The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 185

Since long ago, the Young Lady has been prone to catching colds.

-Young Lady, why are you in the lake?

-Sniff….

-Judging by the lack of protest, it doesn’t seem like you were forced in. It looks like you went in of your own accord.

-Snort…!

-I hope it’s not because you were annoyed by a butterfly fluttering in front of you….

-Gasp…!

-So that’s it.

During her childhood, the Young Lady often caught colds for the most absurd reasons.

-No! I’m a flower, but it keeps avoiding me!

She got annoyed by a butterfly and fell into the lake.

-That carp refuses to eat the food I give it!

-It’s a proper noble’s discrimination.

-Ugh! I’ll make it eat!

-Ah… Young Lady!

Claiming that the carp discriminated against her by eating selectively, she threw herself into the lake and became like Sim Cheong.

-Ricardo. I’ll make a blanket out of snow.

-You’re saying nonsense in such a novel way.

-It’s not nonsense.

Sometimes, she would open the window and sleep on snowy days, claiming she’d make a blanket out of falling snow, setting an example of how to catch a cold.

As she grew older, such eccentricities disappeared, but the Young Lady remained a frail person who easily caught colds.

*

Today, too, the Desmond Estate was peaceful.

The Young Lady’s nostrils twitched from an approaching tickle, and she frowned, seemingly annoyed.

“Eeeek… Eeeeeeek.”

The Young Lady was trying to suppress a sneeze.

Clenching her fist and furrowing her brow, she seemed determined to fight off the sneeze, though it was unclear why she was so displeased.

“Eeeek!”

I sat quietly, observing the Young Lady, curious to see how long she could hold out.

Though sneezing isn’t inherently bad, I couldn’t understand why she was holding it in. Still, as a butler, it was sometimes my duty to cheer on her meaningless efforts. With a clenched fist, I silently cheered for her victory.

“Hic… Hmnya.”

“Oh…!”

“Hheeeek… Huaa.”

“Ohhh…”

“Hiiiik!”

Like a bobblehead, her head jerked repeatedly, but she couldn’t seem to produce any results.

Seeing that this might stress her out and raise her fever further, I stopped cheering and suggested she give up.

Sometimes, giving up could be the wiser choice.

“Just let it out, Young Lady.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“It’s annoying to wipe my nose.”

As expected, the Young Lady had a reason for everything. Having a face covered in a runny nose was certainly unpleasant.

To solve her dilemma, I quietly offered an innovative suggestion.

“I’ll wipe it for you, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Oh…”

The Young Lady nodded at my words.

Realizing she didn’t need to bother with the troublesome task herself, she surrendered to the breeze and flared her nostrils.

“Hii… Hiiik Hiechoo…”

When the sneeze vanished without a trace, she looked at me with a devastated expression.

“It won’t come out.”

“It seems you missed the timing. Sneezes are shy creatures; once rejected, they rarely return.”

The Young Lady stared forlornly at the tissue in her hand, pouting her lips.

“I feel empty. Like all the sugar in my body has drained away.”

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“Eeeek…”

I wiped the runny nose trickling down her nose bridge with a handkerchief and placed the back of my hand on her forehead.

Her temperature felt warm.

She definitely seemed to have a fever.

Her face was flushed red.

Her runny nose flowed like water.

At this rate, it felt like I could fry a fried egg on her forehead, so I carefully placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke.

“Let’s lie down.”

The Young Lady shook her head side to side.

When sick, the Young Lady never intended to listen. She looked at me with a stubborn gaze and firmly expressed her resolve.

“I don’t want to lie down.”

For someone who usually loved lying down, her refusal was puzzling. I looked at her with a bittersweet smile.

“Why not? You seem to have a high fever. Resting in bed will help you recover faster.”

“I was supposed to go out with Ricardo today. I’ll take medicine and go out with Ricardo.”

“You can go another time.”

“But I want to go today….”

The Young Lady looked at me with pitiful eyes, as if she might collapse from disappointment rather than her cold if she couldn’t go out.

Placing my hand on her forehead, I replied in a gentle voice.

“You can go another time. Today isn’t the only day.”

“Today is the day.”

“What day?”

“The day I’m not bored.”

“Pfft. What kind of day is that?”

“Ricardo is always busy. He hasn’t played with me lately…. What if he’s busy tomorrow too?”

“Starting today, he’s a person with plenty of free time.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The Young Lady asked again with a serious expression.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

With bright and sparkling eyes, the Young Lady looked at me, urging me to help her lie down quickly. Her laziness, thinking it was too impersonal to lie down alone, made me chuckle softly. I placed my hand on her shoulder and carefully supported her weight.

“Going down now.”

“Mm.”

“Third floor.”

“Oh…”

“Second floor.”

