Page 296 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

-Swoooosh.

The rain was falling.

The once clear sky had been replaced by dark, rain-laden clouds, as if announcing the arrival of summer.

"Hmm..."

It seemed like summer was just as lonely as I was, getting entangled with strange people like a butler in a gloomy mansion or a villainess.

I like the rain. The stories it tells are interesting.

Sometimes, like a middle-aged person going through a midlife crisis, it soothes the heart of a girl, or it stirs the heart of a man, pushing him to confess his feelings in a burst of courage. Just water droplets falling from the sky, yet they have this mysterious power to move emotions.

Rain, you see...

That’s why I like it.

-Swoooosh...

But not all my memories of rain were pleasant.

Mikhail. The lady. Yuria.

Even the pain I could accept more easily felt sharper whenever it rained.

"..."

You can’t only have good memories in life, so I didn’t think too negatively about it. After all, even if I disliked it, the clouds wouldn’t care.

"Yawn. I’m feeling drowsy."

Today, the mansion was peaceful.

Outside, the rain fell. Sitting on the bed, the lady yawned as she gazed out the window.

"Sniff... hmmm."

Rubbing my nose, I cautiously spoke to the lady who was staring out the window. It was a good thing we had visited the valley before the rainy season started.

"At least we went to the valley before the rainy season began. If we had delayed it any longer, winter would have come." "Yeah... sniff."

The lady nodded without looking at me, her gaze still fixed on the window, seemingly captivated by the abundant sound of the rain. I made a slight pout at her lack of attention.

"My lady." "Sniff..." "Are you crying?" "No."

I peeked over to check her face. She had been making odd noises for a while now.

Her voice sounded stuffy. Her nose was sniffly. Hmm...

"My lady." "Mmm?" "Do you have a cold?" "..."

The lady, who had been looking out the window, suddenly pressed her lips together at my question, as if I had struck a nerve. Her stiff posture made it seem like she was hiding something.

Under my gaze, she shook her head.

"No, I’m not sick." "It doesn’t seem that way." "I’m really healthy."

‘That doesn’t seem right...’

"Perhaps..." "..." "Are you pretending not to have a cold because you don’t want to take medicine or because you're scared of going to the doctor?"

Flinch.

"Being a proud member of the Desmond family, surely..." "Sniff...!"

The lady nodded nonchalantly, pretending to be calm.

"Of course not, how old do you think I am? Sniff... Hrmnyah..."

Snap!

"I would never lie to Ricardo about something like that." "I’m asking because you’re exactly the kind of person who would lie about something like that." "Gasp..."

Her voice had lost all its strength.

Cautiously, I reached out to touch the lady’s forehead. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like she had caught a cold. But just as I reached out, she swiftly dodged, leaving my hand hovering in the air.

Watching her turn away, I bit my lip.

"Ugh..." "What?" "Don’t avoid me." "Even nobles have the right to refuse." "Butler’s Code, Article 1, Clause 1. If your employer is sick, you must verify it, even if by force." "Is there really such a rule?" "No, I just made it up." "Gasp...! Hiiitchoo...!"

The lady pouted, looking at me.

"Wipe my nose..." "..."

Her face now revealed what anyone could plainly see—she had caught a cold.

Her face was smeared with snot. And from the way her nose was red, she had clearly been rubbing it too much to keep it from running.

"Haa..."

I let out a deep sigh as I placed the back of my hand on her forehead.

"Mm... I’m fine." "It doesn’t seem that way." "No, really, I’m fine." "My lady." "Hmph..."

She didn’t seem to have a fever. Her forehead felt lukewarm, not hot—actually, it felt a bit cool. Relieved, I nodded and sighed deeply.

"Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like you have a fever." "See, my head doesn’t hurt." "That doesn’t mean you look healthy." "Hmph... I am healthy." "My lady." "I’m fine. I won’t die."

She smiled softly at me, trying to reassure me.

"I’ll be fine after eating some meat." "Is meat some kind of cure-all?" "Of course." "Sigh..."

Her confident response made me chuckle as I glanced out the window.

-Swoooosh...

The rain didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon. It was pouring down furiously, as if the sky had decided to release all its pent-up frustration at once. I didn’t feel like going out in such weather.

Still...

"I think you should see a doctor."

It seemed like she needed to go to the doctor.

As her butler and housemate, her health was my top priority. No amount of heavy rain would change that.

The only thing I insisted on was her well-being.

Given that she’d been prone to catching colds since childhood, it made me even more concerned.

Nooo! I’m going in the water!My lady, it’s winter.Noooo! Don’t stop me!

Of course, the cold was her own doing, a result of her stubbornness.

‘Hans isn’t even here today, off on his errands...’

In this troublesome situation, the only sound filling the air was the lady’s constant sniffling.

"Sniff... hrmmm." "..." "Sniffle... hiiitchoo!"

The mention of the word "hospital" made the lady’s eyes narrow as she looked at me.

