The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 94

On the way to the Tteokbokki Shop that opened in the capital city.

The Young Lady, sitting gloomily on Fairy Unit 1, had her head lowered.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.”

“Because of me, Ricardo ended up spending all the money he worked so hard to earn.”

“It wasn’t hard-earned money, so it’s okay. Besides, it wasn’t really my money to begin with.”

“Even so…”

The Young Lady was despondent.

She blamed herself, thinking that if she had held back just a little, this wouldn’t have happened, and she could have bought her father’s gift.

I glanced at the sulking Young Lady and subtly pulled out a palm-sized black box from my pocket to show her.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a necktie pin.”

“Huh…?”

The Young Lady looked at me with startled eyes.

I scratched my head awkwardly and muttered.

“I thought I wouldn’t have enough money, but it turned out to be sufficient.”

“…Huh?”

“While you were in the restroom, I finished talking with the clerk.”

That was a lie, of course.

I had made a difficult request to the clerk.

-Excuse me, I’m really sorry, but could you put the necktie pin on credit too? It’s something we absolutely have to buy….

-Ah… Sure, that’s possible.

-I’m really sorry for the trouble. I’ll make sure to pay it back as soon as possible, so I’d appreciate it if you could wait just a little.

-Ah… It’s fine. The money you’ve already given is enough to cover the repairs.

Thanks to the smooth conversation with the clerk, I was able to retrieve the necktie pin from the chaotic store.

It helped that the clerk in the store at the time held a high position, and the store’s owner wasn’t a rigid person, so we were able to communicate.

As it turned out, the group of female students who had picked a fight with the Young Lady had already been labeled as troublesome guests at the boutique. The clerk even thanked me.

-Thanks to you, I felt a huge sense of relief for the first time in a while. I’ll explain everything to the boss, so don’t worry and head back.

Using the money I earned at the casino, I was able to repay 90% of the damages, so the remaining amount wasn’t too burdensome. Besides, the perceptive Young Lady hadn’t damaged any dresses or expensive items, so the compensation amount was relatively small.

It wasn’t a big deal since I could cover the remaining amount by catching a few wanted criminals who would appear in the middle of the novel.

I firmly placed the black box containing the necktie pin into the Young Lady’s hand, conveying that her worries were unfounded.

“It’s a birthday gift for the Head of the Household. You should be the one to give it to him.”

“Ricardo…”

The Young Lady lowered her head and fell silent.

“If I had just held back a little, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Suppressing anger can make you sick. Didn’t you say before that while you can endure hunger, you can’t hold back your anger?”

“…That’s true.”

The Young Lady had a fiery temper.

Whether in the past or now, she had always been hot-tempered and sharp-tongued.

While she might act like a chubby cat in front of me, she could very well display the demeanor of the Villainess in the Novel in front of others.

The Young Lady in the novel was far more malicious and wicked than she was now.

Perhaps I was more lenient because I knew a side of her that even she didn’t realize.

While others cursed her as a crazy woman, she strangely appeared kind in my eyes, to the point where I thought she was practically a fairy.

‘You don’t know what a real villainess looks like.’ That’s how I felt.

I calmly adjusted the Young Lady’s scarf and wrapped her coat around her. Even if she was in a bad mood, she still needed to take care of her health.

“You’ll catch a cold. Dress warmly.”

“Sniff… Okay.”

The Young Lady spoke to me in a small voice.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

After walking for a while.

I cautiously asked the Young Lady about the reason for the fight. It didn’t seem polite to ask directly, so I waited for the right moment before carefully bringing it up.

“Why did you fight with them?”

“Ah.”

The Young Lady replied to me in a voice tinged with anger.

“They called me a cripple.”

I froze.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Where are you going?”

“It seems they didn’t get enough of a beating.”

The Young Lady grabbed my collar to stop me as I tried to head back to the store. Her ears, slightly flushed, might have been due to the cold.

“Don’t go. I already scolded them plenty.”

“I refuse. I’ll go back and give each of them a smack with a triangular ruler.”

“It’s fine.”

I mentally recalled the faces of the female students who had been sprawled on the floor.

The Orc Shaped Like a Triangle.

The Female Student Who Looks Like a Goblin.

The Husk Shaped Like Bamboo.

I resolved to spend a month’s allowance if I ever saw them on the street again, but for now, I reluctantly stopped, pretending to be swayed by her touch.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Yeah. I’m hungry now.”

“Sigh…”

Hoping their future would be filled with thorns, I turned back, following the Young Lady’s lead.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“I’ll try to hold back more next time.”

“Don’t hold back. Just take it out on me instead.”

“Then I’ll only get a little angry.”

