The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 106

The life in the capital city was nearing its end.

So many events.

Tangled relationships.

Conversations with people I thought I would dislike.

Although the journey began with many worries, it seems to have become a meaningful time where I gained a lot.

Early morning at the Desmond Estate.

Standing in front of the mirror, I was rummaging through the wardrobe like a high school student picking out clothes for a school trip.

“Ha… No matter what I wear, it feels awkward.”

Holding a black coat that reached down to my waist against my body, I shook my head.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t suit me….

I felt like it made my body look too bulky, and compared to the weather, it seemed too lightly dressed… But wearing fur clothes made me feel like a parvenu with too much money…

I just couldn’t decide on an outfit to wear out.

Perhaps because I usually only wore the butler’s attire, my knowledge of fashion was close to zero, and I couldn’t find anything that satisfied me.

‘I want to dress nicely.’

Today is a date with the Young Lady, after all.

I wanted to look as dashing as possible. Dashing enough that passersby would ask for my number. That was the duty of a butler to boost the Young Lady’s reputation, as well as my own little amusement to tease her. And, by the way, I also wanted to hear her praise.

Maybe that’s why I seemed to be putting more effort than usual into choosing my outfit.

The bed was piled high with discarded clothes. Even though the differences were as small as between checkered patterns and black knits, I let out a deep sigh, unable to find anything I liked.

“Is a coat too much…?”

‘I want to look good…’

Since the date with the Young Lady was at the theater in the capital city, not in a rural place like Hamel, there were many factors to consider when choosing clothes.

There would be many nobles, and perhaps even academy mates who were part of my accursed karma in the past. I had to dress as if I was living my best life.

And, honestly, I was a little excited too.

The theater, huh…

It feels like it’s been ages since I last went.

As you know, I’m not familiar with the culture of theater. To be precise, I’ve never had much connection with refined cultural activities. In my previous life and in this one, I’ve had little to do with the hobbies of nobles, like musicals or concerts.

Instead of learning about culture, I studied how to tease the Young Lady better, and instead of focusing on moving people emotionally, I lived a life centered on beating people up. Naturally, I didn’t know much about the culture of theater.

I had gone to the theater a few times following the Young Lady, but I had never chosen a play on my own. So, when it came to picking a play to watch with her this time, I agonized over it quite a bit.

-Young Lady, what would you like to watch?

-Anything.

-Say something before I flick your forehead. Saying “anything” brings misfortune to the butler.

-Um… I don’t know. Let’s just watch something Ricardo likes. This time, not what I like, but what Ricardo likes.

-Hold out your forehead.

I flicked the Young Lady’s forehead. Even so, she gave the same answer, leaving me to face one of the greatest dilemmas of my life.

Romance.

Action.

Comedy.

Among the many plays in the Empire, I pondered over what might suit the Young Lady’s taste.

Unable to come up with a definitive answer, I sought advice from Yuria.

-Um… Who are you watching it with?

-I’m planning to watch it with the Young Lady.

-What about with me?

-Pardon?

-Never mind… Then how about this?

Yuria recommended a play that was the most popular among students. It wasn’t famous, but she said it was her favorite among the plays she had seen.

Love and melodrama.

Action and comedy.

And a play filled with heart-pounding elements.

-This one should be the safest choice.

Thinking it would be better to trust the words of an experienced heroine rather than my own clueless hunch, I decided to follow Yuria’s suggestion.

With a small smile, I continued rummaging through the wardrobe.

“After all, should I just go with the butler’s attire?”

I glanced at the butler’s attire neatly tucked in the corner of the wardrobe and shook my head. The Young Lady had specifically told me to dress nicely today.

I picked up a well-ironed black suit from the corner of the wardrobe.

“Let’s go with this.”

*

On my way down to the first floor of the estate, dressed impeccably, I caught a glimpse of the Young Lady’s back figure in a black dress standing in the grand hall.

The Young Lady, who had received help from the servants for the first time in a while.

Seeing the elegance radiating from her back figure, I swallowed hard.

Not the dress that used to be full of lint, but a black dress adorned with small black pearls gave the illusion of the moon hanging in the sky, even in the early morning.

Having only seen her unadorned appearance for so long, I had forgotten—this was what it meant to be a noble.

Calming my pounding heart, I descended the stairs. One step. Two steps. Even with the sound of my slow footsteps, the Young Lady didn’t turn around.

