Page 268 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Under the rising moonlight.

"Hmm..."

As I walked in after work, the young lady, who was folding paper, waved at me with a cheerful greeting.

"Riccardo!"

"It’s Ricardo."

"It’s fine."

"But I’m not fine with it."

The young lady casually ignored my objection and stared at me with her bright, curious eyes.

Rustle.

More precisely, she was staring at my hands, which were hidden behind my back. I let out a small chuckle at her curious gaze and spoke.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rustle.

As soon as the sound of rustling came from behind me, her eyes widened, and she smiled brightly.

"Heehee! Snacks!"

"Are you more excited about snacks than seeing me?"

I sighed lightly and held up a paper bag filled with expired goods, smiling softly.

Despite always giving her good food, she had an odd preference for expired snacks.

"Free stuff is the best stuff!"

The young lady, with a solid sense of financial awareness, cheered as she took the paper bag from me. Although I felt a bit guilty about letting her eat expired food, I couldn’t stop her since she liked it.

"Ooooh! Riccardo! There’s tuna kimbap! And chocolate milk too!"

She was someone who found happiness in small things.

After about ? Nоvеl?гht ? (Don’t copy, read here) an hour of filling her hungry stomach with convenience store food, she returned to folding paper, something she had postponed.

"Hmmm..."

Focused for the first time in a while, the young lady carefully pressed the paper with her white fingers, smiling happily.

"Young lady."

"Yeah?"

"What are you folding?"

"It’s a secret."

She pouted her lips, deeply focused, putting even archaeologists to shame with her concentration.

Sniff.

Of course, I was the one who wiped away her runny nose. After a long while of folding, she held out a small piece of paper in her palm and offered it to me.

"Riccardo."

"Yes, young lady?"

"Take this."

"You're giving it to me?"

"Yes, it’s for you."

Looking at the creation that resembled half-chewed gum, I let out a curious sigh.

"You folded a nice crane."

She had tried and failed to fold a paper crane last year, so I assumed it was a crane. The only things she knew how to fold were people and paper cranes. Although it looked more like a chimera wearing the disguise of a crane, the base was still a crane, so I could easily guess what it was.

"Your crafting skills have really improved."

Confident in my guess, the young lady shook her head firmly and corrected me.

"Nope, it’s not."

"Then what is it?"

Smiling brightly, she introduced her masterpiece.

"It’s a flower."

"Oh..."

"It’s a flower."

"This... is a flower?"

"Yep! This is the petal, and this is the stem."

Oh. I had no idea.

If she called this mangled piece of paper a flower, then the weeds on the side of the road must be tulips. With a puzzled expression, I questioned her creation.

"Ah, so this must be one of those flowers that smell like decaying bodies, right?"

"Nope!"

As she pulled out another piece of paper and resumed folding, she shook her head with a slight pout.

"It’s a rose."

"Huh?"

The more I thought about it, the less I could understand her artistic sense. It seemed that the aesthetic judgment of nobles was beyond the comprehension of commoners like me.

"Nobles are truly profound."

(What she called) a "rose" was presented to me with a satisfied smile, and she handed it over.

"Here, take it!"

"You’re giving me another one?"

"Yes, make sure you use it for flower arranging later."

"I’m sure people will be surprised by it."

"Fufufu..."

The young lady was delighted by the praise.

And so, we continued folding paper together.

I worked toward making a thousand cranes, while she focused on folding her peculiar roses.

This time, she folded a green rose, and as she worked, she spoke casually.

"Hey, Riccardo."

"Yes?"

"Is work tough for you?"

"No, it’s not tough at all."

"..."

She bit her lip and kept folding. She wanted to help me, but her body wouldn’t allow it, and that made her feel ashamed.

So, she quietly folded paper to soothe her feelings of helplessness.

"It’s fine, young lady."

"I didn’t say anything."

"But your face says it all."

"Eeeeek..."

With a sigh, she clenched her fists and said.

"If it ever gets tough, let me know."

"Haha... Yes, I will."

"And if someone bothers you, tell my father."

"I will."

"And..."

After a moment of silence, the young lady took a deep breath and asked me a question.

"Riccardo, what’s your favorite flower?"

"Why ask me about flowers all of a sudden?"

"Just curious."

"Then, what’s your favorite flower, young lady?"

Curious about her question, I smiled and returned the question to her. It wasn’t like her to ask about flowers, considering she preferred fighting, so I was intrigued.

"Hmm..."

She instinctively brought her finger toward her nose, but I quickly intercepted it.

"That’s unsanitary."

"Riccardo, nobles aren’t dirty."

"But your father picks his nose too, doesn’t he? Is there a reason for that?"