We slowly made our way toward our destination. The cold wind felt a little warmer.

Maybe it was because of the anger, or perhaps the warmth of the moment, but I found myself thinking that this kind of cold wasn’t so bad.

*

In front of the bustling Tteokbokki Restaurant.

I looked at the long line of people with trembling eyes and said.

“What is this?”

“A line.”

“I know that, but isn’t it way too long?”

A massive crowd had gathered.

It was so large that it didn’t seem like they were just waiting to eat tteokbokki, at least not to the eyes of the Young Lady and me, who were from the countryside.

“Wow. This is no joke.”

“Are we not going to get to eat?”

The Young Lady asked with a troubled look. Already upset and hungry from the earlier incident, she muttered that she’d be even more upset if she couldn’t eat.

I wanted to offer her some hopeful words, but the crowd in front of us didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so I gave her a vague answer to ease her anxiety.

“Yeah, there are just too many people…”

“But I’m hungry…”

The Tteokbokki Shop in the capital city was smaller than I had expected. A red background signboard and a small building about 15 pyeong in size.

It didn’t have any indoor seating, only offering takeout and tables outside, resembling a street food cart.

It was smaller than I had imagined, and it had taken us some time to find it. I hadn’t expected it to be built like this.

When Malik and I had been discussing business at the estate, I hadn’t thought the passing comment would actually be implemented.

-Brother.

-Don’t call me brother. It feels too familiar.

-Then, boss.

-…Just call me Malik.

-Do you know the best way to enjoy tteokbokki?

-Wouldn’t it be to use good ingredients?

-No.

Malik had listened to me with a serious voice. I remember him paying more attention to this conversation than when we talked about aura.

-It’s about the atmosphere.

-The atmosphere?

-A cold winter. Warm broth and tteokbokki.

-…

-It tastes best when you eat it outside the shop, rather than inside.

-Wouldn’t it be cold?

-Isn’t that romantic?

-Certainly…

At that time, I remember him busily jotting it down in his pocket notebook. Who would have thought he’d actually do it?

The result of Malik’s bold spirit and exceptional execution skills was proven by the long line of people stretching before us.

To think I’d see a scene from my previous life here in another world. While I was silently lost in nostalgic memories of the familiar sight—

-Growl.

A strange sound came from beside me.

I looked at the Young Lady with a questioning gaze, and she was staring at the tteokbokki restaurant ahead, drooling at the corners of her mouth.

“I’m hungry.”

“It seems you’re hungry because it’s been a while since you used your strength.”

“That’s right. But the line is too long.”

“…”

I nodded as I looked at the long line. It was indeed too long. In my previous life, I would have wondered if it was worth it just for a plate of tteokbokki, but here, this was the only place in the Empire that sold it.

I hadn’t expected it to sell this well. I’d once entertained the arrogant thought of opening a shop myself, but knowing I couldn’t do it like Malik, I shook my head and dismissed the idea.

I glanced at the Young Lady and asked her.

“Shall we get in line?”

“Yes. Let’s hurry before more people come.”

The Young Lady didn’t suggest any other food.

It seemed she really wanted tteokbokki right now.

I carefully pushed the Young Lady’s wheelchair forward, but as a familiar man’s voice came from behind, I cautiously turned around.

“Ricardo.”

Graceful looks.

A shining patron.

A man who suits a kitchen knife more than a sword.

Malik called out to us.

“Where are you going? You’re supposed to come this way.”

Malik pointed to the back door of the shop and said.

“It’s a free pass.”

Truly, he was a splendid man.

***

At the same time.

To lift her gloomy mood, Yuria went out for a rare stroll with Ruin and Mikhail.

The three of them, who had all been suspended together, wandered the streets. Among them, Ruin, dissatisfied with the disciplinary action, voiced his grievances as they walked. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a shop, drawn by the spicy aroma wafting through the air.

“Huh…?”

A familiar scent.

Yuria turned her head toward the familiar smell of food she hadn’t encountered in a long time.

[Friends of Forest – Tteokbokki Shop]

-We crafted this using a recipe obtained from a monster hiding in the outskirts.

Ruin, noticing Yuria had stopped, asked her.

“Do you want to eat?”

“Huh?”

“You seem like you want to.”

At Ruin’s subtle probing, Yuria nodded.

“Yes.”

It had been a while since she wanted to eat this.

Back when she was feeling down, it was the food Ricardo had made for her at the Academy.

So, they got in line.

When her turn finally came.

“Huh?”

A familiar man’s face, dressed in a white chef’s coat, entered Yuria’s sight.

“Oh?”

“Huh? We meet again, Miss Yuria.”

Yuria unexpectedly encountered Ricardo in a place she hadn’t anticipated.