Page 274 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Malik sat at his desk, reading the report with a subtle smile.

It was confirmed that Vienna, a third-year student from the swordsmanship department, had committed theft on campus.

With the testimony of Ricardo, the convenience store worker, a search of Vienna's dorm by Michail and one other student revealed evidence of her involvement in black magic trafficking, along with the recovery of three stolen items.

"Hmm..."

Malik sighed, shaking his head. It had been less than a month since he had taken up the position /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ of senior director, and yet here he was, dealing with a mess already. Glancing at the note attached to the report, Malik couldn’t help but sigh again.

Handle it appropriately.

If this incident becomes public, both the academy and the student, Vienna, will face difficulties. Be discreet.

He rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on. He didn’t need to think too hard to figure out who had left the note.

“When did they leave this?”

The contents were clear enough without any need for interpretation.

"They want me to handle this quietly."

If it was that guy, he probably left the note behind quietly and disappeared without a trace. Why bother leaving something unreadable? Malik didn’t understand.

“I’ll never figure him out.”

That guy was strange, to say the least.

He possessed vast knowledge, like a sage who had seen the future, and his combat abilities were too great for someone just serving as a maid to a villainess. As much as Malik would’ve liked to have him by his side, he knew that handling such an unpredictable individual would be impossible.

"At least I’ve made a good business partner."

Thanks to that guy, life had become much more interesting.

His brother’s matters. His dreams. And his business.

In the never-ending excitement of his daily life, Malik chuckled softly, placing his empty teacup on the table and looking up.

“So, do you have anything to say, Vienna?”

Malik asked as he glanced toward Vienna, who sat on the sofa across from him. If she had anything to say, now was the time.

Vienna, who had read every word of the report, flinched under Malik’s cold gaze. This was her first time facing the senior director directly; until now, she had assumed he was just a figurehead.

“I... I didn’t...”

The director, who she had thought was just a puppet to appease the student body, now seemed terrifying.

His emotionless tone. The way he calmly watched her. And those piercing eyes—there was no way this man was just a figurehead.

Vienna felt her blood run cold.

“This is a setup...! Why would I even use black magic?!”

“That’s not what I’m interested in.”

“What...? What do you mean by that? Haha! You know, don’t you, Director?”

Malik offered Vienna a calm smile.

“Hmm... Yes.”

“You see?!”

Vienna grinned nervously, trying to gauge the situation. But Malik, in his casual tone, continued speaking as if it were no big deal.

“It seems like you don’t understand why you’re here, Vienna.”

“...”

“If this were about disciplinary action, we’d be in the student council office. Don’t you think?”

“Then why... am I...?”

“Didn’t you try to frame my business partner?”

“Pardon...?”

“He didn’t want to get involved. He made that very clear. But I insisted, and here we are.”

“D-Director...?”

“What do you think, Vienna? Do you think I’ll ever be able to face him again after what you’ve done?”

Malik smiled faintly as he looked at the trembling Vienna.

“Vienna.”

“Gulp...”

“Words can be very dangerous.”

“T-That’s...”

“Especially for someone like me, trust is everything.”

Malik stood from the sofa and placed a hand gently on Vienna’s shoulder.

“Ricardo said he hoped I’d go easy on you. He didn’t want any strange rumors spreading, so he suggested we keep it to a suspension.”

Tap.

“What do you think about that, Vienna?”

Vienna’s shoulders trembled under Malik’s touch.

“I don’t feel like ending it there, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

“Hiccup...”

“Don’t cry, Vienna. You know, power is only meaningful when you use it.”

With a smile that could belong to a villain in a story, Malik whispered to Vienna.

“Have you ever been stuffed into a barrel?”

Vienna’s face turned ghostly pale.

Malik chuckled quietly and flicked his fingers. Moments later, a group of men dressed in black entered the room.

“Take her away.”

-Nod.

“Director!! Director!!”

The men grabbed Vienna roughly by the shoulders and began dragging her out of the room.

“Please! Please spare me!!”

“My ears are ringing.”

“I beg you! Please! Don’t kill me!”

Malik refilled his teacup with a smile.

“I said not to kill her, so I guess we’ll just scare her a little.”

Ricardo had asked him to avoid making things worse, so Malik figured this would be a neat way to wrap things up.

Of course, he only intended to scare her within an inch of her life.

“It seems the glory of the Histania family ends with this generation.”

Malik was annoyed.

His business partner had been targeted.

The academy was peaceful once again.

After the theft scandal died down, peace returned to the convenience store. Though malicious rumors still swirled, the students were slowly forgetting about Vienna’s disappearance.

Once again, I found myself at the register, and as usual, my familiar guest arrived.

“Commoner!”

“...What is with that weird pronunciation?”

