The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Evening had come again.

[Would you like to view the information about Vitality?]

In the darkened room, I was staring at the blue window.

The blue window I saw while sitting in the chair felt intimidating. I had no idea what Vitality encompassed or what it consumed as a price.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared.

If Vitality meant lifespan, I honestly had no alternatives. Even digging through the novel’s knowledge, there were only two ways to extend one’s lifespan.

One was reaching the stage beyond Sword Master.

And the other was giving up one’s humanity.

immortality. The latter involved extending life through black magic.

I consider myself someone who values love and justice, so walking the path of a villain didn’t seem right.

However, reaching the stage beyond Sword Master was practically impossible. The novel mentioned such a stage, but no one had actually reached it; it was a divine realm.

Reaching the level of Sword Master alone would significantly extend one’s lifespan.

I nodded slowly, burdened with worry.

“Alright.”

Let’s give it a try.

It’s not too late to think after taking the hit. Thinking it would be better to face it head-on, I answered the question from the blue window.

“Yes.”

[Viewing information about Vitality.]

And then.

The blue window began to reveal information about Vitality in a way I hadn’t anticipated.

-Viewing of Side Story 102: ‘The True Meaning of Vitality’ begins.

***

It was another sunny morning at the mansion.

Waking up earlier than usual, Olivia gazed at the dawn sky with blinking eyes.

-Chirp! Chirp!

“Ugh…”

Awakened by the chirping birds from dawn, Olivia covered her ears and shook her fists at the empty air.

The chirping of those birds, which wouldn’t even make a mouthful of chicken, seemed louder today.

-Chirp chirp chirp chirp!

“Darn it! You birds that aren’t even worth a bite!”

When Ricardo was a slum-dwelling urchin, Olivia had tasted sparrow. The memory of receiving roasted sparrow as a reward for a gold coin placed in the begging bowl was not a pleasant one.

-What’s this?

-A sparrow.

-Can you eat that?

-Yes.

-I don’t think so…

-Then don’t eat it.

-I won’t.

-Then I’ll eat it all by myself. Looks delicious…!

-Hey…! Don’t eat it all alone!

Remembered as the worst ingredient with tiny drumsticks, barely any meat, and lots of bones to pick off, Olivia didn’t like sparrows.

She wanted to go back to sleep, but they kept disrupting her. It was a dire situation where she had to voice her concerns for the empire.

It was still early…

[06:12]

Thinking it was too early to wake Ricardo, Olivia clenched her lips, suppressing her patriotic feelings that were welling up.

“An air…”

-Chirp chirp chirp!

“Darn it…!”

She couldn’t stand it.

“An air raid ala…!”

Just as she was about to shout “an air raid alarm” from the tip of her lips, a stranger’s hand suddenly covered her mouth.

“Mmph…!”

Following annoyed that her patriotic concerns for the empire were being interrupted, Olivia was about to speak with a voice filled with irritation.

“The empire is safe, my lady.”

“Eh…?”

“And how can you be angry at the sparrows? You enjoyed eating them before.”

Ricardo’s gentle voice whispered into Olivia’s ear.

Ricardo looked at Olivia with a small smile. His tired eyes seemed very weary, as if he hadn’t slept at all.

Olivia stared at Ricardo with her mouth agape.

“Ricardo?”

With her mouth covered by Ricardo, she couldn’t speak properly, so Olivia bit Ricardo’s hand. The salty taste of Ricardo’s palm wasn’t pleasant.

“Why are you biting me!”

“Just.”

“Just? I thought I woke you up sweetly…”

“Hehe…!”

Olivia smiled mischievously while Ricardo wiped the saliva from his hand with a handkerchief, frowning slightly as he gently stroked Olivia’s hair.

“Please don’t bite me. It hurts.”

“It doesn’t taste good, so I won’t bite anymore.”

“…”

Ricardo muttered, “I’ll put chocolate on it next time,” smiled, and said softly.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you wake up so early? You should sleep more.”

“Those birds woke me up.”

Olivia pointed at the sparrows and pouted. She wanted Ricardo to deliver a blow of justice to the sparrows that disturbed her sleep.

Ricardo smiled, saying, “Please bear with it,” like an animal rights activist while stroking Olivia’s hair.

Olivia repeated Ricardo’s question, asking why he woke up early and mentioning that it wasn’t time to get up yet.

“Why did you wake up so early, Ricardo? It’s not even dawn yet.”

“Ah… I had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”

“Yes.”

Olivia pondered over the word “nightmare.” Nightmares were indeed scary. If she dreamed of ghosts or losing her snacks, she couldn’t fall back asleep, so she asked Ricardo with a concerned voice.

