The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 300

Early dawn.

Mikhail was sitting at the dressing table, staring into the mirror.

"..."

Sitting in front of the mirror, Mikhail wore a sorrowful expression. His reflection looked unbearably unattractive to him.

Calloused hands and fierce eyes.

Short silver hair and a small stature.

Not a single feature seemed appealing to the opposite sex. In fact, it was only natural to think he looked grotesque.

As he stared at his protruding chest, Mikhail clenched his teeth.

"Hideous."

Others might think differently.

But to Mikhail’s eyes, he looked repulsive.

As is always the case with appearances.

No matter how beautiful one might seem to others, if they can’t be satisfied with themselves, that beauty turns into hatred.

"..."

Mikhail despised the image of himself reflected in the mirror.

He placed his hand on the mirror with a dull thud and sank into deep thought, trying to figure out how to resolve the emptiness that consumed him.

What did he want to become now?

What did he want to do?

He couldn’t find the answer.

His self-esteem was scraping the bottom.

His relationship with him was sinking deeper into a quagmire. Now, truly—

-Clench.

He couldn’t find the right path.

Whenever he saw his cold gaze, his heart shriveled. And whenever he saw his back, no longer looking at him, it felt as if a ringing sound filled his ears, darkening his emotions.

It was as if he had fallen into a pit where no small light could penetrate... He no longer knew what to look at to move forward.

-Clench.

It was all the result of his own choices.

The massive lump in his chest had solidified from repeated wrong answers, and the feeling of despair had stolen the space in his heart once filled with hope.

Why had he hated him so much?

Why had he despised him so deeply?

If he had treated him like everyone else, things wouldn’t have gone so wrong.

In the end, the arrow he had shot at the target came back to pierce him instead—mercilessly so.

"Sigh..."

Mikhail made a tearful face as he looked at his hideous reflection. It was supposed to be a day when he looked beautiful, but it had started off poorly.

Today was the day he was meeting Ricardo.

Not as ’Mikhail,’ but under the name ’Misa.’

He never thought he could keep up the lie forever. It was far too selfish an act.

Ricardo wasn’t a dull person, either.

’Maybe... he knows...’

’No, that’s impossible.’

Mikhail shook his head and tightly closed his eyes.

If.

If Ricardo really knew his true identity and still accepted ’Misa’... then Mikhail wouldn’t have the courage to face him anymore.

If he ended up owing him again.

The fragile thread of reason he had barely managed to hold onto might snap.

Even though Mikhail knew the mask of ’Misa’ was a selfish method, he couldn’t help but cling to it. If their relationship could improve just a little, he planned to reveal his identity himself at that time.

So, he hoped Ricardo would wait just a little longer—until Mikhail could become a better person than he was now.

"I’m sorry..."

When he was with Ricardo, the emptiness in his heart disappeared. It felt like the void was being filled, and those moments were incredibly precious to him.

Though Ricardo didn’t know his true identity, this relationship, which only Mikhail remembered, had become his sole lifeline, and he couldn’t let it go.

Even though he didn’t know a single thing Ricardo liked.

For so long, he hadn’t tried to learn about Ricardo, only thinking about what Ricardo might dislike. It would be strange if he knew anything at all.

With a heavy heart, Mikhail stared at the cosmetics laid out on the dressing table.

A red lipstick.

Blush for his cheeks.

And a potion that could lengthen his hair for a day.

Even though Mikhail knew approaching Ricardo as ’Misa’ was wrong, he was intoxicated by the sweetness of those moments. He no longer had the strength to distinguish right from wrong. Without this...

-You’re trash.

-Never show yourself in front of us again. That’s the only atonement you can offer.

...he felt like he would crumble.

This was the only selfish method he had left.

Even though he knew it was cowardly, Mikhail, who kept repeating the same mistakes, reached out to the cosmetics with a heavy hand.

-Clatter.

To dream another sweet dream.

"...I’m really sorry."

Mikhail deceived justice.

***

The plains of the Hamel Mountain Range.

"That’s good."

"Is that so...?"

"You’ve improved a lot compared to before. Your movements are stable, and your breathing is consistent."

"Thank you."

Mikhail, who had come under the name ’Misa,’ was standing on the plains, swinging a sword.

With long hair and clumsy makeup.

"That’s good. Shall we try again?"

"Yes...!"

’Hmm...’

I still don’t know what drove the prideful Mikhail to seek me out. It was hard to understand, especially since he already had a reliable master like Rowen.

Moreover.