“Ooooh…”

“First floor. We’ve arrived.”

“Not going down to the basement?”

“The basement construction isn’t finished yet.”

“Heheh…”

Snuggled comfortably in bed, the Young Lady let out a pleasant hum with a satisfied smile.

“See? Isn’t it comfy?”

“Mm. It is.”

“If you had lied down earlier, your body would have been more comfortable, and it would have been so much better.”

“You’re right. I should have done this earlier.”

The Young Lady looked at me with bright, shining eyes.

Seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes, as if she wanted something, I smiled faintly and soaked a towel in ice water.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because Ricardo is ugly.”

“…”

“From down here, you look extremely ugly.”

The corners of the Young Lady’s mouth twitched. She looked like she was about to burst into laughter. Though I wanted to flick her forehead right then and there, as a dignified butler, I couldn’t possibly hit a patient. Instead, I let out a small sigh and pulled the towel from the bucket, placing it over her face.

Of course, I spread it out completely.

-Thwack.

“Hiiiik! It’s cold!”

“It can’t be helped. Life is inherently bitter cold.”

“My life is warm!”

“Let’s live coldly just for today.”

“No…!”

Perhaps I laughed for a while at the Young Lady’s squirming reaction. Afterward, I removed the towel and gently placed a cool one on her forehead.

Only then did the Young Lady relax, her expression finally at ease.

I carefully sat by her bedside, focusing on the errands she might request.

Of course, I had no intention of running any errands for chocolate.

How long had I been staring blankly at the ceiling?

The Young Lady, who had been pouting with a sullen expression, cautiously opened her mouth and spoke to me.

“Hey, Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

The Young Lady turned her body to face me.

Her bright, shining eyes continued to gaze at me silently, making me feel strangely burdened.

With a pleasant smile, the Young Lady spoke to me.

“Tell me a funny story.”

“Shall I read you a fairy tale? I wrote a new one recently, and I think you’ll like it.”

“What’s the genre?”

“It’s a melodramatic, trashy romance about discovering that my father isn’t a rich man but a homeless person.”

“Pfft… What is that?”

The Young Lady chuckled softly and shook her head.

“Not that one. Something else.”

“I don’t think there’s anything more entertaining than that.”

“I want to hear something different today.”

“Hmm. What could it be?”

“Just tell me something interesting, Ricardo. Like what happened outside.”

I brushed the Young Lady’s hair aside with a gentle smile.

“Shall I?”

A funny story, huh.

Honestly, I wasn’t confident.

My life wasn’t one filled with amusing tales. If anything, it was full of hardships. Any story where I was the main character seemed like it would be depressing.

The only funny stories I could think of were all related to the Young Lady, but I didn’t have much to share. Besides, talking about Yuria or Mikhail might upset her.

Especially boasting about myself—that was even less appealing.

As I pondered for a while, the Young Lady, noticing my hesitation, smiled faintly and spoke to me.

“Are you feeling pressured?”

“I’m just wondering what kind of story would make you laugh. After all, making a patient smile is one of a butler’s duties, isn’t it?”

“Hehe. Just tell me anything. Something you’ve experienced, Ricardo.”

“Hmm… It might not be interesting.”

“That’s okay. Your face is funny enough, so don’t feel pressured.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Yep.”

Encouraged by the Young Lady’s enthusiastic support, I reluctantly began to speak.

“Back when I was wandering the slums, I had a friend.”

“You had a friend, Ricardo?”

“I had plenty. I even played the role of a leader.”

“That’s surprising. I thought you didn’t have any friends.”

“That’s a bit hurtful.”

“It’s fine. I don’t have any friends either.”

“That’s even more hurtful.”

Stories from my time in the slums.

Perhaps they were tales only I knew.

I carefully picked out the amusing parts, leaving out the depressing details, and shared them with the Young Lady.

-Didn’t I once beg for money?

-Yeah. That’s why I gave you money too, Ricardo.

-That’s right. Back then, you were my VIP customer.

-That’s true.

-I thought I’d caught a decent pushover….

-Eeeek!

-Just kidding.

The Young Lady laughed.

And so did I.

-So, there was a time I made that friend beg for money.

-Uh-huh.

-The friend cried, saying they were too embarrassed and didn’t want to do it. Do you know what I told them?

-What did you say?

-I told them to catch a pushover.

-Was that me?

-Yes.

-Oh…!

“Ricardo, you’re smart.”

“I know.”

There were plenty of stories that the Villainess would find amusing.

Provocative ones.

Realistic ones.

Human stories.

The Young Lady liked those kinds of things.

Of course.

Only when it came to funny stories, that is.

It was an old story.

The story of how I first met the Young Lady.

A story related to Mikhail.

A very…

Old story.