The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen chapter 75

75 – The Poor Butler’s Birthday Gift -3-

“…”

Pascal, who was confined to the guard barracks, looked at me with innocent eyes. It seemed like he wanted to continue our conversation, meeting the insect expert after a long time.

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Though he looked at me with teary eyes, it didn’t feel good because it resembled a female black widow.

“Don’t cry. It makes me want to spray insect repellent on your face.”

“Damn son of a b*tch…”

“Woof”

If there was a homemaker, they would have filled Pascal’s face with moisturizer. Unfortunately, homemaker didn’t exist in this world.

“What a pity.”

I threw a compliment at Pascal, who was silently sulking.

Don’t be gloomy.

I said, carrying hope for him not to worry.

“When you return to the breeding grounds, the facilities will be better than before, so don’t be discouraged.”

“The number of caretakers has increased, and there are more spectators.”

“Hmph…! You bastard…!”

“Seeing you happy, I feel proud myself.”

Teary-eyed Pascal bowed his head. It was I, the insect collector, who felt a lump in my throat while expressing gratitude.

I hugged Pascal tightly.

“I’ll miss you.”

Pascal bit his lip.

“Hmph… Hng… I don’t want to see you…!”

He was sensitive when it came to the subject of black widow.

With Pascal in my arms, he spoke in a timid voice. A timid voice that could not be heard before.

“Can’t you just leave me alone for a bit?”

Pascal made an unrealistic request. I politely declined Pascal’s request to quit his side-job as an insect collector.

“What if you get caught by another insect collector? I might not even give you a proper burial, while others may even preserve you.”

“I don’t mind being preserved. Please… get rid of art and all that. I’ll live a good life, so please get out of my life. Huh? This is me begging you.”

“Oh my…! Isn’t it in the nature of an artist to make such feeble pleas?”

Can someone who calls themselves an artist lack such determination? Can the person who chooses to live off of art be like this?

As an insect collector, I could not forgive Pascal’s weakening of the soul of art. At the same time, I couldn’t believe the words of a person who claimed to live a good life.

“Live a good life. Then you won’t catch my attention.”

When Pascal’s shoulder was touched with an affectionate gesture, he shed tears of emotion.

“Ugh… Huh… Why only me…”

Taking the moneybag held by the guards, he bid farewell.

“Well then, Miss Samae-gwi, be careful of parasites, and let’s meet again next time.”

Pascal cried.

“Damn it….”

Sobbing.

*

On the way to the jewelry store with the moneybag, the laughter didn’t stop.

The anticipation of seeing the young lady’s face, who would be pleased and grateful to receive the bracelet she had wanted.

I couldn’t hide the corners of my mouth that kept rising.

“Should I buy the bracelet and chocolates?”

While people should be cautious of indulgence, the compensation for donating Pascal, a rare species of crow, to the prison exhibition, was quite generous. I thought this level of indulgence could be forgiven.

I nodded my head while looking down at the hefty bundle of money.

“Let’s prepare properly for this birthday.”

Because we couldn’t do it last year.

The young lady’s birthday, which had been celebrated without fail for 13 years. When I first came to the young lady’s house, I gave her a hand-knitted scarf as a gift.

– Lousy.

I realized early on that I couldn’t satisfy the young lady’s taste, which was soaked in the taste of the finest capitalism, with sincerity.

Since it is only natural to prefer money that has more care put into it than genuine affection, I mourned for a day in the corner of the mansion, but I thought it was fortunate that I realized it early. I wanted to prepare for this birthday in a grand manner.

Because of my commoner status, I couldn’t attend the young lady’s birthday party, and last year there was an unfortunate incident.

For this birthday, I wanted to prepare with my own strength.

I always wanted to give the young lady the best gift.

Even if it became a pile of junk in the corner of a room, I wanted to do my best.

Even if the young lady, who has many possessions and pleasures, didn’t like it, it would be the best gift from my perspective.

Being a poor butler with nothing in my hands, it was my stubbornness that I couldn’t give up. It was also the only way I could express my feelings as someone who is shy.

“Haah…”

Holding the moneybag in my hand, I straightened my clothes.

I wanted to appear as a dignified guest before entering the store, as it was easier to negotiate the price and disguise myself as a regular customer.

Brushing my hair aside as I entered the store, I furrowed my brow at the empty spot where the bracelet had been displayed just beyond the glass until yesterday.

“Huh…?”

– It’s been sold.

The bracelet that had been guarding its place until yesterday had disappeared, accompanied by a small sign.

The bracelet had left someone else’s hand.

I pressed my face against the glass, looking at the spot where the bracelet used to be.

– It’s been sold.

An empty shelf greeted me. The only thing left was a black shelf, the lady’s gift that had been sold out.

With a hollow feeling, I put down the money pouch in my hand.

“I wanted to buy this.”

It had been sold. I never thought about that.

I never expected something to sell so quickly in Hamel, not in the capital. There were few nobles in Hamel, and the customer base for jewelry was limited.

At most, the nobles who came to the forest as an excuse for a meal… just meaningless excuses.

Seemed like my thinking was shortsighted.

I regretted not making a reservation. However, my wallet situation from yesterday wasn’t generous enough to afford a reservation fee.

If only I had the money back then, could I have bought it? Self-blame crossed my mind.

Regretting the past won’t change anything, but the disappointment of missing the bracelet right in front of me lingered.

As I was about to leave the jewelry store with a regretful heart, beyond the glass wall, I saw the familiar bracelet in the hands of the clerk.

