Page 297 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

-Bang, bang, bang.

On a stormy late night, the sound of loud knocking echoed at the edge of the quiet village of Hamel.

-Bang, bang, bang.

It was a time when no one should be awake. At 3 a.m., everyone should have been in bed.

-Bang! Bang..! Bang...!

"Is no one there?!"

Yet the man kept pounding on the door, desperately braving the storm.

-...

With no response, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

The man looked frantic. Even though the rain was pouring down on him with no umbrella, he repeatedly glanced back, worried that the person he carried on his back might get wet. He adjusted the layers of rain gear he had wrapped /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ around them.

"Please..."

-Bang, bang, bang.

He kept knocking on the unyielding door.

Pressing his forehead against it, he knocked, full of desperation.

One hour earlier.

"Yawn..."

Unable to sleep, I was walking toward the lady’s room. I was worried that she might be unable to fall asleep because of her cold.

I could hear her coughing—it sounded rough. I couldn’t ignore the faint groans of discomfort that I heard either.

-Cough, cough.

"Seems like sleeping is out of the question."

Carrying a basin of water, I paused in front of the lady’s door, hesitant to disturb her rest.

-Haa... Haa...

From behind the door, her breathing sounded labored, like someone deeply affected by a severe cold. Her breath was raspy, strained.

-Knock, knock, knock.

She didn’t hear my knocking. Nor did she respond when I called her name.

Feeling frustrated, I took the liberty of opening her door. She hadn’t responded at all, no matter how much I called.

-Bang!

"My lady!"

I entered, and the hot air inside the room made me frown.

"...My lady?"

When I touched her forehead, it was like touching a burning coal. Her temperature was so high that it felt like it might burn my hand.

-Ugh...

She had promised me she wouldn’t get sick.

Even after we’d made a pinky promise, there she was, feverish and struggling. I sighed, giving a bitter smile, before I quickly sprang into action.

-Thud, thud!

She needed to go to the hospital.

I wasn’t a doctor who could cure her cold, and I wasn’t brave enough to sit idly and watch her suffer. I ran as fast as I could.

-Splosh.

The rain had turned the roads into a muddy mess. The mud sucked at my shoes, threatening to pull them off with each step. I clenched my teeth, knowing that if I stumbled, the lady would be even more uncomfortable.

"Ugh..."

Hearing her soft groans, I became more frantic. My mind narrowed, focusing only on getting her help. I knew there might be better options, but in my panic, I couldn’t think straight.

Running, I glanced over my shoulder at the lady, covered in a thick, green raincoat. I whispered quietly to her as I pushed on through the storm.

"My lady..." "Haa... Haa..." "..."

I clenched my eyes shut and kept moving through the rain.

Praying that someone would answer the door I was about to knock on.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

I pounded on the door, but it wouldn’t open.

Cough...

Olivia was dreaming.

-Aah! The witch is eating chocolate! -Stop eating! How much more are you going to devour?! -Bring them back! You have to bring them back!

She was surrounded by chocolate soldiers. Standing alone in the royal palace, surrounded by citizens of the chocolate kingdom throwing chocolate at her.

Despite their protests, Olivia licked her lips, unimpressed by their rebellion. She was doing them a favor by conquering them, after all.

-Be quiet. -Aaaah! -I’m going to eat it all.

The chocolate kingdom was crumbling.

Just as she continued her rampage, the sun suddenly shone brightly in the sky, and the chocolate soldiers began to melt.

Olivia reached out to grab them, disappointed by their fragile state, but the intense heat caused them to dissolve in her grasp.

-Why is everything disappearing?

Olivia clenched her fists, wearing a frustrated expression.

-This is no fun.

Her body began to shake.

Like she was riding a carriage at full speed, her body was jostling uncontrollably.

"Ugh..."

The nausea was too much for Olivia, so she slowly began to wake from her dream. Staying any longer might result in her being swept away with the melting chocolate kingdom.

"Ughhh..."

Leaving behind her sweet dream, Olivia gradually opened her eyes.

-Huff... Huff...

‘A horse...?’

Half-awake, Olivia groaned as a throbbing headache hit her. She felt so dizzy that she thought she might throw up.

"Ugh..."

Her body was burning up. Her head was spinning. She could have sworn she’d felt just well enough to manage a short while ago, but now her condition had deteriorated rapidly.

‘Ugh...’

