Page 367 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The Warm Sun.

“Hmm.”

A refreshing breeze.

“Hm-hmm.”

And then—

“Eeeeeek!”

A massive sheet of ice.

Staring at the ice that filled the Western canal, the young lady exhaled sharply and pointed at it with her finger.

“Ricardo!”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Is that the sea?”

“...Pardon?”

“Should I wear a swimsuit?”

How should I respond? Technically, it was the sea, but the sight before us hardly felt like one. I hesitated, pondering how to answer her question.

The sea? Or what once was the sea?

Struggling to find an answer, I settled on an awkward smile, shaking my head as I replied.

“It’s a cold sea.”

“Aren’t seas supposed to be cold?”

“Think of it as a preview of the North.”

“Eeeeeek! The West is doomed!”

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Gazing blankly at the frozen sea, I let out a faint sigh. I hadn’t expected it to freeze to the point where the horizon was no longer visible. I hadn’t anticipated it would go this far.

It spoke volumes about Elicia’s loyalty, but seeing the aftermath of her actions, I couldn’t help but think of the damage this would cause. Not that it was my problem to worry about.

The frozen sea was summoning a biting chill.

Even under the sunny skies of the West, the breeze was bitterly cold. Residents, who normally wore light clothing, had taken to layering themselves thickly. The young lady sniffled as she felt the icy air.

“...Sniff.”

“Are you cold?”

“Yeah.”

“Shall we head back to the inn?”

“Yeah.”

Reluctant as I was, there wasn’t much choice.

Seeing the young lady in her bikini could wait until everything was settled—after subjugating the beast, untangling the political drama involving the Crown Prince and Wolfgang, and melting the sea.

I’d made up my mind to ensure I saw her in her swimsuit eventually, purely out of principle, not personal motives.

It would be a shame if the newly purchased swimsuit went unworn.

While I came to terms with this minor disappointment, Darbav looked like he’d lost the world.

“No... This can’t be.”

“...?”

“If even the beach for swimming is frozen... I won’t get to see Rosanna in her bikini!”

Darbav clenched his fists, visibly restraining himself from casting a meteor down onto the Western canal. There was no way he’d do anyone a favor.

“Deep breaths... N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t meteors...”

“Hold on. I’ll wear the first one you showed me later.”

“The black one?”

“Yes, that one. So hold yourself together.”

Darbav clenched his fists tightly, overcoming his anguish. The smile that spread across his face rivaled the joy of winning a battlefield victory as he took in the Western tragedy with delight.

“Today, I suddenly feel like having a third child.”

“Personally, I’d like a younger sister who takes after the young lady—just not her personality.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“What are you two doing?!”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“I’ll cheer you on, Patriarch.”

Nearby, Western mages were tirelessly casting spells at the frozen sea. From fire spells to shock magic meant to shatter the ice, they were doing everything they could to clear the canal.

From a distance, it looked almost comedic. Their efforts resembled fishermen drilling tiny holes into the ice for smelt fishing.

“It’ll take over ten days at this rate.”

“More like two weeks before the waterways are fully restored.”

“This will cause significant damage.”

“Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to buy land in the West.”

“Not a bad idea.”

The architect of this tragedy simply clenched his fists and sighed.

“...”

Wolfgang Rui stood speechless, staring at the frozen sea.

“...”

His lips moved soundlessly like a gasping fish as his fists trembled in frustration. He couldn’t think of a solution to the situation.

Large merchant ships, the size of medium estates, were tightly docked in the harbor, while merchants paced frantically, puffing away at their cigarettes. Wolfgang surely understood—if an alternative wasn’t found soon, a riot could break out.

— Creak...

Darbav approached Wolfgang, who stood by the frozen canal, and placed a hand on his shoulder, wearing a kindly expression.

“Marquis Wolfgang.”

“...”

“I guess I’ll have to retract my earlier statement about erasing your family from the map if we ever crossed paths again.”

“...”

“After all, it seems your family might disappear on its own.”

Wolfgang’s pale face grew even more ashen at Darbav’s taunts.

“What a cruel world.”

“...”

“Who would have thought the Western sea would freeze overnight? Judging by the scale, I doubt any ordinary mage would dare intervene.”

“It’s fine.”

“Is that so?”

“The West is not so weak.”

“Hmm... It doesn’t seem that way.”

— Father!!! I’m freezing to death!

