The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 235

Hamel’s Street, devoid of people.

-Plod.

Walking along the dark street of Hamel, I gazed at the signboard of a restaurant located at the road’s end.

[Youlam]

“A wandering restaurant….”

What a peculiar name.

The time now is 11 PM.

Except for the few taverns in Hamel, no other restaurants had their lights on, yet the restaurant named ‘Youlam’ emitted a subtle light.

It wasn’t the kind of light that signified it was open for business.

Since all the exterior lights of the restaurant were off, it was likely they were in the middle of closing.

‘I must be an unwelcome guest….’

Customers arriving at closing time are never welcomed. Honestly, I didn’t feel great about it either. I’d dislike it too if it were me.

The reason I came to ‘Youlam’ at such a late hour was solely to uncover the identity of a woman named ‘Ella.’

[Ella Lv.13]

Job: Former Empire’s Greatest Dancer

Favorability: 10

Preferred conversation topics: Cooking. Guests. Money. Misa. News. Success. A proud mother. A mother without shame. Hope. Miracles.

Disliked conversation topics: The past. Nobles. Lost child. Nightmares. A mother with shame. Resentment. Hatred. Betrayal.

The Affinity Window I saw during lunch contained a wealth of information.

Lost child.

A mother with shame.

And ‘Misa.’

While her genuine love for cooking was admirable, the keyword that struck me the most was the desperation of a mother searching for something lost.

Particularly, the name ‘Misa’ raised many questions.

Let me clarify in advance—I wasn’t meeting the woman named ‘Ella’ for the first time.

I remembered encountering her in the slums a long time ago, drawn there by an old memory, where she was dressed in shabby clothes.

The expression of a woman on the verge of collapse as she searched for a girl named ‘Misa’ was a memory that lingered, no matter how much I wanted to forget it. Forgetting it would be impossible.

At that time, I didn’t attach much significance to the person named Ella. There were many adults who came to the slums burdened with regret. I thought she was just one among the many.

That was back then.

“…”

Now, things were different.

Should I call it a hunch, or perhaps the instinct of a reader? I felt an inexplicable unease.

A hunch that the woman named ‘Ella’ might be deeply connected to Mikhail.

Mikhail’s mother.

Or perhaps a relative of Mikhail.

The name ‘Misa’ never appeared in the novel, yet I was weaving my own story.

I let out an empty laugh and took a step toward the restaurant. I had to confirm my suspicions.

Through the glass window, I could see a middle-aged figure cleaning up. It seemed the staff had all gone home, leaving him to tidy up alone—a sight that left an impression.

At a glance, there didn’t seem to be any resemblance to Mikhail, but when looking at her appearance, Mikhail immediately came to mind, which made me chuckle.

“…”

This isn’t easy.

I grabbed the restaurant’s door handle and briefly thought about a particular scene from the novel.

A scene that had sparked outrage and explosive reactions among many readers.

-I don’t know someone like you.

-Take this. Your mother wanted you to have it….

-Don’t call me Mom. I don’t have a mother.

A bitter smile formed on my lips.

As a reader who knew the ending of this story, I couldn’t view this situation positively.

The reunion between the two was, sadly, a bad ending.

“…”

Unable to take sides, I let out a sigh.

I couldn’t side with Mikhail because the brief glimpse of her past in the novel was too pitiful.

Nor could I side with Mikhail’s mother, knowing that what she had done was unforgivable.

‘It’s not even certain. Why am I thinking so deeply….’

How foolish.

The question lingering in my mind was just one.

-Have you seen a girl named Misa?

A girl named ‘Misa.’

If the woman named Ella was Mikhail’s mother. If the person Ella was searching for was Mikhail.

“…”

Reaching a new hypothesis made me cautious in my thoughts.

“Have I read too many novels?”

I let out an empty laugh as I cautiously pulled on the door of the restaurant, which still had its light on.

‘Clunk.’ As expected, the door was locked.

With an awkward smile, I sent a faint aura through the gap in the door. I felt bad, but I had come at this late hour hoping for a chance encounter.

The faint aura carefully undid the lock latch without making a sound that Ella could notice. Once the resistance on the doorknob disappeared, I gently opened the door and stepped into the restaurant.

“Excuse me.”

As the creaking sound echoed, Ella, who was resting under the single lit lantern, looked up and met my eyes.

