The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 4: The Letter the Villainess is Waiting For (3)

[Olivia's favorability has increased by +50]

‘What?'

In my peaceful photosynthesizing morning, I suddenly bolted to the young lady's room upon seeing the surge in favorability.

Even Bitcoin hadn't skyrocketed this abruptly before.

Did she have a pleasant dream or something?

As I pondered over the actions of the young lady that I somewhat understood and somewhat didn't, I reached her room to find her seemingly boiling with rage.

[Desmond Olivia Lv. 0.5]

[Occupation: NEET]

[Favorability: 50]

[Favourite Conversation Topic: Michail]

New!

[Least Favourite Conversation Topic: Michail]

Hmm.

A fresh entry has suddenly appeared in her favorability list.

Something happened while she was asleep.

But why the overlap in favourite and least favourite categories? My head ached first thing in the morning.

***

The towel heated up in no time.

As I watched Olivia fuming, I thought to myself,

‘She clearly didn't cover herself with a blanket while sleeping.'

Despite my incessant pleas to use a blanket, Olivia had managed to catch a summer cold despite the searing temperatures. It was truly vexing.

"Cough cough! Achoo!"

Olivia's intense coughing fitted continued.

It didn't seem like they would be gone within a day or two.

Should I take her to the hospital?

That was out of the question knowing her aversion to stepping outside. And given our financial state, it was impossible to afford a doctor's home visit.

"Cough…cough…I need water."

"Yes."

Considering the reality of our situation, I decided to stay by her side.

Since the maid had a day off to return to her mundanity, I better asked her to clean the mansion. It wouldn't be good if the maid caught a cold too.

If she too ended up sick and taking a day off, caring for Olivia and cleaning the house would solely fall on me. I could probably manage for a day, but two days would be out of my depth.

Especially with Olivia's baths.

It was unfeasible to hire a new maid. No one was willing to work at a social outcast's home.

Everyone was hesitant to opt for employment at our mansion.

Offering them a higher pay rate in comparison to other households, didn't sway them either.

They would rather avoid having worked at a villainess's home on their resume. Oh, please. If anything, I deserve their praise for providing for our ill-treated Olivia. Such a pity.

Clank.

Having quenched her thirst, Olivia gently placed the glass back on the bedside table.

It seemed like she wanted to say something.

Collecting a deep breath, she slowly opened her mouth.

"Ricardo."

"Yes. I will prepare porridge for your dinner."

"I don't want porridge…"

At the inhumane prospect of having porridge for dinner, Olivia instinctively complained. Then, remembering something important, she progressed onto the main discussion.

"Do you remember when I was sick before?"

"When you were sick before? Hmm…"

I rubbed my chin contemplatively.

Recalling the time when she was sick.

That particular day…

A lady’s special day.

‘Ah!'

I recalled the day of a woman's magic.

"Isn't it still some time away?"

Olivia's face instantly turned beet red.

"Cough…! What are you talking about, you pervert! And how do you know about that."

Proudly, I declared,

"It's a butler's job to know. This is basic knowledge."

"Shut your mouth!"

Her face, already flushed from the fever, glowed even brighter now.

Olivia flung the towel from her forehead at me.

"Ugh!"

With a soft thud, the towel slid down my face and landed inside the bucket of ice-cold water. Unfazed, I wrung it out and put it back on her forehead.

Muttering under her breath, Olivia grumbled,

"Dismal pervert, your mind is full of…"

"Such thoughts are normal for a healthy 23-year-old man. And what's so indecent about it? It's a natural biological process!"

"Shut up!"

"Hmph…"

She was fuming.

Predictably, I heard the unmistakable notification sound inside my head.

[Olivia's favorability has decreased by 10]

I should have known better than to push my luck.

Even taking a step back can be an art.

I hereby christen you Lady Downeria.

Clearing her throat, Olivia began,

Apparently taken aback by my unexpected jest. However, I was quite serious. Her muttering and telling me to stop were award-worthy performances.

I wish I had recorded it to show to the academy students for reputation recovery. What a missed opportunity.

"I'm talking about the day I attempted black magic."

"Ah, that day wasn't ‘that' day."

"You bas…"

"Apologies. Sometimes, I can't help poking fun."

This was the first time Olivia herself brought up ‘that' day.

What prompted this change?

Whenever I tried to bring it up, she would avoid the subject and lash out. Now, she was the one initiating the conversation.

Did she dream about it?

Usually, I would assume she had a dream about Michail. This, however, was a pleasant surprise.

There was a certain intensity in Olivia's gaze.

Breathing heavily, seeming eager to hear my response.

As I briefly revisited the memory from that day, I absent-mindedly ran my fingers over my arm, hidden beneath my sleeve.

The memory from a year ago was still as vivid.

That was the last favorability quest at that time.

[Main Quest ‘Two Strings of Fate']

– Olivia will attempt black magic due to unrequited love.

1. Ascend the stairs and save Olivia.

Rewards

1. Olivia survives

2. +1 to Olivia's favorability

3. Ability [Resistance to Black Magic Lv. 3]

Penalty: 50% chance of death

2. Ignore her.

Rewards

1. +10 to all characters' favorability

2. +30 to magical power

3. Ability [White Magic Lv. 3]

Penalty: Olivia dies

That day, Olivia was screaming at the top lungs.