At Olivia’s complaints about the cold, Darbav nodded and addressed Wolfgang.

“Perhaps several meteors would solve the problem. Are there any mages in the West capable of casting meteors?”

“...No.”

“I see. Then it’ll take more than ten days. The damage will be astronomical.”

Rui’s gaze seethed with anger at Darbav’s feigned concern. He was certain Desmund was behind this but could do nothing as Darbav pretended to be sympathetic.

Though he wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar, Wolfgang Rui could only grit his teeth and endure.

“I’ll escort you to the Wolfgang estate.”

Darbav waved dismissively.

“Desmund will head to our private villa. It’s better for the marquis that way.”

The stares of pure hatred from Wolfgang and the Crown Prince, who had recently had his hair pulled by the young lady, bored into Darbav’s back.

“...Darbav Desmund...!”

“This won’t end peacefully.”

In the first carriage, Olivia turned her head and saw the Crown Prince standing with Wolfgang. She called out.

“What are you looking at?”

The Crown Prince glared and replied.

“Today’s humiliation will be repaid.”

“Tell your dad.”

“...?”

“You can’t beat us.”

— Creak.

The Crown Prince was stewing in the Wolfgang estate, attempting to calm his anger.

“Phew...”

Everything had gone wrong, and his frustration boiled over.

He’d been insulted, the Emperor mocked, and even had his hair pulled.

Resolving to make them pay, the Crown Prince drank a glass of water to soothe his dry throat, all while Wolfgang Rui watched his mood carefully. The more negative his feelings toward Desmund, the more Rui stood to gain.

Despite the mountain of documents awaiting him, Rui prioritized attending to the Crown Prince’s state of mind.

“I apologize for showing you such an unseemly side.”

The Crown Prince shook his head in response.

“It’s fine. Desmund has shown plenty of bad sides, so it’s no surprise anymore.”

“I should have insisted on placing you in our carriage. My oversight is unforgivable.”

“No, it was my stubbornness. Marquis, focus on your work.”

The Crown Prince waved dismissively.

“Let’s leave this topic. I want to discuss something constructive.”

“Understood.”

At the Crown Prince’s command, Rui clapped his hands, summoning a man from outside the room.

“Steward.”

The Wolfgang steward entered, carrying a large map, and spread it across the table.

The Crown Prince frowned at the sight of the elderly man.

“Who is this?”

Rui reassured him.

“The steward of House Wolfgang. He has served our family since my predecessor’s time. You needn’t worry.”

“If you say so.”

The steward laid the map out neatly on the table, and Rui pointed to a red-circled location.

“This is where the Western trade routes converge.”

“Hmm...”

“And this,” Rui continued, indicating a black-circled area, “is the lair of the beast.”

“...?”

“The sea is frozen up to the lair’s entrance.”

“That will make movement easier.”

“Indeed.”

“We need to pit Darbav against the beast one-on-one, but this setup makes it impossible to handle him.”

“Not necessarily.”

Rui shook his head, pointing to a blue-circled island.

“This uninhabited island is home to pirates. We plan to send Desmund’s steward and knights there to subdue the pirates while Darbav and Wolfgang’s knights deal with the beast.”

The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow.

“An uninhabited island?”

“Yes, by splitting their forces, we can weaken Desmund. If Darbav dies during the beast subjugation, all the better. If not, we’ll deal with him once he’s exhausted.”

“‘Deal with’ sounds harsh. Let’s call it ‘disappear.’”

The two exchanged sinister smiles as they finalized their plot.

At the same time, Desmund was at their villa, planning their own strategy.

“...They’re likely planning to target you during this mission.”

“To target Father...”

“I agree with Ricardo. The Emperor wouldn’t arbitrarily target Desmund. The Crown Prince must be involved.”

Kyle, gripping his teacup, looked at Darbav with concern.

“This is too dangerous.”

Darbav offered Kyle a small smile and shook his head.

“Kyle.”

“Yes?”

“Meteors are always right.”

“...?”

“Grow quickly so you, too, can use meteors.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Turning to Kyle, who couldn’t hide his worry, I smiled faintly and added my thoughts.

“I’ll handle the beast subjugation.”

“...!”

“And I’ll ensure we involve forces beyond Wolfgang.”

A smile spread across Ricardo’s lips—a smile colder and more unsettling than anyone else’s in the room.