Page 376 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

That day was just another ordinary day.

Well, except for the rain falling from the sky and the fact that it hadn’t been long since the new students arrived. Other than that, everything was the same as usual.

—Whoosh.

As always, Shartia was in her office, busy with her duties. She wrestled with a mountain of documents while the voices of new students chattering excitedly filtered in from outside.

"The history professor is so weird! Who gives homework on the first day of class?

" "I don’t know~! Just fill it in later as a free assignment or something. By the way... doesn’t that first-year in the Swordsmanship Department look really handsome?

" "Who? The one with silver hair?" "No, the one with red hair.

The silver-haired guy is too feminine for my taste.

That redhead is totally my type—he even looks buff.

" "Ugh, what are you talking about? He wasn’t ~Nоvеl??ght~ even wearing the school uniform. " "That’s the charm!"

The academy was lively, with the arrival of the new students turning the place into a bustling hive of energy. With fresh classrooms and new friends, the academy was undoubtedly more exciting than the dull villages they had come from.

A faint smile of nostalgia tugged at the corner of Shartia’s lips.

“Hah... Let’s get this list done. Even working all night might not be enough to fill the vacancies left by the graduates.”

This year’s incoming students were particularly promising.

Among them was someone with divine power greater than most lifelong priests, and a scholarship recipient renowned for their exceptional talent in swordsmanship. A direct disciple of the renowned Tower Master was also part of this cohort, and even her half-brother had enrolled at the academy.

It was a generation brimming with extraordinary talent. The professors had high hopes for them, and the student council had to recruit them before the senior students snatched them away.

Even so, Shartia remained confined to her office as always.

"Yaaawn..."

Truthfully, she was jealous. Jealous of the students enjoying their youth. Her own first year had been nothing like theirs.

Back then, she had done nothing but sprint forward recklessly, trying to solidify her shaky position. She couldn’t help but regret how her school life had turned out, but there had been no other choice—if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to live in the imperial palace.

“Lucky them.”

The gatherings after exams to drink, the farewell parties before summer vacation—she wasn’t even invited to those anymore. Now, regrets like these were nothing but meaningless thoughts.

“Maybe I should get some fresh air.”

The rain only seemed to make her feel gloomier. Thinking she should take a break, Shartia sighed deeply and turned toward the window.

—Whoosh.

The early spring rain felt unusually melancholic this time.

“I should head out before I start feeling worse.”

She reached for the umbrella by her desk.

—Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

Suddenly, loud footsteps echoed in the hallway. The sound of someone sprinting as if being chased grew louder.

Even if classes had ended, any student caught by a professor making this much noise would surely get scolded.

“Seriously, like a child...”

Irritated, Shartia ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She thought about stepping out to say something but decided against wasting her precious time. Whoever it was, they were unlikely to cross paths with her again anyway.

“Tsk.”

As she clicked her tongue at the thought of immature students lowering the academy’s standards, the footsteps drew closer. Much closer.

“Hah... Really!”

Just as she resolved to give the culprit a piece of her mind—

—Creeeak!

“Huh?”

The office door burst open, and a red-haired man strode in. He wore a butler’s uniform, an unusual sight for a student at the academy.

“Oh... no one’s here.”

“...?”

“Oh.”

The man’s gaze fell on her, and his face lit up with a bright smile.

“Hello.”

Her first reaction wasn’t anger but bewilderment. Who would open a door without permission and barge in like this? His casual greeting only added to her disbelief.

“...Ha.”

Looking at the man’s carefree smile, Shartia couldn’t help but think about reporting him to his department for disciplinary action.

“Nice to meet you.”

“...”

“I’m Ricardo, a first-year student in the Swordsmanship Department.”

He introduced himself as if nothing were amiss.

“...Ha.”

He was a type she’d never encountered before. Shartia had dealt with countless kinds of people, but this was her first time facing someone so unabashedly brazen.

She vaguely recalled seeing him at the entrance ceremony, but his face wouldn’t come to mind clearly.

‘A noble?’

No, that couldn’t be. No noble would dare not recognize her face. At the very least, their parents would have drilled it into them. A noble acting so disrespectfully was unthinkable.

The man began walking toward her with long strides, his red hair catching the light as he moved. Shartia, sitting in her chair, watched him approach with wide eyes.

“What... what are you doing? Stay back.”

“As the rumors say, you truly are beautiful, Princess Shartia.”

