The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 225

The carriage returning to Hamel.

Loading luggage into the luggage compartment, I exhaled a relaxed breath, wrapping up the journey to the North.

I came with an empty bag, but now the bag is dancing at my fingertips, filled with souvenirs. Money really is a wonderful thing.

If there’s just one flaw…

“Young Lady.”

“Hm?”

“Instead of sitting there idly, could you lend a hand?”

The problem was the Young Lady sitting idly.

The Young Lady, seated on Perry No. 1, showed no intention of helping and simply sat there.

With the jerky James had given her in her mouth, she stroked the horse of the carriage. Then, holding out the jerky she had been chewing on, she asked me:

“Want some?”

“…”

“It’s tasty.”

Perhaps because she grew up as a pampered villainess, it seemed she had left her sense of tact with the Moon Rabbit. For a moment, I thought she should have been raised with less indulgence, but as a butler adhering to my principles, I nodded slightly at her offer and accepted the jerky.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right?”

“But it’s a bit moist.”

“Yeah. I gave you the one I was eating.”

“…?”

I looked at the Young Lady with eyes filled with reproach.

“Why would you give me that?”

“I seasoned it for you. It’s boring to eat it plain.”

“…”

I stared intently at the moist jerky in my hand.

-Moist.

Now that I looked closely, the jerky bore clear marks of teeth. The neat alignment of the Young Lady’s pearly white teeth was imprinted on it. I nodded as I observed the jerky.

‘This is a bit…’

Nodding, I tore off the end of the jerky and began chewing. It was a bit of a shame to waste it, but to preserve my dignity as a human being, I had no choice.

It wasn’t because of some indirect kiss nonsense that I felt regretful—it was simply because wasting food is a shame. Definitely not for any other reason.

“Mmm…”

Sure enough, perhaps because it was seasoned, it tasted quite good.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right.”

“It must be because it’s a Northern Specialty.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Young Lady replied, claiming it tasted better because she had seasoned it herself.

“It’s because I made it less salty.”

“…”

“Want me to make you another one?”

Watching the Young Lady pull out a new piece of jerky from the bag and offer it to me, I let out a small sigh. I wondered what could be done about this villainess.

“Sure.”

Of course, I didn’t refuse.

After leisurely chewing on the jerky and loading luggage for about thirty minutes, I noticed two familiar silhouettes in the distance.

“Over there…!”

Miss Yuria and James, dressed in a hospital gown, were running toward us, carrying various items in their hands.

I didn’t know why James, with his bright smile, was wandering outside the hospital instead of resting as instructed, but I greeted them with a small smile. After all, I wasn’t the one who was sick.

“Miss Yuria, James!”

“Huff… Huff… I told you to let us know before leaving! I bought souvenirs!”

“Miss Yuria, since you said you’d stay in the North to care for your father, we snuck out. We didn’t want to trouble you because of us. And James, don’t you understand the meaning of absolute rest?”

James, in his hospital gown, awkwardly laughed and patted my shoulder.

“Haha! Staying cooped up in the hospital was driving me crazy! When the Savior of Life is leaving, how could I just lie in bed doing nothing? I had to come help somehow. It makes me feel better… Right, Yuria?”

“That’s right…”

“Ah! This lovely young lady is the daughter I mentioned before. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Ah… Father!”

“She’s so beautiful because she takes after my wife.”

“Stop it! Stay still.”

“Why? Yuria! Of all the men I’ve met, this one is my favorite. Wait a bit, I’ll arrange a matchmak—ugh!”

Yuria elbowed James in the stomach to stop his rambling and cleared her throat. I wondered if all Northerners were this unreserved. Seeing Yuria’s unfiltered demeanor after so long, I smiled lightly.

“Why are you smiling…?”

“It’s just… You seem happy.”

“That’s embarrassing…”

“It’s nice to see you laughing harmoniously with your father.”

Yuria blushed and murmured something softly, too quiet for me to hear. It sounded like, “He called him Father…”

James, noticing Yuria’s reddened ears, gave a fatherly smile. Covering his mouth with his hand like a middle-aged woman engrossed in a drama, he chuckled, “Hehe,” before handing me a paper bag he had placed on the ground.

“This is a Northern Specialty.”

“No, I’ve already received plenty.”

“Take it. I’ve received even more.”

James, recalling the inn Malik was planning to build, gave me a thumbs-up.

“Thanks to you, we can even put up a sign that says ‘Forest Friends Soup Restaurant’.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, I was supposed to keep that a secret, wasn’t I? My mistake.”

“Did the Boss arrange that?”

“As soon as I mentioned you shared the recipe, he pulled out a contract on the spot.”

“…”

Thinking of Malik’s decisiveness, I clicked my tongue. I wasn’t sure if gukbap would sell well in the North, but since Malik was behind it, failure seemed impossible.