The bracelet the lady desired.

The clerk, holding the bracelet, was heading towards the checkout counter.

I quickly opened the store door and entered.

I wanted to ask if I could buy it, even if I had to pay double.

– Ding!

With the sound of a bell, I entered, and, taking a deep breath, I shouted at the clerk counting the bracelet.

“That… that bracelet!”

“What?!”

“I was going to buy that…!”

The startled clerk looked at me.

And.

The man who wanted to buy the bracelet was also looking at me.

He was a familiar man.

A man with green tea-colored hair that had faded in color. Lune, who wanted to become the owner of the bracelet, looked at me and said:

“What’s up? Aren’t you Ricardo?”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Nokjo.”

“Nice to meet you? There’s nothing to be happy about. I’m not happy at all.”

Lune, with his hand in his pocket, looked at me, who was staring blankly at the bracelet in the shopkeeper’s hand, and smirked.

“Ah…”

Lune smiled arrogantly.

“Did you come here to buy this?”

Lune laughed sarcastically with an indifferent gaze.

“What should I do? I bought it for Yuria.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Lune said as if there was nothing he could do.

“If you had come a little earlier, I would have bought it first. Ah… even if you came early, you probably couldn’t have bought it. It’s more expensive than I thought.”

“…”

“Live according to your means.”

My fist clenched involuntarily.

Lune, who had gained momentum, was provoking me, wanting to take away all the remaining pride I had.

“Should I steal it…?”

It would save money, but I didn’t want to do such a thing for a gift to the lady.

I wanted to pay the proper value and give a dignified gift to others.

So I decided to swallow my pride.

I thought maybe if I just lowered my head, Lune would listen to me. So I bowed my head and politely spoke to Lune.

“If you don’t want to leave the world with a lower status, you should leave quietly.”

“What?”

“Just let go. Of that.”

It was the best etiquette I could do for Nokjo’s head. If it didn’t work, I would knock him out and steal it.

Even if I didn’t give it as a gift to the lady, I concluded that it wouldn’t be so bad to knock down the arrogant Nokjo’s head and create a creative economy.

With my polite request, Lune’s expression was freezing in real time. He asked the shopkeeper what I had said.

“What did that beggar just say?”

I was in my early twenties and had a hearing impairment.

I realized that I had no chance with the dice I had already thrown away. Just as I was about to walk towards Ruin, thinking of buying another bracelet, a dust-covered craftsman with a sign that read [Workshop] opened the door and started walking toward us.

A man wearing a black apron approached us energetically.

The clerk bowed his head when he saw the man.

“Ma… Manager! That…”

The manager interrupted the clerk’s apology by shaking his head. Then he sighed deeply and looked at me.

“I wish you had a better temper, Ricardo.”

The man with brown hair.

I asked in a bewildered voice at the unexpected appearance of the man.

“No, how many occupations do you have in the first place?”

“I only do it as a hobby when I’m bored.”

Histonia Malik.

He was the owner of this store.

Malik, who let out a sigh, looked at the bracelet in the clerk’s hand and said,

“Is it because of that?”

And he quickly ended our quarrel.

“Green algae head over there.”

“Green algae?”

“Isn’t it green algae? Whatever.”

Malik said expressionlessly.

“I won’t sell it to you, so put it down and leave.”

The boss’s arrogance was absolute.

***

Three days later.

Morning arrived at Olivia’s mansion.

Olivia, who woke up earlier than usual, had left Dreamland early because it was her birthday.

“Hmm… birthday… Today is my birthday…”

Olivia decided not to proclaim a state of emergency on her heartfelt birthday.

Birthdays should be peaceful.

“Haah… Ricardo.”

Olivia called out the familiar name of her sleepy-eyed butler.

“It’s my birthday today…”

An empty room.

It felt lonely.

“Could he have forgotten?”

The image of the butler who used to give bright laughter and gifts every morning on her birthday was nowhere to be seen.

Olivia started her birthday morning in the dim room with the curtains drawn, wearing a gloomy expression.

“Guess not…”

Rubbing her tired eyes, Olivia let out a sigh.

She nodded her head sadly, her expression tinged with bitterness.

“He might have forgotten.”

She herself had been late in preparing Ricardo’s birthday before, so although it was upsetting, it couldn’t be helped.

With a heavy heart, Olivia opened the curtains that had covered the window.

And then…

A beautifully decorated tree came into view.

Green. Red. Yellow.

A tree filled with dazzling decorations. And there, hanging on the tree, was Ricardo.

Dressed in red clothes and wearing a fake beard that didn’t suit him at all.

Flustered, Ricardo was stammering and talking to himself.

“Why did you wake up so early, miss?”

The butler hanging strange accessories on the tree.

Hanging a star on top of the tree.

Winding a sparkling string around it.

Olivia couldn’t help but giggle at the comical sight of the butler hanging on the elaborately decorated tree.

“hehehe…”

Ricardo shouted towards Olivia, poking his face out of the window.

“I’m not ready yet… Uuuh!”

The tree swayed as the wind blew.

Ricardo, hanging on the tree, was gradually getting further away. Olivia, who was watching his figure, whispered shyly,

“It’s dangerous…”

It’s okay, Ricardo will grow again.

Olivia smiled and pulled up the blanket.

“Yeah. I’ll sleep again.”

Olivia’s face, covered with the blanket up to her head, blushed.

“Fool.”