The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 241

‘What do you think?’

Mikhail’s eyes were staring straight at me. With an expression waiting for the truth, Mikhail added one condition as he spoke to me.

“Please speak with sincerity.”

“…”

“Without lies, honestly.”

Sincerity, huh.

‘I’m not sure.’

I couldn’t guess what kind of answer Mikhail wanted to hear. Whether he wanted to hear something kind or something cold, I had no way of knowing.

Two answers came to mind.

One was a negative truth filled with resentment toward the Academy, and the other was a memory of the main sorrow from the past.

I emptied my glass, avoiding an answer. It seemed like no good words would come out anyway. I didn’t want to ruin the good atmosphere.

“Why are you asking that?”

I tapped the desk as I asked Mikhail. I questioned why he would bother asking such a thing.

I couldn’t sympathize with someone who wanted to learn swordsmanship from me but was exposing their vulnerabilities with such words.

Normally, one would ask what others think of them, wouldn’t they?

“Today’s date has nothing to do with Mikhail, so I don’t understand why you’re suddenly asking about him.”

“…”

“It’s a bit hurtful, you know. I put in a lot of effort for this so-called date. I even opened my wallet quite a bit….”

“It’s not like that. I was just curious.”

“Hmm…”

I let out a deep sigh and nodded toward her. Since she said she wanted to hear it, I thought I should tell her.

Honestly.

And with a slight touch of falsehood that she could understand, I told her.

“It’s unrequited love.”

“What… love?”

“Unrequited love. A love where only one side likes the other.”

Mikhail furrowed his brows and leaned closer. As if questioning whether he had heard correctly, he tilted his head with a face full of doubt.

I waved my hand toward Mikhail to clear up the misunderstanding. Even though I had said ‘unrequited love,’ I thought there was plenty of room for misunderstanding.

“I don’t mean I truly like you. It’s more accurate to say it’s a love-hate relationship.”

“…Love-hate?”

“As an Academy mate, I think Mikhail is impressive and admirable, but our thoughts were often very different.”

“…”

“I’m someone who believes in not taking losses even if it harms others, while Mikhail is someone who insists on suffering losses to uphold justice.”

“That’s the right thing to do.”

I nodded in agreement with her rebuttal.

“You’re right.”

I, too, once dreamed of being a hero when I was young. I could fully understand the stubbornness of pursuing and upholding justice.

Still.

“There’s a limit to everything.”

Mikhail clenched his fist and stared straight at me. Whether it was the alcohol taking effect or my answer touching a nerve, Mikhail continued to look at me intently and asked again.

“What do you mean by a limit?”

“Pardon?”

“What’s the right tune to follow?”

“…”

“You asked me, didn’t you? Whether I’d heard the rumors about you at the Academy.”

“…”

“Yes, I’ve heard them. In great detail.”

“What did you hear?”

I asked Mikhail in a calm voice, not too loud. I had a rough idea of what he had heard and what he was thinking.

“That you…!”

“Yes.”

Faced with my unwavering gaze, Mikhail’s lips paused like a comma. After a brief silence and a deep breath to suppress the rising resentment, he cautiously opened his mouth and spoke to me.

“That you were a troublemaker at the Academy.”

“…”

“That you destroyed all the Academy’s property, used violence against students… and created a culture of bullying.”

“That’s correct.”

“What?”

“Could you elaborate?”

Mikhail bit his lip and stopped speaking at my shameless request for more slander. Between his tightly clenched fist and the liquor glass, a tremor began to rise.

I nodded toward Mikhail. It was an undeniable truth. If he asked me to name the victims, I might stutter, but I could still say it.

However.

“Miss Secret Girl.”

I, too, had my limits.

“What do you think justice is, Miss Secret Girl?”

“…”

“Living kindly even at a loss?”

“…”

“Forgiving villains?”

“…”

“Perhaps those actions are right and lead to good outcomes, but even villains have their stories. Especially since Mikhail was always strict with his standards for me.”

“That’s because you didn’t change….”

“Exactly. Because I’m not someone who changes easily, he disliked me.”

I let out a short breath and posed another question to her. If you defend Mikhail, how do you want to live your life?

“Then, Miss Secret Girl, do you want to live a life like Mikhail, forgiving your nemesis and being betrayed? Or do you want to live selfishly, like me?”

“I wasn’t betrayed. Everyone changed and started living kindly again.”

“Hmm… But why is it that I’m always the one being betrayed? At the Academy, I was stabbed in the back by those I showed kindness to and got punished for things I didn’t even do.”

“…”

“I think I’ve shown kindness in my own way, no less than Mikhail, but does the fact that I didn’t get anything in return mean I’m not righteous?”

