Page 255 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

I could feel Mikhail’s trembling through my fingertips.

The small tremors that I felt through his hands vibrated between our palms as he followed my movements.

"Just follow the movement of my hand."

Mikhail’s stiff movements gradually started to follow my guidance, drawing smooth lines.

Hoo.

Clean and clear.

Though I can’t claim my way is the best, in this moment, I tried to instill in Mikhail the same martial skills that he had displayed in the novel.

The technique that had left the archbishop flustered and made the wind dance with just a small movement.

I glanced at Mikhail, who was following my instructions well, and gave him a word of praise. I had expected him to act stubbornly, but he had followed along better than I anticipated.

"Good."

I couldn’t help but commend him.

"Relax your shoulders more. Don’t think of it as striking down, but rather moving with the rhythm...."

Where had the attitude of defiance gone? The wariness he had shown toward me was replaced by an unexpectedly compliant demeanor. Perhaps it was because he was now wearing the guise of Misa, but his movements had become much smoother, making it easier to teach him.

The only flaw was...

Tremble.

He wasn’t fully focused.

Squeeze...

Mikhail squeezed his eyes shut tighter whenever my hand touched his wrist, unable to concentrate on the sword. Each time my fingers brushed against him, he flinched, and if my guidance became slightly more forceful, his grip on the sword loosened, as if he might drop it at any moment.

He was trembling, like a child trying to protect her food bowl from Gomtangi.

"Hey." "..." "Miss Misa."

Mikhail was breathing heavily and didn’t seem to hear me. He was exhaling in short, shaky breaths, repeatedly gripping and releasing the sword.

I decided to let go of Mikhail’s hand for a moment.

It seemed like I was pushing him too hard, too fast. We weren’t close, and in my haste, I had overlooked that. Gently, I released Mikhail’s hand and took a calming breath.

"Shall we stop here for today?" "What?" "You’re not listening to anything I’m saying right now, are you?" "...Ah."

Mikhail looked down at his trembling hand and let out a sigh. I didn’t know what was making him so anxious, but seeing his hand shake like a leaf made me smile sadly.

"Let’s call it a day." "I’m sorry." "It’s okay. Everyone has days like this." "But still..."

I carefully sat down under the shade of a tree and called Mikhail over. I suggested that we take a break instead of pushing further. We had already practiced for two hours straight without a break, so I thought it had been a decent training session. Most people would be exhausted after receiving instruction from a Sword Master for two hours.

'Come to think of it, I’m quite a valuable asset.'

The fact that Mikhail had managed to get a Sword Master to work for free made me realize just how impressive his connections were.

In any case, considering that today’s session had been tougher than what he’d usually go through at the academy, I could understand why he was tired.

I didn’t know what was making Mikhail so anxious, but it seemed like a good time for a talk. It wasn’t often that I got a chance to speak with Mikhail one-on-one, even though I was wearing the mask of Misa. If I could listen to his concerns, it would be good for both his future and mine.

I spread a handkerchief on the ground and patted the spot beside me.

"Miss Misa." "I’d like to keep practicing...." "Sit down." "I’m fine. I need to practice more." "You sound so formal now. Last time, you were all 'Hey, you.'" "I’m sor—" "Shh! Come sit here. Sometimes, rest is the best form of training." "..."

Reluctantly, Mikhail sat down beside me, adjusting his academy uniform and keeping a slight distance between us.

'It’s still awkward, huh.'

I didn’t expect our relationship to improve instantly. There were deep emotional scars and many issues to resolve.

Mikhail disliked me. And I disliked Mikhail.

I smiled slightly and looked up at the blue trees. Just looking at the vibrant nature made me feel a sense of relief.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

I asked Mikhail as I admired the green trees. Despite their age, Hamel had little to boast about other than the villainess's house and its stunning natural scenery. Oh, and the forest friends, too.

I chuckled to myself as I began to share some modest boasts N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t with Mikhail.

"Hamel may be a backwater place, but the air is fresh. We’ve got valleys, mountains, and cool breezes. Of course, it’s cold in the winter, though." "..." "Living in the countryside isn’t all bad. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but..."

Mikhail clenched his fist and cautiously asked,

"Why... do you live in Hamel?" "What?" "You lived in the capital, didn’t you? In a really nice mansion, too." "Oh..."

