The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 236

-Kiddo.

Another nightmare unfolds today.

The nightmare, which brought unbearable sorrow, once again consumed the dream that had begun with a light heart.

Underneath the Dark Bridge.

The Rainy Sky.

A boy who shouldn’t exist.

The nightmare, set in the harshest environment of her life, reflected the small, Young Girl.

The boy walked toward the girl, who sat with her legs drawn together. Wearing a bitter smile, he hesitated, unsure how to start the conversation.

-So many stars are out tonight.

A Gentle Voice.

The boy spoke to the girl, who never said thank you for the food he brought, without a hint of reproach in his voice.

The girl, as always, remained silent. She simply hid her face between her knees, waiting for comfort.

Under the sky where stars fell and the Milky Way stretched out, the boy began his usual monologue toward the girl.

-You know.

-…

-I don’t have a mother.

-…

-Damn…

-Pfft.

-I don’t even know her face or who she is. I don’t have a father either. What is this? I’m not Park Hyeokgeose or anything.

-Park Hyeokkugeose?

-…

The girl laughed.

She burst out laughing at the boy’s joke.

And then.

The nightmare began to take on a crimson hue.

-Run away.

-Ah… Ahhh…

-Don’t act recklessly.

-No.

-Don’t look back, just run.

A boy who cannot leave.

A girl who has no choice but to leave.

Once again, the dark nightmare brought both sweetness and terror, beginning to uncover their mistakes.

Slowly.

-I’m someone who keeps promises.

And frighteningly.

“Stop…!”

Mikhail opened his eyes, exhaling hot breaths as he sat up in the Academy bed.

“Hah… Hah…”

His forehead was drenched in Cold Sweat.

His shirt soaked with sweat.

Mikhail curled up, hiding his head between his knees.

“Please…”

The memories remained intact.

The Gentle Voice, too.

The breath that had once made his heart tremble.

The Heartbeat that ached with sorrow, so vivid it was hard to believe it was just a dream.

“…”

As always, the boy’s face, obscured in black, did not appear, and the desperate feelings and lingering Worry in his heart continued to torment Mikhail.

Even if he wanted to erase them, he couldn’t.

The memories of the past were so painful they felt like his chest was being torn apart, making it impossible to think about them carelessly.

Clenching his Fist in sorrow he couldn’t share with anyone, Mikhail whispered.

“Please…”

Mikhail wanted to escape this Shackles. It was selfish, but if he could cut it off completely, he wished he could erase the memories entirely.

With his head buried between his knees, Mikhail muttered softly.

“I just want it to stop.”

The sense of disillusionment with the years he had lived under the name Mikhail did not fade.

Because he wanted to live as the boy remembered him.

The desire to wear pretty clothes like other women had long since been erased.

He used to dream of such things, but as time passed, those feelings had disappeared long ago.

Mikhail closed his eyes and held back his sorrow. His trembling shoulders and the faint night air offered no solace.

‘It feels like the nightmares have gotten worse since that day.’

After losing the Duel with Hanna, the frequency of the nightmares, as well as the sorrow that brought both peace and despair, seemed to have intensified.

Because after missing the chance he had desperately clung to, the memories he wanted to forget resurfaced even more vividly.

The survival of that child.

Mikhail, deceived by the Blue Window’s Prank, which planted Hope in the form of a memory named Lee Minhyuk, felt regret even though he knew it was a Lie.

It could have been a Hallucination.

Or perhaps it was the depiction of his deepest desire.

“…”

His sweat-soaked Hair showed no sign of drying. His damp shirt, as if shouting at him not to fall asleep again, clung to him, preventing him from lying down.

“…”

Letting out a Deep Sigh, Mikhail rose from the bed.

Under the Moonlight reflecting on his White Bridge-like legs, his lower body, unclothed, began walking toward the Window.

-Plod.

Leaning against the Windowsill, Mikhail murmured with a wistful Smile.

“You know…”

“Don’t I seem really foolish?”

Mikhail spoke to the moon, his unanswered monologue spilling out.

“Crying on a whim, getting disappointed on a whim…”

“Wanting to show you a cool side of me, I stayed up all night bothering a scarecrow.”

“I’m sure you’d call me a fool if it were you…”

Letting out a Deep Sigh, Mikhail lowered his head.

“What would you say if you saw me now?”

You’d probably think I’m pathetic.

Because if it were him, he’d definitely say, ‘Why are you living so miserably?’

Breathing in the night air, Mikhail parted his lips, hoping the cold air would empty out the suffocating feelings in his heart.

“You know, I still can’t properly say your name.”

With a faint Smile, Mikhail cautiously uttered the name from his memories.

“Iku… Minhyuk.”

As the awkward pronunciation escaped his lips, Mikhail blushed in Shame.

“It’s been over ten years, and I’m still a fool who can’t even say your name properly.”

Family.

Friends.

There was no one to rely on, yet Mikhail felt sorry for constantly calling out to the friend who should be resting.

“I’m sorry for calling you so often.”

Mikhail leaned against the Window for a long time.

-Whoosh.

In Mikhail’s room, where the wind blew, a White One-piece Dress fluttered. A dress that held a small Desire to one day show it to the boy.

Hanging in the Wardrobe, it swayed gently.

***

“Damn!”

Another peaceful day at the Young Lady’s Estate.

Sitting on the bed, the Young Lady spat out a savage curse. With a face full of anger, she glared at me and threw the pile of red candy wrappers stacked on the bed to the floor, venting her frustration.

