Page 300 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Early Dawn.

Mikhail was sitting at the vanity, staring into the mirror.

"..."

The expression on Mikhail’s face was one of sadness as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror, for what he saw was utterly ugly.

Calloused hands and fierce eyes. Short silver hair and a small stature. Not a single feature appeared attractive to the opposite sex. In fact, it was obvious to him that he looked downright hideous.

Mikhail clenched his teeth as he looked at his protruding chest.

"Hideous."

Others might think differently, but to Mikhail, it appeared grotesque.

Such is the nature of appearances.

No matter how beautiful others might find you, if you can’t accept it yourself, it becomes a source of self-loathing.

"..."

Mikhail hated what he saw in the mirror.

He placed his hand on the mirror with a dull thud and fell into deep thought, trying to figure out how to fill the void that seemed to consume him.

What did he even want to become now? What did he want to do? There was no path in sight.

His self-esteem had hit rock bottom. His relationship with him was sinking deeper into a mire. Now, it truly felt like...

Crunch.

...there was no way to find the right path.

When Mikhail saw the coldness in his gaze, his heart shriveled. Whenever he saw his back, knowing he no longer looked at him, Mikhail felt a ringing in his ears, as if his emotions were drowning in N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t darkness.

It was as if he had fallen into a pit so deep no light could reach him... He didn’t know what to look forward to anymore.

Crunch.

All of this was the result of choices he had made himself.

The enormous weight in his chest had become a solid mass of wrong answers, and the feeling of depression was robbing the space where hope once resided in his heart.

Why had he hated him so much? Why had he despised him to that degree? If he had treated him like everyone else, things wouldn’t have gotten so twisted.

In the end, the arrow he shot at the target had come back to pierce him, painfully and mercilessly.

"Sigh..."

Mikhail made a face as he looked at his hideous reflection. He should have appeared beautiful today, but the day had already started off poorly.

Today was the day he would meet Ricardo. Not as "Mikhail," but under the name "Misa."

He never thought he could keep up this lie forever. It was far too selfish of a thing to do.

Ricardo wasn’t a fool, after all.

‘Maybe... he already knows...’ ‘No, that’s impossible.’

Mikhail shook his head and tightly closed his eyes.

If. If he really knew the truth about him and still acted as if "Misa" was someone he cared for... Mikhail wouldn’t be able to bear it.

If he owed him another debt. The thin thread of sanity he clung to would snap for sure.

Mikhail knew that taking on the guise of Misa was a selfish act, but he couldn’t help himself. If their relationship improved, he had intended to reveal the truth of his identity then.

So, he only hoped he could wait until that time came. Just until the day when the person named Mikhail could become better than he was now.

"I’m sorry..."

When he was with Ricardo, the emptiness in his heart disappeared. It felt as though that hollow space was filled, and those moments were the happiest.

Ricardo didn’t know the truth about him, but the relationship Mikhail remembered alone was his last lifeline. He couldn’t let go.

Even though he didn’t know a single thing Ricardo liked.

He had spent so much time avoiding learning about him, only thinking about what he hated. It would be strange if he did know anything.

With a heavy heart, Mikhail looked down at the cosmetics scattered across the vanity.

A red lipstick. Makeup for applying blush to his cheeks. And a potion that would temporarily lengthen his hair for a day.

Mikhail knew that approaching Ricardo as "Misa" was wrong, but the sweetness of those moments had him too intoxicated to care about right and wrong anymore. If he didn’t keep doing this...

You’re trash...Never show yourself before us again. That’s the only atonement you can offer.

...he would crumble.

This was the only selfish method he had left.

Knowing it was cowardly, Mikhail reached for the cosmetics with a heavy hand.

Clatter.

To chase that sweet dream once more.

"I’m truly sorry."

Mikhail deceived justice.

The plains of the Hamel Mountain Range.

"Very good." "Really...?" "You’ve improved significantly since before. Your stance is steady, and your breathing is consistent." "Thank you."

Under the name "Misa," Mikhail stood on the plains, swinging a sword.

With long hair and awkward makeup.

"Shall we try again?" "Yes...!"

‘Hmm...’

I still didn’t know what had driven the proud Mikhail to come to me. He already had a reliable teacher in Loen, so it didn’t make much sense.

Besides...

