Page 283 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

On his way out of the reception room,

"Huh?"

Loen glanced down at the Desmund lady, who was sitting on the floor of the living room. Cradled in the arms of an animal, which he couldn’t tell if it was a bear or a dog, the Desmund lady briefly glanced at him, then, as if losing interest, went back to fiddling with the paw of her pet.

"Hoong... Bear trotters...!"

Growl?! "Heeek... A...nom! Eww, it’s tasty."Growl. "Hey! Don’t hit me!"

“...”

Was this mansion always so dismissive?

No matter where he went, there was no place that treated him as indifferently as this one. Loen decided not to think too much about the Desmund lady’s lack of attention.

The Desmund family and his had never gotten along well since the previous generations, so perhaps such treatment was expected.

Click. Click.

As Loen, deep in thought, passed by the Desmund lady, he heard her muttering under her breath.

"What’s the head of Histania, who knows nothing but swords, doing here?" “...” "Does he have nothing better to do?"

Loen stopped and turned to look at her. He could have ignored the comment, but the fact that a young lady would speak so disrespectfully to the head of a noble family irked him.

Loen’s gaze bore down on Olivia, who stared back, pointing her finger at him.

"You’re a count. I’m a duchess." “...What’s your point?” "If you don’t like the title, take it up with the emperor. Then maybe I’ll respect you."

Like father, like daughter.

Loen’s memory flashed back to his academy days with the head of the Desmund family. He remembered the same type of disdain.

Why do you live such a boring life? You’re so rigid and stuffy.Mind your own business. Spend that time practicing magic instead of getting beaten by me like last time.It wasn’t a beating, it was a draw. Got muscles in your brain, too, that you can’t even remember right?...

The Desmund family was always a thorn in his side. Whether it was the black magic-using lady or the one they failed to expel from the family, it was all distasteful.

"You’re insolent."

The Desmund family, relying on their duchy title, appeared to be rebellious, at least in Loen’s eyes, for not fully dedicating themselves to the empire.

"Hmph..."

Yet the unyielding look in her eyes seemed to reflect the pride of the Desmund family.

Loen sighed deeply, realizing there was no point in wasting his time arguing with a young woman. He had more important matters to deal with.

However, Olivia continued her insolent remarks.

"If I’m insolent, does that mean Histania has already fallen?" "...What did you say?" "Isn’t it true?" "...What?" "The head of Histania showed up at my mansion without notice, acting all high and mighty. Even if you’re the Sword of the Empire, isn’t it a bit rude?" "Your tone is disrespectful, Lady Desmund." "As I said, I’m a duchess. You’re a count." "I would think you’d understand why Histania doesn’t care about titles." "I’m not interested in stubbornness. And I don’t care to discuss things that would put me at a disadvantage." "Why do your lot always argue so much?" "Because you’re annoying."

Without realizing it, Loen clenched his fists. He felt like he had lost control of the conversation.

Loen believed that the weak should follow the strong, but Olivia, aware of her own strengths, wasn’t someone he could easily rebuke.

So, he found himself being dragged along by her words.

In order to avoid being swept away any further, Loen tightly clenched his fists and walked past her, saying,

"I’m leaving." "Wait." "I have nothing to say to you. Why should I listen to you?" "Because I have something to say." "..."

Olivia, looking at the frozen Loen, calmly continued.

"Tell me, Lord of Histania." "..." "How did you raise your children?" "What...?"

Despite the rising anger in Loen’s voice, Olivia remained completely unfazed, continuing her words with confidence.

"Histania Hannah came crying to our mansion." "..." "Histania Malick came to apologize." "My ? NоvеIight ? (Original source) children did that?" "What kind of father are you if you don’t even know? Are you really their dad?" "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything, Lady." "What a joke."

Olivia sighed, letting out a small chuckle.

"It seems you weren’t a proper father, after all. I thought Hannah and Malick had grown up well. Of course, it was awkward at first."

Olivia’s eyes widened as if she had realized something, and she clapped her hands, as if having an epiphany.

"Oh...! Is it that they didn’t want to be like their father?" "You’d better watch what you say." "What, am I wrong? How much must they have hated you to come to the home of a disgraced villainess instead of staying with their family? And they went to our butler, of all people." "..." "Not that it’s a bad thing. Our butler is quite the talented person, after all." "So, what are you trying to say?" "Nothing, I’m just bored."

