Page 233 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

10 years ago.

A woman’s sorrowful voice echoed through the streets of a slum.

“...Where did you go.”

The young woman’s voice echoed unanswered, spreading sorrowfully.

The woman muttered to herself as she wandered through the slum streets.

Where did she go?

She was supposed to be here.

She promised to come find me, but...

The woman knew that her one-sided promise to the child was irresponsible and difficult, but she thought this was the only way to bear the overwhelming regret.

She knew that the child couldn’t handle the time that had passed alone.

“Misa...”

The woman called out her responsibility with difficulty and walked, overlapping her mistakes with the passing child.

“Misa...?”

The woman grabbed the child’s shoulder, who was walking ahead, and turned them around to confirm their face.

She wondered if this child wasn’t the one she was looking for, and her trembling hand showed anxiety as she gazed at the child’s face, revealing a sorrowful expression.

“Who are you, ma’am?”

“M...my apologies.”

The woman’s appearance didn’t look very good. Her ambition to return to a successful life had gone, and she was now walking around the slums in worn-out clothes.

Her bag was old, and her rough hands were full of calluses. Although her beautiful appearance remained, the hardships she had faced in the past left an indelible mark on her, making it impossible to erase the word “misfortune” from her face.

She had loved, but was abandoned.

She had dreamed of a happy future, but didn’t receive anything in return. She had struggled to escape this miserable life, wanting to become a good mother, but the woman who couldn’t achieve anything continued to wander around the slums.

A day.

Two days.

A week.

And a month.

The woman’s heart ached as she walked around the slums, wanting to play the role of a mother with the money in her hand.

The dust was swirling.

The sight of children begging was heavier than she had imagined.

If she had chosen an orphanage instead of the slums, she wouldn’t have been afraid of the rumors that they sold children. Things might have turned out differently.

The woman realized too late that her impatience had led to a terrifying consequence.

At that time, she didn’t know.

Her own future was more precious than the child’s, and she had worn selfish glasses, thinking that things would be fine like this.

The woman spent her days having nightmares about the child who resented her every night.

One day, while wandering around the slums, she met a boy.

“Have you seen a girl named Misa?”

“Uh, she’s about this tall, and her hair is silver.”

“I’ve seen a boy named Mihail, but I’ve never seen a girl named Misa. I’ve lived in this world for a while, and I’ve never heard of that name. Not that I’m alive now, though.”

The boy with red hair furrowed his brow and said he had never seen the child she was looking for.

“Hmm...I don’t know.”

The boy spoke politely to the woman.

“Do you have a picture?”

...

The woman couldn’t answer.

Since I didn’t have any memories with that child, I didn’t want to keep any photographs of them. It’s impossible they would exist.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the boy answered the silent woman. “I can’t find it.” Years had passed, and with only a name as scant information, finding the boy in this vast slum was nearly impossible.

The boy looked at the woman and asked,

“Do you remember?”

“...”

“Her face.”

Pointing to his own face, he suggested a solution.

“Do you remember her face?”

“...”

The woman couldn’t lift her head.

Too much time had passed.

“Sigh...”

The ? Nоvеl?g?t ? (Official version) boy didn’t know who the woman was.

Who the woman was looking for.

He didn’t even know whose mother she was.

To him, she was just one of many who came searching with regrets of the past, holding no significant meaning.

With a trembling voice, the woman asked,

“What usually happens to those abandoned here?”

The boy replied,

“You know.”

“...”

“It’s not good.”

As he walked past the woman, the boy said,

“Think positively. That’s the best you can do.”

Before long, the woman found a teddy bear discarded under the bridge corner.

She knelt in front of a pile of stones big enough for a child to lie on and hugged the teddy bear, crying.

Full of stitched marks.

Embracing the worn teddy bear with no intact parts left.

She wept loudly in front of an unmarked grave.

*

A peaceful morning at the mansion.

As I prepared breakfast to the sound of birds singing and the bright sunshine, I hummed a tune and placed the grilled meat on the plate.

Well-done meat.

I poked the center of the meat with a fork and brought it to my lips to check if it was cooked well.

“Perfectly done.”

It seemed thoroughly cooked through.

