Page 384 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The silence in Shartia's office was thick and heavy.

"Of course..."

Shartia let out a hollow laugh, her gaze fixed on the space where Ricardo had just been.

"Right..."

To say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Deep down, she had hoped Ricardo would choose to stand by her. After all, he was the most coveted person in the Empire, and his firm rejection left a bitter taste.

There was no denying his competence.

No one else worried about her well-being as much as he did. With someone like that by her side, she felt she could muster strength she didn’t even know she had. So yes, his refusal was undeniably disheartening.

But when she thought about it, his rejection made sense.

Until now, all she had ever been to Ricardo was a burden. Never a source of support or strength. Perhaps her request earlier was nothing more than the petulant whining of a spoiled child.

Her life had always been that way.

She had never been someone who contributed to others. Always focused on her own survival, always taking and never giving. So it was no surprise that no one would willingly offer her their hand.

Knock. Knock.

The sound of someone knocking broke the oppressive stillness.

"Huh? Is he back?"

The guildmaster, smirking as always, glanced toward the door Ricardo had exited.

"He didn’t seem to leave anything behind, ? Nоvеlιght ? (Read the full story) though. Strange. Oh, or did he leave the Princess herself behind?"

"Please stop teasing me."

"Hohoho!"

Shartia sighed at the guildmaster’s playful remarks, watching her skip off to answer the door.

"There’s no one else scheduled to visit the office today, so I’ll bring them in right away."

"Haa..."

"But..."

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Did he knock like that before?"

The deliberate and forceful knock echoed again, filling the office with a cold silence. Ricardo had always knocked just once and then waited.

"No...?"

Knowing Ricardo’s patient nature, Shartia felt her unease growing.

"Something feels off."

"..." "Ricardo always waits for someone to answer. And he knew we were inside just a moment ago... He would have waited."

The guildmaster, sensing the tension, quickly moved into action.

"Looks like we have an uninvited guest."

As their cold gazes turned toward the door, an all-too-familiar voice pierced through.

"Shartia."

"..." "I know you’re in there, so stop making me wait and come out."

Hearing the voice, Shartia’s eyes trembled, growing colder. It was a voice that had created unforgettable moments of torment. A voice she found unbearable to face.

The guildmaster, recognizing the voice as well, moved swiftly.

"We need to hide these documents."

"..." "Your Highness?"

"Ah... yes, we need to move quickly."

The documents on her desk contained information that couldn’t fall into the wrong hands.

As the guildmaster’s sharp eyes mirrored Shartia’s own, she began hiding the papers without hesitation. She unlocked a drawer to store sensitive documents and strategically placed academy-related files on top to divert attention.

"How long are you planning to make me wait?"

The man’s impatient voice echoed again. The guildmaster, her previous smile vanished, strode purposefully toward the door.

"I’ll buy us some time."

"Please do."

As the door creaked open, the guildmaster greeted the intruder with a voice noticeably firmer than before.

"Good day. I am the maid of Princess Leogarde Shartia..."

The man responded with mocking derision.

"Is it appropriate to make royalty wait like this?"

"My apologies. If you could tell me the purpose of your visit, I will relay the message to the Princess—"

"Hah... You’re telling me to wait? Who do you think you’re ordering around?"

"I—"

"Are you looking to die?"

The man’s voice dripped with arrogance, reeking of someone who fully understood his own power.

"Haa... Haa... We have to hurry and hide this."

Unpleasant memories surged back to Shartia’s mind.

"I granted a bastard-born girl the right to use the name ‘Leogarde,’ and you should be crawling in gratitude."

"I’m sorry... Brother."

"Brother? Did you just call me brother?"

"N-no, I didn’t mean—"

"Hah... Unbelievable. I’ll have to inform Mother. Only then will this uneducated wench learn her place."

"Please... anything but that!"

The pain she had buried deep began to resurface.

Shartia’s hands trembled slightly as she hurried to hide the remaining papers.

Why.

Why is he here?

To someone who had never shown any interest in her.

Since becoming an adult, he had never once cared about her. So why now? What whim had brought him here? The mere thought made her head ache, and soon the sound of the door slamming shut violently echoed through the room.

