The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 195

There were two types of hierarchies within the Desmond Family.

One was the social hierarchy.

The other was the hierarchy implicitly acknowledged by the members of Desmond.

The social hierarchy was a reasonable order that others would nod in agreement upon hearing. The Archmage and head of the family, Darbav, held the first rank, followed by Kyle, the next head of the family, in second place.

It was commonly known that in most families, treatment within the household varied greatly depending on social status.

Just like in romance fantasy novels, where family members lived while constantly gauging the head of the household’s approval.

However, the Villainess’ Family was a little different.

-Father! Give me food!

-What do you want to eat?

-Meat.

-I feel like eating fish today.

-Eeeek! Meat!

-Fine. Meat it is.

Perhaps because it was the Villainess’ Family, the hierarchy within the Desmond Family was determined not by social status but by who had the nastier personality.

To be precise, it was a concession made for the sake of family peace, but the members of Desmond accepted this treatment without complaint.

The best example of this was probably the Young Lady.

After all, the Young Lady called the head of the household “Father.”

The highest rank in Desmond belonged to Rosanna, the Mistress of Desmond, who had the full support of the head of the household and made everyone’s life difficult if her words were not followed.

-Honey?

-I’m sorry.

-I didn’t say anything.

-Is it because of the socks?

-That’s correct.

Next was the Young Lady.

-Father! Brother! What are you doing?

-Working.

-Work.

-Let’s eat!

-Alright.

-Great.

Following her was Kyle, the next head of the family.

-Olivia. Starting tomorrow, wake up at 8.

-No!

-Understood.

Then came Darbav in the hierarchy.

Today’s issue concerned the second rank.

In other words, Darbav was tasked with solving the difficult problem of the Young Lady’s change of heart.

Darbav took a deep breath, worried.

The Young Lady’s fasting was an issue that had everyone on edge.

For the Young Lady, who loved eating more than anything in the world, to fast—it was not something Darbav, as a lower hierarchy tier and her father, could take lightly.

If the Young Lady were to starve, word would inevitably reach Rosanna, leading to a clash between the first and second ranks.

As someone in the lower hierarchy tier, Darbav was keen to avoid being caught in the crossfire of such a battle. Of course, he would have brought up the matter out of genuine concern for the Young Lady’s health.

Honestly, I didn’t think this was a big deal. As the butler, I had often seen the Young Lady skip meals.

-Why aren’t you eating?

-We’re beggars. We need to save money.

-That’s true.

But it was understandable that Darbav, seeing this for the first time, would be shocked.

As soon as morning came, Darbav and I were peeking through the door at the Young Lady, who was dozing on her bed.

“Mmmph.”

Eating chocolate hidden in her treasure pouch before breakfast was part of the Young Lady’s routine.

Today, we had placed a chocolate cake on the table beside her bed and were waiting for her reaction. Knowing how much the Young Lady adored chocolate, we expected her to sneak a glance and flash a pleasant smile.

-She really isn’t eating. Not even chocolate or breakfast.

-Are you serious? I can understand skipping breakfast, but not eating chocolate is unthinkable. The Young Lady loves chocolate so much.

-It’s true.

-…

We watched the Young Lady, who was rubbing her sleepy eyes, with bated breath.

“You’re awake.”

“Yes.”

Darbav gripped the doorframe tightly and swallowed hard.

“Don’t worry. The Young Lady will eat.”

“Hoo…”

The Young Lady had always loved eating.

-Hehe, chocolate!

Starting with her favorite food, chocolate, she had a brave heart that allowed her to try anything, even insects or visually shocking items, as long as they tasted good.

When she was younger, the Young Lady once startled me by asking to eat a frog. She must have heard rumors that knights had enjoyed eating them during training because she brought one back with glazed eyes, making me genuinely question whether she was a noble or a pig.

-Ricardo, let’s eat a frog!

-Pardon?

