The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 203

Desmond Olivia’s peaceful estate.

-Blink…

Awakening with an unusually refreshed mind, Olivia stared blankly at the ceiling with her sparkling eyes wide open.

“Hmmnya…”

One star. Two stars.

The glow-in-the-dark stars, born from Ricardo’s wish that the ceiling Olivia always looked at wouldn’t bore her, sparkled before her eyes.

Though they were nothing extraordinary, the glow-in-the-dark stars twinkled like the Milky Way to Olivia, who often spent time alone staring at the ceiling.

-What did the Big Dipper look like again…

-What are you doing?

-I’m creating a night sky you can see every day on the ceiling.

-Why?

-I thought you might get tired of looking at the same ceiling.

-You can see it by opening the window.

-It feels different. Besides, I can even bring you a star from here.

-Bring me a star?

-Don’t you remember what I said to you during the Butler Appointment Ceremony?

-You said you wouldn’t let me go hungry?

-That’s not it.

Recalling the past, Olivia smiled faintly.

“Fool.”

Seeing the glow-in-the-dark stars still shining, it seemed to be an early hour before the night had ended. The stars would lose their light only when morning came.

Having woken up early, Olivia pouted her lips and resented herself for waking up so soon. If she woke up at this hour, she wouldn’t be able to properly listen to the fairy tale Ricardo read to her in the evening because she’d be too sleepy.

“I need to go back to sleep…”

But sleep didn’t come easily.

Olivia took a deep breath, intending to shout something familiar. A word that would both express her concern for the Empire’s safety and make Ricardo laugh and say, “Puhaha! What is that!”

“Air raid…”

Olivia covered her mouth with her hand and swallowed the words. It was far too early to wake Ricardo.

Knowing that Ricardo, who was always busy, needed sufficient rest, Olivia suppressed her voice and turned toward the clock on the wall.

-Tick. Tock.

The current time was 4 a.m.

There were still two hours left before Ricardo would wake up.

“I’m bored.”

Olivia pouted gloomily and hugged her blanket. Spending two hours alone was bound to be dull.

Her eyes were wide open, making it seem unlikely she’d fall back asleep. Even if she did, she’d probably wake up soon. No matter how much she loved sleep, there were limits.

If Ricardo were here, time would pass quickly. But it was too early to wake him, so Olivia let out a deep sigh and pouted again.

“I’m bored…”

Being alone was boring.

She needed someone to play with.

Olivia cautiously glanced under the bed. At this hour, there was only one being who could play with her.

Someone who wouldn’t complain about being woken up.

The unemployed slacker who didn’t work and was the laziest being in the estate.

With a mischievous smile, Olivia checked to see if that creature was sleeping there today.

-Puuu…

“Hehe…”

Olivia smiled as she looked at the black fur ball curled up under the bed. It had been a while since she’d had the chance to assert her rightful authority as its master; it was time to collect her dues.

Olivia slowly reached her fingers under the bed.

“Wake up.”

Her fingers sank deep into the fur with a soft “poof.” The cozy texture made Olivia chuckle.

Now, if it would just wake up in surprise and play with her…

-…

With a question mark on her head, Olivia poked the black fur ball again with her finger.

“Wake up…”

-Goom.

“I said wake up, you pig.”

-Gooom…

There was no reaction.

As if determined to prove it loved sleep more than its master, Gomtangi didn’t budge, letting out a faint mumble and ignoring its owner’s call.

“…”

Olivia stared blankly at Gomtangi, her pride wounded. She began to doubt whether she was truly its master.

She had given it delicious treats, played with it, and even sometimes skipped her own rest to groom its fur. Yet, this pet of hers offered no help when she needed it.

Clenching her fist, Olivia resolved to turn Gomtangi into minced meat as she began pounding it.

“You lazy thing! Wake up!”

She thought it might wake up if she kept hitting it, so she continued to land soft punches. But Gomtangi, with its hefty build, only sank deeper into sleep.

-Puuu…

Feeling a deep sense of betrayal, Olivia glared at Gomtangi.

“Eeeek…”

In her own house.

A beast that ate the food her butler prepared for it was ignoring her. Olivia was furious.

Shaking Gomtangi, she whined.

“You lazy bear. I’m bored.”

