Page 225 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The carriage heading back to Hamel.

As I loaded the luggage onto the carriage, I let out a relaxed sigh, marking the end of our northern journey.

When we came, our bags were empty, but now they were filled with souvenirs, dancing at the tips of our fingers. Money is indeed good.

But there was one problem.

“Lady.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t just sit there, help me a bit.”

The problem was the lady just sitting there.

Lady Perrie, sitting in the first-class carriage, didn’t seem to have any intention of helping, just sitting comfortably.

With James’ dried meat in her mouth, she was stroking the horse’s mane, and then she offered me the meat.

“Do you want to eat it?”

“...”

“It’s delicious.”

Raised as a noble, she seemed to be giving me a favor, like giving a rabbit a precious gift. I thought for a moment that I should have raised her more strictly, but as a butler who kept his dignity, I nodded slightly and accepted the meat.

“It’s delicious.”

“Really?”

“But it’s a bit too salty.”

“Yes, it’s what I was eating.”

“...?”

I gazed at the lady with a resentful look.

“Why did you give that to me?”

“I seasoned it. It’s boring to eat it plain.”

“...”

I stared at the dried meat in my hand, which was now soggy.

-Soggy.

Now that I looked at it, the seasoning was clearly visible on the meat. The lady’s neat, white teeth marks were imprinted on the meat, and I nodded.

“This is a bit...”

I nodded while tearing off the end of the meat and took a bite. It was a bit of a waste, but I had to do it to maintain human dignity.

It wasn’t that I was reluctant to think about indirect kisses or anything; it was just that throwing away food was a waste. It wasn’t that I had any other thoughts.

“Hmm...”

It’s definitely seasoned well, making it taste good.

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s a specialty from the North, so it’s like that.”

The young lady spoke to me without a hint of hesitation, saying that she seasoned it herself to make it even more delicious.

“I made it less spicy, so it’s like that.”

“...”

“Should I make another one?”

As I watched the young lady take out a new piece of dried persimmon from the package and offer it to me, I let out a small sigh. I wondered how to deal with this sly girl.

“Yes.”

Of course, I didn’t refuse.

As I slowly savored the dried persimmon for about 30 minutes, I saw the familiar figures of two people in the distance.

“There...!”

Yuria and James, wearing a hospital gown, rushed towards me with something in their hands.

James, with a bright smile, rushed towards me without taking a break, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I greeted the two of them. After all, I wasn’t the one who was sick.

“Yuria, James!”

“Ah... ah... I told you to tell me when you’re leaving, why did you just go! I bought souvenirs!”

“Yuria said she’s staying in the North to take care of her father, so I came out secretly. I didn’t want to trouble you guys because of me. And James, you’re not supposed to be out of the hospital, are you?”

James, wearing a hospital gown, chuckled awkwardly and patted my shoulder.

“Haha! I’ve been stuck in the hospital for too long, so I had to get out! They say I’m the savior of life, but I can’t just lie in bed and do nothing! I have to do something too. It makes me feel better...! Right, Yuria?”

“Right...”

“Ah! This beautiful young lady is my daughter I told you about earlier. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Ah... Dad!”

“She looks just like my wife.”

“Shh, just calm down.”

“Why are you like that, Yuria? Your dad is the most likable guy I’ve met so far. Just wait and see, I’ll play matchmaker... Ugh!”

Yuria hit James’s stomach with her elbow and coughed awkwardly. As a Northerner, they’re originally like this, and I couldn’t help but smile lightly at Yuria’s unpretentious appearance.

“Why are you laughing...?”

“It’s just, you look good together.”

“I’m embarrassed...”

“It’s nice to see you getting along with your dad.”

Yuria’s face turned red, and she murmured something I couldn’t hear. ‘You said Dad...’.

James smiled like an old man, looking at Yuria’s flushed ears. He covered his mouth with his hand and chuckled like an old lady who got addicted to dramas late in life. Then, he handed me a paper bag he had placed on the floor.

“This is a specialty from the North.”

“No, I’ve already received enough.”

“Take it. I’ve received more than enough.”

James thought of the new inn that Malick was going to build and gave a thumbs-up.

“Thanks to our guests, we can even put up a sign that says ‘Friends of the Forest.'”

“What?”

“Ah, I was supposed to keep it a secret, but I messed up,”

“Did the president do that?”

“The customer told us the recipe, so we pulled out the contract right away.”

“...”