Her throat felt scratchy and sore. Her body was trembling with cold. Ricardo had told her not to kick the blankets off, and she had wrapped herself tightly in them to sleep, but now it felt like she was trapped in a block of ice.

‘Ugh... I can’t get sick.’

Olivia mumbled as she recalled her promise to Ricardo.

"I’ll get in trouble if I get sick..."

She had made a pinky promise with Ricardo, but she had broken that promise. The thought that Ricardo would worry made Olivia’s eyes well up with tears.

It seemed she really had caught a nasty cold.

"I’m cold..."

Her body was burning up, so much so that it hurt. Yet she was trembling with cold, and she gave a bitter smile at how contradictory her situation seemed.

"Ugh..."

Olivia wished Ricardo would put a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. It might help ease her headache, even just a little.

But...

-Swoooosh...

Ricardo was probably asleep, so he wouldn’t be able to come.

Cough...

Olivia coughed, forcing her eyes to open. She hated to disturb Ricardo, but it seemed she had caught a cold for real this time. As much as she had tried to endure, she realized she couldn’t anymore.

"Mmm..."

With great effort, Olivia opened her eyes.

And found herself somewhere unfamiliar.

"Huh...?"

Everything was dark. She was certain she had been in bed, but now it seemed like she was outside, with the dark sky above and rain pouring down relentlessly.

-Swoooosh...

She could hear the sound of frogs croaking nearby.

-Splosh, splosh...

And the sound of someone walking through the mud.

"Where...?"

Where was she?

Her mind was still foggy, and she couldn’t focus. The headache was too overwhelming.

-Splosh.

She could hear the sound of wet pants rubbing together and a man’s rough voice echoing in her head.

It was strange.

-Please open the door! Her fever is too high...!

‘What...?’

The throbbing in her head dulled slightly, and Olivia’s mind started to clear a bit.

-Please.

Now she understood.

She wasn’t in her room—she was outside. And she realized that she was being carried on someone’s back. It didn’t take her long to grasp the situation.

-Bang! Bang! Bang! "Is no one there?!" -Bang! "Dammit..."

Olivia caught sight of red hair. Red, soaked hair, with droplets of water falling from it.

The man carrying her was running urgently, and for some reason, he looked more pained than she felt. He seemed more troubled than she was.

"Haa... Please!!!"

‘Don’t be mad... it’s scary.’

The man carrying her seemed very angry. His breathing was heavy, his voice tense. Yet, strangely, Olivia felt at ease. It was more comforting than being home. She couldn’t explain it, but it felt safe.

-Swoooosh...

This man’s broad back felt so warm.

The rain kept falling. But the raincoat he had wrapped around her protected her from the storm.

"Ugh... Cough, cough." "My lady!?" "Hmm...?" "Thank goodness... Hang in there, just a little longer."

Olivia rubbed her eyes at the familiar voice. She met eyes with the man, who let out a sigh of relief.

Red hair. A broad back. And a comforting warmth.

"Ricardo...?"

Olivia called out in a trembling voice. Ricardo wasn’t wearing a raincoat. He had wrapped her in his own, leaving himself exposed to the rain. Seeing him like that made Olivia’s eyes water.

"Ricardo... you’re getting soaked." "Haa... Haa... I’m so relieved."

Though his clothes were drenched in the pouring rain, Ricardo smiled with relief. He was bound to catch a cold himself at this rate.

Olivia pouted as she looked at him and spoke softly.

"Put on... some clothes. You’ll catch a cold." "I’m fine." "No, Ricardo... Cough, cough...!" "I’m fine. I’m more worried about you, my lady."

Ricardo smiled gently and turned his head away.

"You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you?" "Yeah... my head hurts." "Just hold on a little longer. I’ll figure something out." "My body’s freezing. It’s like... I’m completely naked, buried in snow, just shivering." "...That’s quite the graphic description." "And..."

Ricardo kept moving urgently, listening to her weak complaints. His eyes were trembling with fear, though he tried to appear strong. It broke her heart to see him like this.

"Ricardo..." "Yes."

Olivia bit her lip and spoke, hoping to ease his worry.

"I’m not sick anymore." "..." "I’m all better now."

Ricardo slowed his pace slightly, then stopped. He turned to her, his eyes trembling, and spoke in a slightly angry voice.

"My lady." "..." "I’m fine. So please, don’t tell such lies." "..." "Don’t lie like that."

Olivia hugged Ricardo’s neck tightly and nodded.

"I’m sorry."

Ricardo kept running.

Until the rain stopped pouring down.