Page 251 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

"Mmnya."

Olivia, waking up from her sleep, rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed.

"Kuh, kuh... Air raid alert! Imperial forces, full mobilization!"

Beside her, her father was still asleep. The air was dry.

"Mmnya."

Olivia was thirsty. If she kept going like this, she might face the threat of defeat by the Mandrago forces, who threatened the Empire's security every morning. With a serious expression, she rubbed her nose.

"Sniff!"

She was breathing well. Her body felt light.

Olivia carefully kicked the blanket toward Darvab and looked down below the bed.

So far down...

"Eek! It's high!"

It was so dark she couldn’t see the floor. Olivia, remaining calm, took a deep breath, put one foot on the edge of the bed, and tried to gauge the distance to the ground with the other.

"...."

Wriggle, wriggle.

Frowning, Olivia glared at her short legs, which didn’t reach the floor. Falling from this height would definitely make a loud noise, so she waved her short legs around, hoping her toes might touch the ground.

"Eek!"

No luck.

Resigned, Olivia tightly closed her eyes and began to slowly climb down.

Thud!

"Oof!"

Naturally, her short legs were not enough to help her land safely. As the sound of her body hitting the hard floor echoed, Darvab woke up and looked at Olivia.

"Olivia!"

He had tried to keep his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep at the sight of his daughter’s cute antics, but he couldn’t ignore her getting hurt.

Darvab looked at Olivia with startled eyes, and Olivia stared back at him with a sullen expression.

Bump.

"Father." "Are you okay?" "Go back to sleep." "Understood."

Darvab was a father who listened well.

Taking advantage of the late evening, Olivia carefully headed towards the stairs to get some water. She lifted her toes slightly and moved cautiously to avoid waking anyone.

"Huff...!"

'Mustn’t wake them.'

At this moment, Olivia was a spy.

"Hehe."

Honestly, it was fun. There was nothing more thrilling than a secret adventure. Having once stolen the principal’s seal at the academy, Olivia enjoyed this kind of tension.

Holding her breath, Olivia descended the stairs. She gripped the banister tightly and moved so quietly that even a Sword Master wouldn’t notice her presence.

You might ask, how could a mere villainess possess stealth skills that even a Sword Master couldn't detect? But as a villainess with an innate talent for thievery passed down through her family, it was indeed possible.

"Heeheehee...!"

Just as Olivia was considering a new side job in theft, she found herself nearly at the bottom of the stairs and close to the kitchen.

One more step.

Do you even know what you're doing right now?

Another step.

If you know, why are you still doing it? What plan? Even if you have a plan, it’s not something you can handle!

As Olivia took her third step, she heard rough voices coming from beyond the kitchen.

She tilted her head in confusion.

"Are they having fun without me again?"

Thinking that they were enjoying something fun without her, Olivia clenched her fist. She was annoyed that they had left her in her father’s room while they were playing. Olivia pouted.

"Eugh..."

Quietly, she brought her head closer to where the voices were coming from. If she barged in suddenly, her mother would surely tell her to go back to bed. It was important to be patient.

She wasn’t sure what kind of game it was, but if she learned the rules, Ricardo would definitely let her join. With her limited patience, Olivia peeked through the slightly open door and focused on the conversation.

She saw three people.

"I'm doing this because I want to." Ricardo.

"What about the people left behind?" Mother. No, her mom.

"Mother..." And her older brother.

The three of them were sitting there with serious expressions, staring at each other. Olivia’s curiosity only grew as she watched them sitting together like that, no matter how much she looked.

"Eek...! They're playing Mafia, aren’t they?!"

She remembered playing Mafia with Ricardo last time.

Bang.Ack!It’s over....Already?Yes.Aren’t you going to kill me?No.

She recalled how the game had ended in one round because there weren’t enough players. Olivia clenched her fists in frustration, recalling that disappointment.

"I want to play Mafia too..."

With three people, it could last at least two days. Feeling a pang of jealousy, Olivia kept her desire to join the game to herself and focused on their conversation.

It started with Ricardo's defense.

"In the end, no one will be harmed, and everyone can have a happy outcome. I’m confident in that."