I watched Malik’s execution and nodded. Even if the national dish doesn’t sell well in the North, if Malik does it, it won’t fail.

From noble mtl dot com

I thought of Malik and smiled slightly.

“He’s a capable person who knows what he’s doing.”

– Let’s take a break.

– Yes?

– I’ll go get the recipe, so you focus on resting. No objections.

– What about the follow-up...

– I’ll take care of it. I’ll write the report myself, so just relax and take it easy.

– Yes?

– Then I’ll go.

I was surprised that the person I thought was the most stubborn in this world was actually the most capable, and I gave James a small nod of encouragement.

“Good luck. You’ve met with great fortune.”

“Is that so...? I don’t know much about the trends in the capital.”

“Yes. It’s an enormous fortune. I’ll sometimes follow the president to learn, so prepare well and work hard.”

“Isn’t it unusual for a martial artist like you to be involved in business too?”

“No. I’m just a follower, and the president is the brain.”

James and I talked about business for a while. We chatted until the dried meat in the young lady’s treasure pouch was all gone, and we exchanged our final farewells in the North.

As I got on the carriage, I waved goodbye to them.

“Then I’ll go.”

“Safe travels.”

“Thank you, benefactor!”

Olivia waved goodbye to Yuri.

“Take care.”

“...”

Yuri nodded slightly.

With a not-so-bad feeling, Yuri expressed gratitude for Olivia’s farewell.

*

On the carriage ride.

The young lady, who had taken out the dried meat from the new packaging, was alleviating the boredom of the bumpy carriage ride by eating the meat.

“Heeheeheee!”

“Young lady.”

“Heeheeheeheehee!”

“You won’t get your teeth pulled out that way.”

The young lady, who was competing with the dried meat to see whose gums were stronger, refused to give up.

“Heeheeheee! Lakaro too, scissors.”

“...”

In the end, I drew a line for the young lady who had reached an agreement. As a Sword Master, I could do this much easily.

“Wow!”

The young lady, ? Nоvеlιght ? (Read the full story) who had been staring at me with sparkling eyes, replied “Thank you” and started peeling the dried persimmon again.

-Thud.

I lightly addressed the young lady.

“Young lady.”

“Hm?”

“When did you start hiding your dark magic?”

“Hmm...”

The young lady froze, still chewing on the dried persimmon, like a game item from her past life that had become motionless. She glanced at me slyly, then started crunching on the dried persimmon again.

“Ricardo said even dogs wouldn’t touch it when eating.”

“You didn’t eat an hour ago, did you?”

“No.”

“Hehe...”

I smiled wryly and shook my head at the young lady’s excuse. It didn’t seem like she would easily confess.

But I had to get an answer. I had to think of a solution and avoid feeling resentful. So, I carefully asked the young lady.

“I won’t scold you.”

“Liar.”

“I’ll scold you a little, but not too much. You helped me survive this time, after all.”

The young lady glanced at me and quickly chewed the dried persimmon in her mouth, wiping her lips.

“Really, you won’t scold me?”

“Yes, just a little.”

“Really, really?”

“Yes, I will.”

The young lady twirled her fingers and spoke in a small voice.

“From the beginning...”

“Yes?”

“I could’ve used it when my leg got injured. I felt something weird and ominous...”

“Hehe...”

I maintained a serious expression and nodded at the young lady’s timid demeanor.

“I see.”

“Hm.”

“So, why did you hide it?”

“Because Ricardo would scold me. I didn’t want to make him dislike me even more.”

I smiled faintly and patted the young lady’s head.

“That’s correct.”

-Eeeeek!!!

The young lady’s scream began to echo inside the carriage. I pressed on her forehead, saying softly.

“What do we do now?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I told the lord.”

“Huh?”

“That...”

-The lady has become difficult to deal with.

“The lady said she’s become difficult. I suppose she won’t even read the letter by the time we arrive?”

“Really?”

I forced a awkward smile and averted my gaze, thinking that it would somehow work out.

I averted my gaze.

*

After a long drive, we arrived at the lady’s mansion.

Under the darkening sky, the mansion with its lights out came into view. Amidst the expectation of a difficult cleaning job due to the long absence, I stealthily peeked out the window and gazed at the familiar house.

“Huh...?”

A massive carriage with the Deumont family crest emblazoned on it was parked in front of the mansion gate.

I burst out laughing at the sight of someone getting out of the massive carriage.

-Olivia!!!!

The voice of the foolish daughter echoed.