The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 108

The narrator continued the explanation in a clear voice.

-The boy, now grown, tried to escape his wretched fate. Not only for his own destiny, but because he wanted to fulfill the dream of a peculiar girl who had rolled into his life like a wrinkled pumpkin.

The narrator’s voice, resonating gracefully, was neither stiff nor filled with emotion, but rather a low voice.

Behind the narrator, the boy and girl were bickering and fighting. The child actors, pulling each other’s hair over a piece of chocolate, performed so passionately that laughter spilled from the audience.

“Puhaha! Look at that kid!”

“Go, red hair, win!”

“Don’t lose to a fallen noble!”

The Young Lady, hearing the audience’s laughter, wore a displeased expression. Crossing her arms, she spoke in a confident voice, scoffing and letting out a sigh.

“It’s only natural for the strong to eat! Whether it’s a fallen noble or a commoner, only the strong can claim the chocolate… Such disrespect for chocolate!”

-It’s only natural for the strong to eat!

Seeing the Young Lady recite the exact same line as the actor, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Puhaha! Did you secretly watch this play beforehand? How can you say the same thing so perfectly?”

The Young Lady, her face bright red, clenched her fist and exclaimed ‘Ugh!’ in a threatening manner, but I found her adorable. Smiling slightly, I handed her some caramel popcorn.

“Why!”

“For you to eat.”

“Hmm. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Faced with food, the Young Lady became as gentle as a lamb, smiling softly as she focused on the play.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Was I like that too?”

Watching Lucia fight the boy, pulling his hair, the Young Lady asked absentmindedly. I shook my head and answered in denial.

“You were worse, Young Lady.”

“…No way. I didn’t pull hair. I fought with my fists.”

“Isn’t that even worse?”

“The world of competition is inherently ruthless.”

“…”

The Young Lady burned with a sense of justice, at least when it came to chocolate.

After a brief conversation,

the narrator once again stepped into the spotlight and continued the explanation.

-The boy did his best to achieve success.

-Starting with begging in the slums, he began selling pickpocketed items, gradually earning a small profit, and his wallet slowly started to grow.

From pickpocketed wallets to gems.

From gems to dress fabrics.

From dresses to small houses, he accumulated great wealth.

In the process, he often fought with Lucia.

Lucia, jealous of the boy who only worked and wouldn’t play with her, argued with him, but the bond of friendship between them remained strong.

However, a shy sprout of love began to bloom in the boy’s heart.

The small seed of love he harbored in his heart grew larger as the boy aged.

During adolescence, his face would flush when he saw Lucia’s changing figure, or his heart would race whenever he saw her beautiful face as she leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep.

Realizing his feelings of love, the boy thought to himself.

-I’m in trouble.

The relationship that began with sympathy gradually grew into blush-tinted love, and Lucia began to nurture the small sprout the boy had cultivated.

-I’m going to marry a splendid man someday!

-A splendid man…? Who is that?

-A noble, tall, and handsome man! It’d be great if he were rich too!

The boy folded his fingers one by one, suppressing a laugh.

‘Three out of four, I pass.’

With the boy’s small muttering, the child actors disappeared behind the stage.

Then, the now-grown protagonists slowly walked out from opposite ends of the stage.

Lucia, who had been wearing a tattered dress, had transformed into a mature lady in an elegant dress, while the boy, now a merchant, confidently strode out in a neat uniform.

The spotlight shone down.

The bright spotlight illuminated Lucia.

The dim spotlight illuminated the red-haired boy.

With the differing brightness of the lights, emotions began to surface on the actors’ faces.

Lucia wore a bright smile.

And the boy, in the darkness, hung his head low.

As heavy music played, the stage opened.

The Young Lady’s expression darkened.

“Young Lady, your face looks gloomy. Do you need to use the restroom?”

“No. It’s just… something feels painful in my heart.”

“Hmm…”

Looking at the boy’s somber face, I shrugged my shoulders.

“It’ll be fine. Won’t it end with a happy ending?”

“The title says it’s a sad love story.”

“Ah, I see.”

Though I always believed love stories should end happily, the flow of the play, nearing its conclusion, was telling a tale of a tragic ending.

A story similar to mine.

Though the circumstances and situations were slightly different, the emotions within were similar.

Being hurt by indifference.

