Page 316 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

It's night.

“Hmnya...”

The night sky was filled with the Milky Way.

In my previous life, I’d never seen such a view.

Stars dancing across the sky.

“Wow...!”

A night brimming with stars, twinkling like the North Star.

“Twinkle! Twinkle!”

In my previous life, I rarely had the chance to see such beautiful nights. The city lights were too bright, and I was always busy working late into the night, never having the time to look up at the stars.

Maybe that’s why I loved the night in this world so much. The way the night embraced the natural flow of the world.

Peaceful.

Tranquil.

“Ooh...”

Sitting on the ? Nоvеl?гht ? (Don’t copy, read here) bed, the young lady stared up at the night sky, her nostrils flaring slightly as she absentmindedly pulled out a piece of chocolate from her treasure pouch.

“Hmnya...”

“Young lady, could you spare some for me?”

“Eek?!”

Hugging the chocolate to her chest like a cat, the young lady frowned and shook her head.

“No.”

“I’m hurt.”

“Even if you’re hurt, no chocolate for you.”

“But it came from my wallet, didn’t it?”

“Eeeek... still no.”

“...”

Ignoring my hurt feelings, the young lady glanced at me, then, with trembling hands, extended a single piece of chocolate, her eyes squeezed shut.

“Here!”

“...”

“That’s all you’re getting!”

“Thank you.”

The young lady loved chocolate more than anyone else, that much was certain.

As we continued staring at the stars, the young lady, her face blank, suddenly spoke.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Look...”

She pointed at the brightest star in the sky, her nostrils flaring again.

“That one’s really bright.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s so bright it looks delicious.”

“Why does everything remind you of food?”

“Hehe... doesn’t it look tasty?”

The young lady smiled brightly, brushing off my question with ease. Then she voiced a simple yet audacious wish.

“I want to knock it down.”

“What...?”

Startled by her bold statement, I blinked. Was she finally showing her true colors?

Only a villainess of her caliber could say something like that while stargazing. Her words were both amusing and unsettling, and I let out a soft chuckle as I replied.

“Knock it down? What do you mean?”

“I’m curious... I want to see it up close, but it’s always so far away...”

“Well, yes. But knocking it down is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Why?”

The young lady looked at me, a giant question mark practically floating above her head.

“Why can’t I knock it down?”

The innocent expression on her face, as she asked me about ending the world, made it hard for me to say, “That star is way bigger than you think.” I sighed, unwilling to crush her dreams.

‘How do I answer this...?’

I needed to preserve her innocence while also coming up with a convincing explanation.

‘Ah...’

A clever idea popped into my head. Smiling, I pointed at the star she had been fixating on. In this world, it wasn’t the North Star, but I thought my explanation might still work.

“Ahem. You see...”

“Yeah?”

“That star isn’t just for us to see.”

“Really...?”

“I’m sure there are people, somewhere, looking at that same star and thinking it’s beautiful.”

“People with too much time?”

“Let’s call them romantics.”

“Okay.”

Her blunt honesty threw me off for a second, but I quickly recovered, determined to continue my little story.

“Anyway, just like us, there are people admiring that star, thinking it’s beautiful.”

“Hmm...”

“If we were to take that star for ourselves, those people wouldn’t be able to enjoy it anymore, would they?”

“Right.”

“That’s why we shouldn’t knock it down.”

The young lady nodded slowly, her eyes gleaming with understanding.

“You’re right... it’s too beautiful to keep just for ourselves.”

“Exactly.”

“But if you asked me to, I could totally knock that star down for you.”

“Really?”

Her wide eyes stared at me as she stuffed the remaining chocolate into her mouth, gulping it down in one go.

—Gulp.

Seeing her expectant gaze, I awkwardly nodded, feeling the pressure.

“O-Of course. How hard could it be to fetch a star...”

“Ohh...”

—Grab.

“Huh?”

The young lady grabbed my collar, her sparkling eyes staring into mine, and without a moment’s hesitation, she demanded.

“Get it for me!”

“What?”

“Bring me that star! I want to see it up close!”

“Didn’t you hear the beautiful explanation I just gave?”

“I don’t care! Pretty things are for me to see alone!”

