The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 173

Hanna clenched her fist as she looked at Rowen.

She couldn’t understand why her father was at the Academy at such a late hour.

It was an unwelcome face.

Every time she saw him, the nightmare of the blue window from that day resurfaced, making him someone she wanted to avoid.

And at the sound of her father’s gentle voice, which he rarely used, calling her name, Hanna awkwardly bowed her head in greeting.

“Dad… no, Father.”

Rowen stood silently, watching Hanna. Her defiance, as she still held her sword, bothered him, and the nightmare of the vision he had seen haunted him, so he simply stood still, staring at Hanna.

Hanna asked Rowen a question.

She had to ask what she was curious about before leaving.

If she returned to the dormitory without knowing anything, it would be as good as giving up on sleep for the night. So, clenching her fist, Hanna opened her mouth to speak to Rowen.

“What brings you here?”

Hanna thought it was because a letter wasn’t enough, so he came in person. After the clash between Ricardo and her father at the estate last time, the letters ordering her to give up the sword had stopped, but her father wasn’t someone who easily gave up his stubbornness.

Knowing her father’s unyielding nature, Hanna braced her trembling heart and waited for Rowen’s answer.

“…Aren’t you going to greet me properly?”

At Rowen’s bitter remark, Hanna stiffened her expression and replied.

“No.”

“How cold.”

“Not as much as you were.”

“…”

Rowen nodded at Hanna’s cold retort.

It was an undeniable fact, and he had no regrets about treating her harshly. Rowen believed that regretting past actions was one of the most meaningless things one could do.

If there was one thing that weighed on his mind, it was the thought that someone might have influenced his daughter’s sudden change in attitude.

At Hanna’s stern response, Rowen thought of a man.

A man with red hair.

A man who possessed strength beyond his years, someone Rowen thought of with distaste.

-Do you wish to be buried in a sunny place, Father?

An arrogant, presumptuous brat. At the same time, someone with unfathomable strength. It must have been him who changed Hanna.

Rowen, with a bitter smile at his daughter’s cold words, spoke in an attempt to lighten the dark atmosphere.

He didn’t want to get angry today.

It had been a long time since he last saw his daughter.

There were things he wanted to talk about.

And he still hadn’t let go of his worry about making her put down the sword.

Hanna was a child with talent.

He didn’t want to admit that his judgment was wrong, but the results Hanna had shown clearly proved that his judgment had been mistaken.

However, Rowen still couldn’t erase the fear from the vision he had seen that day. He didn’t want to experience the loss of someone dear to him.

His wife had been hurt.

Because of his arrogant thoughts and petty pride, his wife had been gravely injured. Even now, seeing her struggle with the aftereffects of that day, his heart ached. The thought of losing his daughter was unimaginable.

He was cold, yes, but he loved her.

He had only learned how to strive for the revival of the household and didn’t know how to give warm love. So, he had passed down the same education he had received in his childhood.

And compared to the hardships he had endured, it was far less severe.

Responding to the Academy’s invitation was also to have another conversation with Hanna. Of course, there were other purposes, but the main one was to talk to his daughter.

Rowen steadied his complicated emotions and spoke to Hanna.

“I was invited to the Academy as a temporary instructor. They asked me to teach the budding sprouts.”

“…You didn’t even teach me, but you’re going to teach others?”

Hanna bit her lip.

Her father, an intruder in her sanctuary, had come, and it frightened her.

A brief silence fell, and Mikhail, sensing the awkward atmosphere, bowed his head to Rowen to excuse himself.

“I’ll take my leave first, Master.”

As soon as Mikhail finished speaking, Hanna’s expression began to distort.

She couldn’t comprehend what she had just heard. After all the harsh oppression and persecution she had endured, after never once crossing swords with her, he dared to call him Master.

With trembling eyes, Hanna looked back and forth between Rowen and Mikhail and spoke.

“Did you just call him Master…?”

Hanna’s tightly clenched fist had turned pale blue. Her gaze, as if ready to charge at any moment, bore into them, and Mikhail’s eyes darted nervously, unable to find focus.

Rowen answered Hanna’s question calmly.

“Something happened while you were away.”

“Are you calling that an excuse?”

“Yes.”

Rowen’s blunt response, as if he had merely done what was necessary, made Hanna clench her fist and listen further.

“Malik said he wouldn’t take the Head of the Family position.”

“…What?”

“He said he had a dream. A ridiculous dream.”

Rowen recalled the face of his eldest son, who had recently visited his office.

-I will give up the position of Head of the Family.

-…What did you just say?

-You have my younger sister to take my place, don’t you? She wants it too… And the Head of the Family training is nothing more than learning to swing a sword well.

-I don’t understand. Do you think I’ll humor your stubbornness?

