Page 385 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Fear crept closer.

The storm carried by this ill-fated connection pressed heavily on Shartia’s chest, its intensity growing with each passing second.

"..."

Her brother, who had barged in unannounced, spoke to her with outrageous audacity.

"Shartia. Punish that insolent maid yourself."

"...Yes."

"If you don’t handle it properly, I’ll do it myself. You know what that means, don’t you?"

—Nod.

"Good. I hear you’ve been doing well lately."

"..." "I also heard that our eldest brother caused some trouble."

He was trying to appeal to her for help.

His words were wrapped in a veneer of plausibility.

"If our brother secures the throne, you and I will both be left out in the cold. I’ve heard rumors—once he becomes Emperor, he plans to exile all the royals from the palace. You know as well as I do that without the capital, neither of us can maintain any power."

The terms he offered were beyond arrogant.

"You should undermine him."

"Pardon?"

"You’re the student council president, and he’s a student at the academy. If you spread enough bad rumors about him, it could jeopardize his claim to the throne."

The sneering smile on his face reeked of arrogance.

"What... do you mean by that?"

"I thought you were supposed to be smart. Was that wrong?"

"..." "Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"No... I understand what you mean, but..."

"I want to become the Crown Prince, so I need your help."

"...Excuse me?"**

Anger flared within her.

How could he so casually discuss ascending to the throne, a position that bore the weight of countless imperial lives?

"The Emperor of the Empire..."

Her trembling lips finally managed to form words, overcoming the fear she had harbored for so long. No matter how terrifying he was, she could not tolerate his cavalier attitude toward everything she had worked so hard for.

"Do you think that’s such an easy position to obtain?"

For the first time, she rebelled.

For the first time, she stood up to him, someone she had always avoided confronting, even though she had dreamed of doing so one day.

"..."

Staring at her brother’s cold gaze, Shartia pressed on resolutely.

"Brother... You’ve always claimed to have no interest in power."

"My dear sister."

"That’s why Father never taught you politics... Why the sudden change?"

He was no different from Theo.

When Theo wanted to explore the world, her brother was busy playing around. Upon reaching adulthood, he had indulged in women and lived a life of decadence. And now, he dared to covet the throne? Her anger surged to the point of suffocation.

But—

"People change. Ambition grows. Someone like me can’t be satisfied with just one position."

"...What?"

"Our eldest brother botched everything. He barely managed to restrain the Desmont family, but now they’re back to making trouble. His influence is bound to wane."

"..." "This is the perfect opportunity. We can seize power and push him aside."

"Ha..."

"If I make a personal sacrifice and take Desmont’s disabled young lady as my wife, no one will dare oppose the authority of the throne."

Shartia bit her lip hard.

She could vividly imagine the disaster that would ensue if he dared to lay his hands on the Desmont young lady. Knowing full well the consequences, Shartia clenched her eyes shut and shouted,

"Don’t be ridiculous!"

"...What?"

"Why should I help you, Brother?"

"Why? Because you’re my sister. I’ve always cared for you."

"Cared for...?"

"Your tone is becoming disrespectful. Have I been too lenient with you?"

"Do you realize how dangerous it is to provoke the Desmont family? If you touch the Desmont young lady now, the family could rebel against the royal family. Are you aware of that...?"

"Shartia."

"For someone as knowledgeable as you to even consider such a thing..."

The Second Prince’s cold eyes narrowed as he gripped the teacup in his trembling hand, seemingly ready to hurl it.

"If you had helped me, I would’ve improved the treatment your mother receives."

"...Why bring up my mother?"

"If your dim-witted mind had been of any use to me, I would have treated you like my own sister."

"..." "I would’ve found you a good match and married you into a respectable family."

"A political marriage, no doubt."

"Of course. For someone of your tainted bloodline, even that would’ve been too generous."

The Second Prince poured the tea from his cup onto the floor, his words dripping with disdain.

"But look at this."

"..." "Your busy brother went out of his way to visit you, and all you do is talk back..."

"..." "You think you can talk to me like this because I’ve been patient with you? Do you think I’m some kind of fool like our eldest brother?"

"You are a fool. Even Father gave up on you."

The Second Prince’s eyes turned icy at her words.

"What?"

His hand raised.

