The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 69

A vacant room in Olivia’s estate.

Hanna lay alone in the dark room, spending another sleepless night.

She had recklessly sought out her father.

She had been disappointed by her father.

It had been a day when Ricardo saved her.

On such an eventful day, Hanna’s eyes refused to close.

-She is my precious disciple.

As the day’s events flashed through her mind like a life-flashing memory, Hanna’s face burned with embarrassment.

“What do I do….”

Unable to stop thinking about Ricardo, Hanna kicked at her blanket.

“He was so amazing….”

After all, something straight out of a fairy tale had happened to her.

Ricardo, who had appeared like a comet amidst her trials and hardships, might have looked unimpressive as he fell from the ceiling, but to Hanna, he seemed more dazzling than anything else.

His red hair, scattering amidst the dust, shone brighter than the sun in Hanna’s eyes, and his composed demeanor made him appear like a prince from a fairy tale.

It felt as though time had stopped. As if only she and the butler existed in that space, chills ran through her body, and a lump of emotion rose in her throat.

The butler, who had eyes only for her.

Herself, who had been crying in frustration.

From the butler’s gaze, filled with a quiet intensity, Hanna could no longer deny it.

She loved him. That man.

Lying on the bed, Hanna held her hand up to the moonlight streaming softly through the window.

Her small, slender right hand.

The warmth of Ricardo’s hand, which had held hers when they left the estate, still seemed to linger.

Though his hands, hardened and rough from his work as a butler, bore many callouses, she could not forget the warmth she had felt at that moment.

-She is my precious disciple. Someone you cannot treat carelessly.

Hanna clutched her hand, still imbued with warmth, tightly to her chest. She wanted to feel it again, as it calmed her troubled heart.

She liked this warmth so much that she wanted to run to the butler right then and there to ask him to hold her hand again.

“I must be crazy…”

In the darkness, Hanna thought to herself.

‘Why is he doing all this for someone like me?’

She had done nothing for him.

She had only ever been on the receiving end.

Why would he step forward without hesitation for someone like her?

Feeling the growing weight of her emotional debt, Hanna felt both guilt and gratitude toward Ricardo.

‘I’ve done nothing but cry like a fool, yet… I’ve received so much.’

Hanna felt guilty about burdening Ricardo with the debt of her love this time.

Honestly… today.

She had thought Ricardo would back down.

She had assumed he would be overwhelmed by her father’s pressure, say something agreeable, and then disappear.

Everyone who had grievances against her father had done the same.

Whether it was a business-related issue.

Or a matter concerning the estate.

When faced with her father, they would bow their heads, admit fault, and compromise. She thought Ricardo would do the same.

Not because Ricardo was weak, but because it was the natural course of action.

It wasn’t something he needed to involve himself in.

She thought he would turn his back and leave her behind.

If she had been Ricardo, she would have done the same.

But.

Ricardo had not backed down.

Instead, he had gritted his teeth and stood his ground.

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

He had spoken words that pierced through her.

Watching Ricardo say all the things she had wanted to say to her father.

It felt exhilarating, yet she also envied him.

Because it was something she could never do.

She was scared and afraid.

She had endured it all this time.

She had suppressed her emotions again and again.

But Ricardo had done it effortlessly. He had stood up to her father as if it were the most natural thing in the world, shielding her with dignity and even pulling her out of Histania’s suffocating fence with his warm hands.

‘Once again… it’s the butler.’

Ricardo, who always opened the door for her in her darkest moments.

Hanna could no longer deny it.

She liked him.

-Thump… thump…

Her heart pounded wildly.

As if it had broken, it kept calling out Ricardo’s name.

“Love…”

The emotion called love was so difficult.

At the same time.

Hanna began to like the feeling of love.

She felt she could no longer deny it.

That she liked Ricardo.

What woman wouldn’t fall for a man who saved her time and time again? Even if he were the ugliest man in the world, if he reached out to her in her hardest moments and smiled brightly, she would have no choice but to like him, even if he were her nemesis.

Their first meeting had been the worst….

But now, Hanna found herself wanting to see him more and more.

Besides, he was handsome too.