-It’s a decision I’ve thought about deeply. I’ve learned a lot from watching Hanna.

Thinking of Malik’s face, which had looked refreshed as if he had found a shortcut among countless crossroads, Rowen spoke.

“Why is it that none of you follow my words? Is a father’s words so laughable?”

At Rowen’s irritated tone, Hanna’s shoulders flinched.

Again. Her father’s stubbornness, which crushed others when things didn’t go his way.

Most people cowered before her father’s stubbornness. She had, too.

She thought she had overcome it. Yet, Hanna was still afraid of Rowen.

Seeing Hanna tightly closing her lips, Rowen began to recount what had happened.

“Malik said he would prove himself, just like you did. I haven’t even acknowledged him yet.”

“I never wanted your acknowledgment. You wouldn’t give it anyway.”

“…”

“What I’m curious about is whether you told my brother…”

Hanna clenched her fist and asked Rowen.

She had heard bits and pieces of her brother’s dream. His dream of putting his brand name on everything on the streets was absurd, but she knew it was sincere. With a trembling voice, Hanna spoke.

“Did you tell him to give up, just like you told me?”

“…Histania Hanna.”

Rowen’s warning, addressing her with her full name.

Even with her father’s warning, which meant he wouldn’t tolerate any further insolence, Hanna firmly pressed on with her words.

No matter how afraid she was of her father, there were dreams that shouldn’t be trampled on.

Her dream had been crushed by her father’s hand, but she didn’t want the same to happen to her brother.

He was the first person to apologize to her and the one who filled the void of family.

Knowing how sorrowful and miserable it was not to be supported in pursuing one’s dreams, Hanna clenched her trembling fist and overcame her fear.

“Are you planning to destroy my brother this time too?”

Rowen answered Hanna without the slightest hesitation.

“Histania Hanna…!”

An “oops” moment flashed through Rowen’s mind, but he lightly shook his head and continued speaking.

Malik wasn’t weak.

“I told him to stop. The world isn’t so easy that it’s worth staking one’s life on the miracle achieved by a few.”

Hanna immediately realized that her father’s “miracle” was aimed at her.

Her father’s arbitrary words disregarded not only her efforts but also the butler’s contributions.

Through her hands, which had gone cold, Rowen’s voice continued without pause.

“Your brother left home, just like you. He doesn’t even realize how precious the treatment he received from the household was… That’s why I trained a disciple. Raising a new disciple would serve as a warning to your brother…”

Hanna spoke to Rowen in a cold voice.

“…The miracle has already happened.”

“Surviving in this damn household is the miracle.”

“How long are you going to keep this up, Father!? Am I not enough for you? How many more holes do you need to drill into my heart to be satisfied!?”

The only response to her cold, resounding resentment was silence. Rowen simply polished his sword, revealing his displeasure without a word. His stubbornness was evident without him needing to speak.

“In time, you’ll come to understand my words.”

“No. I will never understand you, Father.”

As Rowen passed by Hanna, he spoke in a cold voice.

“I still do not acknowledge your sword.”

Hanna replied in an irritated voice.

“Please, just stop already!”

She couldn’t understand what was still lacking for him to refuse to acknowledge her. She had already proven her skills, so what more could he want?

Hanna couldn’t find an answer.

So.

Clenching her fist, Hanna spoke.

Perhaps it was something she might regret later, but Hanna let her rising anger burst forth as she said,

“Let’s do it. A duel between your disciple and me.”

“…How arrogant of you.”

“Your ego is excessive.”

Rowen slipped his hand into his pocket, listening to Hanna’s proposal. He thought it might be the perfect opportunity to completely fold his daughter’s sword.

With eyes filled with vanity, Rowen looked at Hanna and spoke, his confidence in victory evident.

“If I lose, I’ll return to the household. I’ll give up the sword and follow your words.”

“But.”

Looking at Rowen, who was staring at her, Hanna clenched her fist. She hated her father, who kept trying to bind her, and she believed this was the only way to break free from these shackles.

That’s why Hanna said to Rowen,

“If I win, Father, you must never appear before me again. Not at my wedding, not in my life, and not to interfere with my brother’s dreams. I want you to disappear.”

Rowen nodded.

“Very well.”

He was confident of his victory.

He believed he would win.

A cold atmosphere settled, and the silence weighed heavily, resonating like a tolling bell.

“Am I not invited to join?”

A grating voice reached Rowen’s ears.

A man, who had apparently been listening to the entire conversation, walked toward the training grounds with a heavy smile.

Looking at Rowen, the man spoke.

“Instead of disciple vs disciple, how about master vs master…”

With his red hair gleaming, he smiled at Rowen.

“That might be interesting too.”