Harboring false hope.

I viewed the boy, walking a path similar to my past self, with a negative perspective.

Because I had always hoped for a happy ending.

So I quietly muttered in a voice that wouldn’t be heard.

“I am different.”

Gently tugging at the Young Lady’s cheek as she watched the play with her hands tightly clasped, I smiled.

“Because I’m handsome, you see.”

“Aargh…! Why are you pinching me?”

“Just because.”

The play continued.

-Human connections are never severed.

-The boy, realizing his love, worked hard to become the man Lucia admired, but Lucia didn’t see him.

Two contrasting stages were drawn, separated by a single curtain. The magical stage elements quickly disappeared and were rebuilt repeatedly.

The stage where Lucia stood was bright and filled with people at a banquet hall.

The place illuminating the boy was a cold street battered by wind and rain. Constantly working, jotting something down in his pocket notebook, the boy’s small smile seemed happy.

-I’ll confess once I become a noble.

The small, excited smile reminded me of my past self. Annoyingly so.

-The immature Lucia lived contentedly with the small happiness the boy gave her.

-I got accepted into the academy!

-Really…? But you promised to work with me.

-I’ll help you once I get smarter!

-If you want to go, then you should go.

-While I handle the hefty tuition fees alone, of course.

-As Lucia made more friends, she gradually began to forget the boy.

-When will she come? Today’s my birthday… Did she forget?

-Slowly, Lucia started to drift away from the boy.

The stage shifted to the boy’s room.

Lucia, with an excited face, confessed her love to the boy, whose startled expression was visible to us.

-I’ve fallen for someone.

-…Who is it?

Secretly, she was hopeful.

-Lucas, a third-year student at the Academy. He’s a noble! It’s a small household, but he’s incredibly handsome… and kind!

-…What?

He was disappointed.

-Lucia, the truth is…

-You’ll cheer for me, right?

He despaired.

Disappointment began to seep into the boy’s face. The expression of someone who, for decades, had harbored feelings for someone, only to hear that they suddenly loved another, started to crumble.

But the boy couldn’t show it.

Because Lucia’s happiness was his own.

-Con…gratulations.

The boy awkwardly smiled as he supported Lucia’s love.

With a bittersweet smile, the boy congratulated Lucia, and the flow of the play began to approach its conclusion.

-The boy silently supported Lucia’s love, believing that one day she would return to him, and focused on his own life.

-To fulfill Lucia’s dream of becoming a noble, and for the day she might come back to him, he worked diligently.

The stage began to darken.

As if rushing toward the end of the play, majestic music accompanied a strong wind that swept toward the audience like a storm.

-Lucia. That man is dangerous.

-What do you know about him?!

-Please, just listen to me! Can’t you listen to me just this once?

-Shut up!

The man Lucia loved was a murderer.

The boy unintentionally discovered the true identity of the man Lucia loved and began to try to stop her.

Though the story was extreme, the audience could understand it thanks to the chillingly intense performances.

And the boy…

-See? I told you he was a bad person.

Died in Lucia’s place.

It was a cold, rain-soaked road.

Blood flowed from the boy’s stomach, and the man Lucia had loved lay dead at the boy’s hand, collapsing as a cold corpse.

Under the dim spotlight, the boy, with a dark expression, embraced the trembling Lucia tightly.

-I hate dirty things, but I’m sorry. If not today, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop you.

The boy’s low voice spread calmly. Despite not being a desperate cry, it carried a deep sense of immersion.

In this moment, when not a single sound could be heard from the audience, the boy, suppressing the blood flowing from his lips, spoke with a trembling voice.

-I love you.

Lucia realized her feelings for the boy.

But it was far too late.

*

“…Are you crying?”

“I’m not crying.”

“Pfft.”

“Don’t tease me!”

After the play ended.

The Young Lady, unable to shake off the lingering emotions, sat in her seat, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Though she had earned the nickname of a villainess who wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, the Young Lady, with a warm heart united in love, sniffled once and shook her head.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

The Young Lady, speaking in a voice tinged with moisture.

“Ricardo, you mustn’t die.”

I tugged at the Young Lady’s cheek as I replied.

“I won’t die.”

[You can reuse Rehabilitation’s Touch.]

“Absolutely not.”

I gave a small smile.