Mikhail pressed his lips tightly together.

I gave a small smile toward Mikhail and lightened the heavy atmosphere. I hadn’t brought this up to start a fight.

“I don’t like living as a push-over, so this is how I am. Acting prickly like a hedgehog, biting like a mad dog. It doesn’t mean Mikhail is wrong.”

“…But it’s your fault.”

“That’s correct.”

I nodded cheerfully, affirming Mikhail’s interrogation.

“It’s my fault.”

However.

“Even if there are people who cry and feel sorrow because of me, there are also people somewhere who smile because of me. Isn’t that a form of justice in its own way? Like how the Young Lady I serve became a proper person.”

“You’re selfish.”

“I know. That’s why I was expelled from the Academy.”

I gave a small smile, lightening the heavy atmosphere.

“It seems it’s because I come from a humble origin.”

“A humble origin?”

“Yes.”

I gave a small smile and looked at Mikhail.

“I may look refined, but I’ve had a rough life. Believe it or not, I’m from the slums.”

At the word ‘slum,’ Mikhail widened his eyes like a curious child and clenched his fist.

Looking at me, Mikhail spoke in a voice heavy with emotion.

“Which slum are you from?”

I gave a small smile and answered the secretive girl.

“It’s a secret.”

“…Then.”

Mikhail’s lips quivered as he spoke to me in a trembling voice.

“Do you know someone named Lee Minhyuk?”

“…”

[A Restriction is Applied.]

I shook my head toward Mikhail with a bitter smile.

“I don’t know.”

“…Then at least, when did you start living there?”

“That’s a secret too. I’m someone with a lot of secrets myself.”

I downed my liquor glass and shared a slightly honest thought. The liquor tasted good, the food was great, and an old memory was right before my eyes. The fact that the face was beautiful was just a bonus.

“You asked what I think about Mikhail, didn’t you?”

“…”

“It’s the same as the Secret Girl.”

I think he’s a good person.

“I don’t dislike him.”

*

Mikhail was walking down the street with his head lowered.

1. Show Ricardo your Original Form. (1/1)

2. Go on a Date with Ricardo. (1/1)

3. Hear Ricardo’s True Feelings. (0/1)

There was no progress.

Wearing a White Dress, Mikhail walked weakly toward the alleyway where her School Uniform was hidden.

‘True Feelings.’

She hadn’t heard them.

Mikhail, who thought Ricardo’s True Feelings were his thoughts about her, realized her answer was wrong and clenched her fist.

‘I wasn’t going to smile.’

She had thought that just showing her Original Form in front of a man she disliked was enough, but while walking with Ricardo, laughter had escaped her.

It was as if Ricardo, like someone who knew her Bucket List, had gifted her things she couldn’t normally do.

She wasn’t someone who laughed so easily, but today, she kept laughing, and Mikhail hated herself for it.

[Ricardo’s Favorability for ‘Mikhail’: 71 > 80]

└3 hours remain until the time limit.

‘I can’t give up like this.’

Mikhail clenched her fist and swallowed her resentment under the Dark Alleyway.

‘There won’t be another chance now.’

Missed opportunities don’t come back easily. Walking through the dark alley, Mikhail slowly began to disappear into the Secluded Area.

And when she arrived at an alleyway where no trace of people could be felt.

“Kid.”

An unforgettable man’s voice echoed chillingly from the darkness.

Goosebumps began to rise on Mikhail’s back.

It was the voice of the man she hated most, the one she wanted to erase from this world immediately.

Mikhail froze and slowly turned her head.

And she looked at the man in front of her.

He was missing one arm.

He had a scar on his eye and a chilling smile.

The Archbishop of Oblivion.

‘Yung.’

He stepped out of the darkness and lightly greeted Mikhail with a tap on her shoulder.

“We still have unfinished business, don’t we?”

Mikhail quickly reached for her waist. But as her hand brushed against Empty Space, she clenched her teeth.

‘It’s not here.’

Her sword wasn’t there.

Realizing too late that she had come without her sword to deceive Ricardo, Mikhail gritted her teeth and swallowed her resentment.

Yung pulled out a dagger from his coat and slowly approached Mikhail.

And then.

-Stab.

Without resistance, the dagger pierced Mikhail’s abdomen.

Blood flowed.

An unbearable pain painted a future she could feel in her shoulder.

As Mikhail’s eyes began to close, a ‘ding’ sound accompanied by an alarm opened them again.

“I was ‘worried’ about sending you alone, but you found your way back well.”

-The Quest has been completed.

Ricardo’s voice shattered the nightmare.

“I was worried.”