"Open it."

"I cannot let you in without the Princess's permission."

"I know she’s in there. Tell her to come out right now."

"...Please wait a moment!"

The guildmaster, wearing an expression of unease, turned to Shartia.

"Your Highness."

"..." "The Second Prince has come to see you."

"I know."

"He’s demanding that we open the door immediately. Shall I let him in?"

There was no follow-up question of "What should we do?" The guildmaster already knew there was no option to refuse the Second Prince.

Even from rumors alone, one could deduce the kind of man he was.

Brutal.

Ruthless.

And quick to use his power to crush anything that displeased him.

The guildmaster had heard plenty about the Second Prince’s behavior—how he leveraged the influence of his powerful mother and the privileges of royalty better than anyone. She knew that the only thing she could do now was hide anything that might give him an excuse to nitpick.

The Second Prince was the kind of scoundrel who wouldn’t hesitate to kill if his mood soured.

Standing by the door, the guildmaster cast a serious look at Shartia.

"You need to stay calm."

"..." "Just think of this as stepping in something unpleasant and handle it calmly."

- Bang!

"Open it."

- Bang! Bang!!

"I’m ordering you as royalty—open the door right now."

Shartia clenched her fists tightly and nodded.

"It’s something I have to face eventually."

Resolving herself, she braced for what was to come.

"...Hmmm."

As I left Shartia's office, I smiled to myself, my mood light.

"Being too handsome is a problem, isn’t it?"

I called you because I wanted to see you.

Hearing that, regardless of status, had brightened my day. I walked lightly down the academy’s steps.

"Maybe if I put on makeup, I could conquer the world."

Still, becoming her sword, huh...

The unexpected request had left me shaken. I never imagined she’d ask me to serve as her retainer.

"...Haah."

I always knew that someone as amazing as me would eventually get scouted, but I didn’t think it would happen today.

"The life of a popular person is a hard one."

Still, it wasn’t bad.

Receiving a compliment from a beautiful woman felt good. It meant my value had risen, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.

For someone as rigid as Shartia to ask for someone to be on her side, I had to be the only choice.

Although I hadn’t been able to accept with the guildmaster around, I felt I could still help her. I didn’t know exactly what she wanted me to do, but I was willing to assist within reason.

There was something to be said for loyalty. And, well, she was beautiful.

Besides, ingratiating myself to someone who might one day be an Empress wasn’t a bad idea. Building rapport now could pay off later.

At this point in the story, Shartia was supposed to be having a hard time.

She was being pressured by the Crown Prince,

fighting sudden engagement rumors,

and contending with forces threatening her mother.

Moreover—

"I can’t do this!!!"

Shartia’s fragile mental state was further shaken by her encounter with Elicia, a quiet Apostle involved in the academy’s disappearance case. She was deeply unstable.

Although she would overcome it with the help of Yuria and other supporting characters, becoming stronger in the process, the novel had destined Shartia for a rough road.

And her greatest hardship?

- Thud.

"Huh?"

What the—?

A man with platinum blonde hair bumped my shoulder and walked past without so much as an apology. I sighed.

Not even a "sorry."

The way he muttered curses under his breath as he walked off was irritating.

"Watch where you’re going."

"..." "I’ll let it slide today because I’m busy."

Normally, I would’ve separated his shoulder from his body to teach him a lesson about its importance, but I didn’t want to cause a scene in the academy. I bit back my anger.

"...Tsk."

Should I kill him?

No.

I had to consider Shartia. She was already swamped, and if an unresolved murder occurred at the academy, she’d probably collapse from the stress.

"Maybe I’ll just use the restroom."

Thinking of the incident as stepping in something unpleasant, I let out a small sigh, washed my face in the restroom, and unexpectedly found myself thinking about Shartia, who was likely still buried under piles of paperwork.

"Maybe I should invite her out for a drink."

If I didn’t forcibly drag her out, she’d never rest.

Smiling at the thought of finally seeing Shartia drunk, I headed back to her office, my steps light.

"Please, stop!"

Seeing the state of the office upon arrival, my expression turned cold.

"..."

I was annoyed.