The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 164

The early dawn in Hamel.

“Haaaahm…”

Histania Hanna rubbed her eyes as she greeted the cold dawn of Hamel.

Her entire body was filled with muscle pain.

Even though she had moved less than she usually did during training, her body was stiff and screaming in agony.

“Ahh… I’m going to die.”

It must have been because she was too tense. The man she saw yesterday was The Monster Itself.

It was probably the first time she had encountered a monster who seemed capable of severing her head in an instant with even the slightest mistake. Both his skills and his blatant killing intent were terrifying.

Of course, all those threats had been put to an end by just one person.

-Leave when you’re allowed to.

Sitting on the bed, Hanna hugged her knees and thought about what had happened yesterday.

The butler who appeared when Senior Mikhail was in danger. At the same time, she let out a long sigh, recalling her past self, tied down by the cultists’ lackeys and unable to do anything.

“I couldn’t do anything…”

She had certainly intended to be helpful, but in the end, she had done nothing.

Even when they first met.

Even when she clashed with her father.

Hanna had always been the one receiving help, unable to do anything on her own.

Hanna thought of herself as pathetic.

Because nothing had changed.

Every time, all she could do was take the hand of salvation extended by the butler, while she remained stagnant and of no help.

Though the word “salvation” sounded grandiose, to her, the butler was like The Cage Key that could free her from a prison she could never escape.

Hanna had made a resolution time and time again.

To become someone who could help the butler. She had thought she wanted to be someone who could give, not just receive.

Even if she couldn’t be like her older brother, who had countless talents, she had wanted to assist the butler in other ways and had worked hard to achieve that.

That was why Hanna had spent this winter vacation so busily.

She continued her work as an adventurer.

To gain as much practical experience as possible, she had taken on various requests—escort missions, subjugations, gathering tasks—she had done it all.

Thanks to her efforts, she had overcome her fear of demonic beasts, especially her fear of orcs.

Though she pretended to be fine, the truth was she hadn’t been. Seeing an orc would remind her of the past shown by the Blue Window, and her body would freeze, causing her significant difficulties.

She would be scared of large people, or frightened by weak demonic beasts—her life as a swordsman had been full of restrictions.

Hanna had faced countless challenges to overcome these fears and had managed to conquer her deficiencies.

All because of one stubborn determination.

To fulfill her desire to be of help to the butler, Hanna had pushed herself forward. And because she wanted to excel at at least one thing more than others, she had clung to her efforts even harder.

Her appearance.

Her energetic personality.

The support of her family.

Hanna had thought that all of these were inferior compared to others.

Hanna knew her own heart.

Though it had been the worst meeting, she was in love with the man who had given her The Greatest Gift.

Self-willed.

Only caring about the Young Miss.

A man who loved the mundane world.

Hanna admitted that she had feelings for him.

That was why even more…

“Haa…”

She hated herself for not being exceptional.

She thought there was nothing about her that was better than others, that she was someone who only knew how to receive. Whether compared to the Young Miss or from an objective standpoint, Hanna believed she was inferior to others.

Her figure seemed decent, though.

With a sullen expression, Hanna looked down at her chest and buried her face in her knees.

“Idiot.”

She wanted to work harder.

She wanted to become prettier and hear praise from the butler.

She knew it was wrong for someone who only received to have such thoughts, but she wanted to learn more about the butler.

She wanted to see his smile more.

She wanted to make him smile.

She even wanted to hold his hand.

That was why Hanna was pushing herself even harder, and at the same time, she could no longer deny that Ricardo was the driving force behind her life.

If it weren’t for the butler, she wouldn’t have been able to live in this world, and perhaps she wouldn’t have had this freedom either.

Falling for the butler, who extended a hand of salvation like a Prince from a Fairy Tale, was inevitable… The exit had disappeared long ago.

“…Alright.”

With a small slap to her cheek, Hanna steeled her determination. Thinking gloomy thoughts would only add more wrinkles.

“What’s the point of sitting here like this? Nothing will change!”

Hanna pulled herself together as she greeted the dawn.

And then.

“..Miss~”

A man’s voice was coming from outside the window. Hanna rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The familiar voice was calling to her from outside.

