Page 289 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The cool stream flowed gently at the water’s edge.

“Heehee...! It’s so cold.”

The young lady, with her feet dipped in the stream, smiled brightly at me.

“Heehee...! Ricardo, it’s freezing!”

She seemed thrilled to be on an outing after so long, scooping up water in her hands and beaming as she looked my way.

Personally, I preferred the beach, where there were more beautiful people to watch, but this wasn’t so bad either. Although, I must admit, it was a shame I wouldn’t get to see the lady in a bikini.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” “Yep. Come dip your feet too, Ricardo. It’s super refreshing.” “I’ll join you after I unpack the bags.” “Okay.”

The lady smiled cheerfully as she waited for me.

There wasn’t much to unpack.

Her clothes. A table. Liquor and meat.

‘Ah... I didn’t pack my own clothes.’

As I rummaged through the bag, I noticed I hadn’t packed an extra set of clothes for myself. I must have forgotten in my rush.

It would be uncomfortable to walk back in wet clothes, but a Sword Master’s healthy body wouldn’t catch a cold, so it wasn’t a big issue.

‘It’ll be fine.’

After setting up the table on the rocky ground, I carefully pulled out a small box from the cart and began taking out its contents.

There was one essential thing for enjoying a day of water play.

“Hoo...!”

The sound of the breeze made the lady turn her head, her eyes widening as she watched the yellow object in my hands grow larger in the wind.

“Eeeeeek!!!”

The lady let out a squeal as she saw the giant inflatable duck.

“It’s a huge frog!” “It’s a duck, not a frog.” “Hmm, same thing. Being too picky will make women dislike you.” “They seem to like it.” “Huh?” “I’m just kidding.”

The lady pouted and stretched her hand out toward me.

“Let me ride the duck.” “Just a moment. I haven’t fully inflated it yet.” “Ugh... Phew... Phew...” “You can’t blow it up from over there.” “...I can’t?” “No.” “Ugh...”

Even her waiting was adorable.

Once the sturdy inflatable duck was ready, I rolled up my pants and waded over to her.

With a ‘splash,’ the yellow duck created waves in the stream, soaking the young lady. She gave me a pouty look, but soon smiled brightly as the duck floated in front of her.

“Hurry! Hurry!” “Just a moment.”

It had been a while since I felt such peace.

The young lady relaxed as she floated in the duck, humming softly while occasionally yawning lazily.

“Eek... I’m floating away.” “Shall we see if we can make it to the north?” “Can we?” “No.” “...”

I glanced at her bored expression and then draped my body over the back of the duck, kicking my feet to steer it.

“Lady.” “Yeah.” “Are you bored?” “Yeah.” “Then let’s go at 100 kilometers per hour.” “Huh?”

—Zoom.

“Eeeeeek!!!!”

The lady, having flown off into the distance, beamed at me, pleading for more.

“One more time!” “Lady, your eyes are unfocused.” “Hehe! No, they’re not! Do it again!”

She truly loved playing.

After spending quite some time on the duck, the lady, now lying back and gazing up at the sky, spoke.

“Ricardo.” “Yes?” “The sky is so clear.” “Yes, just like my heart.” “I don’t think so.” “...Do you want to fall in?” “If I fall, I’ll die.” “Then what color do you think the sky is?”

The lady sighed dramatically, as if exhausted from humoring me.

“It’s the color of your heart, Ricardo!” “Indeed.” “Ugh... I’m going to grow thorns in my mouth if you keep this up.”

As always, the lady was stingy with compliments.

We drifted along in the stream, chatting idly, until the roar of Gomtangi’s cry echoed from above the waterfall.

“Eek?! You scared me!”

—Grrrr!!

“Huh?”

The lady blinked in confusion as she watched Gomtangi approach with something in his mouth.

“Ricardo.” “Yes?” “Lunch just caught itself.” “Gomtangi isn’t for eating.” “Didn’t we bring him to eat today?” “No.” “Ugh...?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the lady’s comment, which fit her gluttonous nature perfectly, as I looked over at Gomtangi.

—Grrr.

“He does look like a bear, though.”

Watching Gomtangi catch salmon like a wild bear, I nodded. It was undeniable now—he truly was like a real bear.

—Rumble.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a low rumble echoed, and I glanced up at the sky. At some point, dark clouds had gathered, casting an ominous feeling over the area.

I muttered quietly as I stared at the darkened sky.

“It couldn’t be...”

—Plop.

“...”

—Plop, plop.

Well, that’s unfortunate.

