Page 85 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Three days ago.

The lady, now an unlicensed driver, was practicing her driving in the yard.

“Vroom vroom.”

Making engine noises with her mouth, the lady fiddled with the levers, moving a meter before turning her head and asking, “How’s that?” eager for praise of her excellent driving skills.

I gave her a thumbs up and said,

“You might be a bit slower than my grandmother.”

“You don’t have a grandmother, Ricardo.”

“That’s a low blow.”

“...Sorry.”

The lady’s timid driving skills gradually improved over time.

“It’s rolling. Rumble rumble.”

Boosted by continuous praise, the lady confidently maneuvered the stick shift.

“Drift!”

She began to exhibit strange behavior.

“Lady, reckless driving is a shortcut to a coffin.”

“It looked cool. That’s all that matters.”

“Who taught you that strange mindset?”

The lady didn’t say anything and just looked at me as if that was her answer. Apparently, she was inspired by the inertial drift I demonstrated during the trial run.

As the lady’s driving instructor, I couldn’t lift my head in pride.

“Well, everyone should try drifting at least once in their life.”

“Right. It’s no fun if it’s too bland.”

The lady nodded and refocused on driving.

-Screech.

She turned right.

-Screeeeeech!

And came to a sudden stop on the left, showing off a noisy stunt before hesitating and glancing at a red button on the armrest, checking my reaction.

Excited eyes on the button.

The lady, like a gambler consumed by pleasure, twitched her fingers and muttered,

“Ricardo, I’m ready for takeoff.”

“It’s too early for you to return to the earth.”

“No, I won’t die.”

The red button.

Known as the ‘I can’t stop’ button, it allowed the wheelchair, which had its speed limited to 40 km/h, to break its limit. It enabled rapid acceleration, exceeding 100 km/h, a button encompassing the fantasies of men.

The ill-fated button that had once caused her to smash through the mansion’s wall, the lady now looked at it with excited eyes.

“I’m good at driving now. Best driver.”

“The speed at which you’re heading to your coffin will also increase.”

“It’s fine. I was unharmed even when I hit the wall last time.”

The lady recalled the experience of exchanging pleasantries with the wall and responded, trusting the protective barrier magic installed in ‘Ferrari’ Mark 1.

An awkward silence followed. I looked at the lady with wild eyes fixed on the button and spoke firmly.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“...”

“Ahem...!”

“...”

The lady glanced at me and then, like F1 racing drivers tapping theirhelmetsbefore a race, she knocked on her ownhelmetand nodded.

“Alright.”

[Vroom vroom vroom vroom!!]

The moment ‘Ferrari’ Mark 1’s engine roared violently.

“Whoa.”

‘Ferrari’ Mark 1 began to accelerate towards the ? Nоvеl?гht ? (Don’t copy, read here) mansion’s wall with the lady’s final scream.

As ‘Ferrari’ Mark 1 flew like a siege weapon, I held my head and shook it.

“We’re doomed.”

-Screeeeeech!!

“Yikes!!”

The unlicensed driver’s inept handling couldn’t control the wild ‘Ferrari’ Mark 1, and the lady ended up crashing it into the mansion’s front gate.

-Boom...

“Cough cough..”

The lady coughed amidst the cloud of dust.

Believing in the theoretical perfection of the wheelchair and muttering that it was at fault, the lady looked at the gaping hole in the mansion’s front gate with a stunned expression.

“Eh?”

The lady, whose world seemed to crumble, was unharmed thanks to the sturdy barrier magic. Still, the mansion now had a gaping hole due to the unfortunate outcome of the siege.

“Hic...”

The lady, looking at the remnants of the collapsed mansion, said,

“Ricardo... I’ve conquered the mansion.”

“A splendid siege. Lady.”

“Thanks. But... what do we do now?”

Tears welled up in the lady’s eyes.

The lady, who had wrecked her entire fortune. I looked at the tearful lady and gave her a comforting smile, saying,

“For a while, we won’t have to worry about thieves. It’s like an automatic door now.”

“...”

“And it was already like a ruin, so this could be a fine opportunity for it to fall apart completely. Haha...”

“Yikes... don’t tease me.”

The lady’s shoulders drooped at my sarcastic words.

I dusted off the lady’s helmet as she sat dejectedly in the wheelchair and let out a deep sigh.

‘What do we do now?’

Even a rough estimate would take about two weeks.

Money wasn’t much of an issue. There was plenty left from donating Pascal to an insect exhibition. The lady’s bracelet was also bought at a discount from a friend.

The concern was the open front gate letting in the cold wind. We could become frozen humans in the chilling winter breeze.

After much contemplation, I nodded and turned to the lady.

“How about we go on a trip now that it’s come to this?”

“A trip?”

“Yes. We’re planning to remodel the mansion.”

“Do you have a lot of money, Ricardo?”

“The mansion can just be fixed with a loan. No need to worry. Let’s take a trip to the capital for a change. Us.”

“The capital?”

The lady tilted her head at the mention of the capital.

‘The capital.’

Where the Royal Academy is located.

A place where many dislike the lady.

Where some dislike me, the capital.