-…

“I said I’m bored.”

-…

“Eeeek… I said I’m bored!”

Gomtangi, whose ears seemed to have grown fat, diligently ignored Olivia’s words.

Letting out a sigh, Olivia made up her mind. She decided to tell Ricardo tomorrow morning to keep Gomtangi outside. She’d also reduce its meals and take away its treats. Though in the past, she might have suggested abandoning it, that felt too cruel now. Her conscience wouldn’t allow it.

A creature this docile would surely starve to death if released into the wild.

Giving up on playing with Gomtangi, Olivia lay back on her bed and tried to sleep.

Sounds from outside the window reached her ears.

The chirping of crickets.

The cry of a deer, “Kweeeek.”

The sound of the wind blowing.

The sounds of nature resonating amidst the moonlight illuminating the night sky were tranquil and serene.

To others, such peaceful sounds might be described as healing. Olivia, however, hugged her blanket tightly with a warm smile.

“Heeeek… It’s scary.”

Olivia was a coward.

To be precise, she was afraid of ghosts.

While she could hit demonic beasts or people, ghosts were untouchable. For Olivia, who believed physical force was the fastest means of communication, ghosts were invincible adversaries.

Moreover, Olivia thought of herself as someone disliked by the divine. Her usual behavior and her many instances of sneaking snacks from the cathedral made her conscience heavy. She had no expectations of divine power.

With a clear sense of self-awareness, Olivia clutched her blanket tightly and murmured in a trembling voice.

“I’m scared…”

It was laughable for a grown adult to be afraid of such things, but fear was fear.

Olivia resented the sleep that wouldn’t come easily, reacting sensitively to every small sound she heard.

-Whoooosh.

“Heeeek!”

-Goom….

“Eeeek!”

-Hoot…

“Heeeek!”

The wind blowing tonight felt especially chilly. Olivia wanted to close the window but gave up, fearing a ghost might appear if she approached it.

Had she been fighting this lonely battle for about 30 minutes?

“Eeeek…”

Still unable to fall asleep, Olivia stuck her face out from under the blanket and began to breathe in the refreshing air.

It was an accomplishment achieved after tremendous effort.

She had agonized and agonized over whether to come out of the blanket or not, but the courage to say, “Whatever, let’s just do it,” was a significant challenge for Olivia.

Olivia let out a sigh with a sullen expression.

“Fool. There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

-Whoooosh…

“Eek! I’m sorry!”

Honestly, even she thought she worried about too many unnecessary things.

Feeling refreshed after drinking water, Olivia lay back on her bed, slightly stiff, trying to fall asleep again. This time, she thought she might actually succeed.

About 10 minutes passed since she had tried to sleep with a clear mind.

“…This is bad.”

A new challenge began to loom ominously in front of Olivia, who had just overcome the difficult hurdle of darkness.

Olivia widened her eyes and puffed out her cheeks.

“Did I drink too much water…?”

Olivia fidgeted with her fingers, overwhelmed by the creeping anxiety. It seemed like the water she drank was now sending a signal.

Olivia fidgeted with her fingers and muttered softly.

“I need to pee…”

There was still an hour left until Ricardo woke up.

Unable to go to the bathroom alone, Olivia bit her lip and stared resentfully at the clock, which seemed to have stopped.

“Why is it moving so slowly…”

-Tick.

“Move faster.”

Olivia’s face began to flush as if it were about to explode. She didn’t want to wake Ricardo, but she desperately needed to go to the bathroom.

Olivia clenched her fists tightly and started to hold it in.

And then.

“Hic… Hic…”

To preserve her dignity, she decided to give up cleanly. She figured she had already done enough to respect the butler’s sleeping time.

Just as Olivia, unable to hold it any longer, was about to utter familiar words in a tearful voice.

“Air raid…”

-Creak.

At the sound of the door opening, Ricardo, fresh from his shower, entered the room.

With a towel draped around his neck and a refreshed expression, Ricardo looked at Olivia and smiled faintly.

“Oh? Young Lady, you’re still awake?”

Olivia spoke to Ricardo in a trembling voice.

“Ricardo…”

“Yes?”

“I need to pee.”

Ricardo chuckled softly at Olivia’s words and nodded.

“That’s serious.”