Page 137 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Ball D-3

Under the dark shadows.

Stories of girls harboring malice drifted on the wind.

– Yu-ria, don’t you find her so annoying?

– Right. She acted all high and mighty after Olivia left. If I knew she’d be like this, I wouldn’t have chased Olivia away back then.

– That’s why I asked, making up unnecessary stories.

– Ugh... She was like a dog when she was around, but now that she’s gone, it’s even more irritating.

The girls gossiping under the dark shadows all disliked one girl.

She possessed a beauty superior to theirs, receiving attention from those who should only be looked at with admiration.

They were girls who despised a commoner girl who, despite her insignificant status, received much love.

Each of them harbored a hero in their hearts.

A Mikhail with a just heart, a fiery magician with a sharp temper, or a man of the empire’s highest status dwelled in their hearts.

The sight of a girl getting along with heroes who couldn’t even mix words with them repulsed them.

Hence, the girls disliked Yu-ria.

Even if Yu-ria tried her ~Nоvеl??ght~ best to be friendly, the arrow of hatred didn’t easily detach like a stubborn thorn.

The girls disliked Yu-ria without her having done anything wrong.

Even if I receive a letter that shreds my pride.

Even if I hear the sincerity tinged with sadness. I disliked and resented Yuriya.

Yuriya’s trivial gestures felt as unpleasant as fishbones stuck in my throat, and her smiling face in joy seemed arrogantly displayed.

I envied the existence of Yuriya, heavily coated in the tinted glasses they wore.

-This time at the ball, X and I won’t be separated.

-I hate X. Really.

-Exactly. Why do commoners act so conceited? It’s ridiculous even to converse with a prince. I bet even the prince hates X. I can smell something fishy from him, but I can’t do such things.

-hahahahaha. True. That pungent smell, makes you want to vomit.

-Right! It’s not just me, right?

The girls’ lewd conversation was solely directed at one person, and the tiny speck Yuriya possessed, once it passed through the girl’s lips, turned into a massive clump of dust.

The malicious talk continued to flow.

As time passed, the words that ascended to the ears became lies that stuck and the lewd suspicions harbored in the heart began transforming into resentment, evolving into anger.

-Is there no way?

And gradually, it shifted to a thought of “Should I give it a try?” Because that’s how it has been until now. Ignoring and tormenting, even to the point of wondering if it’s okay to be so relentless, Yuriya endured without any reaction.

The weight of violence lessened.

When the girls’ conversations reached their peak.

-You seem to be having an interesting conversation?

A dark shadow began to loom.

-I have an intriguing idea, would you care to listen?

*

Ballroom D-1

Upon returning to the dormitory, Yuria gazed endlessly at the dress hanging on the hanger.

“Wow...”

It was the dress she had wanted.

A dress she had only seen with her eyes, one she couldn’t afford due to its high price, was now shining brilliantly before her.

Glowing subtly in pure white.

Not a musty smell like the second-hand dresses she had always bought, but a faint scent of roses wafted from it.

Every time she bought a second-hand dress, she had to use perfume to get rid of the smell, but this new dress, a gift from someone she had never expected, didn’t require such effort.

Ricardo.

The boy who always came to her aid in the toughest moments had once again appeared as a great light.

Sitting on a chair, Yuria gazed endlessly at the dress, recalling the events of a few days ago.

-“I can’t accept this.”

-“It’s okay. I don’t need clothes like this. Shirts maybe, but dresses aren’t my style.”

-“Then give it to Olivia.”

-“Hmm... Miss Olivia is generous, so I don’t think it would suit her.”

-“Still...”

-“If you don’t want it, I’ll put it back. I want to avoid unnecessary consumption. Well, it’s just doing a good deed for others.”

-“Th-that’s...”

She had been foolish.

Yuria knew it.

This dress isn’t secondhand.

That makes sense.

-30,000 gold.

No one would sell a dress they didn’t wear as secondhand. The merchant selling the goods had obviously inspected it, and when it came to payment, Ricardo’s surprised reaction was unmistakable.

-I will buy it.

-No, you won’t. I must buy this dress.

-Where does that happen?

-Right here.

Ricardo was taken aback.

Truly.

As if savoring hot sweet potatoes with nostalgic laughter, Yuri’s face flushed.

“Fool.”

Unable to lie.

“Why are you being so kind?”

Ricardo always appeared like a hero in awkward moments.

The year without Ricardo in the academy was incomparable to before.

