The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen chapter 139

139 – The One Who Sees Inside -1-

In a dark room.

Under the darkness where even a hint of light didn’t penetrate, Yuria was crying with her head bowed.

“No…”

“This isn’t me…”

“I didn’t turn out like this!”

The floor was covered with shattered mirror pieces.

Even the mirror in the bathroom.

And the mirror on the vanity table in front of the desk.

Even the hand mirror she carried in her bag had turned into sharp shards, scattered everywhere.

Among the sharp pieces that seemed like they could cut deeply if stepped on, Yuria was sitting in a corner of the bed, repeatedly trembling.

“Why…”

Yuria felt wronged.

The sudden change in her appearance overnight.

The pain and sting of being betrayed again by someone she had opened her heart to.

Was it a mistake to follow the suddenly apologetic friend? Was it foolish to believe that this time would be different?

“I just wanted to get along with everyone.”

I should have realized something was off from the moment they started talking to me out of the blue. I should have known something was strange when people who never spoke to me suddenly did.

Talking behind my back.

Ignoring me to my face.

Yuria thought she shouldn’t have looked kindly upon those who only caused her pain.

If she had done that, none of this would have happened.

Yuria bowed her head in the darkness, letting out her sorrow.

Sadly, time kept passing, and on the bed lay two dresses.

The white dress Ricardo had given her.

The yellow dress Ruin had given her.

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Now, they were of no use.

*

Below the bright chandelier, a crowd was bustling.

“You need to present your ticket or invitation to enter.”

The security guard blocking the entrance of unfamiliar guests, and the laughter and chatter of students who hadn’t seen each other over the break, filled the grand ballroom.

The stars of this event were the students of the academy.

The academy ball, an event exclusively for students unless specifically invited, was a gathering meant to foster academic enthusiasm before the start of a new school year and to strengthen friendships.

Many academy students had gathered, creating a lively atmosphere.

The student council president, Chartia.

“Pioneers! Straighten up the line properly. It’s all messed up!”

Academy Swordsmanship Department’s 2nd-in-command, Mikhail.

“Why do I have to do this annoying thing? I’d rather be swinging a sword at this hour.”

Disciple of the Matop School, Ruin.

“Be quiet. Pest. Do you want to swing a sword on a day like this? Oh my.”

The stars leading the future empire were shining brightly, making the ballroom lively.

And the story that took up half of the girls’ conversations was about the boys.

After discussing the recent whereabouts they couldn’t meet during the break, the main topic of the girls’ conversation was about the boys.

A female student in a dress adorned with an excessive amount of frills glanced at Mikhail talking with Chartia in the middle of the ballroom and said:

“Wow… Mikhail has become even more handsome.”

“That’s right. As time goes by, how should I put it, more charming, maybe. You know. That thing…”

“Young man…!”

“Oh! That’s it. Mikhail is incredibly strong, but he gives off a delicate young man vibe like a girl…!”

“That’s true!”

The girls blushed as they chatted.

Laughing and joking about the academy’s most handsome Mikhail from the Swordsmanship Department, they teased about their eyesight worsening from not seeing Mikhail due to the break.

Mikhail, with sensitive hearing, clicked his tongue and forced a awkward smile.

“Why are you all like this?”

“Why? We’re praising you, Mikhail. It’s not my style, of course.”

“Don’t tease me. Student Council President.”

“Hmm. Mikhail seems to be in a good mood.”

Mikhail, sipping his wine, sighed as he watched Sharthia play a mischievous prank.

“But hasn’t Yuria arrived yet? She always comes early, but she’s nowhere to be seen today.”

Mikhail wandered around the reception hall, searching for his friend. He couldn’t spot Yuria, who usually arrived an hour early for every ball.

Sharthia, like Mikhail, turned her head and remarked, “Indeed, she’s nowhere in sight?”

“It’s strange. She’s not one to be late.”

“Hmm. Is that so? She’ll probably be here soon.”

Mikhail let out a worried sigh and tilted his wine glass.

In another corner, the girls were gossiping about a man with a sharp countenance.

Watching the cold-faced male students approaching them and the snappy green magician responding, the girls giggled and cheered happily.

“Wow… Ruin looks even more handsome.”

“Insane. Look at that decadent beauty. Even the dark circles under his eyes look s*xy.”

“Exactly, he’s crazy…!”

“Sigh… Will I be able to talk to Ruin this year?”

“You really dream big. Ruin is just an idol in your heart.”

“Sigh…”

Despite hearing the girls’ chatter, Ruin, not paying attention, rolled his foot while glancing at his wristwatch.

“Why isn’t she coming?”

Ruin was eager to see Yuria.

What dress she would come wearing… No, he wanted to see the beautiful figure of Yuria in the lime green dress he had given her.

