Page 237 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Peaceful Academy.

“Three hundred sixty-one.”

“Three hundred sixty-two.”

“Three hundred sixty-three.”

Mikhail, who was still wielding his sword at the training grounds, wiped away his sweat and let out a rough breath.

A sword that strengthened with a single goal in mind.

Mikhail thought that there was no better way to shake off his worries than to wield his sword, and so he continued to do so today.

“Three hundred sixty-four...!”

After class, it’s off to the training grounds.

Even on weekends, it’s off to the training grounds.

Being able to sleep soundly without worries after sweating profusely was Mikhail’s only hobby, so he couldn’t easily give it up.

If only his dreams were sweet, that would be great, but...

“Are you still wielding your sword?”

Hanna, dressed in her training uniform, approached Mikhail, who was mindlessly wielding his sword, and stretched her shoulders.

“You’re really amazing. Your skills are improving so rapidly.”

Hanna, wearing a black tie and a white shirt, had come to visit Mikhail after a long time and was chatting with him.

“Senior.”

“...”

“Senior.”

“...”

“Are you still angry?”

Mikhail shook his head. His defeat that day was due to his own inadequacy, so he wasn’t angry at Hanna personally; it was a matter of pride, or perhaps regret for not being able to understand Hanna’s circumstances and fighting with all his might.

Mikhail, who couldn’t think of an easy way to respond, let out a deep sigh and stopped his sword-wielding hand.

“No, it’s just that I’m not used to talking like this.”

Hanna burst out laughing and grasped her sword.

“Why? Because I won, right?”

“...No.”

“You’re lying.”

Hanna said firmly, wielding her sword.

“It’s because I have a great teacher. I met a teacher who is far superior to my father in terms of character and swordsmanship, and that’s why I’m like this.”

“...”

“My teacher is really too good for me.”

“...”

Mikhail couldn’t agree with Hanna’s words.

While he acknowledged Ricardo’s skills, he couldn’t acknowledge that Ricardo was a good teacher. Mikhail had seen it all – the things Ricardo had done at the academy.

-And Ricardo again...?

-He was near the fire scene again.

-He’s always at the scene of the crime.

-Why would he be? It’s because he’s a dog, that’s why.

Although he knew that his swordsmanship was exceptional, the phrase “you’re kind” was a remark that touched a nerve in Mihail’s heart.

Mihail’s expression subtly changed as he spoke to Hanna.

“No, you’re just good because of that.”

“No, it’s because the butler taught me, so I could win. It’s all thanks to the butler, both back then and now.”

“...”

“Maybe if the butler weren’t around, I wouldn’t be able to wield a sword now?”

“...Yeah.”

Mihail had a lot to say, but he bit his lip and kept quiet. Whatever he said to Hanna now seemed like it wouldn’t get through to her.

Why did everyone dislike N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t good people? As someone who had experienced Ricardo, Mihail spoke cautiously to Hanna.

“Ricardo isn’t a good person like you think.”

Hanna’s expression turned cold as she replied to Mihail. No matter what anyone said, Hanna was on Ricardo’s side.

“What did the butler do to you, senior, to make you say that? At least to me, the butler is a good person.”

“I...”

Mihail’s words trailed off, and he lost his train of thought.

What kind of person was the Ricardo he thought of?

After a while, Mihail responded to Hanna. His conclusion about the Ricardo he thought of could be summed up in one sentence.

“He’s the opposite of me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hanna spoke quietly, swinging her sword.

“You don’t know anything about the butler, senior.”

Mihail’s lips tightened as he replied.

“...I don’t want to know.”

*

In the darkness, the boys’ dormitory.

After finishing his training, Mihail returned to his room, exhausted, and sat down on his bed.

“I need to shower, but it’s a hassle.”

Thanks to his top-notch grades, he had a personal shower room nearby, but Mihail couldn’t muster the energy to get up easily.

“Ugh... I guess I have to shower anyway.”

With difficulty, Mihail got out of bed. He wanted to sleep more, but he knew that laziness had no end, so he forced himself to get up.

-Thud.

As he walked slowly towards the shower room, Mihail stopped for a moment and gazed at the mirror next to his closet.

“I’m a mess.”

His hair was drenched in sweat.

His training uniform was soaked.

His silver hair reached down to his nape.

Mihail let out a dry laugh at his masculine appearance.

“I really... look pathetic.”

