It makes me want to spray pesticide on your face.”

“You son of a b*…”

“Woof.”

If only I had Home Keeper, I could’ve moisturized Pascal’s face, but unfortunately, Home Keeper didn’t exist in this world.

‘What a pity.’

Clicking my tongue, I offered some words of encouragement to the dejected Pascal.

Telling him not to be downhearted.

That he would go to a better place.

I spoke with hope, telling him not to worry.

“When you return to the breeding facility, the facilities should be better than before, so don’t lose heart.”

“There are more caretakers now, and more people to admire you.”

“Ugh…! You b*stard…!”

“Seeing how much you like it, I feel proud myself.”

Overwhelmed, Pascal lowered his head. As he expressed his gratitude, I felt a lump in my throat as an insect collector.

I tightly embraced Pascal’s frail body.

“I’ll miss you.”

Pascal bit his lip hard.

“Ugh… Sniff… I won’t miss you…!”

For a mantis, he was surprisingly sensitive.

Held in my arms, Pascal spoke in a timid voice, one I had never heard from him before.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?”

Pascal, saying something so absurd. I politely declined his request to quit my side job as an insect collector.

“What if another insect collector catches you? At least I let you live; other collectors might preserve you.”

“Preservation is fine, so please… I’ll give up on art and live a good life, so please just get out of my life. Okay? I’m begging you like this.”

“Oh-ho…! An artist shouldn’t say such weak things.”

How could someone who calls himself an artist lack so much determination? Someone who claims to live by art.

As an insect collector, I couldn’t forgive Pascal for breaking the artistic soul. At the same time, I couldn’t trust his words about living a good life.

“Try living a good life. Then you won’t catch my attention.”

When I patted Pascal’s shoulder with affection, he shed tears of emotion.

“Hic… Sob… Why only me…”

Taking the money pouch held by the military police, I bid him farewell.

“Well then, Mr. Mantis, watch out for parasites, and let’s meet again next time.”

Pascal cried.

“Damn it…”

Sob sob.

*

On my way to the jewelry shop with the money pouch, I couldn’t stop smiling.

The relief of being able to buy the bracelet the Young Lady wanted and the anticipation of her delighted face upon receiving the gift made me excited.

I couldn’t hide the corners of my mouth that kept lifting.

“Should I buy chocolate along with the bracelet?”

While one should be cautious about indulgence, the reward for donating a rare species like Pascal to the prison exhibition was generous enough. I thought this level of indulgence could be forgiven.

Looking down at the hefty wad of money, I nodded.

‘Let’s prepare properly for this birthday.’

Since I couldn’t do so last year.

For 13 years, I had celebrated the Young Lady’s birthday without fail. When I first came to her house, I had gifted her a scarf I knitted by hand.

-It’s ugly.

I had realized early on that I couldn’t satisfy the Young Lady’s refined taste, accustomed to the finest capitalism.

It was only natural that she preferred money infused with sincerity over mere effort. Though I sulked in a corner of the estate for a day, I was glad I realized it early and wanted to prepare grandly for this birthday.

As a commoner, I couldn’t attend the Young Lady’s birthday party, and last year, there had been an unfortunate incident.

This time, I wanted to prepare everything with my own hands.

I always wanted to give the Young Lady the greatest gift.

Even if it ended up as miscellaneous items gathering dust in a corner, I wanted to give my best effort.

She had so much.

And enjoyed so much.

Even if the Young Lady didn’t like it, I wanted to give her a gift that, by my standards, was my best effort.

Though I was a lacking butler with nothing in my hands, it was the one stubbornness I couldn’t give up. It was also the only way for someone as shy as me to express my feelings.

“Sigh…”

Holding the money pouch, I adjusted my outfit.

Before entering the store, I wanted to appear as an elegant guest, as it made bargaining easier and helped me disguise myself as a regular.

As I swept my hair back and was about to enter the store, I frowned at the spot where the bracelet had been displayed until yesterday.

“Huh…?”

-Sold Out.

The bracelet that had been in its place until yesterday was gone, leaving only a small sign behind.

The bracelet had left in someone else’s hands.

Pressing my face against the glass, I looked again at the spot where the bracelet had been.

-Sold Out.

The empty display case greeted me. The gift for the Young Lady had been sold, leaving only the black display stand behind.

Feeling hollow, I set down the money pouch in my hand.

“This is a disaster.”

Sold? I hadn’t even considered that possibility.

I never thought it would sell so quickly in Hamel, not in the capital city. Hamel had few nobles, and the customer base for jewelry was small.

At most, it would be nobles visiting Friends of Forest for a meal… But that’s a meaningless excuse.

I realized I had been shortsighted.

I should’ve reserved it. Regret filled me, but yesterday’s financial situation hadn’t allowed me to put down a deposit.

If I had had money then, I could’ve bought it, I thought, blaming myself.

Regretting the past wouldn’t change anything, but the disappointment of missing the bracelet in front of me lingered.

Just as I was about to leave the jewelry shop with a heavy heart.

Through the glass wall, I saw a familiar bracelet in the clerk’s hand.

The bracelet the Young Lady had wanted.

The clerk was heading toward the counter with the bracelet.

I quickly opened the shop door and entered.

I wanted to ask if they’d sell it for twice the price.

