The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 237

A peaceful academy.

“One thousand three hundred sixty-one.”

“One thousand three hundred sixty-two.”

“One thousand three hundred sixty-three.”

Mikhail, who was swinging his sword in the training grounds again today, wiped away his pouring sweat and let out rough breaths.

A sword swung with the sole purpose of becoming stronger.

Believing there was nothing better to clear his mind, Mikhail swung his sword again today to shake off distracting thoughts.

“One thousand three hundred sixty-four…!”

After class, to the training grounds.

Even on weekends, to the training grounds.

Sweating so much that he could sleep without worries was Mikhail’s only hobby, so he couldn’t easily give it up.

If only his dreams were sweet, though.

“Are you still swinging your sword?”

Hanna, dressed in training clothes, approached Mikhail, who was swinging his sword with full concentration, while stretching her shoulders.

“You’re really amazing. That’s why your skills improve so quickly.”

Hanna, wearing black tights and a white shirt, struck up a conversation with Mikhail after visiting him for the first time in a while.

“Senior.”

“…”

“Senior.”

“…”

“Are you still upset?”

Mikhail shook his head. That day’s defeat was due to his own shortcomings, so while he couldn’t easily speak to Hanna out of regret for the loss, he wasn’t angry at her personally. Was it a matter of pride, or perhaps guilt for fighting her sincerely without knowing her circumstances?

Unable to think of anything to say, Mikhail let out a deep sigh and stopped the hand that had been swinging his sword.

“No, it’s just awkward to talk.”

Hanna chuckled and grabbed a sword.

“Is it because I won?”

“…No.”

“Liar.”

Hanna thrust her sword energetically and said,

“It’s because I had a great master. I met a master who is far superior to my father in both character and swordsmanship.”

“…”

“The butler is truly an extraordinary master for me.”

“…”

Mikhail couldn’t agree with Hanna’s words.

While he acknowledged Ricardo’s skill, he couldn’t accept the claim that Ricardo was a good master. Mikhail had seen what Ricardo had done at the academy.

-Ricardo again…?

-They say he was near the fire scene this time too.

-He’s always around whenever something happens.

-Why do you think that is? Because he’s the one causing it, obviously.

While he knew Ricardo’s swordsmanship was exceptional, calling him kind was something that grated on Mikhail’s nerves.

With a slight change in his expression, Mikhail spoke to Hanna.

“No, it’s because you’re good.”

“No, it’s because the butler taught me. In the past and even now, everything I’ve achieved is thanks to the butler.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for the butler, I probably wouldn’t even be able to hold a sword right now.”

“…Ha.”

Mikhail had a lot he wanted to say, but he bit his lip and held back. He felt that whatever he said to Hanna now wouldn’t get through to her.

If he was such a good person, then why did everyone dislike him? As someone who had experienced Ricardo firsthand, Mikhail cautiously spoke to Hanna.

“Ricardo isn’t the good person you think he is.”

Hanna’s expression hardened as she responded to Mikhail. No matter what anyone said, Hanna was someone who stood by Ricardo’s side.

“What do you think the butler is, Senior?”

“Huh…?”

“What did the butler do to you to make you say that? At least to me, the butler is a good person.”

“I…”

Mikhail closed his lips and lost his words.

He wondered what kind of person he thought Ricardo was.

After thinking for a long time, Mikhail answered Hanna. The conclusion he reached about Ricardo could be summed up in one sentence.

“He’s the complete opposite of me.”

“So what?”

Hanna swung her sword silently and said,

“Senior, you don’t know anything about the butler.”

Mikhail pressed his lips together tightly and said,

“…I don’t want to know.”

*

Darkness enveloped the men’s dormitory.

After finishing his training and returning to his room, Mikhail let out an exhausted breath and sat on his bed.

“I need to wash up, but I’m too tired.”

Thanks to maintaining high grades, he had a private shower right in front of him, but Mikhail couldn’t muster the strength to get up.

“Ugh… Still, I should wash up since I feel gross.”

Reluctantly, Mikhail got up from the bed. Though he wanted to lie down longer, he knew there was no end to laziness, so he forced himself to rise.

-Plod.

As he trudged weakly toward the shower, Mikhail paused for a moment and looked at the mirror next to the wardrobe.

“I look terrible.”

His hair was soaked with sweat.

His training clothes were damp.

His silver hair reached the nape of his neck.

Looking like no different from a man, Mikhail let out an empty laugh.

“I really… look pathetic.”

In his early twenties, the prime age for dressing up.