“I bit my tongue.”

“No matter how hard you try, being graceful doesn’t suit you.”

“Hmph.”

Shuen, who had come with an empty wallet, pouted as she unwrapped yet another unsold lunch box. She joked that she couldn’t live without them now.

Sitting at a table, she glanced at the students passing by the convenience store with a faint smile.

“Well, at least it worked out.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I assumed it had something to do with the free lunch boxes.

Shuen looked at me with a warm smile.

“The convenience store is getting more customers now. That means your wallet must be getting thicker.”

Nodding in response to her cheerful observation, I replied.

“Indeed. It’s all thanks to you.”

“No, it’s because you were quick-witted enough to catch the thief! Even though the student council kept things quiet.”

“Disappointed about that?”

“Of course! I wanted to see that woman suffer. Plus, I wanted to prove that you’re not a thief...”

“I’m not exactly clean. The lunch you’re eating isn’t an unsold item—I stole it.”

“...That’s theft!”

Shuen widened her eyes, looking at me with a mixture of shock and betrayal, as if to say, After catching a criminal, there’s another one here?

I laughed and teased her.

“That makes you an accomplice, Shuen.”

“Ugh... Now I have to make sure it’s the perfect crime!”

“Haha!!!”

Watching her hastily try to hide the empty lunch box in her bag, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Honestly.

“Oh... I haven’t laughed this much in a while.”

She’s quite the amusing person.

-I’m being serious!

-Sure, sure.

-Don’t laugh!

We spent a while joking about how to commit the perfect crime without getting caught.

Then, Shuen’s expression turned a bit more serious as she looked at me.

“You’re really amazing, you know that?”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t done anything, though. Are you trying to butter me up so I’ll keep giving you lunch boxes?”

-Thud.

Shuen flinched, clearly guilty, but quickly shook her head.

“No! It’s just... you’re always calm, you handled that sausage-head woman, and...”

“I didn’t kill her, you know.”

“Well, she disappeared from the academy, so she’s as good as dead, isn’t she?”

“She’s not dead.”

“Hmmm...! Anyway, I just think you’re the most amazing commoner I’ve ever met.”

Amused by her sudden praise, I smiled and teasingly asked.

“Even more than Michail?”

“...No! What kind of comparison is that?! You’re clearly trying to push Michail aside and claim me for yourself, you pervert!”

“Your imagination is running wild.”

“Grrr...!”

Frustrated, Shuen pounded the table with her fists and stomped her feet. These so-called villainesses were oddly cute, weren’t they?

I glanced around the empty convenience store before calling out to her.

“So, Shuen.”

“Yes?!”

“There’s something you wanted to ask me, isn’t there?”

Shuen hesitated for a moment, looking around nervously before nodding and pulling out a notebook and pen from her bag.

“Well, the thing is...”

“Yes?”

“Michail asked me out on a date.”

“...”

That wasn’t what I expected her to say. I was planning on giving her some advice on how to get stronger, but this conversation had suddenly turned serious.

I nodded slowly, surprised.

“Really...?”

“Yes.”

Shuen, looking incredibly serious, opened her notebook.

-Operation Seduce Michail.

Show off healthy teeth.

Don’t call him a commoner.

Subtly flaunt wealth.

Casually give him candy and say, Oh, I found this.

“This isn’t the right page!”

I pretended I didn’t see that strange list, deciding not to ask too many questions. After all, I had my own notebook with methods for waking up the lady in the morning.

Flustered, Shuen hurriedly turned the pages, revealing a much shorter entry.

-In two days. Noon. Lunch date at the restaurant near the fountain with Michail.

Blushing furiously, Shuen handed me the notebook.

“This time, I know for sure!”

“Know what?”

“That you’re amazing! I think you’re the only one who can help me with my love life!”

“Oh...”

I tilted my head, unsure how she had come to that conclusion, but being praised was always nice.

“Thank you.”

With a trembling voice, Shuen continued.

She wanted to know what I thought about the situation.

She was buzzing with excitement, her eyes wide with anticipation as she asked if this was her chance to confess.

“Michail sent me a signal, right?”

“...”

“He said, Sorry for turning in the report on my own... How about lunch? I’ll pay.”

I nearly laughed at her attempt to mimic Michail’s voice but managed to hold it in and shook my head.

“I don’t think so.”

Shuen stubbornly continued.

She wasn’t quite ready, but she thought this might be her one chance. Should she take it, or let it slip by?

I sighed deeply, looking at her as she leaned in closer.

“Shuen.”

“Yes!”

“Have you...”

“Yes...!”

“...ever been in a relationship before?”

-Thud.

Shuen’s face fell, and she dropped her notebook to the floor as if her world had just crumbled.