The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 172

Histania Hanna hated her father.

Great wealth and honor.

The title of Count.

Though he was known as the “Sword of the Empire,” to Hanna, her father was someone she despised more than anyone else—a figure who haunted her nightmares.

Others envied her for having such a capable father, but Hanna loathed those words. He was a man who had been cold to his child and had nearly driven her to death for lacking talent.

There was a time when she had once been proud of her father.

A time when she had set her life’s goal on becoming like him and had pursued it relentlessly.

She had been proud of his sword and had taken pride in the history of their family.

A Founding Contributor.

A swordsman who fought to the bitter end in war.

A household that had produced the strongest swordsman.

These symbols, which made her heart race just hearing about them, had given Hanna strength. When she held the sword engraved with the Family Insignia representing Histania, she had felt proud of her father and had loved her family.

Even when faced with Father’s Neglect.

Even when enduring scorn and contempt.

Even when she never heard a “Happy Birthday” on her special day, she had believed that one day, her time to shine would come.

Of course, that hope had been shattered.

Sitting curled up on her dormitory bed, Hanna took a rare moment to reminisce about the past.

Though it had only been about a year ago, to Hanna, it felt like an eternity—a time of upheaval and a memory where she had finally let her long-suppressed emotions explode.

She remembered it had been raining.

On her worst birthday, a year ago.

On a day when a downpour fell as if the heavens had been torn open, Hanna had made a difficult request to her father.

-Father… Today is my birthday.

On the day she had asked her father, who always doted only on her older brother, to teach her swordsmanship, he had coldly ignored her.

-Aren’t you tired of this? Always doing the same thing.

Her father, who told her to give up the sword.

The difficult words asking for a duel.

He had no idea how much she had agonized before those words left her lips, yet that day, as always, he had told her to give up the sword.

That damned sword.

The sword…

The sword…

Hearing that she lacked talent.

The expression on her father’s face, as if he knew everything, and his arrogant tone had shattered the wall of hope she had built over the years.

Though it was something she often heard, perhaps because it was her birthday, it hurt even more that day.

She had expected it from her father, but having just been told by the Villainess’s butler that she had talent, his cold response had stung even more.

So that day, she ran away.

For the first time in her life, she experienced what it meant to run away from home. Unlike a brief outing, she had left the family estate, feeling the grim reality that “there is no place for me in this household,” and wandered the streets like a lost child.

If someone hadn’t stopped her back then, she might have walked straight into the tragedy foretold by the Blue Window.

She was certain of it.

That day, Hanna had sought out the Villainess’s House, clutching at straws.

She missed the flattery of the man who only spoke sweet words. Even though she knew his words about her talent and his confident lies were all false, she had gone to his house.

-Oh…? Please, come in.

She cried at the bitter scent of the tea leaves, the worst tea she had ever tasted, because she liked it.

-I mean, does it even make sense for a father to act like that?

She vented her frustrations to someone she had only recently met.

-What did I do wrong…?

She received comfort from someone she had only recently met.

At that time, she hadn’t known. That the man’s lies were actually the truth.

She had thought he was comforting her out of greed for money, that he was humoring her with petty lies. Honestly, the idea that she could beat Mikhail was absurd.

Even so, the man had called out to her as she was leaving.

-It’s raining heavily outside. You don’t have a place to stay, do you?

-No, I have a home….

-Lies.

He had worked hard to make his lie come true.

-For a while, you’ll stay at our estate.

-It’s my estate!

-Hmm… You’ll stay at the Young Lady’s Estate.

Watching the man foolishly give his best effort, she gradually became drawn to him. Enchanted by his warmth and his kind lies, she began to believe in his lies.

And on the day when those feelings reached their peak.

-Didn’t I tell you that you have talent?

-…Sniff.

-Don’t cry. It’s late, but happy birthday.

For the first time, Hanna felt the emotion of liking someone.

She realized that her feelings for Mikhail were not love but admiration, and her pounding heart, like a photograph frozen in time, beat steadily without moving.

Hanna couldn’t forget the warmth she had felt that day. It still felt as though the warmth of someone carefully holding her lingered.

What Hanna cherished the most.

Wasn’t her father’s shocked expression.

Nor the Aura she had longed for so much.

But the warm embrace of someone who believed in her.

That was the most precious light in Hanna’s life.

And then.

-Dad!

In the reality where her nightmare had come to life, the last shred of respect she had for her father crumbled.

-Please save me.

It became the reason she couldn’t help but hate her father, and the reason she couldn’t help but love him more.

A cold breeze blew outside the window.

As the spring breeze of the night softly brushed her hair, Hanna tucked it behind her ear.

What should she do now?

What should she aim for?

Though nothing was clear, there was something she wanted to do.

“I miss you.”

She missed him.

The man with red hair.