Ruin was diligently turning his head to find the invisible Yuria.

40 minutes left until the ball begins.

Despite having plenty of time, the lively chatter and the heated atmosphere were burning as if the ball had already started.

Someone searching for another.

Youth unlocking pent-up stories.

The whispers of love stories about beloved ones were spreading through the academy’s ballroom, racing towards a splendid beginning.

About 30 minutes had passed.

Just as Yuria was about to be forgotten in everyone’s memory.

– Tick. Tock.

The sound of weak footsteps echoed from the entrance of the ballroom.

A melancholic sound of footsteps.

A sound so weak and melancholic that it captured everyone’s attention.

As the footsteps echoed from the entrance, silence began to flow through the ballroom.

The chatter ceased.

People who were sipping wine momentarily placed their glasses on the table and turned their heads towards the entrance, gazing at the guest.

There were no more new arrivals.

It seemed like even more attention was being drawn.

– Tick…

– Tock…

– Also… each step.

As the sound of weak heels drew closer, all eyes converged on one spot. Slowly, the delicate silhouette of a woman began to emerge.

Who is that?

Male students held their breath, gazing at the silhouette of the woman in the distance.

With just a single black silhouette, one could intuitively sense that the person walking towards them was beautiful.

The timid steps of the girl attracted the attention of everyone, and the magnificent light of the chandelier began to illuminate her.

As the whispers of the male students swallowing their saliva spread through the ballroom, the final guest of the reception came into view.

Silence filled the ballroom.

“…”

“What is this…”

“Sigh.”

Upon seeing the girl, the male students began to shake their heads in disappointment, exhaling sighs filled with disillusionment. The tense female students, too, covered their smirks with their hands, a smirk mixed with a mocking “sigh.”

She had a sinister face.

Although attention was momentarily drawn by the sound of the approaching heels, as the woman slowly revealed her face, everyone burst into laughter in unison.

The crumpled girl extended a wrinkled entrance ticket, bowing her head.

“Here… the entrance ticket.”

“Ah… it’s confirmed.”

“Yes… thank you.”

The students had no idea who this guest at the ball was.

With freckles covering her skin.

Murky eyes.

The Academy student with parched lips had a face I’d never seen before.

It was a visage that made the words “ugly” slip out effortlessly. To the point where the dress she was wearing seemed wasted.

Surely it was an expensive dress, but everyone was laughing at the sight of the girl who looked like she borrowed her mom’s clothes.

“So tacky.”

“Nah. She’s just weird.”

“hehehe. I know.”

The dress the girl wore was a lime-colored one. It had a sophisticated yet subtly embellished design with lime-colored gems that accentuated her modest appearance.

At the same time, it served as a trigger that touched someone’s nerves.

Ruine’s gaze sharpened at the sight of the girl in the familiar dress.

“I bought it because they said it’s the only one in the world. Looks like x.”

The freckled girl lowered her head and headed towards the corner of the ballroom. Her steps, taken with slumped shoulders, seemed very familiar in some way, but more than those trivial details, Ruine simply didn’t like the girl in a dress similar to Yuri’s.

“Yuria will be here soon.”

“Ugh. x-like.”

“Oh, crazy. x, hilarious.”

Laughter echoed from a corner of the ballroom.

The culprits who instantly recognized the girl’s identity were feeling a sense of relief as they watched the slouched girl.

“Thanks to that potion from the wizard, I feel like I’ve relieved stress after a long time. It seems like the 10-year-old pent-up frustration is dissipating.”

“That’s why, it’s a sight for sore eyes.”

“Indeed, we did well to heed the wizard’s advice. He said it would last for 3 hours, right?”

“Uh. The banquet will be over in three hours. It’ll be a good experience for her too. Hmph.”

“So, it should have been done moderately.”

The young ladies smiled as they looked at the girl sitting in the corner. The women with cruel smiles, dressed in green, seemed ready to pounce, but they casually ignored the girl with a smirk.

To gather courage to approach the men they had in mind, the women slowly started moving.

Let’s approach the new year with a new mindset, without creating regrets by worrying about inappropriate women, let’s try at least once with a mindset of taking a challenge, the young ladies walked on.

Ruine was slowly approaching the girl in the green dress.

– Step by step. Step by step.

Ruine’s determined steps were relentless. Once Ruine set a goal, she would immediately act on it.

Ruine walked towards the freckled girl.

The girl started to tear up as she saw Ruine approaching. It was a face filled with emotion.

As if she didn’t expect this, she wiped her tearful eyes with her hand and waited for Ruine, who was approaching.

– Step by step. Step by step.

When the approaching steps stopped in front of the girl, she slowly lifted her head, wiped her eyes, and awkwardly smiled.