“Huh...? You know who I am?”

“Of course.”

“Then why are you doing this...?”

The man chuckled softly and reached into his jacket. Strangely, she didn’t feel any fear that he might pull out a weapon. Oddly enough, it didn’t even cross her mind.

“I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time.”

“...What are you talking about?”

With a grin, the red-haired man pulled out a small rectangular object and placed it in her hand.

“This is my gift to you.”

“...”

“Please keep it.”

“...”

With those parting words, the man opened the window and leapt out without an umbrella, despite the pouring rain.

"Hey!!!"

Shartia stared out the window, dumbfounded, then glanced at the item in her hand.

And then.

"Chocolate?"

The unexpected object made her burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha!"

If he was trying to flirt, he could’ve done it a little more seriously. Chocolate? Really, chocolate?

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Shartia couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased. After all, she was still a woman, and an unexpected confession could brighten anyone’s day.

Though her status meant she couldn’t possibly accept his feelings, she decided to overlook the impudence of the man who had just caused a scene. It seemed obvious he had been struck by her beauty during the entrance ceremony and awkwardly tried to convey his feelings.

"Hmm hmm hmm..."

Just as she began to giggle at the thought of the shy and clumsy red-haired man, her amusement was cut short.

"How cute."

—SCREEEEEECH!!!

This time, a loud and furious scream echoed through the hallway, getting closer.

"What... what’s this?"

The voice was dripping with rage, filled to the brim with every bit of anger imaginable. The source of the voice stomped loudly, shaking the floor with each step.

—SCREEECH!

As the enraged woman passed, hushed whispers followed in her wake.

"D-did you see Ricardo?" "No... no, I didn’t." "What’s with the attitude?!" "Oh...?"

The angry voice and the sound of footsteps were approaching Shartia’s office.

"RICARDOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Shartia’s eyes flicked to the chocolate in her hand, her pupils trembling. For some reason, she felt a growing sense of unease.

"...No way."

She had a bad feeling that the man who had jumped out the window was somehow connected to the woman now storming down the hall.

And worse, her instincts told her that the reason the girl was yelling might have something to do with the chocolate she was holding.

—SCREEEECH!!!

—Clack.

"Eugh."

—Clack, clack...

The girl stopped walking, and Shartia’s unease became a reality.

—Creeeeak.

"..." "Eek?!" "A first-year student." "Oh, right! Gotta be polite... Ricardo said to be polite..."

"Hello."

The girl with jet-black hair opened the door, placing her hands over her belly as she bowed with a polite greeting, saying, "Hello."

The rage-filled behavior from the hallway seemed to vanish, replaced by an unexpectedly formal demeanor that eased the tension.

But then.

[Oli...]

As Shartia caught sight of the girl’s name tag, a sense of foreboding crept in.

"Familiar..."

The girl’s face felt vaguely familiar, like someone she had encountered before. Though the distance kept her from reading the full name on the tag, the irritated expression was something she could swear she’d seen before.

"Who...?"

"Have you seen Ricardo?"

"I feel like I should remember..."

"Ricardo stole my chocolate...!"

"'Oli...' The name starts with 'Oli'..."

"Eugh?!"

[Oliv...]

"Wait a second..."

An ominous name flitted through Shartia’s mind like a flash of lightning.

The living devil of the Empire.

A noble child born on an entirely different level from others.

‘Desmont Olivia.’

Shartia’s trembling eyes fixed on the girl before her, whose gaze was locked on the chocolate in Shartia’s hand. The moment Olivia’s face lit up, Shartia’s world crumbled.

"That’s mine, you know...?"

"..."

"YOUUUU!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!!!"

The guildmaster burst into laughter as Shartia recounted the story.

"Starting a first meeting with a game of hot potato! Unbelievable!"

"Right? I can’t tell you how hard I worked the next day to track that guy down..."

"That Ricardo fellow sounds like quite the character. I’d love to meet him one day."

Shartia responded to the guildmaster’s laughter with a wry smile.

"You’ve probably already met him."

"What?"

"Knowing you, he’s likely been one of your ‘guests.’ Maybe asking about the Empire’s politics or looking for someone."

"..."

Shartia smirked at the guildmaster’s suddenly rigid expression and stretched her arms.

"Still, he’s not such a bad person."

"..."

"I owe him my life, after all."

Shartia lifted her teacup with a serene smile.

"I almost died, you know."

"..."

"Truly..."