"Ugh... That’s gross."

"That’s a lie."

Her comment, perfectly embodying hypocrisy, made me chuckle softly.

"So, what’s your favorite flower? Is it roses, which are beautiful to look at? Or cosmos, which bloom vibrantly in autumn?"

"Hmm..."

She shook her head and answered in a short, firm voice before cautiously speaking again.

"I like lilies."

"That’s an interesting choice."

"Huh?"

"Are you into girls, by chance?"

"No, I like men."

The young lady's clear response, paired with her oblivious expression, made me stifle a laugh.

"That’s still quite romantic, coming from you. I would’ve guessed roses."

"I do like roses, but I prefer lilies. They’re pretty and smell nice. And..."

She smiled gently as she continued.

"Their flower meaning is 'purity,' after all."

"Quite the opposite of you, young lady."

"Eeeeek!"

Clenching a piece of paper in her hand, she looked frustrated, ready to throw it at me. To avoid getting hit, I quickly gave her my answer.

"I like canary flowers."

"Huh? Those flowers are really ugly."

"They’re not ugly. They’re simple."

"Plain."

"Haha! Well, they don’t stand out, but isn’t that what makes them beautiful? They’re quiet, unremarkable flowers that you can find anywhere."

"Riccardo, you sound like a teenager going through a phase."

"Really? I thought I was being quite poetic, but I guess not."

The young lady pouted and went back to folding paper, mumbling about how to fold a canary flower.

Amused by her determination, I smiled and gently called her name.

"Oh, by the way, young lady."

"Huh?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"Hmm, as long as it’s not too difficult. I’m dumb, so I’m bad at math."

"I’m aware of that."

"Eeeek!"

Smiling at her exaggerated reaction, I carefully asked my question.

"It’s about my friend."

"Riccardo, you have friends?"

"...Let’s say it’s about someone I don’t know."

"Hmm."

"This friend of mine..."

"Hmm, this friend?"

"He has feelings that won’t lead anywhere. What should he do?"

Pause.

The young lady stopped what she was doing and looked at me.

Even though I tried to soften my words, she seemed to have understood. Perhaps she realized it was about her, or someone with a similar story.

Realizing I might have upset her, I quickly lowered my head, apologizing for my thoughtlessness.

"I’m sorry."

"..."

"I spoke out of turn."

"It’s okay. That happens."

After staring at her folded paper for a long time, the young lady finally opened her mouth, speaking in a soft voice.

"Riccardo."

"Yes?"

"You know what happens when someone gets fixated on something?"

"...No."

"They lose sight of everything else."

"..."

"When your vision goes black, and no matter how much someone shouts, you don’t hear them. Even when you know it’s wrong, you can’t stop."

"..."

"And when you finally crash into something..."

The young lady smiled bitterly as she continued.

"Everything comes crumbling down."

I cautiously spoke to the young lady, who wore a serious expression.

"Young lady..."

"Hmm?"

"Please don’t take the chocolate from my pocket."

"Eek!"

As much as her words were wise, her hands were just as mischievous.

Meanwhile, at the Academy convenience store.

Hidden behind a pillar, Shuen was watching the man at the counter while holding her breath.

"This is bad..."

Shuen was in trouble.

Though keeping an eye on Ricardo was important, there was an even bigger problem—one that directly threatened her survival.

It was currently 12:10 PM.

Lunchtime, the most dreaded time of the day for Shuen, had arrived, and she was lurking around the convenience store, hoping not to be seen.

Lunchtime was the worst for Shuen.

For her, lunch was the scariest time, a time she wished wouldn’t come.

Eating alone in the bathroom for two years straight had been lonely enough.

"I forgot my lunch in the dorms..."

Her stomach growling, Shuen fought back tears as she thought about the lunch she’d left on her desk—egg rolls, rice, and stir-fried Vienna sausages, all neatly packed.

"Today even had sausages... it’s so unfair!"

Due to her father's strict educational methods, meant to instill financial discipline, Shuen received a small allowance. Now, regretting that she’d left her lunch behind, she felt cold sweat running down her back.

"If I don’t have lunch... I’ll have to starve!"

Eating in the bathroom had become her norm for two years now, but she couldn’t bring herself to go to the crowded cafeteria alone.

If she did, people would surely say:

"There she goes again, eating alone.""She said she wouldn't eat peasant food, so what is this?""Leave her be. She always eats alone."

Shuen didn’t want to face the gossip, so she hid behind the pillar, praying for the crowd at the convenience store to disappear.

"Why are there so many people today?!"

Shuen was starving.

And...

‘Hmmm...’

Ricardo was deep in thought.