The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 102

Another peaceful morning.

Yuria, who had just woken up, was battling the Hangover Monster.

“Ugh…”

How much did I drink yesterday?

The raging Gut Trouble was tormenting Yuria’s stomach, and the dizzying headache brought fleeting flashes of yesterday’s memories.

-Let’s… be friends again.

“Aaaah!!! Crazy woman…!”

Overwhelmed by the embarrassing memories flashing by like a panorama, Yuria kicked her blanket like a girl recalling her adolescence.

“Ughhh!”

Yuria glanced at the clock.

[10:10]

Wanting to hide her flushed face, Yuria buried her burning cheeks into the blanket and let out a sigh.

“Ughhh…”

The memories of yesterday were vivid.

She drank alcohol.

She talked with Ricardo.

And then Ricardo got hurt.

Even though she hated him, the feelings she had when she saw him injured weren’t pleasant. It’s natural to feel happy when someone you dislike faces misfortune, but strangely, her heart ached.

And she was angry at Ricardo for always getting hurt.

That’s probably why she blurted out the embarrassing words, “Let’s be friends again.” At that moment, it was the only thing that came to mind.

She couldn’t say anything harsh.

Apologizing for past events felt awkward given the state of their relationship. If someone close to you apologized for stabbing you, who would take it well?

Ricardo would surely say it’s fine.

Yuria wanted to apologize.

She wanted to apologize to Ricardo for her mistakes in the dungeon. So, she thought it was necessary to redefine their relationship.

To apologize, they needed to make progress in their relationship, and deep down, she wanted to get closer to Ricardo.

So, she didn’t regret it.

Even though it was something said in the heat of the moment, she was relieved that they could clarify their positions.

And.

Ricardo’s hand, too.

On the way back home.

Ricardo, who carried her on his back, kept saying to her, “It’s not your fault, Miss Yuria. It’s really not your fault, so don’t worry,” repeating it so much that it practically stuck in her ears.

She didn’t necessarily believe his words, but thanks to his constant reassurance, she felt like she could let go of some of the emotional burden.

Yuria, blinking her eyes blankly under the blanket, hugged the Handmade Doll with Red Yarn Hair tightly to calm her burning heart.

Her heart was pounding.

Realizing that a seed of hope had sprouted in their once-ended relationship, Yuria smiled faintly.

About ten minutes passed like that.

Lying in bed, Yuria pulled off the blanket and stared blankly at the clock.

“I feel like I forgot something important.”

Watching the ticking clock hands gave her an oddly ominous feeling. It felt like she had forgotten something very important.

Yuria looked at the round clock on her desk.

The second hand of the clock, ticking away as always, was silently doing its job as usual.

10 o’clock…

“I feel like I had an important appointment…”

Staring at the clock, it seemed like the forgotten memory would come back to her. Something related to time…

“What is it…!”

She couldn’t remember no matter how hard she tried.

Feeling uneasy, Yuria furrowed her brows and stared at the clock as if in a standoff.

After about five minutes of pondering.

“Ah…”

As the forgotten memory resurfaced, Yuria felt a chilling shiver run through her entire body. It was as if cold sweat was breaking out all over her.

Yuria quickly jumped out of bed and looked at the clock again.

[10:25]

“You idiot…!”

-We’ve arrived.

-…So, are you not going to answer me?

-Answer what?

-About being friends again. You didn’t answer me.

-Hmm…

The conversation she had with Ricardo last night on the way back to the dormitory came to mind.

-That’s a bit…

-You don’t want to be friends with me?

-No, it’s not that. I just wonder if it’s really okay.

It wasn’t okay.

At the time, she had spoken out of heightened emotions, but the lingering bitterness in her heart was something only time could heal.

That’s why she had made a rather unreasonable request of Ricardo yesterday.

-Then… we can start tomorrow.

-Start what?

-Our relationship. Start from the beginning. And slowly become friends again. If it still doesn’t work out, we can end it then.

-Haha… That would be a disaster. I might end up closer to you than Mikhail or Ruin because of my overwhelming charm.

-I know…

-What?

-Nothing… So, how about tomorrow?

-What?

-Tomorrow at 12. I’m free because I’m suspended.

-That seems like a very impure reason to be free.

-Anyway… What do you think?

Yuria yanked open her wardrobe roughly.

She had nothing to wear.

To be precise, her wardrobe was full of clothes, but none seemed suitable for today.

Whatever she chose in a rush wouldn’t feel right.

She should’ve started worrying about what to wear at least two hours ago. Now, time was far too tight.