She wanted to lean into the hand that always gently stroked her hair with a kind smile. That moment brought her peace and melted away the worries in her heart.

To do so, she would have to work even harder.

Hanna smiled softly as she looked at the sword leaning against her desk. It wasn’t the sword her father had given her, but the one Ricardo had gifted her. Smiling foolishly, Hanna rested her chin on the desk and stared at it.

“I like you. So very much.”

She couldn’t stop smiling.

Foolishly so.

She couldn’t stop laughing, knowing that the sword was too grand for her and that Ricardo had given it to her.

She thought to herself that it might be the most meaningful gift she had ever received. Rising to her feet, Hanna made up her mind.

‘Let’s go.’

Earning the right to stand by his side and becoming someone worthy of him was something she had to prepare for herself.

Hanna didn’t want to meet Ricardo in her shabby state. She didn’t want to meet him again as the foolish girl who always cried and wished for miracles.

Sometimes, she wanted to be his strength and return the favor for what she had received. So, once again, Hanna picked up her sword for training and headed to the empty training grounds late at night.

She started running, braving the cold breeze.

With a pleasant smile on her face.

Hanna ran vigorously to the training grounds.

Dreaming of a brighter future.

“Huff… Huff…”

Not to force herself to practice, but to wield the sword she truly loved, Hanna ran toward the training grounds.

From a distance, she noticed someone at the training grounds.

There were two people.

‘No one would come to the training grounds at this hour… Are they freshmen?’ Hanna thought, but upon seeing the man with flowing silver hair, she nodded to herself.

“It’s Senior Mikhail.”

Mikhail was swinging his sword again today.

But, who is that person next to him?

Hanna wondered as she looked at the man whose face was obscured by darkness.

Broad shoulders.

Judging by the sword at his waist, he seemed like a cadet here to practice, but his face was hidden in the shadows.

Seeing him exchanging swords with Mikhail, it was clear he must be an acquaintance of Mikhail’s….

‘What does it matter?’

It’s training; it’s strange to care about who’s there.

Hanna slowly walked toward the training grounds where Mikhail and the unidentified man were.

“Hello. You’re here again today….”

Just as she was about to casually greet Mikhail, she froze as the man’s face slowly emerged from the darkness.

“It’s been a while.”

The man, speaking to her in a gentle voice, had a sword at his waist engraved with the emblem of the Imperial Family. Hanna clenched her fist and raised her head.

“Daughter.”

Gritting her teeth, she glared at the person she despised the most.

“Dad… No, Father.”

*

Another day of the Young Lady’s chaotic hair-drying ritual.

“Haaaah…”

The Young Lady opened her mouth wide, enjoying the warm breeze from the magical tool, the hair dryer.

As I skillfully dried the Young Lady’s hair, I spoke to her, who was smiling pleasantly.

“The breeze isn’t for eating, Young Lady.”

“I know.”

“If you know, then why are you doing it?”

The Young Lady replied with a meaningful expression.

“Because it’s fun.”

“Oh…”

“Ricardo, you should try it. It feels nice.”

At her suggestion, I gave her a thumbs-up and said,

“As expected, you’re brilliant. I’ll try it later.”

Smiling, I shook off the water from her hair. The Young Lady is truly amusing.

As the ‘whoooosh’ of the hair dryer continued, the Young Lady looked at the bright sun outside and tilted her head in confusion.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going today?”

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday?”

A second question mark appeared above the Young Lady’s head as she looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if to say, ‘When did you say that?’ Suppressing a laugh, I sighed and replied,

“I said I was going to the capital.”

“The capital?”

“Yes. The Head of the Household said he wanted to see you and asked you to come.”

“Father?”

At the Young Lady’s clever nickname for her father, I nodded and said,

“Yes, Darbav-nim said so.”

“Oh… How bothersome.”

The Young Lady, who hated anything bothersome more than anything else in the world, proposed an innovative solution to this problem.

“Tell Father to come here.”

“That’s a good idea, but the Head of the Household is busy.”

“I’m busy too…”

The Young Lady looked regretfully at the heap of side jobs piled like a mountain on her desk and said. Looking at the works that seemed so disastrous they might cost money instead of earning it, I let out an awkward laugh and said to her,

“The Head of the Household said he’d give you an allowance.”

“Allowance?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… Will you get some too, Ricardo?”

“Not me, of course.”

“Hmm…”

Smiling at the sulking Young Lady, I added a piece of news.

“Oh, by the way, I’m going to earn some money too.”

“Don’t work. I’ll support you with my allowance.”

“Then please pay me my unpaid salary.”

“Ugh…! But what kind of work are you going to do?”

With a sly smile, I replied,

“I haven’t been paid for the work I did last time.”

“Did someone scam you, Ricardo?”

“Yes.”

Smiling, I thought about the academy in the capital.

“They said it was urgent and left first, but I still haven’t heard back from them.”