"..."

It was a scene straight out of her childhood.

"It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson."

He danced on the edge of fury.

"...!"

Documents flew through the air as his hand swept them off her desk in a fit of rage. Papers she had painstakingly organized for hours were ruined, soaked in the tea that now pooled on the floor. Tears welled in Shartia’s eyes as sadness took hold.

"Yes... An uneducated sister deserves to be disciplined by her brother."

"...!"

The hand poised to slap her hesitated.

Terror loomed closer.

The storm of ill fate raged in Shartia's heart, closing in with merciless intensity.

"..."

Her brother, who had barged in without warning, began hurling absurd threats at her.

"Shartia. Punish that insolent maid yourself."

"...Yes."

"If you don’t, I’ll handle it myself. You understand what that means, don’t you?"

—Nod.

"Good. I hear you’ve been doing well lately."

"..." "I also heard our eldest brother caused quite a stir."

He was trying to persuade her, in his own way, to support him.

His words sounded plausible enough.

"You know if our eldest brother secures the throne, you and I will be left out in the cold, right? There’s a rumor going around—if he becomes Emperor, he plans to exile all the royals from the palace. You know as well as I do that without the capital, neither of us can maintain any power."

But the terms he presented were unbearably arrogant.

"You should keep him in check."

"Pardon?"

"You’re the student council president, aren’t you? He’s a student at the academy. If you spread enough damaging rumors about him, it could jeopardize his position as Crown Prince."

The sneer on his face was infuriatingly smug.

"What... do you mean by that?"

"I thought you were supposed to be clever. Was that wrong?"

"..." "Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"No... I understand what you mean, but..."

"I want to become the Crown Prince, so I need your help."

"...Excuse me?"**

Her anger surged.

The throne was not something one could claim so easily, not when it bore the weight of countless imperial lives.

"The Emperor of the Empire..."

Her lips, trembling with fury, managed to form words. No matter how terrifying he was, she couldn’t overlook his disdainful attitude toward everything she had worked so hard for.

"Do you think it’s such an easy position to obtain?"

For the first time, she rebelled.

For the first time, she stood up to him, the person she had always avoided confronting.

"..."

Shartia locked eyes with her brother’s cold gaze and continued to speak, her voice firm.

"You’ve always claimed to have no interest in power."

"My dear sister."

"That’s why Father never taught you politics... Why the sudden change?"

He was no different from Theo.

When Theo wanted to explore the world, her brother was busy wasting his life in indulgence. And now, after years of decadence, he dared to covet the throne? Her anger surged uncontrollably.

But—

"People change. Ambition grows. Someone like me can’t be satisfied with just one position."

"...What?"

"Our eldest brother’s influence has waned. He’s barely holding the Desmont family in check. This is our chance to claim power."

"..." "If I make the sacrifice of marrying Desmont’s disabled young lady, no one will dare challenge the authority of the throne."

Shartia bit her lip hard.

She could vividly imagine the disaster that would follow if he dared to lay a hand on Olivia Desmont. Knowing the catastrophe it would cause, she shut her eyes and shouted,

"Stop saying such foolish things!"

"...What?"

"Why should I help you, Brother?"

"Why? Because you’re my sister. I’ve always cared for you."

"Cared for...?"

"Your tone is becoming disrespectful. Have I been too lenient with you?"

"Do you realize how dangerous it is to provoke the Desmont family? If you lay a hand on Olivia, they could rebel against the royal family. Do you understand that...?"

"Shartia."

"For someone as smart as you to even consider such a thing..."

The Second Prince’s cold eyes narrowed as he gripped his teacup, trembling with rage.

"If you had helped me, I would have improved your mother’s standing."

"...Why bring up my mother?"

"If your idiotic mind had been of any use, I would have treated you as my sister."

"..." "I would’ve found you a good match and married you into a respectable family."

"A political marriage, no doubt."

"Of course. For someone of your tainted bloodline, even that would’ve been too generous."

The Second Prince spilled his tea onto the floor, his disdain dripping with every word.

"But look at this."

"..." "Your busy brother went out of his way to visit you, and all you do is talk back..."

"..." "You think you can speak to me like this because I’ve been patient? Do you think I’m as soft as our eldest brother?"