I hate you.

Mikhail, the person who hated me the most in the entire academy, had come to me out of some burning passion to learn. It was honestly laughable.

"Whew... I’ve done all 100 repetitions." "Already?" "Yes...!"

Still, her determination to learn was admirable, so I regarded her with some respect. Her desire to truly learn was genuine.

If she had come to pry something out of me, Mikhail’s personality was the type to ask directly. Knowing that, I taught her the sword in earnest.

As she exhaled deeply, I stepped forward to correct her posture and offered advice.

"You’ve improved a lot compared to before. You seem to have gotten used to the new sword, and your ability to imbue it with mana has become much better." "Really...?" "It’s a compliment, so feel free to be happy about it."

In response to my playful compliment, Mikhail smiled faintly and nodded.

"Thank you." "It’s nothing." "Compliments... feel this nice, huh..." "Excuse me?" "Ah... no, it’s nothing."

Watching her smile awkwardly, I couldn’t help but give her some encouragement for her efforts.

Time passed, and soon it was noon.

"Shall we go have lunch now?" "..."

Mikhail made an awkward expression when I suggested lunch, as if she didn’t want a repeat of our last meeting.

"..."

Her emotions were clearly visible on her face.

"...Hmm."

With a small smile, I grabbed the bag I had hidden behind a tree and spread out a mat on the grass. I then patted the spot next to me and called out to Mikhail, who was standing awkwardly.

"What are you doing?" "Uh...?" "We need to eat." "Oh... I didn’t bring a lunch. You can go ahead and eat. I’ll grab something after we finish training." "You really are a frustrating person, Miss Misa."

I laid out the lunch and extended a pair of chopsticks to Mikhail.

"What are you doing?" "Uh?" "Are your arms going to fall off? Come and eat."

"Ah..."

With an awkward expression, Mikhail stared blankly at the chopsticks before nodding with a bright smile.

"Yes...!"

She looked happy. Her expression said it all.

For someone who could smile like that, I couldn’t understand why she always looked so gloomy before.

As Mikhail looked at the kimbap in the lunchbox, she spoke to me.

"Did you... make this yourself?" "Yes." "..." "Is it bad?"

Gripping her chopsticks tightly, Mikhail spoke in a soft voice.

"No..."

Crunch...

"It’s really delicious. Addictive, even..."

When I returned to the mansion, I smiled at the familiar presence I hadn’t felt in a while.

It seemed like the wandering wizard had finally returned.

Growl! "Yeah, I’m back."

As I stepped into the yard, Gomtangi wagged his thumb-sized tail and nudged his head against me.

Grrrr! "Yeah, yeah."

I patted Gomtangi’s head and looked under the massive doghouse.

‘Wow...’

When did he make this?

I marveled at the enormous underground tunnel beneath Gomtangi’s house. It didn’t seem like something hastily thrown together.

There were stairs. A trapdoor, even. It was quite something.

I carefully knocked on the trapdoor. Even though I was the master of the house, I still needed the tenant’s permission.

Knock, knock, knock.

...Just a moment! We’re expanding the place!

‘How far do you plan on digging?’

Hearing Hans’s voice echo from deep within the tunnel, I chuckled and nodded.

"Take your time."

I’ll be right up!

‘You don’t have to rush...’

Thanks to Hans’s arrival at the mansion, I’d been able to get a lot done.

The cleaning of the mansion. The security had become airtight. I no longer had to worry about leaving the place.

With the reinforced barriers, I could leave the mansion and still protect the lady. I had even set up an alert system that would notify me immediately if there were any intruders.

The unexpected opportunity I’d encountered had truly made life easier. Really.

After knocking, I waited for the sound of Hans approaching from the tunnel.

And then.

"Praise be to the gods!"

Hans, whose formalities always changed, poked his head out from the tunnel and, after exchanging a few pleasantries, cautiously asked me.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" "Talk?" "Yes." "Ah..."

I glanced outside to see the lady peeking out from the mansion, and I gave a sheepish smile.

"Would it be alright if we talked in the evening? The lady is waiting for me." "Of course. The time of a saint is precious..." "...Sigh, is it something important?" "No, I just wanted to report on a few things."

I gave a small nod and headed into the mansion.

That evening, I ended up hearing some rather serious news from Hans.