Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

As winter was coming to an end, the situation gradually improved.

Just as she had known would happen, her mother miraculously recovered one day.

Confirming that Lena was well brought relief to both little Yvonne and her father, Duke Campbell.

During those critical days of illness, her father hadn’t slept for several nights, nearly ‘inviting’ every nearby physician to the estate. Yvonne had witnessed his unprecedented frantic behavior.

While her mother’s improved condition should have been good news by all accounts, it left Yvonne with an uneasy feeling.

Soon, this ominous premonition was confirmed by Lena.

“That child… in the end, she bore it for me.”

Her mother’s face, just recovered from serious illness, showed little joy, replaced instead by deep concern.

Lena, saying this while sitting on the bed, looked at the empty space beside her, her eyes full of guilt.

By the time Yvonne heard the whole story from her mother, it was too late.

She had felt something was amiss when that child refused to sleep in the same room.

Why hadn’t she realized earlier—

Realizing something was wrong, Yvonne hurriedly rushed back to her room to question Elsa, but ran into Linda returning.

“…What’s going on?”

In the maid Linda’s arms was an unconscious Elsa with a flushed face, still wearing her backpack.

She had collapsed without warning at the doorway—

Just hearing this description made Yvonne’s heart race.

…It’s so hot!

Reaching out to check her condition, she was immediately startled by the burning temperature.

The inexplicable, persistent high fever was exactly the same as her mother’s back then.

This was undoubtedly the influence of the ‘Nightmare’.

“Young Miss…”

With her whole body burning hot, even in her hazy consciousness, she kept calling out for Yvonne.

Each call felt like a knife cutting into Yvonne’s nerves.

She was still so young…

But Yvonne, also still a child herself, could do nothing but tightly hold her hand.

Her body was feverish, yet her fingers felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Yvonne begged her father to bring those physicians skilled in dispelling arts, but not one of them could resolve Elsa’s condition.

Worse still, some, upon seeing Elsa, said things tantamount to giving up, like “Young Miss, please seek help elsewhere.”

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“Young Miss… the situation may not be as bad as you imagine.”

“How is this not bad enough?! What do you mean?!”

With anger clouding her judgment, the Young Miss couldn’t listen to anything, even showing a tendency to misdirect her anger at Linda.

“…I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Linda could see that once it involved that child, the Young Miss became very agitated.

However, even if the anger was misdirected at her, as the Young Miss’s maid, she had to say these words.

“Unlike the Madam’s situation, with your careful care previously, given her current vitality, the ‘Nightmare’ won’t endanger her life in the short term.”

“But…!!”

Thinking that she had made this choice for her sake filled Yvonne with intense regret.

If only she had shown more strength…

If only she had taught her to cherish herself more…

Would this situation… not have happened then?

Thinking of this, regret consumed her entire being.

“Young Miss… please calm down. The worst-case scenario hasn’t happened yet.”

A maid’s duty is to guide her master towards the right path.

“Besides, there are always more solutions than problems, aren’t there?”

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“…Are you an idiot?”

Although she wanted to question her with an angry tone, when Elsa opened her eyes and Yvonne saw her weak appearance lying in the sickbed, the words that squeezed out of her throat felt as if they were blocked by a large wad of cotton, unable to sound forceful at all.

“Young Miss…”

“I’ve never compared you to Mother, yet you went and did something like this on your own—you idiot!!”

As if knowing what she wanted to say, before Elsa could defend herself, Yvonne’s words choked her.

Warm liquid droplets fell onto the back of Yvonne’s hand that was tightly gripping Elsa’s.

“…Don’t you regret it at all?”

Little Elsa gently shook her head.

To say she had no regrets at all would probably be a lie.

But seeing the Madam safe and sound, she felt more relief than anything else.

Relief that she had made the right choice in time.

“And what’s with this farewell letter on my desk?!”

Yvonne tremblingly produced the thing that angered her most.

Though the handwriting was childish, it was a letter of farewell written in the neatest handwriting possible, prepared for leaving without notice.

She hadn’t taught her to write for something like this!!

“This is…”

Little Elsa averted her gaze somewhat guiltily.

But no matter what, she couldn’t stay here long.

If she collapsed, the ‘Nightmare’ would latch onto the Young Miss, and then… all her previous efforts would have been in vain.

That’s why she had to leave.

…It’s infuriating.

Somehow, it felt extremely, extremely infuriating.

The choice she made for her sake was too rational, not at all like a child.

But because of its correctness, Yvonne had no way to refute it, which left her feeling frustrated.

She even thought that rather than this little adult-like behavior, if Elsa had cried and asked for her help, it might have made her feel a bit better.

“Why can’t you rely on me more?”

“…I don’t want to trouble the Young Miss…”

“Hmph… I see you really don’t understand at all.”

“Eh?”

Surprised that she would say such a thing, little Elsa blinked in astonishment.

“If you ask me, it’s better to be a bit troublesome! Besides, isn’t it normal for children to be a bit silly and selfish? —So why do you have to act so strong?!”

You’re still just a child!!

It’s infuriating!!

“Uweh—”

She began to rub her face vigorously.

“When you really face a problem, if one person can’t solve it, two people can always think of more ways, can’t they?!”

Although her tone was forceful, it unconsciously became subdued:

“Do you… really want to leave my side that much?”

“No… I…”

Choking up, a stinging sensation rose in her nose, and sadness turned into tears flowing upwards.

“…I want to stay here.”

Finally showing an expression befitting her age as she revealed her true feelings,

“I still want to… eat with you, Young Miss… sleep together, I want to become a real family with you, Young Miss… I want to be together forever…!”

Even five years later, ten years later, twenty years later, she wanted to always be together, preferably never parting for a lifetime.

Because she loved her the most.

This was the greedy and insatiable wish buried in her heart, yet impossible to realize.

“Uwaaaaaah—”

After finally being honest with herself, she cried like a real child, hugging Yvonne, which also made Yvonne feel relieved.

…How much does she like me?

Thinking this helplessly, Yvonne couldn’t help but reach out to pat the little head leaning against her.

But she realized she wasn’t in a position to say such things either.

Because this feeling was the same.

“Let’s make a promise.”