Startled, Ella stood up from her seat and bowed her head in greeting.

“I’m sorry. We’re closed for the day.”

“Ah… is that so?”

Feigning disappointment, I bowed my head. Then, murmuring softly, “Would it be possible to just have a simple soup?” I looked at Ella. Trying to appear as a hungry man who couldn’t be turned away, I spoke.

“I’ll eat quickly and leave. I’ll pay double… no, five times the price. Could you make an exception?”

“…Ah… well.”

Flustered, Ella hesitated. The offer of five times the price was tempting, but there wasn’t much food readily available. Moreover, sending away a young man who looked so hungry weighed on her conscience, leaving her standing there in contemplation.

Seeing Ella like that, I deliberately turned my back. I couldn’t appear as someone with ulterior motives. To leave a natural impression, I turned away.

“I made an unreasonable request. I’m sorry.”

“Wait!”

“Yes?”

“Could you take a seat? I’ll prepare something quickly.”

Fortunately, Ella called out to stop me.

About ten minutes passed.

Looking at the food placed on the table, I bowed my head. Cold bread and heated soup. There was even stir-fried meat, perhaps as a gesture of goodwill. The table set for the unwelcome guest who had arrived late at night exuded warmth.

“…”

Standing silently after placing the food on the dining table, Ella looked at me.

With eyes that seemed to carry a hint of longing, she held the tray in both hands and stood still, gazing at me.

Raising my head slightly, I asked.

Wondering if something was wrong, I said, “I’ll eat quickly and leave.” Ella snapped out of her daze and waved her hand, saying.

“No, it’s nothing. Take your time eating. It’s just… you reminded me of my daughter.”

“…”

I had a lead.

Lightly gripping the fork, I asked Ella in a curious tone.

“Your daughter?”

“Yes, I have a daughter.”

“You don’t look like it, but you have a daughter?”

“Haha… no, not at all.”

“She must be incredibly beautiful, just like you.”

“…”

Without responding, Ella gave a wistful smile.

The conversation continued with small compliments.

Who I am.

Where I live. If I provide some information, Ella shares a bit about herself. If I talk about the past, Ella also opens up modestly within the limits of what she can say.

And.

If I throw out bait that resonates with the other person’s empathy.

“Back in the day, I got beaten to death just for eating a piece of rye bread….”

“You got beaten because of bread?”

“Ah… actually, when I was young, I lived in the slums. Back then, if you didn’t steal, you couldn’t eat.”

“You lived in the slums?”

The other person took the bait.

“Ah, I’m sorry. That was such a random story. I should eat quickly. Sorry about that.”

“By any chance, where did you live?”

I answered Ella’s question.

The questions continued back and forth.

About my past.

About Misa’s mistakes.

While maintaining boundaries, the conversation continued, and as the topic of the questions shifted to the main subject, Ella’s eyes began to widen at the mention of hope.

And.

I found the correct answer.

*

My footsteps on the way back felt heavy.

“…”

I didn’t know what to say.

I didn’t know how to process it, so I kept letting out meaningless sighs.

-Then, do you know a child named Misa?

-I think I’ve heard of her.

I deliberately lied in my response.

-By any chance, is she a child with silver hair who carries around a teddy bear?

-Wh-what…? How do you know that?

-…

-That’s right. That’s right…! She carries a white teddy bear and, um… oh! She has a mole under her right eye.

I saw Ella’s tears.

My thoughts deepened.

I couldn’t completely erase my doubts, but the image of Mikhail I remembered and the image of the girl named ‘Misa’ that Ella remembered matched, making it seem like stubbornness without meaning.

I let out a sigh as I looked at the brightly lit night sky.

‘Was it wrong from the start?’

Somehow. It felt strange.

The descriptions in the novel.

The secrecy of never taking off her clothes in the novel.

Her unusually small frame—only now did I realize how strange it was.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.

Even if it were true, I didn’t think it would change much.

How should I put it….

“Haah…”

All I could say was that it was complicated.

“Damn.”

I thought of a cigarette I’d never even smoked before.

*

Inside the dark, gloomy estate.

“Hmmph.”

Olivia, waiting for Ricardo, leaned against the window, picking her nose.

“There’s no chocolate.”

Olivia wanted to eat chocolate.