Seeing his reflection in the mirror, Mikhail sighed at his shabby appearance.

Though he claimed not to care about his looks, deep down, that wasn’t the case.

Today, more than ever, Mikhail hated the mirror that reflected his pitiful self.

“…”

Staring at his reflection, Mikhail muttered in a voice too small for anyone to hear.

‘…What am I?’

With a deep sense of doubt in his voice, he lowered his head in the empty room.

‘Neither a woman nor a man.’

Unbuttoning his shirt, Mikhail questioned himself. What exactly are you?

‘I can’t go back now.’

To return, he would have to give up so much, so why was he having such meaningless thoughts? Even Mikhail thought it was foolish to ask himself such questions.

Still.

There was an undeniable desire.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Mikhail spoke inwardly.

‘I also…’

Want to wear pretty clothes.

Want to wear makeup.

Want to dress up.

Dreaming of things he couldn’t do, Mikhail bit his lip and stopped unbuttoning his shirt. His current self was heading in the complete opposite direction.

His body was drenched in sweat and smelled.

His hair was short, making him look like a man.

Mikhail felt especially pitiful today, as if he had no charm at all.

Even though it was a path he had chosen for himself.

Mikhail thought he wasn’t interested in such external things. No, perhaps he was deceiving himself. By convincing himself he didn’t care and just chasing his goals, he hadn’t allowed himself a moment to think.

“Haa…”

Mikhail moved his hand again.

‘Tok.’ As the button came undone, pale skin was revealed, and the bandage wrapped around his chest began to unravel.

As Mikhail unraveled the stubbornness that had started from his own desire, he lifted his head and looked at a single outfit hanging on the wardrobe door.

A white one-piece dress.

Looking at the dress he had bought, wanting to show it to someone, Mikhail pressed his lips together and had an impulsive thought.

‘Would it be okay to wear it just once?’

Mikhail murmured softly and carefully took the dress from the wardrobe, a bitter smile forming on his face.

‘Yeah, just once….’

The academy shirt and pants fell to the floor.

As if shedding his skin, Mikhail threw the clothes he had been wearing onto the floor and, with a deep sigh, began to drape the dress he had never worn over his body.

“…”

As if it had been custom-made, the fluttering one-piece dress fit Mikhail perfectly, creating a neat and elegant appearance.

It was a dress he had bought, wanting to show it to that boy someday, and seeing how well it fit, Mikhail couldn’t help but laugh like a child.

“It’s pretty…”

Excited, Mikhail spun around in front of the mirror, looking at himself. He awkwardly lifted the hem of the skirt and tried mimicking the actions of female students, bursting into laughter.

“It’s really pretty.”

Mikhail was enjoying his true self. Perhaps it was a life he should have naturally enjoyed, but he was now savoring it in a place where no one could see him.

He felt exhilarated.

And a little thrilled.

As he relished the sense of liberation he hadn’t felt in a long time, Mikhail smiled.

But unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long.

The moonlight, hidden behind the clouds, began to shine into the dark room.

Slowly, colors filled the reflection in the mirror.

The moonlight’s prank illuminated his short hair and rough legs, and Mikhail’s faint smile faded as he looked at the mirror.

“Ah…”

The smile disappeared.

His face twitched.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Mikhail thought to himself.

That he was ugly.

It just looked like a man with a chest wearing a dress and getting excited. Clenching his fists, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Even though the reality was far from that, even though he possessed a beauty akin to a princess from a fairy tale, Mikhail could only see himself as pathetic in the mirror.

Mikhail erased the faint smile he had been wearing and made a distressed expression.

“…What kind of woman is this?”

Mikhail hurriedly tried to take off the dress. If he stayed like this any longer, he felt his mood would worsen.

Crumpling the dress, Mikhail spoke in his heart.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I thought it was pretty, but it wasn’t.’

He had wanted to show a beautiful side of himself.

‘But I ended up showing something unsightly.’

Mikhail awkwardly smiled as he tried to shove the dress back into the wardrobe. Just as the fluttering one-piece dress slipped from his reluctant hands—

-Ding.

A cruel alarm tickled Mikhail’s ears.

-A quest has been triggered.

[Q. To Your Original Form.]

·

·

·

1. Show Ricardo your original form. (0/1)

2. Go on a date with Ricardo. (0/1)

3. Hear Ricardo’s true feelings. (0/1)

Reward: Lee Minhyuk’s survival.

Failure: None.

Mikhail clenched his fists and stared blankly at the blue window.