And, needless to say, I chose Olivia.

That's all that happened.

While I could vividly recall the details, Olivia didn't need to know all of them. It was enough that only I knew about the events of that day.

"Why suddenly ask about that day?"

"No particular reason, just curious."

Olivia turned her gaze towards the window.

She often did that when lying or discussing something discomforting.

I was sure of it.

Olivia must have had a nightmare about the events of that day.

"Why suddenly bring up that incident, Young Lady?"

The question wasn't easy for either of us.

For me to ask, and for Olivia to answer.

Because that was why we were in this predicament.

Olivia had lost her leg.

And I, my master.

Despite this, Olivia persisted.

"How did you manage to save me?"

The intensity in her gaze was undeniable. As if she was still haunted by something, or still harbored the resentment I interrupted her black magic ritual that day.

Knowing Olivia often held grudges about that day, I had to choose my words carefully.

"I simply rushed in."

"At 4am? When you should've been asleep?"

"How do you know when I sleep?"

"People typically sleep at 4am."

"Maybe I'm not human."

"Stop joking."

She removed the towel from her forehead.

With visible effort, Olivia sat up on the bed. Looking directly at me, she conveyed each word with emphasis.

"I clearly remember erecting a perfect silence spell around the room."

"Perhaps you made an error?"

"No. There's no way I could make a mistake in basic magic."

It was hard to decipher Olivia's intentions.

Whether hers was an act of reprimanding,

Or genuine curiosity.

Regardless, she was querying me, and I had no intention of revealing the truth.

Why dredge up unpleasant memories without cause?

Isn't it always better to focus on the positives?

With a firm hand, I pressed against Olivia's forehead.

The weakened villainess flopped back onto the bed. She seemed to be overexerting herself given her febrile state.

"I used telepathy."

"Stop being elusive and explain properly."

"Haven't I served you for 13 years? Through camaraderie, affection, and salary! It all meshed up together wonderfully. Could it not be that I developed superhuman powers?"

"No…!"

With a soft thwack,

I placed the towel over Olivia's face.

I had to seal her lips. Agitation wasn't advisable for a sick person.

"Mmmph mmmph mmm", muffled noises came from Olivia as she tried to wriggle and scream beneath the towel.

I cast a Silence spell and rose from the bed.

"I'll disclose the details at a later time."

***

Meanwhile, at Olivia's mansion.

The gardener seemed to be on strike. Wild vegetation was rampant in the garden. The unkempt gate stood amidst the overgrown foliage.

Two uniformed students stood there, a boy and a girl.

"It's more like a haunted house."

"Please quiet down, senior."

The girl found herself unable to challenge the boy's statement, as the surroundings hardly resembled an inhabited property.

The boy next to her squirmed and provided his perspective.

"At this point, we need adventurers, not students. It's clearly a dungeon, right? Furthermore, the owner is a monster."

His derisive statements were quintessential of a delinquent. Anyone who witnessed this would have a hard time believing he was a part of the student council.

Her opinion of him was bordering on pathetic.

"I asked you to be quiet."

The boy, with light green hair, hands stuck in his pockets while ridiculing the mansion, was Ruin, a student of the Royal Academy and an apprentice of the Magic Tower.

"Excuse me, Senior Ruin."

She retorted crisply.

She too was a student at the Royal Academy.

Holding the top position as a swordswoman among first-years, and the secretary of the student council, Hanna.

The reason for these two students visiting an expelled student's residence was straightforward.

They were dispatched by the student council president to ascertain whether Ricardo, who was currently on a leave of absence, had any plans to rejoin the academy.

Hanna, standing at the gate, surveyed the mansion walls.

[Banish the wicked villainess to a monastery.]

A distasteful message.

The place indeed seemed like the dwelling of a notorious villainess. Rumors about the resident had reached her ears numerous times.

The most grievous villainess ever to attend their school.

She would slap anyone she met.

Discriminate and disregard others based on whether they were commoners or nobility. A vile woman indeed.

She was notorious for her relentless harassment and stalking of Senior Michail… Considering Hanna's crush on Michail, this knowledge was particularly discomforting.

Honestly, she hadn't wanted to come either.

Given the unpredictability of the woman often described as the ‘worst', even by the saintly Senior Michail whom Hanna admired, she didn't know how this visit might end.

The villainess might suddenly spew insults at her.

Or perhaps have a servant douse Hanna in a bucket full of manure. Setting foot inside felt heavy.

But she had no choice.

As the youngest member of the council, and a first-year student, she was compelled to comply with the directives of busy senior members.

‘Ugh…I don't want to go.'

Hanna tightly grasped the letter in her hand.

‘I wish I could have come with Senior Michail and displayed my courage by standing up to that woman…'

However, Senior Michail had declined to accompany her.

Consequently, she had arrived with Senior Ruin.

Though he had a bad reputation in the council due to his complicated nature, his skills as the top magician were unquestionable.

The president had added him to the party as a precaution, but…

"Hehe, let's get in quickly. I can't wait to stir things up."

But he wasn't exactly reliable.

Hanna was determined.

She was determined to depart from this mansion as swiftly as possible, and to give that villainess a piece of her mind.

With a sense of apprehension, she knocked on the mansion door.

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