Hanna was so captivated by Ricardo that she began to wonder if he might like her as well.

There was no way to escape.

No way to break free.

With her pounding heart urging her not to deny it, how could she possibly resist?

She already wanted to see him again.

Through this incident, Ricardo had firmly established himself in Hanna’s heart.

Someone she could never let go of.

And the person she was most grateful to.

Though this ticklish feeling was new to her, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it well, one thing was certain: she wanted to stay by Ricardo’s side.

She wanted to hold his hand and visit the sea, to be led by his rough hands and wander through the bustling marketplace.

“Now, what am I supposed to do…”

Hanna uttered a small complaint toward Ricardo, who had stirred up her heart, as she smiled.

“If I end up liking you even more… really…”

The gloomy feelings she had toward her father were fading away because of one person.

So much had happened.

And the man who had put an end to it all.

Hanna liked him.

Tomorrow, she would have to return to the academy… but she didn’t want to go back.

However, for greater success.

To appear before Ricardo with confidence.

Hanna decided she needed a new stepping stone, not for Histania’s sake, but for herself—and to become someone worthy of Ricardo.

If she was going to offer herself as a gift, she thought she needed to be wrapped beautifully.

That was the best effort she could make to repay Ricardo, the best way to respond to the debt she could never fully repay.

The last night in the villainess’s house was coming to an end.

And a new family member had been added.

Lady Olivia still enjoyed food in the peaceful estate.

Hanna liked this place.

It put her mind at ease.

Because her favorite person was here.

Hanna envied the kind of peace that felt almost addictive, but now, she had to prepare to move forward.

Just for today, she allowed herself to bask in the peace.

Starting tomorrow, she resolved to live as Hanna—not Histania Hanna, just Hanna—and she closed her eyes.

And then.

[Would you like to view it?]

After seeing the postponed truth, she decided to start anew.

Hanna clenched her fist tightly.

She thought she could overcome it now. No matter how terrifying the past she was about to face, she had already resolved never to return to that place.

Knowing that avoiding it would never lead to the correct answer, Hanna gazed at the blue window and murmured softly.

“Yes. I’ll view it.”

[41st Side Story]

[The viewing of ‘If He Hadn’t Been There…’ begins.]

Hanna began to sink into a deep sleep.

***

[The viewing will begin in 10 minutes.]

She opened her eyes in a familiar place.

A blue meadow.

The sound of familiar birdsongs filled the air.

It was the mid-slope of the Hamel Mountain Range, where she had visited dozens of times with Ricardo.

Hanna straightened her back and inhaled the refreshing air. With a meaningful gaze that said she could handle whatever was shown to her, she slapped her cheeks hard enough to make a sharp sound to shake off her tension.

Her mind cleared.

The suffocating tension seemed to ease slightly.

“Phew… Yeah, it won’t be anything too bad.”

Hanna steeled herself.

She no longer held any lingering feelings for her father, and she had a good idea of what kind of past would appear.

She was sure she would be surprised, but she believed it wouldn’t be any different from now. She was no longer the weak person she used to be.

The 10 minutes of mental preparation passed.

[The viewing begins.]

With blue letters, a familiar woman’s face began to appear.

Brown hair.

The youngest daughter of Histania.

Her past self was reflected before her eyes.

Her expression was far from pleasant.

Her eyes were swollen.

Her footsteps climbing the mountain were unbearably heavy.

-Why… Why is it only me?

-I can do well too.

-I can work hard too.

Her past self was climbing the mountain, wiping away flowing tears.

She was uttering negative words, resenting her lack of talent, and staring ahead with empty eyes.

How much had she cried? Her eyes were red and swollen, and the sword gripped in her hand trembled violently.

-I’ll show them that I can do it too. Then Father… Brother… Sister… they’ll all see me differently.

She was a girl yearning for her family’s love.

It was a familiar sight.

‘How foolish.’

Hanna silently followed behind her past self.

And then.

-Thwack…!

Unable to swing her sword properly, her past self collapsed under the blow of the orc’s club.

-Aaaaah!!!

Hanna’s face began to twist with fear.