-I hate you.

The person who hated me the most in the entire Academy coming to me out of a passion for learning was, honestly, quite amusing.

"Phew... I’ve done it a hundred times."

"Already finished?"

"Yes...!"

Still, his strong desire to learn made me look at him favorably. His sincerity in wanting to improve was evident.

Knowing Mikhail’s personality, if he had come to dig up something, he would have asked long ago. Because of that, I taught him swordsmanship with genuine effort.

As I adjusted Mikhail’s posture, who was exhaling deeply, I offered him advice.

"You’ve improved a lot compared to before. You seem much more accustomed to the new sword, and your ability to infuse mana into your body has also improved significantly."

"Is that so..."

"It’s a compliment, so feel free to be happy about it."

At my playful compliment, Mikhail gave a small smile and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

"So this is what it feels like to be complimented..."

"Pardon?"

"Ah... it’s nothing."

Seeing Mikhail’s bashful expression, I also smiled faintly and offered him more encouragement for his efforts.

Time passed, and lunchtime approached.

"Shall we go eat now?"

"..."

Mikhail made an awkward face at my suggestion to go eat lunch, clearly expressing that he didn’t want to repeat our previous encounter.

"..."

His emotions were written all over his face.

"...Hmm."

With a small smile, I brought out a bag I had hidden behind a tree and spread a mat on the grass. Then, I patted the spot next to me and called out to the awkwardly standing Mikhail.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh...?"

"We need to eat."

"Ah... I didn’t bring a lunchbox. Please, go ahead and eat first. Haha... I’ll eat separately after the lesson."

"Honestly... Miss Misa, you’re such a frustrating person."

I laid out the lunchbox on the mat and handed a pair of chopsticks to Mikhail.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"My arm’s going to fall off. Let’s eat together."

"Ah..."

Mikhail, who had been staring blankly at the chopsticks with an awkward expression, suddenly broke into a bright smile and nodded.

"Yes...!"

He looked genuinely happy. His expression said it all.

If he could smile like this, why had he been walking around with such a grim face all this time? He was truly a hard person to figure out.

Looking at the gimbap inside the lunchbox, Mikhail spoke to me.

"Did you... make this yourself?"

"Yes."

"..."

"Does it taste strange?"

Clutching the chopsticks tightly, Mikhail replied in a small voice.

"No..."

-Grip...

"It’s really delicious. Almost addictively so..."

***

When I returned to the estate, I smiled at the long-absent presence I could feel.

It seemed the runaway wizard had finally come back.

-Gom!

"Yes, I’m back."

As I stepped into the yard, Gomtangi wagged her thumb-sized tail and nudged her head toward me.

-Gomgom...!

"Yes, yes."

Petting Gomtangi’s head, I glanced under her massive doghouse.

"Wow..."

When did she build something like this?

Staring at the enormous burrow inside Gomtangi’s house, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration. It didn’t look like something made without a lot of effort.

There were stairs.

And an attic door.

This was no joke.

I cautiously knocked on the slightly open attic door. No matter how much I was the master of the house, I still needed the tenant’s permission.

-Knock, knock, knock.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

-...Yes, just a moment! I’m in the middle of an expansion project...!

"How much bigger is he planning to make it..."

Smiling faintly at Hans’ voice echoing from deep within the burrow, I nodded.

"Take your time."

-I’ll be up shortly!

"I said, take your time..."

Thanks to Hans being at the estate, I was able to accomplish many things.

Cleaning the estate, for one.

And security had become much stricter.

I no longer had to worry about leaving the estate.

With the barrier strengthened, I could leave without worrying about protecting the Young Lady.

If an intruder entered the estate, a spell formula would immediately alert me, so I could rest easy.

Thanks to an unexpected stroke of fortune, life had become much more convenient. Truly.

After knocking, I waited for the presence from the burrow to emerge.

And then.

"Oh, God!"

I was once again greeted by Hans, whose title seemed to change every time.

Poking his head cautiously out of the burrow, Hans exchanged a brief greeting before speaking to me in a careful tone.

"Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Talk?"

"Yes."

"Ah..."

Glancing at the Young Lady peeking out from the estate, I gave an awkward smile.

"Would it be alright to talk in the evening? The Young Lady is waiting for me."

"Of course. The Saint’s time is precious..."

"...Sigh, is it something important?"

"No, it’s just a report I wanted to share."

Nodding slightly, I headed back toward the estate.

And that evening.

I ended up hearing a somewhat serious story from Hans.