“Maybe I should open a restaurant.”

The lady didn’t like meat with blood. She said meat must have a chewable texture to be delicious. Once, I gave her bloody meat, and she threw her fork, saying it could revive a calf. Since then, I’ve always grilled the meat until it’s well-done. Oddly, she enjoys steak tartare.

Pleased with the meat grilled to the lady’s taste, I looked up at the second floor of the mansion.

“She should be calling soon.”

I counted to three in my heart.

One. Two. Three.

-Go...go-go-song! Air raid alert...!!!

“Huff...!”

As I listened to the lady’s morning call, which was brightening up the morning at the estate, I got up and headed to the second floor.

*

The lady, who had a sulky expression, was eating breakfast while chewing on grilled meat with a scowl. I clearly saw her dissatisfaction, but what was wrong? Her face was full of complaints.

“...Hmph.”

I raised an eyebrow, watching the lady struggle to hold her fork.

“Is the food not to your taste?”

“No.”

“Is the meat undercooked, then?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Then why are you making such a face?”

The lady, still sulking, shook her head and let out a deep sigh. Then, she stabbed the meat with her fork and spoke in a refined tone.

“I’m broke.”

“What?”

“I spent all the money I got from Ricardo last time.”

The lady’s bold confession of her crime.

I burst out laughing, questioning why she was so sulky. Not only did she steal the money, but where did she spend it all?

The lady looked down, embarrassed, and said,

“I bought pajamas and chocolates, so it’s all gone. And I gave some to Ricardo’s friend too.”

“Your friend?”

“Yes.”

The lady nodded, thinking of Hans, who had left due to personal reasons.

“I saw Ricardo’s friend in the north last time. He wore glasses and was ugly.”

“He’s not ugly, though.”

“He looks ugly to me.”

Although I knew, I smiled slightly and nodded, acknowledging the lady’s high standards. I was worried about how to bring up Hans, but fortunately, the lady considered him a friend, so I didn’t need to think too hard about it.

The lady counted the remaining money with her fingers and said,

“I gave it to Ricardo’s friend as a favor.”

“...”

“Ricardo wouldn’t give friend benefits.”

“...That friend must be rich, then.”

“Yes?”

“He’s a wealthy person who doesn’t pay taxes by doing illegal things.”

“Is he richer than me?”

“Yes.”

“Heeheeheehee!!”

The lady clenched her fist and vented her frustration. Now that she had finally realized she was cheated, she started eating the meat with gusto, as if she had finally regained her appetite.

When the meat on the plate was almost gone, I placed the cookies I had prepared as a snack on the young lady’s table.

“Poo!”

“It’s not that. I made these cookies for the tea party.”

“Ugh... who made them?”

The young lady scrunched up her face, looking at the cookies that resembled a giant turd.

“They look disgusting.”

I smiled faintly and replied to the young lady, wondering where her usual confidence had gone.

“You made them, didn’t you?”

“Heeek!”

“The cookies that are left are the ones you made.”

The young lady pushed the cookies away, shaking her head left and right.

“I didn’t make them.”

“You must have thought of making them for the orphanage.”

“No way. I didn’t make them. Absolutely not.”

“The cookies are hurt.”

“No way. If you eat that, you’ll get a stomachache.”

I smiled and urged the young lady.

“We need to move a bit faster today.”

“Huh? Where are we going today?”

“Yes.”

I chuckled and said to the young lady.

“We’re going out to eat today.”

“Out to eat?”

“Yes.”

The young lady’s eyes widened, and she looked at me with an excited gaze, as if she had just digested the meat she had eaten and was drooling.

“Are we going to see the Forest Friends?”

I replied vaguely.

“It’s similar.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going with the CEO of Forest Friends.”

“Why are we going together?”

“I heard that a rival restaurant is opening.”

I gave the young lady a satisfied smile.

“Ah, of course, the CEO will treat us to dinner.”

“Really?”

The young lady’s disappointed expression disappeared, and she nodded her head vigorously.

“Then it’s okay.”

It seemed that the young lady couldn’t resist a free meal.

And so, we arrived at the restaurant with a sign that read “Travel”.