-Ding.

Entering with the sound of the bell, I took a deep breath and shouted at the clerk holding the bracelet at the counter.

“Th-that bracelet!”

“Yes?!”

“I was planning to buy that!”

The startled clerk looked at me.

And.

The man trying to buy the bracelet also looked at me.

He was a familiar man.

A man with hair the color of faded green tea. Ruin. Ruin, who was about to become the bracelet’s owner, looked at me and said.

“What’s this? Isn’t it Ricardo?”

“Nice to see you, Mr. Green Algae.”

“What’s nice about it? It’s not nice at all.”

With his hands in his pockets, Ruin smirked as he looked at me, staring blankly at the bracelet in the clerk’s hand.

“Ah…”

“Were you planning to buy this?”

Ruin sneered with a mocking look in his eyes and said sarcastically.

“What should I do? I bought it to give to Yuria.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Ruin spoke as if there was nothing he could do.

“You should’ve come a bit earlier. I already bought it. Ah… even if you had come earlier, you probably couldn’t have bought it. It’s more expensive than it looks.”

“…”

“Live within your means.”

My fist clenched on its own.

Emboldened, Ruin provoked me as if daring me to lose all the fortuitous encounters I had left.

‘Should I just steal it…?’

It would save money and be convenient, but I didn’t want to do something like that for a gift meant for the Young Lady.

I wanted to pay the proper price and give a gift I could be proud of.

So, I decided to swallow my pride.

Thinking that if I bowed my head just this once, Ruin might listen, I lowered my head and politely said to him.

“If you don’t want to say goodbye to this world, leave it quietly.”

“What?”

“Leave it. That.”

It was the best courtesy I could offer to the green-haired head. If it didn’t work, I’d knock him out and steal it.

Even if I didn’t give it to the Young Lady, I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to bash the arrogant green head’s skull and achieve a creative economy.

At my polite request, Ruin’s expression hardened in real time. He turned to the clerk, asking what he had just heard.

“What did that beggar just say?”

Ruin, in his early twenties, seemed to have already developed hearing loss.

Realizing there was no hope after the dice had already been cast, I clenched my fist tightly, prepared to walk toward Ruin with the thought of buying another bracelet.

“What’s all this commotion?”

With the sound of a door labeled [Workshop] opening, a craftsman covered in dust began walking briskly toward us.

A man wearing a black apron strode toward us with purpose.

The clerk bowed his head upon seeing the man.

“B-Boss! It’s just that…”

Shaking his head, the boss stopped the clerk’s apology. Then, with a deep sigh, he looked at me and said.

“You should learn to control your temper, Ricardo.”

A man with brown hair.

His unexpected appearance left me flustered, and I asked in a startled voice.

“How many jobs do you even have?”

“I just do it as a hobby because I get bored.”

Histania Malik.

He was the owner of this store.

Malik let out a sigh and looked at the bracelet in the clerk’s hand.

“Is it because of that?”

And with a simple statement, he ended our quarrel.

“Hey, green head.”

“Green head?”

“Isn’t that what you are? Anyway.”

Malik spoke expressionlessly.

“I won’t sell it to you, so leave it.”

The boss’s tyranny was absolute.

***

Three days later.

Morning arrived at Olivia’s estate.

Olivia woke up earlier than usual. Perhaps it was because today was her birthday, and she had left dreamland early.

“Mmm… Birthday… Today’s my birthday…”

Starting her birthday with a solemn heart, Olivia decided not to sound the air raid alarm today.

Birthdays should be peaceful.

“Haaahm… Ricardo.”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Olivia called out her familiar butler’s name.

“It’s my birthday today…”

An empty room.

It felt lonely.

“Does he not know?”

The butler who used to greet her with a bright smile and a gift every birthday morning was nowhere to be seen.

Starting her birthday morning in the dark room with the curtains drawn, Olivia wore a gloomy expression.

“He must be asleep…”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Olivia let out a sigh.

With a bitter look, Olivia nodded to herself.

“He could’ve forgotten.”

After all, she had been late in celebrating Ricardo’s birthday before. It was upsetting, but there was nothing she could do.

With a heavy heart, Olivia opened the curtains that had been covering the window.

Then.

A brightly decorated tree came into view.

Green. Red. Yellow.

A tree adorned with colorful decorations. And hanging from the tree was Ricardo.

Dressed in red. Wearing an ill-fitting false mustache.

A flustered Ricardo stammered as he spoke to her.

“Why are you up so early, Young Lady!”

The butler, hanging from the tree, surrounded by strange ornaments.

Placing a star at the top of the tree.

Wrapping the tree in sparkling ribbons.

Olivia let out a small laugh at the ridiculous sight of the butler dangling from the extravagantly decorated tree.

“Hehe…”

Ricardo shouted at her as she leaned out of the window.

“I’m not ready yet… Ahhh!”

The tree swayed as the wind blew.

Ricardo, hanging from the tree, grew farther and farther away. Watching him, Olivia whispered shyly.

“That looks dangerous…”

It’s fine. Go back to sleep, Ricardo.

Smiling, Olivia pulled the blanket back up.

“Yes. I’ll go back to sleep.”

With the blanket pulled up to her head, Olivia’s face flushed red.

“Idiot.”