Page 288 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Rowen sat at his desk, flipping through the pages of a thick book, fully immersed in its content.

"Hmm..."

The book was as thick as a dictionary. Even though Rowen was an avid reader, the increasing weight of the pages made him sigh. He began to question if this was truly the right approach.

"...This is difficult."

[How to Be a Good Father]

Always smile.Provide positive encouragement and support.Listen to your child’s story all the way through.

Rowen chuckled bitterly at the unusually complex content. None of it seemed to apply to him.

Everything was wrong. From the first to the last point. It felt as if the answers were deliberately avoiding him, as not a single one seemed to fit.

"Everything's wrong, from one to ten."

Yet, Rowen continued to focus. He told himself that this was his first step.

Even if it wasn’t something significant, even if others mocked him, Rowen wanted to keep walking, even if it was in small steps.

He was determined to become a better father to his daughter and to become a father who could apologize to the son who had endured so much. Rowen was slowly chiseling away at his stubborn pride.

There was so much to learn.

It was as if he were a baby just taking his first steps. He realized that all the knowledge he had accumulated until now had to be wiped clean, and he needed to start anew from scratch. Rowen gritted his teeth through the throbbing headache as he concentrated on reading.

Five hours passed.

With a dull thud, Rowen closed the book and nodded slightly, muttering quietly to himself.

"I don’t think I can do this alone."

Though embarrassed, he couldn’t deny it any longer. No matter how much he read, all he absorbed were the words. His mind understood, but his heart wasn’t following.

Frustrated by how disconnected he felt, Rowen let out a deep sigh and lowered his head.

"I need a teacher."

He didn’t know if there was anyone brave enough to teach a Sword Master, but Rowen furrowed his brow, determined to keep moving forward, even without brushing back his disheveled hair.

"...A good father, huh?"

A hollow laugh escaped him.

The rumors were full of lies.

That was how it was with nobles—rumors wrapped in falsehoods and embellishments. It was laughable how they even managed to spread the story that he was a good father. At social gatherings, young aristocrats would go as far as to say, "Your children must be fortunate to have such a caring father as the head of your house."

What a joke.

Resting his hand on the book, Rowen mumbled quietly, wondering if there was anyone among his acquaintances who could be a teacher.

"Someone I can trust..."

Someone who wouldn’t be intimidated by the Sword Master and who had managed to build a harmonious family. No matter how much he thought about it, no answers came to mind.

"..."

Nobles feared him. There was always the risk of unnecessary gossip. Without a specific person in mind, Rowen sat for a long time, pondering and pondering again.

As darkness slowly crept into the room...

"Ah."

A certain noble, who lived without caring about the opinions of others, flashed across Rowen’s mind.

—I'll be a good father. You'll see. —... —Make sure to come to my wedding. You seem like you’d give a generous gift. —You’re spouting nonsense.

Of course, that guy probably wasn’t the best at raising children either, but he was likely still a better father than Rowen.

And so...

"Hoo..."

Rowen pulled his heavy body from the chair and headed toward his friend's estate.

The Desmond Duke’s estate was as peaceful as ever.

"Snore..."

So was the lady.

"My nose itches, Ricardo." "Then scratch it." "Okay." "Please don’t pick your nose." "What am I supposed to do if it’s itchy?!" "Blow your nose, then." "Blow it for me." "..." "Blow it for me!" "Very well."

And so was I.

Enjoying another lazy day, I sat at the lady’s bedside, relishing the peaceful moments.

The sun was shining brightly. No visitors were expected.

Some might say it was a waste of time, but...

Yeah, maybe.

—Snooooore!!!

"Hmph. Ricardo." "Yes?" "My nose is stuffed." "..."

Doing absolutely nothing was the ultimate form of relaxation, or so I thought.

Outside the window, the tranquil scene unfolded.

The green trees, preparing for the approaching summer, and the clear sky. Even Gomtangi, gnawing on Hans’ head in the yard.

'...?'

I rubbed my eyes and looked outside again. I wasn’t sure if I had seen it correctly.

—Beaaaar! —Hehehe... the pinnacle of magic...!

'What is going on?'

The lady, who was also looking out the window, extended her finger with a blank expression, as if to ask what they were doing.

—Bear. Bear. —...If you arrange the magic circle like this...! —Bear. Bear. ? Nоvеl?g?t ? (Official version) Bear. —Gomtangi, could you bite his shoulder too, not just his head? —Grrr, (No.)

I couldn’t answer her question. I didn’t understand why people acted so strangely only when they came to our estate. I sighed as I watched Hans.

I wondered why we had a bear living under the same roof instead of in a proper home.

"Ricardo, they’re weird." "Indeed." "They’re like idiots." "Maybe they’re just hungry." "Your friend must taste delicious." "I don’t think so." "Ugh..."

The lady stared at me with curious eyes and then, out of nowhere, bit my head.

"Nom nom!" "Hmm?" "Growl... grrrr...!"

I felt the neat alignment of her teeth on the top of my head. I wondered if she was trying to show off her perfect teeth, but I only nodded, hiding my grin. It certainly wasn’t because her hair brushed my shoulder.

Suppressing my rising smile, I gently tugged at her cheek.

"Why are you biting me!?" "Bleh... you don’t taste good." "That’s because I have too much in my head." "Then I must taste really bad too." "No."

