Page 398 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

[What if Olivia Desmont Were Ricardo’s Maid? -1-]

This chapter is a lighthearted side story due to the author’s poor condition.

It has no connection to the main plot, so feel free to skip it!

[This 'side story' is set in a timeline where Darvab was killed by heretics.]

['Olivia as a Maid?!' is planned to be expanded as a fun epilogue after the main story ends, so please enjoy it lightly!]

Dust swirled through the streets of the slums.

"Spare some change, please."

A beggar held out a tin can, feigning misery and pleading for help.

"I haven’t eaten all day."

"..."

"Please, just a coin."

Why do people do this?

I let out a languid sigh as I stared at the can at my feet.

"Hmm... Is there any reason I should give you money?"

After all, no one in this world has it easy.

"I’m struggling too."

"..."

"I’m just another poor soul working hard every day to make a living..."

"Please, just a coin!"

"You’ve got two perfectly good legs and clear vision. Why are you begging?"

"..."

The beggar shot me a glare before muttering something about bad luck and disappearing without another word.

"I was just about to give him tips on more efficient begging methods."

I tucked the coin I had been fiddling with back into my pocket and smiled faintly. Well, money saved is money earned.

Ten years had passed since I reincarnated into this world.

Having achieved moderate success in business, I was now somewhat famous in the empire.

A nouveau riche, they called me.

Even the Crown Prince wouldn’t dare touch me.

Not even the Emperor could move against me.

Thanks to the knowledge I brought from my previous life and the connections I built with Malik.

Today, I was walking through the slums to scout locations for expanding my business.

"I’ll probably have to tear everything down."

Redevelopment. That was the plan.

To me, the slums were money.

Endless homeless wanderers.

Dusty streets.

And cheap land.

Nobles avoided investing in slums because owning property here drew ridicule.

But I was a commoner. I didn’t need to care about appearances.

This place, where I could buy vast plots of land with existing structures for dirt-cheap prices, was a goose laying golden eggs.

"Hmm..."

I walked through the slums, inspecting buildings to decide which could be salvaged and which would need to be demolished.

Then, I stopped.

This place felt nostalgic.

A place where it all began.

The streets I wandered when I first found myself in this world.

I had met Mikhail here too.

"Promise me you’ll help me if I ask for it."

"Okay!"

"But I won’t help for free, got it?"

"Got it!"

"Heh... Good."

I’d also gotten beaten half to death by street thugs here.

"Kill him!"

"Wait! My ribs—!"

"Ribs heal when they’re broken."

"Haha...!"

I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was a good thing Mikhail and I had left the slums early. Otherwise, we might’ve ended up dead in the heretics’ attack.

Anyway.

"It’s been a while."

It didn’t feel bad to see this place again.

"Maybe I should leave it as it is."

Smiling faintly, I let myself sink into old memories as I wandered.

I passed the square where we had taken photos together.

"One, two, three!"

I walked under the bridge where Mikhail and I used to sleep.

"Don’t push me!"

"Come on, just sleep here with me!"

"I’m a girl—!"

"So what?!"

I let out a helpless chuckle as I strolled along the streets.

Eventually, I reached a busy intersection.

I stopped and smiled, a wave of satisfaction washing over me.

"Spare some change!"

"My child is starving!"

I had returned to the very place that helped me get started and provided the funds to launch my business.

I paused and smirked at a dusty can abandoned in a corner.

"It’s still here."

The tin I used for begging.

"You have to beg differently. Make it flashy."

"But then I won’t look pitiful."

"Pretend to put money in."

"Okay... Clink!"

"Oh! Oh, my! Dear noble! Thank you for your donation of 1 gold! Is there anything you’d like? A dance? A song? I’ll do it all!"

"...Ugh."

"That’s how you do it."

I smiled as I stared at the faded drawings still etched on the can.

"Those were the days."

This tin was full of memories—too many to throw it away.

And then—

"Hrk?!"

"...?"

"Ugh...?"

I turned my head.

A woman stood there, staring blankly at the begging can in my hand.

I smiled.

"Hello."

She looked like the new owner of the can she had abandoned.