-Let’s sneak out and roast a frog over a fire. They say it’s delicious!

-What are you talking about? I’ve never even tried that. Actually, I’ve never even thought about eating one.

-Why not?

-Because they’re gross?

-That may be true, but they say it tastes good.

That’s probably how she maintained her physique.

As a child, the Young Lady had a plump body type due to severe obesity. While she wasn’t waddling around in an unsightly manner, she was still chubby enough to be considered cute. From her childhood to now, the Lady Villainess had always had an unwavering appetite.

I observed the Young Lady alongside Darbav.

“Mmmph… air raid alarm.”

Darbav spoke with a serious expression.

“She’s concerned about the Empire’s safety.”

“…”

“She’s my daughter, but her patriotism is overwhelming.”

“…”

This family is incomprehensible.

Having woken the Young Lady once, there were no further air raid alarms. Anticipating this, I had only woken her lightly and excused myself under the pretense of going to the restroom.

I waited by the table, watching for the Young Lady to notice the chocolate cake. Based on what I knew of her, she would eat it the moment she saw it.

“Mmmph. Hm?”

“Chocolate?!”

“Ugh…”

Not long after, the Young Lady spotted the cake on the table, her eyes widening as she began to smile shyly.

Turning her head to check her surroundings, she stared intently at the chocolate cake on the table. In a small voice, I spoke to Darbav.

“Do you see that?”

“…Not yet.”

“She’s about to eat it.”

“Wait and see. My daughter isn’t that weak-willed.”

I posed a question to Darbav. Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard why the Young Lady was fasting. Watching her locked in a staring contest with the chocolate, I asked,

“By the way, Head of the Household, why is the Young Lady fasting?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

“If I knew, would I be standing here like this?”

Darbav’s passionate answer left me nodding in agreement.

‘Indeed.’

The Young Lady was continuously locked in a staring contest with the chocolate cake. With dull eyes fixed on the chocolate cake, the Lady Villainess sniffled.

“I’m hungry.”

However, that was the extent of her actions. Even though her words confirmed her hunger, seeing the Young Lady tightly shut her eyes and struggle made my heart ache.

“Eeeek… I can’t eat it.”

Why is she acting like this?

It didn’t take long for me to understand the reason behind the Young Lady’s fasting.

“I need to diet…”

It turned out to be for a perfectly reasonable cause.

“I can’t gain weight…”

I came to understand.

*

Time passed.

It wasn’t a long stretch like a week, but three hours ticked by.

Standing in front of the Young Lady’s bed with lunch in hand, I watched her seriously picking at her plate with a solemn expression.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“Never mind.”

The Young Lady seemed deeply troubled.

I didn’t know what prompted her to start a one-day diet, but the noticeable changes in her mood made me feel uneasy.

At first, I wanted to applaud the Young Lady’s firm resolve to diet, but seeing her fast for an entire day began to worry me.

Of course, it’s a secret that I think a little weight in certain areas would be nice, but I kept my mouth shut and silently observed the Young Lady’s gloom.

“Haa…”

It was hard to watch.

Knowing how much the Young Lady lives for the joy of eating, the idea of her dieting made my heart ache a little.

If this continues, I can’t help but worry that she might end up as thin as paper, just as Darbav said.

Although I supported her, cutting off food like this would clearly harm her health, so I stabbed a piece of meat with a fork and brought it to the Young Lady’s mouth.

“Here comes the airplane.”

“What’s an airplane?”

“Meat.”

“Mmm.”

The Young Lady tightly shut her mouth and shook her head. As if determined to block any protein from entering her body, her fierce resistance made me clench my fist.

‘Young Lady…’

In a gentle voice, I asked the Young Lady,

“Why won’t you eat? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Yes.”

-Growling stomach sound.

Hmm. That doesn’t seem right.

I let out a small laugh and told the Young Lady that the sound just now came from my stomach, carefully masking the truth as I asked again.