Ricardo’s voice carried a note of resentment, as if he was frustrated at being accused of being the Mafia.

"He's acting well."

Olivia clenched her fists as she listened to Ricardo’s calm defense. For some reason, she felt uneasy. Swallowing hard, she held her breath.

"This looks really interesting..."

It didn’t seem like acting; it looked real.

Her mom, with her eyes wide open, spoke sharply to Ricardo.

"If you’re so confident." "...." "If you’re so confident, what will change? Will it stop you from getting hurt? Or are you hoping people will treat you like a hero, bowing and saying thank you?" "I’ve never thought of anything like that. I’m not that great of a person." "You are great. Even as your mother, I couldn’t come up with such a thought."

Ricardo shook his head slightly, responding as if he knew something.

"No, Mother. You would definitely make the same choice as I did." "...."

Olivia smiled.

"Ricardo speaks well."

She thought to herself that whoever trained this butler did a good job, as his intelligent speech mirrored that of his master.

She prided herself on her ability to choose a good butler. At the same time, she inwardly criticized her older brother, who sat there silently.

"Brother is terrible at this game."

Keeping silent like that would only make him more likely to be suspected as the Mafia, and Olivia felt frustrated enough to want to give him some advice.

Her mother and Ricardo continued their exchange.

"Then you won’t be happy!" "I’m already quite happy." "Ricardo!" "I’m satisfied with my position right now. And I’ve already solved that issue. With just a bit more time..."

Her mom, who wanted him to stop. Ricardo, who couldn’t give up.

The two of them didn’t seem to be getting any closer to agreement, each pressing the other to relent.

"Why are you going so far?" "Because it’s a butler’s duty." "Who taught you that a butler should sacrifice their life for their master? Was that written in the handbook?" "Yes." "Then quit being a butler." "I refuse." "Ricardo, I’m not just talking to you as your mother; I’m ordering you as the mistress of the Desmont family." "Sometimes, it’s the butler’s prerogative to make an independent decision for the safety of the master." "...You."

Her mother gritted her teeth as she spoke.

"What do you think Olivia would say if she knew?"

'Me...?'

Olivia clenched her fists.

Hearing her own name suddenly made her heart start to race. Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, Olivia forced herself to smile, thinking, 'Mom’s using me as an excuse because she’s losing the argument,' and pricked up her ears to listen more closely.

"Do you think Olivia would be pleased if she knew?" "...." "Do you think she’d be grateful, thinking, ‘Wow, you sacrificed so much for me, I should be more grateful to you from now on’?"

Olivia pouted and shook her head.

"Mom, no matter how smart I am, I’m not that clever."

Olivia felt a bit hurt. She wished her mother would take her side, but her mom’s cold words were a little upsetting.

But then, her mom was always competitive.

Olivia tried to turn her rising anxiety into a smile and closed her eyes.

And then...

"Huh... Huh-choo!"

Her nose started to twitch from the dust in the air, and she began to wrinkle her nose.

"Eek... I shouldn’t interrupt the game."

Her nose was itching.

Ricardo and her mom continued their conversation, while Olivia tried to shake her head to hold back the sneeze.

At the moment when her mother was about to say something decisive—

"Because of Olivia, you might die...!" "Achoo!"

Olivia couldn’t hold back the sneeze any longer.

Silence fell.

No one spoke. They all stood up and turned their heads toward the direction of the sneeze, staring in surprise. They all had wide eyes, like people who had said something they shouldn’t have, and they were all looking at the door. Olivia awkwardly smiled, opened the door, and squeezed herself into the room.

"Sniff."

Olivia lifted her face, now covered in snot. She wore a ridiculous expression, trying to smile awkwardly as she walked toward the three of them.

"Mom. Brother. Ricardo!"

Ricardo’s face had turned pale. He looked more shocked than her mom or her brother, his complexion drained as he stared at her.

"Ah... Miss?" "Mhm." "That... that is..."

Olivia, still awkwardly smiling, spoke to Ricardo.

"I want to play."

Suppressing the unease in her heart.

"Let me play the game too."

She held out her hand toward Ricardo.