Judging by her appearance, she seemed like a former noble who had fallen on hard times.

Her dress was designer, and her skin remained flawless despite living on the streets—something only nobles could maintain.

More than that—

"That’s mine."

Her eyes.

The sharp, predatory look of someone who had once stood at the top of the food chain. I recognized it instantly.

"..."

I pulled out the coin I had considered giving the earlier beggar and twirled it between my fingers.

"..."

It felt worth paying to see this old relic of mine again.

Besides, the woman’s face was my type.

I practiced blatant gender discrimination, after all. If I was going to show kindness, it might as well be to a woman.

I gestured cautiously for her to come closer, signaling that I wasn’t a threat.

"Hey."

"...Hrk?"

"Are you the owner of this begging can?"

"It’s not a begging can—it’s a money can."

"...I see."

The woman corrected me about the name of the begging can and slowly began to approach.

"It’s mine."

"..."

"Don’t touch it."

I nearly burst out laughing at her greed over something so trivial. ‘If it’s that precious, you should’ve taken better care of it,’ I thought.

"How old are you?"

The moment my cautious question filled the air, she spat out something completely unexpected.

"F*** off...!"

A curse.

"Don’t talk down to me."

And anger.

"Are you good in a fight?"

Then came an audacious challenge.

What a ridiculous woman.

That was how we met.

Three years later.

"Maid."

"...Hmm?"

"Say ‘yes,’ not ‘hmm.’"

Standing in the kitchen, cluttered with dirty dishes, I was locked in a back-and-forth with a woman dressed in a maid outfit.

"I’m a noble."

"And I’m your employer."

"Hrk?!"

"No more ‘hrk.’"

"Hmph!!"

"..."

Olivia, who had ended up working as a maid, was currently destroying the mansion instead of cleaning it—definitely not living up to her title.

I never expected things to turn out like this.

"Take me in."

"No."

"But I’m pretty."

"Still no."

"I’m nice."

"You have a bad reputation."

"...Hrk."

Becoming a homeless beggar like in the novel.

And then having the novel’s infamous villainess beg me for a job.

Olivia’s situation was pitiful.

"My father is dead."

"..."

"He said he’d make lots of money, but... he got attacked by heretics..."

She had lost someone she loved.

It might have been a blessing in disguise that she avoided the tragedy described in the original story, but I didn’t let myself think that way. No amount of reasoning could ease her pain.

Instead—

Crash!

"Maid!"

"Ah..."

"Are you hurt?"

"My heart is."

Her disastrous housekeeping skills showed no signs of improving, even after three years.

"..."

"Heh!"

"Don’t laugh. That plate was expensive."

"Ugh..."

I patted Olivia’s head and smiled.

At the very least, she had the most beautiful face in the world.

And—

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Hug me."

I couldn’t help but smile at how much our relationship had deepened.

I grabbed Olivia’s legs and lifted her into my arms.

"Ah?!"

Her wide eyes sparkled as she stared at me. I smiled faintly as I looked back ◆ Nоvеl?g?t ◆ (Only on Nоvеl?g?t) at her.

"My beautiful maid."

"Huh?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her face turned red, and she nodded.

"I do."

"You do?"

Closing her eyes tightly, Olivia leaned in and lightly brushed her lips against mine.

"You."

When I opened my eyes, I smiled softly.

"It looks like tonight will be a long one."

"But the sun’s still up?"

"If I say it’s night, it’s night."

That night, Olivia’s night felt very long.

Flash!

"Mm..."

Waking up, Olivia blinked and gazed out the window.

Then—

"F***...!"

She touched her flushed cheeks and called out a familiar name. That arrogant butler had shown up in her dream and done something outrageous.

"Ricardo!!!"

Seeing Ricardo dressed in his butler uniform, Olivia smiled contentedly and nodded.

"You called?"

As expected.

"Ricardo is definitely my butler."

A rich man couldn’t compare to a butler.

She preferred someone who laughed and talked with her to someone who just looked fancy.

Smiling, Olivia said,

"Hug me."

Ricardo smiled back and replied,

"No."

As expected.

"You—! Ughhhh!!!"

No doubt about it—Olivia liked Ricardo.