“Ruine…”

In response to the girl’s affectionate call, Ruine coldly replied to her.

“Yeah.”

Upon hearing the term ‘yeah’ instead of her name, the girl’s body began to stiffen.

The freckles in the girl’s cheeks started to tremble. With eyes trembling like an earthquake, she looked at Ruine, who clenched her fist and glanced around.

“Sigh. Since no one’s nearby, I’ll speak.”

“…”

“Don’t get hurt, come in.”

Ruin murmured in a soft voice while staring at the girl who was looking at herself blankly.

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“Can’t you change your clothes?”

“What?”

“No… that.”

Ruin ran his hand through his hair roughly and let out a deep sigh once again.

“X doesn’t suit you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You and this dress. X doesn’t suit you. I have a good eye for expensive clothes because I’ve worn a lot of them, you know? But you… no.”

The girl asked Ruin with a trembling voice. Irritated by the girl’s stuttering and chest-pounding due to frustration, Ruin began to feel annoyed.

“If Yuria comes soon…”

Ruin was convinced that Yuria would come wearing the dress he had prepared.

So, for Yuria’s sake, he decided to take matters into his own hands and not say mean things to someone he just met.

He wanted the gift he prepared to be special.

He didn’t want to see Yuria in the same dress as a poorly dressed woman.

Looking at the freckled girl, Ruin growled in a low voice.

“I’ll give you money, so change into a different dress and come back.”

Ruin’s tone was coercive.

Ruin’s voice, not a request but a strong threat, resounded in the ear of the freckled girl.

The girl’s eyes began to well up as if tears could spill out any moment. Looking at Rune with eyes that seemed like they could overflow at the slightest touch, the girl pursed her lips and bit her tongue.

“I know I’m being rude, but I have my reasons. I’ll pay you double the original price, just come back after changing. It’s a win-win for you too.”

“Rune.”

“Don’t call my name. It’s irritating.”

“… “

With a trembling voice, the girl spoke to Rune.

Clutching her fist tightly filled with a handful of brass knuckles, she struggled to speak with a trembling voice.

“I… am Yuria.”

“What?”

Rune looked at the girl with surprise. In Rune’s trembling eyes, dynamic emotions could be seen.

Whether it was confusion.

Or anger.

Or perhaps it stemmed from anger towards the person who made her this way, one couldn’t tell for sure. But what was clear was that Rune’s expression, reflected in the girl’s eyes, held a sense of confusion.

“Hey…”

Rune ran his hand through his hair once more.

And.

“Say it again.”

“What?”

“Say it again.”

“If this is what it has come to…”

“No… Why have you been like this since yesterday?”

With a piercing gaze, Ruin spoke to the girl.

“Yuria wasn’t as ugly as you.”

“Tsk… Ugh..”

“Don’t talk back so arrogantly.”

Ruin reached out his hand towards the girl.

“It’s no use. I’ll just gently singe the hem of your dress.”

“…”

“It’s hard to watch you strive to look pretty in such a pitiful state.”

A hollow emotion began to fill the girl’s eyes.

Thud. Even as the girl’s tears fell to the ground, Ruin continued without a care, extending an irritated hand towards her.

The moment he created a flickering sphere to burn the girl’s dress hem.

-Boom!

With the sound of the banquet hall door breaking, the click-clack of heels reverberated.

Amidst the rising dust cloud, all the students held their breath and began to watch the man approaching.

The man who drew everyone’s gaze lightly waved his hand and greeted.

“Hello.”

As always, the red-haired man greeted with casual words.

Tall with a robust build.

The man with a handsome appearance couldn’t handle the excessive attention, bowing his head and speaking.

“I am Ricardo, who serves Lady Olivia Deathmount.”

The man entered the banquet hall with a bright smile.

“I attended as a dropout. But I did bring an invitation, so if you have any complaints, feel free to challenge me to a duel.”

He then slowly walked towards the freckled girl. The freckled girl’s eyes welled up as she watched the man walking straight, looking only at one person.

The girl tried to hide.

Tears streamed down her face as she covered her face with her hands, trying to hide.

With many people’s attention now focused, the man’s steps were directed towards the ugly crying girl.

Ruin suddenly appeared and grabbed Ricardo’s shoulder roughly.

-Chin.

Ricardo’s strength, like holding a huge rock, was overpowering.

Rather, Ricardo’s firm strength was so strong that Ruin, who had put his hand on Ricardo’s shoulder, was pulled along, speaking in an annoyed voice.

“Where do you think you are, x feet?”

“Um… Could you please shut your mouth?”

Ignoring Ruin lightly, Ricardo stood in front of the freckled girl with a small smile.

Ricardo slowly reached out his hand, calmly stroking the girl’s head and said,

“You look beautiful today.”