Olivia smiled cheekily at Loen as she spoke.

"Weren’t you here because of our butler?" "..." "Maybe you were hoping for some help."

Loen had no words to respond with. Olivia’s words were blunt and hit directly at the core of the matter. Contrary to the rumors, her sharp words had him at a loss. He could only grit his teeth in silence.

"Raising kids is tough, isn’t it?" "Don’t speak so carelessly, Desmund." "They never follow what you say, and if they just listened to their father, they’d be successful, but all they do is act stubborn." "...Enough." "But, you know."

Olivia, her eyes smiling, looked directly at the Sword of the Empire.

"If you live like that, life’s really boring, isn’t it?" "..." "You don’t know why you’re living, you feel like a puppet, and it’s not like you’re even giving out candy. All you know how to do is scold, never to praise."

Loen remained silent.

He was getting sucked into Olivia’s words. He could silence her in an instant if he used force, but her sharp words had already lodged themselves in his ears, filling them with brutal truths.

With an air of indifference, Olivia whispered another cutting remark into his ear.

"Keep going like that." "..." "Maybe when someone dies, things will finally change. But hey, that’s a solid choice, right? Once you set up one strong pillar, the rest of the weak ones will crumble. You’ll be able to rebuild your foundation easily. That’s nice, right?" "Shut up." "Heh... What? Isn’t that exactly what you were hoping for? From what I’ve heard, the things you’ve said were worse than what I’ve just said."

Just as the air around Loen began to feel even more oppressive,

Click. Click.

The sound of footsteps descending from the second floor filled the mansion, and Olivia fell silent. She glanced up briefly and then, snuggling into the arms of her pet, whispered a farewell as if she’d already lost interest.

"Just don’t cross the line like me. Moderation is key."

"At least you know your place." "I’ve had my realizations." "You’re insolent. Just like your father." "Don’t insult my dad. He’s a duke." "You lot never back down, do you?" "What can I say... we were born this way. Anyway, think it over. Apologizing is harder than it seems." "..." "You could regret it for the rest of your life."

My lady!

Seeing Ricardo coming down the stairs, Olivia closed her eyes. It was as if she had been asleep the whole time.

"Snooze..."

She closed her eyes.

"Did something happen?"

"Mm?"

"You seemed to be talking with the Lord of Histania."

"Oh..."

Olivia looked at the door Loen had just left through and spoke with a bored tone.

"He seemed bored, so I played with him."

I pulled at her cheek as I replied.

"You were teasing him again." "Eeeeek!!! No, I wasn’t!" "Your face says otherwise." "Eeek!!! Maybe... a little." "I teased him too." "Fuhihi!"

I patted her head with a smile.

"Should we write it on the fence? ‘A villainess who teased the Sword of the Empire lives here.’" "Eeek..."

She seemed in a good mood.

In the now-empty study,

The Lord of Histania sat under the pale moonlight, letting out a long sigh.

He wondered if going to that mansion had been a mistake, but at the same time, he learned things he hadn’t known before.

That he had been wrong.

When had it all become so difficult? When had his presence become a burden? The more he thought about it, the harder it was to organize his thoughts.

As he sought to find his direction, he realized that many things had gone wrong, and his heart ached.

Family. Choices. Standards.

The standards he had imposed must have become heavy burdens for his children. The thought that all his choices had weighed down his children made Loen feel as though his heart had been trampled.

The advice he gave his daughter,

"You have no talent." He now realized had been the worst advice he could have given.

The burden he placed on his eldest son,

"You are destined to become the head of Histania. Focus only on the sword." He now realized had created an environment where his children grew to hate each other.

Where had it all gone wrong?

Loen sat alone in the dark study, drinking. The alcohol wasn’t enough to get him drunk—it was just to soothe his loneliness.

"...Damn it."

The moonlight was cold.

The many swords hanging in the study were sharp, and the ones Hannah had once begged to touch remained spotless in their places.

"...The worst."

Loen hung his head.

He needed to calm his racing thoughts. But time would not wait for him.

Creak.

The door to the study opened, and a familiar face appeared in the moonlight.

It was someone familiar, holding a sword.

"It’s been a while, Dad."

It was the worst possible reunion.