The lady looked at me with an expectant gaze.

"Then?" "You must taste incredibly sweet." "...Eek?" "Because you’re a fool, Lady."

Without hesitation, the lady threw a pillow at me.

After spending some time discussing what each other’s heads might taste like, the lady gazed out the window again and spoke quietly.

"Ricardo." "Yes?" "What should we do now?" "Shall we play a hand game?" "No, I’ve done that too many times; it’s boring." "How about chess, then?" "I hate it. You always win." "That’s because you’re foolish, Lady..." "Eeeeeek!"

With a pout, the lady spoke carefully.

"I want to go out." "Didn’t we just visit the capital?" "Not that. I want to go outside the estate and play."

It was unusual for the lady, who preferred staying indoors, to want to go out. She rarely ventured beyond the safety of her bed. Despite not understanding her sudden desire for adventure, I, as her devoted servant, asked seriously.

"Is it that time of the month?" "Eeeek! No!" "Ah, I see. Not yet, then..." "Shut up!"

I ignored the lady’s grumbling and pointed toward the sun outside.

"It’s too hot outside." "I’m not hot." "That’s because we have the best air-cooling magic stones in the room. The moment you step out, you’ll melt." "I won’t. I’m great at enduring heat." "Weren’t you the one who whined about wanting a ride in the cart as a child?" "Eeeeek... that wasn’t me." "Ahaha!"

The weather was indeed beautiful.

The kind of weather that made you want to go out. It felt like summer was calling, tempting you to dive into the cold waters of a stream. I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I suppose it is a good day to go out." "Yes! I want to lie under the sun, eat lunch on a mat, and drink too." "Do you even know what 'photosynthesis' means?" "Yeah, it’s lying under the sun." "You’re quite clever, aren’t you?" "Hehe... I know."

She beamed, clearly pleased with the compliment.

I nodded, smiling at her bright face, but my eyes naturally drifted to her legs.

"..."

I couldn’t say anything for a moment.

Seeing her thin, frail legs made me smile bitterly.

Where had the strong legs that could kick like any noble lady gone? All that was left were her weak, fragile legs, and for a moment, I was speechless.

She must have noticed too. As a woman, she must be sensitive to these things.

To me, she still looked beautiful. But perhaps not in her own eyes.

"..."

It didn’t feel good.

Seeing my gaze, the lady awkwardly pulled the blanket over her legs, giving me a weak smile.

"Hehe... What is it?" "..." "What is it...?"

She was smiling, yet for some reason, it felt sad.

I shook my head awkwardly.

"It’s nothing."

Maybe it was my own regret, or maybe it was the lady’s, but her smile seemed more melancholic today than usual.

That’s the way it is with people. When you start to have hope, you begin to want more.

Seeing her fiddling with her fingers as if waiting for my response, I wiped away my dark thoughts and smiled softly.

"It’s nothing. Do you have somewhere you’d like to go?" "Huh?" "Didn’t you say you wanted to go somewhere?" "Are we going?!" "You're too close, Lady."

I took a step back, hiding my blushing cheeks from the lady who had leaned in, practically breathing in my face.

I couldn’t help but wonder why she flared her nostrils like that. She was certainly not your typical noble.

"So, where shall we go, Lady?"

With a bright smile, she shouted.

"To the stream!" "The stream?" "Yes! I want to dip my feet in the cool water and play." "The stream, huh..."

There was one nearby. Not too far away.

"Let’s go then."

I smiled softly as I stood up from the bed. The sooner we started, the more time we’d have to play.

I packed her clothes into a bag, and she watched me from the bed.

"Wow, Ricardo, you fold clothes so well." "Of course. I’ve been doing this for years." "It looks great." "Is that a compliment?" "Yes."

I couldn’t help but smile.

I was just like the lady—smiling and happy over such a small compliment, like a fool.

"I’ll pack your underwear in passionate red." "Eek! Idiot! I’ll choose!" "Then how about white?" "Eeeeeek!!"

The lady glanced at me and muttered softly.

"Pink." "Oh! Pink!" "Stop being surprised!"

Her face flushed as she spoke, looking so much like a young girl that it was almost impossible to believe she was the villainess from the novels.

"Lady." "Yes?" "Shall we pack kimbap for lunch?" "With lots of meat, please." "Understood. Should we buy some fruit as well?" "Yes."

She beamed at me.

"I like it."

—Thump.

"Excuse me?"

With a bashful smile, she spoke.

"I like watermelon." "Ah."

Honestly. She was an expert at making people’s hearts race.

Olivia smiled softly as she watched Ricardo pulling the cart.

His red hair. His ever-smiling lips. He always had a smile on his face, though she couldn’t tell why. There was no bigger fool.

Olivia called his name quietly.

"Ricardo."

Ricardo wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and smiled brightly.

"Yes, Lady?" "Hehe... Nothing." "What is that sly smile for?" "Hehe..." "I take that back."

It was fun. Being with Ricardo. It wasn’t quite love, but...

'I like him.'

Just thinking those words made her heart flutter. Like a fool.

"Hiya! Run!" "Yes, at full speed...!" "Eeeeeek!!!!"

Olivia laughed as the wind whipped past her. She felt grateful to Ricardo, who served even such a pitiful master as herself.

'Thank you.'

She quietly murmured the gratitude that came from her heart.