In his early twenties, when he should be at his prime, Mihail couldn’t help but feel this way.

Mikhail, gazing at his reflection in the mirror, let out a sigh at his disheveled appearance.

He said he didn’t care about his looks, but that wasn’t true.

Today, the mirror reflected his miserable state, and Mikhail resented it.

“...”

Mikhail, staring at his reflection, murmured in a low voice that others couldn’t hear.

“...What am I?”

With a voice filled with deep self-doubt, he bowed his head in the empty room.

“Not a girl, not a boy...”

Mikhail unbuttoned his shirt, questioning himself. What was he, anyway?

“Now I can’t go back...”

If he wanted to return, he’d have to give up a lot, so why was he having these meaningless thoughts? Mikhail thought it was foolish to ask himself such questions.

Still...

There was an irresistible desire.

Mikhail gazed at his reflection in the mirror and whispered to himself.

“I too...”

He wanted to wear pretty clothes.

He wanted to put on makeup.

He wanted to dress up.

Mikhail, who dreamed of impossible things, bit his lip and stopped unbuttoning his shirt. His current self was going in the opposite direction.

His body was drenched in sweat, emitting a smell.

His short hair made him look like a boy.

Mikhail, who had no charm, felt especially pathetic today.

It was a path he had chosen himself, after all.

Mikhail thought he wasn’t interested in external appearances. Or maybe he was deceiving himself. He didn’t allow himself time to think, pushing himself to chase his goals.

“Haah...”

Mikhail moved his hand again.

The buttons came undone, revealing his pale skin, and the bandages that had bound his chest began to unravel.

As Mikhail released his stubbornness, which had started with his desires, he looked up at a dress hanging on the closet door.

A white one-piece dress.

Mikhail, who had bought the dress to show someone, gazed at it with a tightly closed mouth, having an impulsive thought.

“Maybe I can wear it just once.”

Mikhail, who was muttering to himself, carefully took out the dress from the closet and wore a faint smile.

“Yes, just once...”

The academy’s shirt and pants fell to the floor.

Mikhail took off the clothes he had worn, like shedding his skin, and began to put on the dress he had never worn before, accompanied by a deep sigh.

“...”

The custom-made dress, which fit him perfectly, created a tidy and elegant appearance on Mikhail’s body.

The dress, which he had bought to show a certain boy, fit him snugly, and Mikhail burst into laughter like a child.

“It’s pretty...”

Mikhail, who was thrilled, turned around in front of the mirror, gazing at himself with an awkward smile, and even lifted his skirt slightly, imitating the actions of a schoolgirl.

“Really pretty.”

Mikhail was enjoying his true self. Perhaps he should have enjoyed his daily life, but Mikhail was hiding and enjoying it in a place where no one was around.

It felt like a god.

A thrilling feeling.

Mikhail smiled, savoring the long-awaited sense of liberation.

But unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last long.

The moonlight, shrouded in clouds, began to illuminate the dark room.

In the mirror, his reflection was slowly taking shape.

Mikhail gazed at his short hair and sturdy legs, reflected in the moonlight’s playful dance.

“Ah...”

His smile disappeared.

His face contorted.

Mikhail thought to himself, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

You’re not good-looking.

It’s just that a guy with a chest like that, wearing a dress and having fun, looks ridiculous. He clenched his fists and glared at his reflection in the mirror. In reality, it was far from that, and despite having the beauty of a princess from a fairy tale, Mikhail’s reflection in the mirror looked pathetic.

Mikhail erased the faint smile and made a sad face.

“...What kind of woman is this?”

Mikhail hurriedly tried to take off the dress. If he kept this up, his mood would only get worse.

Mikhail muttered to himself, his heart filled with regret.

“I’m sorry.”

“I thought I was pretty, but I wasn’t.”

He wanted to show off his beautiful side.

“But I showed you something ugly instead.”

Mikhail forced a awkward smile and tried to stuff the dress into the closet, but just as the fluttering dress was about to slip out of his grasp...

-Ding.

A harsh alarm pierced Mikhail’s eardrums.

-A quest has occurred.

[Q. Show your true self.]

·

·

·

1. Show Ricardo your true self. (0/1)

2. Go on a date with Ricardo. (0/1)

3. Hear Ricardo’s true feelings. (0/1)

Reward: The survival of Minhyuk.

Failure: None

Mikhail clenched his fists and gazed at the blue window with a sense of despair.