“Have you been waiting long?”

I lightly tapped the Young Lady’s back and spoke with a mischievous smile.

“You look stunning today.”

The Young Lady’s ears, still turned away from me, were slightly flushed.

Thinking it was because she was embarrassed, I peeked at her profile.

“Uh…!”

I saw the Young Lady’s distorted face, pale as a sheet.

“Huff… Huff…”

The Young Lady was gasping for breath, clutching her stomach. She was battling with a tightly cinched corset.

With a flustered expression, the Young Lady shouted at me.

“Ricardo! I’m dying…”

“Puhaha!”

Today was the day of my date with the Young Lady.

The Young Lady had gone all out in dressing up.

Standing behind her, I lightly pushed the handle of Fairy Unit 1.

“Shall I loosen it?”

“No…! I’m slim enough.”

Though I appreciated her stubbornness to look beautiful, I preferred the Young Lady as she usually was.

“If you keep wearing the corset, you won’t be able to eat much.”

“Then I’ll take it off.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

*

In front of the grand theater.

Having come to the theater alone with the Young Lady for the first time in a while, I stood there with a blank expression, hesitating to go inside.

“Aren’t you going in?”

“No, I will. But why are there so many people here?”

“There are always a lot.”

The Young Lady displayed the elegance of a noble with a composed smile. On her face, I could detect a subtle smirk that seemed to say, “Country bumpkin.”

“You can enter through that main door.”

“Ah… The main door.”

Because of the crowd, every action felt cautious. I worried about looking unsophisticated or causing trouble for the Young Lady.

Although I had reserved VIP seats, I couldn’t figure out where to go and ended up pushing the wheelchair toward the back entrance instead of the main one.

“This isn’t the way.”

“Is it because the theater is newly built? The layout is confusing.”

“That’s true.”

The Young Lady gave a small nod.

“I’m looking forward to it since it’s new.”

On the Young Lady’s face was a feeling of anticipation. Peeking my head out beside her, I gave a small smile.

“Let’s have some fun today.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s order some snacks, and for drinks… no beer, just soft drinks.”

“Why!?”

“Drunk driving is not allowed.”

At the mention of drunk driving, the Young Lady nodded her head.

“Drunk driving is bad.”

As expected, the Young Lady was quick to learn.

Though a bit clumsy, I managed to find the ticket booth and collect the reserved tickets from the attendant.

“You’re the two for the VIP seats, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll guide you to your seats… Ah…”

The attendant awkwardly smiled as they looked at the Young Lady.

“Ah… um…”

Perhaps because the stairs weren’t wheelchair-accessible, the attendant’s awkward smile betrayed their struggle to figure out what to do.

I left a reassuring smile with the attendant and knelt down in front of the Young Lady.

“Young Lady.”

“Yes?”

The Young Lady, clutching the ticket with an excited expression, looked at me with a puzzled face. Her expression seemed to ask why we weren’t going in yet. I slightly turned my body and offered her my back.

“It seems the wheelchair might have trouble going up the stairs.”

The Young Lady spoke confidently.

“Fairy Unit 1 can climb stairs too.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to ride on my back for the first time in a while?”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of deep thought, the Young Lady shyly wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Let’s go.”

With a light pat on my back urging me to move, the Young Lady’s small gesture brought a faint smile to my face. I gave a slight bow to the attendant.

“I’d appreciate it if you could store this chair in a safe place.”

“Yes, of course. I apologize for the inadequate service.”

“Not at all.”

As I slowly climbed the stairs, I could faintly feel the gentle rhythm of the Young Lady’s heartbeat.

The dark stairs leading to the VIP room.

The Young Lady murmured softly to me.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“It’s going to be fun, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Who picked this play, after all?”

“Right? You know…”

The Young Lady whispered in a small voice.

“Thank you.”

The VIP room we arrived at was dazzling.

Bright, luxurious lights illuminated the darkness, and soft music filled the space.

The plush, cushioned seats were covered in smooth velvet, giving the impression that we were the only ones in the theater.

Below the seats, the actors could be seen bowing, and among the crowd, couples stood out.

The Young Lady beamed brightly and gestured toward me.

“Wow…”

Hearing the Young Lady’s small exclamation of wonder, I murmured softly.

“I’m glad we came.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

The title of the play was [A Girl’s Sad Love Story.]

It was a tale filled with poignant love.