Recalling Malik, I smiled faintly.

‘Well, he’s someone who handles things well on his own.’

-Take a break for now.

-Pardon?

-I’ll come to collect the recipe later, so focus on resting. No objections.

-Then what about the aftermath…?

-I’ll handle it. I’ll write the statement report myself, so you can stretch out your legs and rest.

-Understood?

-Then I’ll be off.

Thinking he was the most rigid person in this world, I was surprised to find he was actually the most capable. Nodding slightly, I silently wished James good fortune.

“Do your best. You’ve encountered great luck.”

“Really…? I’m not familiar with Capital Trends.”

“Yes. It’s an incredibly fortunate opportunity. I’ll occasionally visit with the Boss, so make sure to prepare diligently.”

“Even your martial technique seemed extraordinary. And now you’re venturing into business?”

“No, I’m just tagging along. The brains behind it all is the Boss.”

James and I talked at length about business matters. We continued our conversation until the jerky in the Young Lady’s treasure pouch was completely gone, bidding our final farewells to the North.

Climbing into the carriage, I waved to them with a small gesture.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

“Safe travels.”

“Thank you, Savior!”

Olivia gave a small wave to Yuria.

“Take care.”

“…”

Yuria nodded slightly.

Carrying the weight of a debt, but not with entirely bad emotions, Yuria expressed her gratitude in response to Olivia’s farewell.

*

The road traveled by carriage.

The Young Lady pulled jerky out of new wrapping paper and chewed on it to stave off the boredom of the rattling carriage ride.

“Eeeek!!!!”

“Young Lady.”

“Eeeeeeek!!!”

“Chewing like that won’t make your teeth fall out, Young Lady.”

The Young Lady, locked in a tug-of-war to see whether the jerky was tougher or her gums were stronger, showed no intention of giving up the struggle.

“Eeeek! Rakaro, scissors.”

“…”

In the end, I lightly drew a line toward the Young Lady who had reached a compromise. Perhaps because I was a Sword Master, this much was easy for me.

“Oh!”

The Young Lady, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me, said “Thank you,” and went back to tearing into the jerky.

-Clatter.

I spoke lightly to the Young Lady.

“Young Lady.”

“Mm?”

“Since when have you been hiding your Dark Magic?”

“Huh…”

The Young Lady froze mid-chew, jerky still in her mouth. Like a game item from my previous life, she remained completely still, sneaking glances at me before resuming her vigorous chewing.

“Ricardo said even dogs aren’t bothered while eating.”

“Didn’t we eat an hour ago?”

“Nope.”

“Haha…”

I let out a bitter smile and shook my head at the Young Lady’s excuse. It didn’t seem like she would give me an easy answer.

Still, there was no choice. I needed an answer. Only then could I think of alternatives and avoid feeling hurt. Carefully, I spoke to the Young Lady.

“I won’t scold you.”

“Lie.”

“Well, I might scold you a little, but not too much. After all, I owe you my life this time.”

The Young Lady glanced at me, quickly chewed the jerky she had stuffed into her mouth, and wiped her lips.

“You really won’t scold me?”

“Yes. Just a little.”

“Really, really?”

“Of course.”

The Young Lady fidgeted with her fingers and spoke in a small voice.

“From the beginning…”

“Pardon?”

“Since my leg got injured. I started feeling something like a throbbing sensation and a booming sound…”

“Haha…”

I nodded solemnly at the Young Lady’s timid demeanor.

“I see.”

“Mm.”

“Then why did you hide it?”

“I was afraid Ricardo would scold me. He already dislikes me, and I was scared he’d hate me even more.”

I smiled faintly and placed my hand on the Young Lady’s head.

“Correct answer.”

-Eeeek!!!

The Young Lady’s scream echoed inside the carriage. While massaging her forehead, I spoke softly.

“But what should we do?”

“About what?”

“I told the Head of the Household.”

“Huh?”

“That…”

-The Young Lady has regressed.

“That the Young Lady has regressed. By the time we arrive, he’ll probably have read the letter, don’t you think?”

“Really?”

I gave an awkward smile and closed my eyes, thinking, “Well, it’ll work out somehow.”

I closed my eyes.

*

After traveling for quite some time, we arrived at the Young Lady’s Estate.

Under the darkened sky, the estate came into view, its lights extinguished. Anticipating the difficulty of cleaning after such a long absence, I leaned slightly out the window and gazed at the familiar house.

“Huh…?”

A massive carriage stood in front of the estate’s gate. Bearing the emblem of Desmond, the carriage was parked right at the entrance.

Seeing the person stepping out of the enormous carriage, I burst into laughter.

-Olivia!!!!!

The voice of an Overprotective Father echoed.