"I don’t want to go to the hospital!" "..." "I’m not going!" "Why? They give you candy and help you get better." "My dad said the outside world is dangerous." "Your current condition seems more dangerous." "No, I’m healthy."

The lady rummaged through her treasure pouch, pulled out a piece of chocolate, and began munching on it.

"I’ll be fine after I eat this." "..." "Stop looking at me like that!"

Annoyed by my concerned gaze, she threw herself onto the bed, pulling the blanket up over her head.

"It’s raining a lot outside. I’ll tell you if I get worse." "Your stubbornness is on par with a Swordmaster’s." "Hehe... right!" "That wasn’t a compliment." "Gasp..."

I touched her ? Nоvеlιght ? (Read the full story) forehead one more time and then stood up heavily.

"Let me know if you feel worse." "Okay." "And we’re going to the doctor when the rain stops, so don’t even think about running away." "I’m too tired to run anyway."

Seeing her nonchalantly admit her weakness, I nodded.

"Tonight, I’ll make porridge." "Ugh... I don’t like porridge." "You’ll have to." The lady grabbed my sleeve as I headed toward the kitchen, giving me a bashful smile.

"Meat." "..." "I like porridge with meat in it." "Fine."

I ruffled her hair with a smile, hoping she would get better soon.

In the kitchen, I opened a cookbook, trailing my finger along the instructions.

[How to Make Beef Porridge]

Soak the rice first...Mince the beef and prepare the ingredients...Stir-fry the meat...

"Wash the rice, mince the meat..."

It seemed simple enough.

Perhaps I found it easier because the lady liked complicated dishes, and I was used to making them. But porridge was one of the easiest meals.

As steam rose from the black pot, I nodded in satisfaction and began looking for the next ingredients.

"Next is green onion and sesame oil..."

I wondered if we still had any sesame oil in the kitchen.

I vaguely remembered we were running low after making kimbap last time...

"Oh, there’s none left."

After checking the empty sesame oil bottle, I gave a rueful smile.

"I guess I’ll use truffle oil instead."

Since we could afford it, this indulgence seemed reasonable.

-Clink, clank.

After carefully preparing the dishes, they began to pile up on the tray.

A simple pickled side dish. The lady’s favorite grilled short rib patties. And, of course, the porridge, with the lid still on.

It was a meal the lady would enjoy. After all, she had grown accustomed to the tastes of the one who had inhabited her body.

‘Hopefully, she eats well.’

Buttoning up my rolled-up sleeves, I headed upstairs to the lady.

"Sniff."

When I arrived, I was greeted by the sight of the lady with tissues stuffed up her nose.

"My lady." "Mm?" "Why have you stuffed so many tissues up your nose?" "Sniff... my nose won’t stop running."

When she saw the tray in my hands, her face brightened with a smile.

"Food...! Hehe..."

Even while sick, she was excited at the sight of food, making me smile as well. Honestly...

The lady gazed at me with expectant eyes and naturally opened her mouth.

"...Ahhh." "..." "Ahhh."

-Clink.

"Mmm... Hiii! It’s delicious!"

Her eyes widened as she smiled happily after tasting the porridge I had fed her.

"Ricardo, you’re good at making porridge." "Thank you for the compliment." "And you grill meat really well." "That’s because it’s what you like." "Hehe..."

‘...’

But her condition didn’t seem to be improving.

I thought it might get better after a while, but her runny nose had worsened, and her cheeks were growing redder.

As I spoon-fed her, I looked at her with concern.

"My lady." "Mmm." "Are you feeling very sick?" "No." "...You’re lying." "I’m not."

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth again, as if telling me to focus on feeding her instead of talking.

"Ahh..." "Here comes the airplane." "Airplane?" "It’s a thing."

I continued to feed her, deciding I’d make her something even more nutritious when her cold passed. Once the bowl was empty, she smiled contentedly at me.

"Thank you for the meal." "Thank you for eating it all." "Of course. Since Ricardo made it, I made sure to finish every bite." "Thank you."

We sat in silence for about ten minutes as I stared at her with worry. Feeling uneasy under my gaze, she waved me away and lay down in bed.

"I’m going to sleep." "..." "I’m really going to sleep." "Let me know if you feel worse." "Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m better now that I’ve had the porridge." "Sigh... Sweet dreams." "Mmm. You too, Ricardo."

The lady smiled brightly, promising she wouldn’t get worse.

"It’s a promise." "Mmm." "Tell me if you feel worse." "I’ll be fine."

"Haa..."

As I lay in bed, I couldn’t sleep, worried about the lady’s health.

-Cough, cough... Hehe... Aah! "..."

Stop! Don’t cough! Cough... Heeeeyachoo...

"Too noisy."

Aachoo! Sniff... Munch... Mmm...

"Why the runny nose..."

With mixed feelings, I closed my eyes. I had set an alarm to check on the lady and put a wet cloth on her forehead later in the night.

"Haa..."

I finally managed to drift off to sleep.

-Swoooosh...

The rain continued to fall.