Page 164 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Early morning in Hamel.

“Haahh...”

Hestania Hanna rubbed her eyes and welcomed the cold dawn of Hamel.

Her body was full of muscle pain.

Even though she moved her body less than usual during training, her body was stiff and she was screaming in pain.

“Ugh... I’m going to die.”

She must have been too tense. The man she saw yesterday was a monster in himself.

Encountering a monster who seemed like he could easily snap her neck with a slight mistake seemed to be a first this time. His skills and blatant brutality were something else.

Of course, all those threats ended because of one person.

-When you send me off, please go.

Sitting on the bed, Hanna hugged her knees and thought about what happened yesterday.

The butler who appeared when Mikhail senpai was in danger. At the same time, she recalled her powerless self from the past when her legs were tied by the cult’s trickery, unable to do anything.

“I couldn’t do anything...”

She had tried to help, but she had done nothing.

From the first meeting.

To the friction with her father.

Hanna couldn’t do anything but receive help.

Hanna thought she was pathetic for being like this.

Because nothing had changed.

Every time, she only knew how to hold the hand of the butler who offered a helping hand, staying in place without being of any help.

Though the word “salvation” sounded grand, to her, the butler was like an eternal key to a cage that she couldn’t escape from.

Hanna had made a vow countless times.

To become someone who could help the butler. She wanted to be someone who could give, not just receive. Even though she wasn’t as talented as her brother, she wanted to help the butler in other ways and had made efforts to do so.

So Hanna spent this winter vacation busy.

Continuing her adventures.

To accumulate as much practical experience as possible, she took on various requests. Escort missions, subjugation, gathering, you name it, she lived diligently without turning down any unfamiliar tasks.

Thanks to her efforts, she could overcome the fear of monsters and especially the fear of orcs.

She pretended to be fine, but honestly, she wasn’t. Whenever she saw an orc, she recalled the past when a blue spear was visible, causing her body to stiffen, leading to many difficulties.

Being scared of big people, getting scared of weak monsters. There were many constraints in her life as a knight.

Hanna clashed countless times to overcome these and could overcome her shortcomings.

Only one stubbornness.

To be of help to her master was the stubbornness Hanna came running with. And wanting to excel in at least one thing more than others pushed her even harder.

Outstanding looks.

Lively personality.

Family background.

Hanna thought everything about her was inferior to others.

Hanna knows her heart.

It might have been the worst encounter, but she likes the man who gave her the best gift.

In her own way.

Only knowing the princess.

A man who loves the secular world.

Hanna admits that she is in love.

So more...

“Sigh...”

She disliked herself for not standing out.

Thinking she was no better than others who only knew how to receive. Even compared to the princess, even from an objective standpoint, Hanna thought she was not better than others.

Her figure wasn’t bad.

With a gloomy expression, Hanna looked down at her chest and buried her face in her knees.

“Idiot.”

She wanted to work harder.

She wanted to look prettier, receive compliments from her master.

Knowing it’s wrong to be the one who receives, she still wanted to learn more about her master.

She wanted to see her master’s smile more.

Make him smile.

She wanted to hold hands.

So Hanna pushed herself harder, realizing that Ricardo was the driving force behind her life.

If it weren’t for her master, she might not have been able to live in this world, and maybe she wouldn’t have had this freedom.

It’s unreasonable not to fall for her master, who reaches out like a prince charming in a fairy tale for salvation... The exit to escape had long disappeared.

“...Yes.”

With a determined tap on her cheek, Hanna resolved herself timidly. Thinking gloomy thoughts wouldn’t change anything; wrinkles would only increase.

“What’s the point of sulking, nothing will change!”

Hanna faced the dawn with determination.

And.

“..Miss~”

A man’s voice was coming from outside the window. Hanna blinked her eyes and looked outside. It was a familiar voice that she heard.

The internship had ended due to the attack by the cult, but when Hanna heard the familiar male voice calling her, she adjusted her clothes and looked out the window.

“Hanna, what are you doing today?”

She could see the face of the man she liked.