Compared to when Ricardo was around, there were fewer harassments and incidents, but overcoming occasional tribulations was truly challenging.

The suffering might have been less, but it was unbearable.

If a dress got stained with wine, Ricardo would have discreetly removed the stain, pretending it was a coincidence, saying, “Oh, I happen to have a universal detergent.” But now, if such a mishap occurred, he would be too flustered to do anything.

It seemed fitting to say that the burden of enduring trials had grown heavier. With no one to rely on or help...

“Sigh...”

That’s why I can’t hate Ricardo.

From Noble mtl dot com

The regret over what happened in the dungeon may erase feelings of hatred, but Ricardo’s actions of carrying out such tasks effortlessly seemed to clearly convey a feeling of being unable to dislike him.

Which woman in the world could receive such a gift and still dislike him?

Who would dislike someone who, when told not to worry about wearing the dress she most desired, hides it in a pile of clothes?

She used to find Ricardo, who knew himself too well, intimidating, but now even that feeling had turned into fondness, leaving her with no thoughts. In fact, she found it rather pleasant.

Now, she wasn’t sure anymore.

If someone else had said that, she might have thought of them as a stalker, but she couldn’t dare entertain such thoughts when she found herself enchanted by Ricardo disguising his gifts as coincidences.

Yuria continued to gaze at the pure white dress.

It was about time for a new dress.

This ball would be different from the previous ones.

No one would dare to disregard her for wearing an old dress, and if she wore the dress Ricardo had given her, it felt like she would gain a newfound strength.

Even the insults about commoners wearing fancy clothes, she thought she could overcome them by wearing the dress Ricardo had gifted her.

Ricardo had always been a protector to her. She even thought that if something were to happen this time, he might come to her rescue like a prince on a white horse.

“What are you saying...”

Yuria lowered her head, cheeks flushing with warmth.

And so, about ten minutes passed.

-Ding Dong.

A stranger began calling out to Yuria.

Dark streetlights lined the promenade of the academy.

Yuria was walking along the promenade with her friend, Ruin, who suddenly appeared, exchanging stories.

She was only wearing a cardigan, feeling a bit chilly, but thanks to the significantly milder weather, Yuria could hold her outfit together.

As they strolled beneath the dim streetlights, Ruin, who had kept his mouth shut tightly, finally spoke up.

“Tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“The ball.”

“Oh...”

The ball.

A place with not a single good memory.

Although balls were common at the academy, especially the ones held to celebrate the new year, they were filled with unpleasant memories for Yuria.

During her freshman year, because of Olivia.

In her second year, due to Ricardo’s absence.

Yuria was full of worry about how this upcoming ball would turn out.

No matter how lovely a dress she wore, if the people she met did bad things, it could turn into the worst night.

Yuria forced an awkward smile at Ruin’s question and nodded her head.

“Yeah. Just one day left.”

“Yuria...”

Ruin exhaled a white breath and gazed ahead. Looking at the paper bag he held in his hand, his faint smile seemed oddly out of place.

Through the supervisor, Ruin called for Yuria, who had no idea what Ruin was going to say.

She thought he had called her to talk about academics, but when she saw Ruin’s face, she sensed there was a different reason.

Yuria clasped her hands and stood up.

Until Ruin opened his mouth.

“Why did you want to talk, Ruin?”

“Uh... it’s nothing special. It’s been three years since we became friends.”

“Is that so?”

“Your birthday is approaching, and I feel like I haven’t done much for you so far.”

“No, you’ve done so much. You taught me magic and gave me a necklace.”

“Really... hahahaha!”

Ruin awkwardly chuckled and looked at Yuria.

Then, with an awkward smile, he held out the paper bag he had been holding to Yuria.

“It’s nothing special, but I thought it would look good on you if you wore it.”

“What? What is this?”

“A dress.”

“Huh?”

Inside the paper bag was a lime-green dress similar to Ruin’s hair color.

It looked expensive at first glance.

It wasn’t as extravagant as what Ricardo had given her, but she thought it would be similar.

Ruin blushed as he offered the dress, and Yuria looked at it with a wistful smile.

“Ah... Sorry, Ruin. I don’t think I can accept the dress as a gift.”

“What?”

Ruin looked at Yuria with a puzzled expression and asked, “From whom?”

“...”

“Who gave it to you?”

“A close friend.”

“No way... Ricardo?”

Ruin clenched his fist, looking at Yuria who remained silent.

“Throw it away.”