“Eeeek!”

“What’s the matter? We ran out of chocolate, so I brought candy instead.”

“…”

The Young Lady frowned as she stared at the ominous illustration on the red wrapping paper.

“This isn’t candy.”

“It is.”

“Why is there grass drawn on the candy?”

“Maybe it’s candy made from grass.”

“…How do you even make candy out of grass?”

“Um… skillfully?”

The Young Lady clenched her fist and glared at me. Her gaze carried a threat—if I didn’t speak honestly, she’d throw all the candy on the bed out the window.

“…Sniff sniff.”

As expected, the Young Lady must be part dog.

Nodding, I confessed the truth to her. That it wasn’t chocolate I had bought as a snack.

“Actually, this is a product Mr. Malik and I developed together.”

“Why is Ricardo making candy?”

“To give you something delicious, Young Lady.”

“Oh… Impressive.”

“I know.”

“Annoying.”

I nodded lightly at the Young Lady’s small rebellion and continued speaking. After all, “annoying” was her way of giving praise.

“Anyway, I brought it to ask for your taste evaluation.”

Holding the candy in her hand, the Young Lady glared at me sharply.

“What’s it made of?”

“…That’s a secret.”

“Tell me.”

“It won’t kill you.”

The Young Lady squinted at the wrapping paper, wondering if this was really candy as she knew it.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.

“…”

Because I knew she’d be absolutely furious if she ate it.

The Young Lady glanced at me cautiously before starting to tear open the candy wrapper. As the faint, familiar scent of candy wafted out, I smiled slightly and nodded toward the skeptical Young Lady.

“It’s sweet and delicious.”

“…”

-Chomp!

“Probably.”

As soon as she put it in her mouth, I began to confess the truth while slowly retreating from the bed where she sat, maintaining a safe distance.

To avoid her attacks, I had to stay away from the bed, which was full of throwable objects.

The Young Lady’s complexion gradually turned pale.

“Uuuuugh!”

Whether it was the vitality-enhancing effect of the newly developed candy or something else, the Young Lady clenched her fists, her expression striking a chord in the heart of the developer.

“Eeeeeek!!!!!!”

I told the Young Lady the truth.

“Actually, this candy is a ‘Mandrake’ candy we developed for older consumers…”

“What?”

Judging by the bizarre expression on the Young Lady’s face, as if she had eaten a dumpling that turned into a person, I could tell the Mandrake’s effects were potent.

“How is it? Don’t you feel full of energy?”

“What?”

Choking and spitting out the candy, the Young Lady looked at me with a question mark on her face.

And then.

“Damn!”

I could hear the Young Lady’s scream, filled with indignation.

“I’m going to report you to the Noble Abuse Committee!”

“That doesn’t exist.”

“Eeeek! Then I’ll create one!”

Staring resentfully at the mountain of candy piled on the bed, the Young Lady looked like she was about to explode.

What could possibly be wrong with giving her a mountain of candy?

Inspired by red ginseng candy in my previous life, I had created this masterpiece, only to receive her harsh critique. I smiled bitterly at her words.

Carefully unwrapping one of the candies she had thrown, I tossed it into the screaming Young Lady’s mouth and whistled.

“Eeeeeek!”

The Young Lady’s taste buds were resolute.

Taking notes on her reaction, I nodded.

[Not suitable for children’s palates.]

‘Ah, but the Young Lady is an adult.’

Quickly, I underlined my note and revised it.

[Poison for a Villainess.]

It seemed the feedback was quite helpful before launching the product. Although Mr. Malik had said it was delicious, we needed opinions from a variety of people.

We also had to decide which regions to target for the product launch.

If we marketed it as a premium product, we might be able to generate even greater profits.

Handing a rectangular object to the teary-eyed Young Lady, I gave her her experimental fee. Even if she was a Villainess, she deserved compensation for her efforts.

“What?”

Suspicious, the Young Lady looked at me with a question mark on her face, but I personally unwrapped the chocolate to reassure her.

“It’s chocolate.”

“It doesn’t have something gross inside, does it?”

“I’m not that much of a devil.”

“…Devil.”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

“Sorry.”

Holding the chocolate in both hands, the Young Lady nodded.

Carefully, I asked the Young Lady.

“Young Lady.”

“Yes.”

With chocolate smeared all over her mouth, the Young Lady turned to answer me.

“If the chocolate tasted like Mandrake, what would you do?”

“…Hmm.”

Frowning as she thought, the Young Lady absentmindedly chewed on the chocolate and replied.

“I’d hit you.”

“Of course.”

“Yes.”

“Then, what if it’s chocolate, but there’s Mandrake inside the chocolate?”

“Huh?”

The Young Lady looked at the cross-section of the chocolate with a tearful expression.

“Are you trying to assassinate me?”

“No. I’m just curious. Besides, chocolate is too expensive to make recklessly.”

“Phew.”

The Young Lady nodded in agreement.

“You know what?”

-Crunch.

“I think it’s fine as long as it tastes good.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Young Lady.”

“Hmm?”

Actually.

“Never mind.”

I swallowed the words rising in my throat and shook my head.

The Young Lady, who had suffered the worst thing in the world, clenched her fist with a hollow expression.

“Eeeek!! What is it!”

“Well…”

“Yeah.”

“Have one more of these.”

“Hehe…!”

The Young Lady liked chocolate.