Raindrops began to fall from the sky. Tiny droplets landed on the lady’s forehead as she lay in the duck, on Gomtangi’s head as he fished, and on the bridge of my nose as I watched the dark clouds.

The lady wiped the raindrops from her forehead and muttered lazily.

“Ricardo, stop spraying water. If I drink any ° N ?? v ?? l i g h t ° more, I won’t be able to eat.” “That’s not me.” “Huh?”

The sky had been clear just moments ago, so why was it raining now?

“This is unfortunate.”

The rain, which would have been welcome at another time, felt like a downer at this moment. We could have played a bit longer, maybe even had more fun... and I could have seen her swimwear... but alas.

I smiled ruefully and gently pushed the duck toward the shallows.

The lady sighed in disappointment, muttering something as if she didn’t want to leave, but there was no helping it. We had to head back before she caught a cold.

“I can’t go yet. I haven’t caught a crawfish.” “You were going to catch one?” “Yep. I was going to catch a huge one and ask you to cook it for me.” “A lobster?” “Yep.” “Lobsters don’t live here.” “...What?”

The lady looked devastated as her dream shattered.

I climbed out of the stream onto the rocky bank and began looking around. The rain was starting to fall harder, and I needed to move the things before the downpour hit.

I hadn’t brought an umbrella, thinking it wouldn’t rain. I regretted not packing one now as I surveyed the surroundings.

—Grrrr!!

Gomtangi’s voice called from where he had taken shelter.

He was peeking out from a small cave, calling to us as if to tell us to come hide from the rain. His wide grin made me smile, and I nodded toward him.

“Lady.” “Yeah.” “Shall we light a campfire and play in the cave?” “A campfire?” “Yes.” “I can’t use magic, though.” “I can.” “...Oh!”

The lady beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! Let’s grill some meat.” “We can also grill the fish Gomtangi caught.” “Hehe, sounds great!”

Before the rain fell any harder, I hurriedly moved the lady to the cave and began transferring the rest of our things. The inflatable duck could stay by the water—it didn’t mind getting wet. I focused on moving the clothes, meat, and wood into the cave.

Watching me work from inside, the lady clapped her hands in amazement.

“Ricardo, you’re so fast!” “This is the power of a butler.” “You’re amazing!”

Her words brought a smile to my face.

—Ssshhhh.

“Well...”

Once inside the cave, I watched the rain pour down in sheets, a rueful smile crossing my lips.

“It doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.”

This wasn’t just a passing shower.

—Crackle.

The campfire flickered warmly, casting a soft glow before us.

The lady, wrapped in a blanket, peeked her head out, seeking warmth from the fire, while Gomtangi lay behind her, sharing his body heat with the frail girl. They might grumble about each other, but seeing them share warmth like this brought a chuckle from me.

“Ricardo.”

The lady, gazing at the fire, spoke cautiously as she watched me add wood to the flames.

“Tell me a scary story.” “A scary story?” “Yeah. They say rainy days are perfect for scary stories.” “Who told you that?” “In the book I Bought a Slave and Lost My Innocence.” “There’s a book like that?” “Yep. Gomtangi brought it to me.” “Did you finish it...?” “No, I fell asleep halfway through. I’m going to finish it when we get home.” “I’ll be throwing it away.” “Eeeeek! No! It’s important! The main characters kiss in a cave on a rainy day...!” —Bear. (lol)

For the first time, I was annoyed at Gomtangi.

As I covered the lady’s mouth, I pondered what kind of scary story I could tell.

The lady was terribly afraid of ghosts, so I had to be careful not to scare her too much.

“Hmm... Can you handle it?” —Nod. Nod. “If you get scared and ask me to stay with you, I won’t.” “I will ask you.” “...?” “If I get scared, I’ll ask you to stay.” “Understood.”

She was a rather demanding lady.

Listening to the rain, I gave her a few options.

“What kind of story would you like? A ghost at the academy or a ghost in the bathroom?” “Hmm... don’t you have something scarier?” “You’re feeling brave today.” “Hehe... I’m full, so I can handle it.”

She grinned as she patted her belly, full from all the meat she had eaten.

“I want a story that’s both scary and a little sad.” “That’s a tall order. There aren’t many ghost stories that are both sad and scary.” “You can do it, Ricardo.” “...”

Sighing deeply, I racked my brain. Then, as I patted her head, I began to speak quietly.

It was a story I couldn’t remember when I had first heard, but it had stuck with me.

I wasn’t sure how scary it would be, but it felt fitting for a rainy day like this.

“Alright. Here we go.” “Yep.”

“A long, long time ago...”

[There once was a boy who was hated by everyone.]