I let out a small laugh as I picked a flower and answered Mikhail’s question. It was a difficult question, so I needed something to keep my hands busy.

"I was kicked out." "..." "My employer made a small mistake, so we were kicked out. Well, it wasn’t a small mistake; it was a huge shock for her." "..."

Mikhail clenched his fist.

I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his clenched fist. Was it out of anger, or did he dislike my bluntness? I wasn’t sure.

Still.

"I don’t hold a grudge. It’s not like there’s anything to hold a grudge over. We made a mistake, so it’s fortunate that things ended as they did. Miss Misa, you know what we did wrong, don’t you?" "..." "Honestly, even if Mikhail were more upset, I wouldn’t have any complaints." "All of it..."

Mikhail lowered his head and spoke.

"Wasn’t it all because of Mikhail?"

I hadn’t expected him to say that.

His sharp question made me fall silent as I pondered it.

I couldn’t tell if he was trying to lower his opinion of me by asking or if he was simply curious. No matter how I answered, it felt like stepping on a landmine.

‘That’s pretty sneaky.’

He was trying to gather information while pretending to be Misa, but I wasn’t in that same position. I licked my lips and gave a wry smile.

"I guess so." "..." "I can’t deny it. The whole situation arose because my colleague was too exceptional." "Then, do you dislike him?"

"Oh... I disliked him from the start. He was so outstanding that it was annoying."

Mikhail’s expression grew paler. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but...

Though his stubbornness was irritating, he hadn’t actually done anything wrong, so I answered with a teasing smile.

"Still, I feel sorry for him. He went through a lot because of us, especially because I gave him a hard time." "..." "Ah, but if there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s this."

With a bitter smile, I plucked the petals of the Edelweiss flower one by one as I continued.

"He disliked us too much." "..." "I tried my best, but... Once you get on someone’s bad side, it’s hard to get off. You know?" "Bad side...."

"I understand, though. I’m not exactly a trustworthy person, so I get why he’d feel that way. Sometimes, even I look at myself and think I’m untrustworthy, so I can admit it..."

Still.

"It’s a shame."

Mikhail lowered his head even further. Whether it was because of the harsh words or something else, Mikhail kept his head bowed, unable to lift it, and eventually, with trembling breath, he spoke to me.

"How did you..." "What?" "How did you end up serving Olivia?" "Oh... The young lady?" "Yes." "Why do you ask?" "She’s a villainess. She had a bad reputation from a young age, and she really was like that. My seniors told me that Olivia was truly like a demon."

I nodded with a small smile. It was true.

"That’s right. She’s a temperamental villainess who destroys things when she doesn’t get her way and acts more on emotion than logic." "Knowing that, why do you stay with her?"

I smiled softly and answered Mikhail honestly.

"Because I have nowhere else to go." "What...?" "There’s nowhere else I can go but there." "..." "Even with all the bad rumors, it’s the only place where I can rest comfortably, where I feel most at ease. That’s why I can’t leave." "What do you mean?" "Well..."

I gave Mikhail a small, evasive smile.

"I don’t even know myself."

"Even though she’s different from the start, just like Miss Misa said, I’m not sure what’s so appealing. It’s strange, isn’t it?"

I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head. But even then, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. After all, it was true—I really did like it.

"I don’t quite understand it myself."

Mikhail bit his lip. He had thought there would be a reason, but realizing that I had chosen that path of my own free will, he felt a bit stunned. Seeing this different side of the boy from his memories, Mikhail lowered his head.

I decided to share with Mikhail a reason that he might understand. I felt like I had criticized the young lady too much and needed to offer some praise.

"But she saved my life. The young lady, that is." "She saved your life?" "Yes, I nearly died when I was younger. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but something major happened."

I pointed to my stomach and smiled bitterly.

"It hurt."

Mikhail kept his lips sealed.

I smiled awkwardly and stood up, feeling the need to lift the gloomy atmosphere.

Talking too much about dark topics would only make us both feel down, so I rubbed my empty stomach and asked Mikhail a question to change the subject.

"Hey, Miss Misa." "Yes?" "How about we get something to eat?" "Eat...?"

I thought about a place called ‘Yuram’ as I gave him a faint smile.

"I know a decent place."