Though the field training had ended due to the cultists’ raid, hearing the familiar male voice calling her name, Hanna adjusted her clothes and looked out the window.

“Miss Hanna~ What are you doing today?”

She could see the face of the man she liked.

Ricardo was smiling.

Even in the early dawn, Ricardo’s face was bright with an energetic smile, and Hanna’s lips began to curl upward.

Gripping the windowsill tightly, Hanna thought.

‘I can’t give up.’

Hanna answered Ricardo’s question in a small voice, speaking softly and quietly to avoid waking the sleeping students.

-Nod.

“Butler…! I’m alone in this room. Please, come in!”

“What?”

The butler looked at her with the most flustered expression she had ever seen.

*

“Ahem!”

Entering the room through the window, I was scolding Hanna.

“What are you thinking, inviting a man into a woman’s room? There’s a reason for the saying, ‘Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven!'”

I had planned to have a meal with Hanna after a long time, but now I was reprimanding her in a low voice for her audacious behavior.

The audacious gesture of Hanna’s beckoning finger still lingered before my eyes, and the ember of Confucianism in my heart refused to die down easily.

Thanks to Hanna, I had managed to secure a short-term job, so I had thought of repaying her. But to be repaid in this way was unexpected.

I looked at Hanna, who was wearing fluttery pajamas, and tried to hide my burning earlobes.

The academy students were due to return in three days.

With no carriage to take her back and being semi-forced to stay in this rural area, I had decided to spend time with Hanna and was now sharing the Wisdom of Life with her.

“You should save such actions for someone you like in the future…”

Hanna interrupted me and answered firmly.

“Why would I call another man when I have you, Butler?”

“What?”

I looked at Hanna with wide eyes, like a startled deer. What did she mean by that? I stared at her, but Hanna said nothing and continued tying her hair.

The last time I saw her, her hair had been a shoulder-length bob, but in the time I hadn’t seen her, Hanna had grown it out significantly.

With a hair tie held between her lips, Hanna skillfully tied her hair.

After tying her hair, Hanna gave me a small smile and stared at me intently. The faint peach fragrance emanating from her made me sniff and ask.

“Did you put on perfume?”

“No?”

“Really? I smell a peach fragrance.”

“Ah…”

Hanna held out the back of her hand to me, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

“It’s the scent of my skin!”

Faced with Hanna’s passionate gaze asking me to smell it, I let out an empty laugh and firmly refused, “No, thank you.”

No matter how you looked at it, sniffing someone’s skin would have been a strange sight.

I gently sat down on the bed in the room and spoke to Hanna.

“Anyway, do you have time today?”

“Time?”

I took out a small booklet from my pocket and showed it to Hanna.

[The Empire’s Greatest Dancer Comes to Hamel!]

“I happened to get two tickets. How about watching it together?”

Hanna stared at the two tickets in her hand with a puzzled expression.

“What about the Young Lady?”

Moved by Hanna’s kind heart, which thought of the Young Lady first, I smiled slightly and shook my head.

“The Young Lady said she doesn’t like watching women wriggle around. Unless it’s a talking fish, she thinks it would be boring.”

“Th-Then! Is it just the two of us watching…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hanna clenched her fist and reacted with a loud response.

“Great!”

“Pardon? What’s great about it…”

“It’s just that I’m in a good mood!”

I chuckled softly and spoke to Hanna.

“So, do you have time today?”

“Yes…! But could you wait a moment? I need some time to get ready.”

Seeing Hanna’s shy attempt to hide her unadorned appearance, I shook my head and replied.

“We’re not leaving right now. I still need to prepare the Young Lady’s breakfast.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing! Then how about meeting at noon? At the park!”

“Understood.”

Before climbing out the window, Hanna called out to me in a trembling voice.

“Butler…!”

“Yes?”

“Um… Wh-What will you wear today? I thought it might be nice to match colors. Haha…”

I gave Hanna a small smile and replied.

“I’ll be wearing casual clothes. I bought some new ones recently.”

And

“Oh, by the way, it won’t be a butler suit.”

Hanna beamed with a bright smile.

“Okay!”

*

And so, noon arrived.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t lift my head.

For many reasons.

“Is it… really that strange?”