Her villainess-like desire made me chuckle helplessly. Rolling up my sleeves, I prepared to "fetch" her a star.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes!”

“Then I’ll go get it.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t complain if it’s too big.”

“Yes! The bigger, the better!”

“Hah... Well then, I’ll be off.”

“Go on!”

I reached into my pocket, quietly counting to myself before extending my hand toward the star.

—Pat.

“Huh?”

I covered her eyes.

“Eeeeek! I can’t see!”

“Haha! How do you expect me to bring down a star when it’s that far away?”

“Ricardo, you liar!”

I gently uncovered her eyes, and she glared at me, her cheeks puffed out in frustration. I smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry.”

“You liar.”

“I was just teasing. This time, I’ll really bring you a star.”

“I’m not falling for it again.”

“No, really. This time, I’ll bring you something even better, though it won’t be as bright as that star.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Really, really?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re lying, you owe me 100 chocolates.”

“Haha! Alright.”

The young lady, still eyeing me suspiciously, gave me a serious look.

“Then go get it.”

“As you command.”

I reached toward the star once again, this time gently brushing against her cheek as I extended my hand toward the brightest star in the sky.

“Eek...”

The young lady snorted, thinking I was about to pull another prank.

“If you’re lying, remember, it’s 100 chocolates.”

“I won’t lie.”

Leaning closer to her, I whispered softly.

“Watch closely.”

My outstretched hand covered the brightest star, and from the shadow created by my fingers, something small and golden fell into the young lady’s view.

—Tinkle.

A tiny, golden star-shaped bracelet dropped into her lap.

“Huh... A star...?”

Her eyes trembled with surprise.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the bracelet, the young lady’s shoulders quivered. Though I couldn’t see her expression clearly, I could tell she was shocked.

I only hoped she wasn’t disappointed.

“A star...”

Her quiet voice reached my ears, and I responded softly.

“It’s small, but it’s a star.”

“...”

“Young lady...?”

Startled by her silence, I turned to look at her.

“...”

Her lips were trembling, her cheeks puffed out as she held back tears.

“Sniff...”

Her eyes were glistening as she stared at the small star-shaped bracelet.

“It’s a real star.”

“...”

“A real, real star.”

“Of course. I told you I’d bring one, didn’t I?”

The young lady cupped the bracelet in her hands, a small smile breaking through her tear-filled expression.

“Sniff...”

“...”

“A real... star.”

Her face lit up with joy, as if she had truly received a star from the heavens. I let out a sigh of relief, glad she wasn’t upset. I had worried she might be disappointed with the design or upset that it wasn’t really a star.

Watching her cradle the bracelet in her hands, I felt a deep sense of pride.

“I saw it while passing by and thought it was pretty.”

“...”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Holding the bracelet carefully, the young lady extended her white wrist toward me, speaking in a shy voice.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“Put it on for me...”

“Shall I?”

“Mm.”

My heart fluttered.

Her pale wrist looked strangely delicate under the moonlight, her white hair glowing softly around her face.

Only...

“Sniff... sniff...”

“...”

“Sniff... sniff...”

“...”

Her runny nose somewhat ruined the romantic moment.

Focusing on the bracelet, I fastened it around her wrist, smiling as I admired how it looked on her.

“All done.”

“Mm... is it on?”

“Yes.”

Staring at the bracelet on her wrist, the young lady whispered softly.

“It’s beautiful.”

“...”

“I really, really like it.”

Bowing slightly, I returned her thanks with a smile.

“I’m glad.”

—Thump. Thump.

The sound of the bear outside running around the yard echoed through the night.

—Roar! Roar!

It was as if the bear, like me, wanted to catch the stars.

“Pffft!”

The young lady giggled as she watched the bear run around, her white hair swaying gently in the breeze as she tucked it behind her ears.

Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Thank you so much.”

Her face, bathed in moonlight, glowed as she smiled shyly. Her white hair swayed gently, framing her face like a painting.

Truly.

“That’s cheating, young lady.”

She tilted her head, laughing.

“Huh?”

Shaking my head, I smiled at her, grateful that she liked the gift.

“It’s nothing. I’ll bring you something even better next time.”

“Hm... no, this is enough for me.”

Hugging her wrist, now adorned with the bracelet, she smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Ricardo.”