“Still, eating is good for your health.”

“…”

“Doesn’t a person need food to keep going? You said so yourself before, Young Lady.”

“That’s true. But…”

The Young Lady, with a sullen expression, looked down at her stomach. Though there was a slight bit of belly fat, it didn’t disrupt her elegant figure. Yet, for some reason, it seemed to bother her greatly. Letting out a deep sigh, she lowered her head, showing no sign of regaining her energy.

Smiling faintly, I moved the food I had brought to the table and carefully sat by her bedside.

“Young Lady.”

“…”

“Young Lady.”

“Yes?”

Smiling, I whispered my thoughts on dieting softly into her ear.

“Fasting isn’t good for your health.”

“I’m not fasting. I just don’t feel well, so I’m not eating.”

“You’ve been unwell for two days? Then I think you should go to the hospital.”

“…I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“The Head of the Household told me. He said you haven’t been eating while I was away. For an entire day, no less.”

“…”

With a worried expression, I cautiously asked the Young Lady,

“Why are you doing this? I think you look just fine as you are.”

“No. I’m fat.”

“Why would you say you’re fat? You’re so beautiful and have such a lovely figure.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Really, really?”

The Young Lady turned her head sharply and spoke in a sulky tone.

“No. I’ve gained weight.”

It seemed something had happened to upset her. I guessed someone must have said something hurtful to her.

Seeing the Young Lady, who usually wasn’t easily hurt, looking so dejected, I felt uneasy. Hiding my irritation, I asked her in a calm voice,

“Who said that to you?”

I concealed my growing anger.

If someone had called her fat, I was ready to end their beautiful life with a brick, but the Young Lady shook her head vigorously, putting a period to my dark thoughts.

“No one said anything. I just suddenly felt like I’d gained weight.”

Shaking my head at her sullen expression, I asked again,

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“No, really. It’s just how I felt.”

“Hmm…”

I spoke honestly from my heart.

“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you, Young Lady.”

“I know.”

“You’re confident.”

“They say pretending not to know you’re pretty is annoying.”

“Puhaha… That’s true. Just like how I’m handsome.”

“That’s called a prince complex.”

“…”

Faced with the Young Lady’s iron wall of resistance to compliments, I let out a bitter smile and swallowed dryly.

“Even so, I hope you won’t diet, Young Lady.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re beautiful just as you are.”

“…”

The Young Lady clenched her fists and looked up at me.

“How beautiful?”

I drew a large circle with my hands, speaking like a child.

“This much?”

“Is that all?”

“No. This much more!”

“Pfft.”

Covering her mouth, the Young Lady laughed as she looked at me. Perhaps some of her worries had lifted, as her complexion appeared brighter than before. Looking at me with puppy-like round eyes, she smiled warmly.

“I know.”

What was that? A normal laugh?

At her eye smile, my heart skipped a beat.

The Young Lady smiled softly as she looked at me. Then, closing her eyes gently, she opened her mouth and waited quietly.

“Meat.”

“I will serve it with carrots.”

“I don’t like carrots.”

“That won’t do.”

I began feeding the Young Lady only the meat with a fork, and by the time the plate was empty, she wiped her mouth and patted her full stomach.

“Do you feel alive now?”

“Yeah. I don’t think dieting and I get along.”

“It seems that way.”

“I’m not going to do it anymore.”

Sitting beside the Young Lady, I asked,

“So, why did you try to go on a diet?”

“Well…”

The Young Lady turned her body, pulled a magazine out of the drawer next to the bed, and pointed at a photograph of a woman with her finger as she spoke.

“Because I wanted to wear this.”

“…?”

I chuckled softly and thought to myself.

‘Damn.’

The Young Lady was pointing at a swimsuit.

She was pointing at a black, daring swimsuit that revealed a lot of cleavage, smiling shyly.

“But I’ll wear it later.”

Timing really does seem to be everything in life.