A place we hadn’t visited since the lady was expelled, but it seemed time to drop by once more.

The lord’s birthday was approaching.

Even though we were ousted from the family, we weren’t so spoiled as to ignore the lord’s birthday. Back in the main house, he had allowed a street urchin from the slums to become the lady’s butler and had treated me rather warmly.

I thought of using this opportunity as an excuse to visit and show our faces.

‘Well, he probably won’t see us.’

There was also Malik’s invitation to try out the newly opened tteokbokki restaurant in the capital.

For various reasons, I asked the lady if she would like to travel to the capital.

The lady, lost in thought, pondered deeply, then seeing the crumbling wall, hiccupped once more.

“Uh...”

“Let’s just have fun until the repairs are done. How about we visit your favorite chocolate shop?”

“But... the capital.”

The lady hesitated.

I knew what the capital meant to her.

A place of grand past.

At the same time, a place where people dislike the ruined lady. As long as we avoid people, it should be fine, but we must be cautious.

“We can buy chocolate.”

“...”

“And go shopping after such a long time.”

“I can’t shop. I don’t have the money.”

“...I’ll borrow generously this time.”

The lady smiled faintly and took my hand.

“Then I’ll help you pay it back.”

“Are you planning to stick eyes on teddy bears again?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll get scolded.”

The lady grinned and nodded.

“Then Ricardo. There’s something I want to do.”

“Something you want to do?”

The lady spoke with a bright smile.

“Let’s go see a play.”

And that’s how we ended up coming to the capital.

***

On the streets of the capital.

After sending off Yuria.

The lady and I were humming to ourselves, unable to contain our excitement as we headed to the chocolate shop.

Excited about the luxury of spending after so long, the lady was eager to eat the chocolate from the dessert shop she had frequented two years ago.

Our steps, though childish, couldn’t help but be lively because it was an exciting journey after such a long time.

The lady spoke with a chirpy voice,

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“What shall we buy first? Scones? Ice cream? Or should we start with chocolate?”

The lady was firing up her hopes.

Although her face was hidden by the red helmet, I could imagine her expression, more excited than ever.

With a wallet fattened by loans, I said with a smug smile,

“Buy anything that catches your eye.”

“Yikes...! Ricardo, did you decide to live just for today?”

“No.”

I wore a confident smile despite the lady’s wallet-conscious question.

“I have too much to live for just today.”

“Wow...! Can you also buy the shop?”

“...No.”

I shook my head as a response to the lady’s request, which was always more than one could expect.

“First, for today...”

I took a small notebook out of the inside pocket of my jacket. It was filled with the detailed schedule for our trip to the capital.

I had written it, hoping to make unforgettable memories for the lady on this rare journey.

“Go shopping at the chocolate shop at 10:30 AM.”

“Oh...”

“Then we’ll visit Malik’s newly opened tteokbokki restaurant for a taste test.”

“You seem busy, Ricardo.”

“I am busy.”

“Liar. There’s nothing else on the schedule after that.”

“...”

[Day 1 Travel Schedule]

1. Unpack at the accommodation.

2. Go to the chocolate shop at 10:30 AM.

3. Visit Malik’s newly opened shop in the capital after that.

-End-

How the lady had discerned the blank space, I don’t know, but I was startled by her insight and chose to remain silent.

The lady with the helmet nodded and said to me,

“Right?”

“...Yes.”

The lady let out a small ‘hehe’ of laughter.

Had we walked for about ten minutes?

When we arrived at the chocolate shop, we looked up with dazed eyes.

“Uh... are we doomed?”

[Closed.]

The sign, written in large red letters, seemed to have faded over a long time.

The shop, once full of sweet scents, was now eerily empty, and I could indirectly feel the aura of sadness from the lady.

Complete despair.

I looked at the lady with trembling eyes, but she was frozen and speechless.

“Ricardo, I think I’ve developed presbyopia.”

Rubbing her eyes as if in denial of reality, the lady removed her helmet and looked closer, but the emptiness overwhelmed her.

“Oh no... this can’t be happening.”

“My condolences, Lady.”

“Yikes!!! This damn thing!”

The lady exclaimed loudly, venting her complaints and dissatisfaction with the world.

As she silently cursed the world with empty eyes,

A deep, mature voice came from behind.

“Closed down two years ago.”

It was a strong voice.

Steadfast and unyielding, a voice that wouldn’t fall.

The middle-aged man was telling us.

“Sixty percent of the sales were thanks to a customer who suddenly disappeared one day, which caused a big shakeup. At the same time, many competitor shops opened, and it’s been a long time since it’s been closed.”

“Our daughter liked it a lot, you know.”

The middle-aged man spoke in a distant voice.

Mumbling with a voice tinged with sorrow, I could feel a wry smile forming.

It was a familiar voice.

I turned with a stiff body.

I saw a middle-aged man dressed in dark navy formal wear and felt as if time had stopped.

Black hair.

A man with upright eyes.

At the same time, a man who chooses death for his family towards the end of the novel.

“It’s been a long time.”

Desmond, the head of the Desmond family.

Desmond Darbav was looking at us.