“Did you dream of losing your snacks?”

“No.”

“What then?”

Olivia sighed, shaking her head at Ricardo’s dull dream story.

“That’s not a scary dream.”

“Is that so? I found it very scary.”

“Was it very scary?”

“Yes. It was terrifying.”

Ricardo’s long sigh reached Olivia’s ears. Hearing Ricardo’s trembling breath, filled with many worries, Olivia turned to him and asked.

“Eat some food. It’s because you’re hungry.”

“No, it’s just that my thoughts are so complicated that I can’t sleep.”

“Complicated?”

“Yes. There was something I thought was okay, but seeing it in a dream made it scary.”

“Ricardo, you’re a coward.”

“Not as much as you, my lady.”

“Hey! What’s wrong with me!”

“Who was the one who begged to sleep together because of a cockroach?”

“That one is dead.”

“Pfft…!”

Ricardo didn’ about his impressions of the dream with a slightly gloomy expression.

“It was very scary.”

Ricardo stopped stroking Olivia’s hair and stood still.

Seeing Ricardo’s trembling eyes looking at her, Olivia, thinking she should show the dignity of a master, spoke to Ricardo in a strong voice.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, Ricardo.”

“Oh… That’s kind of touching.”

“Yes. So, come lie down here.”

Olivia pahtmare.

As a master who wouldn’t harshly reject a butler seeking comfort, Olivia wiggled and made space beside her, pulling the blanket slightly.

Ricardo stared blankly.

A sense of awkwardness filled the air as their eyes met.

“Lie down.”

“It’s quite an attractive offer, but I think my heart would fail if I lay on the same bed as you.”

“I don’t smell.”

“That’s not the reason…”

Ricardo took a deep breath and covered his flushed face. Seeing Ricardo’s red ears, Olivia gazed at him steadily.

“Do you have a fever, Ricardo?”

“No.”

“I don’t think so. Your face is red.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

Knowing that the butler’s words couldn’t be trusted, Olivia grabbed Ricardo’s wrist and pulled him onto the bed.

“Eek!”

Caught off guard, Ricardo was pulled onto the bed by Olivia.

With his hand on Olivia’s head, Ricardo found himself in a somewhat awkward position, looking down at her.

Like lovers about to kiss, Ricardo’s face was very close to hers.

Olivia, with a serious expression, grabbed Ricardo’s cheeks with both hands and pulled his face closer to hers.

Touching their foreheads together, Olivia, seeing Ricardo’s flustered expression, gave a short and simple answer.

“No fever.”

“No…”

“Why? Are you hurt?”

As Olivia tried to touch her forehead to Ricardo’s again, Ricardo quickly pushed her away.

“What are you doing…!”

“Health check.”

“Who checks a fever like this…!”

Olivia answered confidently. She thought it didn’t matter if the world had someone like her who checked fevers this way.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Uh, well, it’s right, but don’t check other people’s fevers like this. Seriously…”

Olivia replied to Ricardo.

“I won’t check anyone else’s. I won’t even check Father’s.”

“Why?”

“Too much hassle.”

Olivia smiled brightly, grabbing Ricardo’s wrist and coaxing him to lie next to her.

“Ricardo is my butler, so I’ll check your fever.”

Ricardo, with a resigned smile, lay down next to Olivia.

“Really… I can’t win against you.”

Trembling from his nightmare, Ricardo lay beside Olivia and closed his eyes. The two gradually fell asleep.

And five hours later…

“Ricardo… I’m hungry.”

Olivia woke Ricardo up.

*

[Final part of the viewing.]

With trembling eyes, I watched the vision shown by the blue window, my hands shaking.

The tragedy unfolding in the familiar space made me feel the emotion of ‘fear’ for the first time.

Even in life-and-death battles, I hadn’t felt such fear. Yet, in the lady’s room, I was feeling it.

-Ricardo…?

-…

-Get up, Ricardo.

The lady, holding my cold body, was crying. Showering me with endless tears, she called my name, looking like someone stranded alone on a deserted island.

Unable to bear the rising sorrow, she pounded her chest.

Uttering that she couldn’t believe it, she held me tightly and kept talking to me.

-Huh?

-…

-Why aren’t you answering?

-…

-I can walk now… Look… I’m walking. Look, Ricardo…!

When the lady’s tears finally stopped after a long, sorrowful end…

Cold darkness began to engulf her body.

It was terrifying.

A fear greater than my own death.

-I will save you. No matter what it takes.

[Vitality…]

[Is consumed using the user’s lifespan as a medium.]

End of Chapter