"You are. Even Father gave up on you."

His eyes grew icy cold at her words.

"What?"

His hand rose.

"..."

It felt like a scene from her childhood all over again.

"It seems you still haven’t learned your place."

The air crackled with tension.

"...!"

The documents on her desk scattered into the air as his hand swept them away. Papers she had organized for hours were now soaked in the tea pooling on the floor. Tears welled in Shartia’s eyes as grief filled her.

"Yes... An untrained sister deserves to be disciplined by her brother."

"...!"

But the hand that had been raised to strike her suddenly stopped.

He remembered.

Now that she held the title of Third Princess, he couldn’t lay a hand on her.

Instead, he unleashed his fury on the office, throwing everything within reach.

Vulgar words filled the air.

"...!"

Threats to her life flew back and forth.

"From now on, your mother will suffer."

"...Stop."

"For raising a daughter who doesn’t know her place, she’ll be ostracized by the other consorts. The Fourth Consort, who’s been kind to her, will face the same."

"Stop... please..."

"What? Are you scared?"

When would this torment end?

She knew that compared to others, her suffering might seem trivial, a luxury even.

But in this moment, as her rights and dignity were trampled, she felt as though her hell was far worse.

"Come with me."

When...

I don’t want to.

When would this nightmare finally end?

Would it end if she became Emperor and seized power?

"..."

Or would it only end if her life came to an end?

She had too much to protect, too many desires left unfulfilled. She had no wish to end her life, despite everything.

But—

"Your Highness!"

"Do you wish to die as well?"

Facing his maddened eyes felt like being swallowed by darkness.

Her father.

Her commoner mother.

This entire wretched situation.

She hated it all.

Feeling weak and helpless, knowing there was no one to save her, she swallowed her tears and shouted.

"Please...!"

Stop.

"Please...!"

Just as she was about to abandon her pride completely—

"Ah."

A cold voice cut through the air, swift and sharp.

In an instant—

"How annoying."

The Second Prince’s face was smashed.

- CRACK!

His once-prized face, a source of his vanity, was utterly mangled by a massive fist.

The stunned Prince glared at the man who had struck him, his eyes blazing with fury, but before he could spit out curses—

"Shh."

The man who had struck him pressed a finger to his lips, a chilling smile on his face.

"What are you doing, acting so vulgar in this sacred academy?"

"Do you know what you’ve just done?! To strike the face of royalty—!"

"Ah."

The man, with striking red hair, leaned in as if about to reveal a forbidden secret and whispered,

"You’ve been indulging too much, Your Highness."

"...What?"

"You frequent the West, don’t you?"

"..." "You should compose yourself."

"What are you talking about—"

"Ranting like a lunatic..."

Ricardo crouched beside the fallen Prince, his voice dropping to a near inaudible whisper.

Shartia couldn’t hear what he said.

"Your pupils are abnormally dilated."

"You..."

"You’re so weak you can’t even hold onto a teacup. Perhaps you should moderate your indulgences."

The Prince’s trembling voice grew quieter as he glared at Ricardo.

"Who are you? Who told you that nonsense—"

Before his voice could rise with anger, Ricardo’s own voice, laced with menace, cut through.

"Second Prince."

"..." "I am Ricardo, butler of the Desmont family."

"..." "A lowly commoner, and the personal servant of Olivia Desmont, the notorious and ill-favored young lady of the Desmont family."

Ricardo clasped his hands in ? Nоvеl?гht ? (Don’t copy, read here) mock politeness, his gaze brimming with quiet fury.

"And."

He made it clear why he could stand so boldly before him.

"I am also a purveyor of information in this Empire."

"..." "Does that clarify things for you?"

His words heralded the return of the lion.

"You would do well to watch your tongue."

The once-unyielding Prince faltered, dropping his gaze under Ricardo’s glare.

Shartia was being dragged away.

"Where are we going...?!"

She hadn’t even had a chance to thank him before she found herself being pulled along by Ricardo.

He didn’t say a word, his anger palpable.

"Just follow me."

"What...?"

"This is what happens when you do nothing but work—you lose even to scum like him."

What do you know?

Her indignation flared, ready to be unleashed, but before she could retort—

"We’re here."

Shartia’s eyes widened in shock.

"My secret garden."