Ricardo was smiling.

Despite the early morning hour, Hanna’s lips began to curl up slightly at the energetic smile on Ricardo’s face.

Hanna thought to herself as she tightly gripped the window frame.

‘I can’t give up.’

She answered Ricardo’s question in a small, quiet voice, considering the sleeping students.

-Thud.

“Master...! Since I’m alone in the room, please come in!”

“Excuse me?”

The butler was looking at her with the most bewildered expression she had seen so far.

*

“Oh my!”

Entering the room through the window, I scolded Hanna.

“What will happen if you invite a man into a room where a woman lives alone? There’s no such thing as an idle talk of men and women sitting together!”

I was planning to have N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t a meal with Hanna after a long time, but scolding Hanna for her improper behavior, I reprimanded her in a soft voice.

Hanna’s defiant gesture, flicking her finger, lingered in my mind, and the spark of Confucianism within me was not easily extinguished.

Thanks to Hanna, I was able to get a short-term job, so I thought I should repay her, but I never expected to be repaid in this manner.

I hid my fiery scolding behind a light nightgown as I looked at Hanna.

From Noble mtl dot com

The return day for the academy students was three days away.

With no carriage to return, Hanna found herself in a situation where she had to stay in this rural area against her will. I decided to entertain her and impart wisdom upon her.

“Such actions are not something your future beloved...”

Hanna interrupted me and replied firmly.

“Why would I call another man besides you...?”

“Excuse me?”

I looked at Hanna with innocent deer-like eyes. Although I stared at her with eyes that said, “What are you talking about?” Hanna remained silent, tying her hair.

Last time I saw her, her hair was a short bob that reached her shoulders, but during the time I hadn’t seen her, Hanna’s hair had grown significantly.

With a skillful hand, Hanna tied her hair while wearing a small smile.

Tying her hair, Hanna looked at me with a gentle smile. I wrinkled my nose at the peach scent emanating lightly from Hanna and asked.

“Did you put on perfume?”

“No?”

“Really? I smell a peach fragrance.”

“Oh....”

Hanna extended her hand to me, her eyes sparkling brightly.

“It’s my natural scent!”

I forcefully rejected her passionate gaze asking me to smell, chuckling ‘I refuse.’

Even if she was Hanna, smelling someone’s natural scent was a bit strange.

I sat lightly on the bed in the room and spoke to Hanna.

“By the way, do you have time today?”

“Time?”

I took out a small booklet from my pocket and showed it to Hanna.

[The Empire’s Greatest Warrior, Hamel, is visiting!]

“I happened to come across two tickets. How about watching it together?”

Hanna looked puzzled as she gazed at the two tickets in her hand.

“What about you, Your Grace?”

Impressed by Hanna’s kind consideration for the lady, I smiled faintly and nodded.

“The lady finds it distasteful when women squirm around. Unless it’s a talking fish. She thinks it might not be enjoyable...”

“T-then! Are you saying... it’s just the two of us watching it...!?”

“Yes. Is that okay?”

Hanna clenched her fist tightly, showing a loud reaction.

“Fine!”

“Huh? What’s fine...”

“Just because I feel good!”

I chuckled and said to Hanna.

“So, do you have time today?”

“Yes...! But, can you wait for a moment? I need some time to prepare.”

I replied, nodding at Hanna’s shy demeanor that concealed her true self.

“We won’t depart immediately. I haven’t even prepared breakfast for the lady yet.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, no! How about meeting for lunch then? At the park!”

“Alright.”

Before heading to the window, Hanna spoke with a trembling voice.

“Master...!”

“Yes?”

“W-what... what are you going to wear today? It would be nice to match colors or something. hahahaha...”

I replied to Hanna with a small smile.

“I’ll wear casual clothes. I have some new ones this time.”

And

“Oh, by the way, it’s not a servant’s attire.”

Hanna smiled broadly.

“Okay!”

*

After 12 o’clock.

“Wow...”

I couldn’t help but raise my head.

In many ways.

“Is it... really strange?”