Even if she hurried, it would take 30 minutes to shower and dry her hair, and an hour to do her makeup.

Plus, it took 30 minutes to get to the Fountain Square, leaving no time to leisurely pick an outfit.

Cursing her Past Self for procrastinating, Yuria grabbed her hair in frustration and dashed into the bathroom.

“Haa…!”

This is the worst.

Really.

“Idiot…!”

***

12:30 PM

The towering Clock Tower pointed to 12:30.

Standing In Front of the Fountain, I faced the Cold Breeze alone, feeling lonely.

Just in case, I had arrived 30 minutes early, but Yuria still hadn’t shown up, and I let out a Deep Sigh.

“Did something happen?”

Yuria, who was always punctual, being 30 minutes late made me seriously worried.

“Hmm…”

I wondered if she couldn’t wake up because of yesterday’s drinking or if she forgot the appointment due to alcohol-induced amnesia. It’s common to black out after drinking.

The worst-case scenario was that Yuria had changed her mind and decided not to show up.

Since I hadn’t expected much, I resolved not to resent her for making that choice. With my hands in my Pocket, I blew into them to warm up against the Cold Breeze.

“It’s a bit chilly.”

As expected, stepping out from under the blanket is dangerous.

There were many people passing by the fountain square.

It was near the Academy, and since it was a bustling marketplace, it was natural. Standing alone at the fountain square, where many couples passed by and students walked, felt unnecessarily conspicuous.

The people who had been standing around with me were meeting their companions and leaving one by one, but I had been standing here alone for an hour now. I could even hear people whispering.

-Hey, look at that guy… Crazy.

-Is he waiting for his girlfriend?

-Probably… With a face like that, it’d be strange if he didn’t have one.

-But he’s been standing there for a while. Did he get dumped?

-Really? Should I try approaching him?

-Are you nuts~

-Why not~ You never know. He might be a lifelong single who’s never had a girlfriend.

‘That oddly stings.’

The murmurs of the female students passing by the fountain square made the corners of my mouth twitch upward. The comment about being a lifelong single bothered me, but since it was true, I couldn’t argue.

And they did say I was handsome.

That’s enough to make up for it.

‘Being good-looking really is the best.’

For the first time in a while, I wasn’t wearing my Butler’s Attire but casual clothes. A black suit paired with a black coat. I had bought clothes that young people these days wore on my way here and was now wearing them.

I had earned a lot of money too.

Since I had made plans to meet Yuria, I thought it would be impolite to show up looking the same as always.

I even secretly sprayed the perfume the Young Lady used, and now I was worried that the scent might be too strong. I brought my sleeve to my nose to check.

‘Seems fine.’

The faint lilac scent made me nod slightly.

‘When will she show up?’

It was already 12:45 PM.

The effort I had put into dressing up was on the verge of becoming meaningless.

“Is she not coming…?”

If I had known this would happen, I should have just followed the Young Lady.

The Young Lady had gone out for a walk with the Head of the Household and the Next Head of the Family. They were going to visit the hospital and, incidentally, spend some money. I had been invited to join them but declined because I had prior plans. Now, I was starting to regret that decision.

Not because I wanted to follow her.

But because I was worried they might cause trouble.

I was concerned that the Desmond family might do something strange, but since the Next Head of the Family was with them, I figured nothing major would happen.

Kyle, with his rational judgment and cold personality, would handle things on his own.

Time passed.

Ten minutes went by.

Fifteen minutes went by…

When thirty minutes had passed, and the hour hand of the clock tower in the center of the fountain square pointed to 1 PM, I felt like I had been stood up.

It could be that Yuria forgot because the appointment was made so suddenly, or perhaps she wasn’t ready and decided not to come.

‘Should I just go see the Boss?’

Since I had nothing else to do, I thought about working part-time and started heading home.

“Wait a moment!”

Huff, huff…!

The person I had been waiting for, panting heavily, appeared from across the fountain square.

Pink hair that reached her waist.

A white turtleneck that clung to her body.

Over it, she wore a pink cardigan. Yuria, catching her breath, called out to me.

“I’m sorry…! I’m really late, aren’t I?”

I gave a small smile and said,

“Not at all. I just got here too. Ah… More than that, I’m freezing to death.”

“What?”

Yuria looked at me with startled eyes.

“You’re dressed too lightly.”

I took off the coat I was wearing and draped it over Yuria’s shoulders.

“You look beautiful. Very much so.”

Yuria blushed and muttered softly.

“You’re so sly…”