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

85 – The Villainess’s Father -2-

Three days ago.

The lady, who has become an unlicensed driver, was practicing her driving in the courtyard.

“Hmmm.”

Making engine noises with her mouth, the lady fiddled with the lever. Every time she moved a meter, she turned her head and asked, “How’s that?” seeking appreciation for her admirable driving skills.

I gave her a thumbs-up and said, “I think you’re slower than my grandmother.”

“Ricardo, you don’t have a grandma.”

“That’s playing dirty.”

“…Sorry.”

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

“Rolling. Tumblerumblerum.”

With continued praise boosting her confidence, the lady moved the stick-shaped lever adeptly.

“Drift!”

She began to show off some strange maneuvers.

“Miss, reckless driving is a shortcut to the coffin.”

“It was cool, and that’s enough.”

“Who taught you such a bizarre mindset?”

The lady did not reply but answered by simply looking at me. Apparently, she had been inspired by the inertial drift I had demonstrated during a test drive.

As the lady’s driving instructor, I couldn’t hold my head up high.

“Well, you’ve got to try drifting at least once in your life.”

“That’s right. If it’s too bland, it’s no fun.”

The lady nodded and then refocused on driving.

-Screech.

Turning to the right.

-Sccrreeeccch!

She jerked to a stop to the left with a dramatic flair. Then, she paused and glanced at me as she eyed the red button on the armrest.

The lady, her eyes bright with excitement, looked at the button.

Muttering like a gambler enraptured by the thrill, with her finger twitching, the lady spoke.

“Ricardo, I’m ready for takeoff.”

“You’re too young to return to the soil.”

“No, I won’t die.”

The red button.

Known as the ‘Can’t Stop!’ button, it unlocked the 40 km/h speed limit on the wheelchair, enabling rapid acceleration and fulfilling the fantasy of reaching speeds over 100 km/h.

The young lady was staring at this ill-fated button—that had once demolished the mansion’s wall during a first drive—with excitement in her eyes.

“I drive well now. I’m the best driver.”

“You’ll enter the coffin at an even faster speed.”

“It’s okay. I survived after hitting the wall last time too.”

The lady, trusting the barrier magic built into the ‘Ferxri’ Wheelchair Number One, responded with memories of the intense encounter with the wall.

An awkward silence followed, and I firmly told the lady, who was staring crazily at the button:

“No.”

“…”

“Oh…”

“….”

The young lady peeked at my face and then nodded her head, tapping her helmet with her fist, just as F1 racers do before a race.

“Ugh!”

-Vrooooom!!

The Ferxri Wheelchair Number One roared to life, vibrating intensely.

“Whoa!”

The Ferxri Wheelchair Number One jerked forward toward the mansion’s wall, accompanied by the lady’s final scream.

From Noble mtl dot com

Like a siege engine, the Ferxri Wheelchair Number One took flight, and I could only shake my head in dismay.

“We’re doomed.”

-Screeech!!

“Ahhh!”

The inexperienced handling of the driver, who had no license, couldn’t control the wild Ferxri Wheelchair Number One, and it crashed into the mansion’s main gate.

-Thud…

“Cough cough…”

The young lady coughed amidst a cloud of dust. Murmuring that, theoretically, it wasn’t the wheelchair’s fault and that it was perfect, she stared at the gaping hole in the mansion’s gate with a dumbfounded expression.

“Eh?”

The expression of a lady whose world had crumbled. Thanks to a powerful barrier spell, she was unharmed, but unfortunately, the siege had left a gigantic hole in the mansion that was now a casualty of the battle.

“Hiccup…”

Looking at the remnants of the collapsed mansion, the lady said,

“Ricardo… The mansion has been captured.”

“It was an impressive siege, Miss.”

“Thank you. But… What do we do about this?”

Tears were brimming in the lady’s eyes.

Having destroyed all her possessions, I offered a compassionate smile to the whimpering lady and said,

“For the time being, I don’t think we need to worry about thieves. It’s like having an automatic door.”

“…”

“Besides, it already looked like a ruin, so now it’s splendidly destroyed. Ha ha…”

“Eek… Don’t tease.”

At my sarcastic remark, the lady sadly bowed her head.

I brushed the dust from the hair of the lady, who sat despondently in her wheelchair, and let out a deep sigh.

‘Now what?’

Even a rough estimate would take at least two weeks.

Money wasn’t really an issue. There was plenty left from selling the insect exhibition Pascal, and I got the lady’s bracelet for cheap with a friend’s discount.

My concern was the front door left gaping open, allowing the cold wind to blow in. With the winter air, we could turn into human icicles.

Having pondered deeply, I nodded and turned to the lady,

“How about we go on a trip, since this has happened?”

“A trip?”

“Yes. We’ll remodel the mansion.”

“Does Ricardo have a lot of money?”

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

“The capital?”

The word ‘capital’ made the lady tilt her head in curiosity.

‘The capital.’

That’s where the academy is.

Where many people dislike the lady.

There’s a place where people who dislike me are plentiful.

It’s a place I haven’t visited since my lady’s expulsion, but the time has seemingly come for a visit.

The family head’s birthday is approaching, after all.

Though we were driven out of the family, we weren’t so ill-bred as to disregard the head’s birthday. When I was part of the main house, they allowed a vagrant child from the slums to become the lady’s butler and treated me relatively kindly.

I thought to take this chance as an excuse to visit, to at least show my face.

‘Well, he probably won’t see me anyway.’

There was also an invitation from Malik to visit his newly opened Tteokbokki restaurant in the capital.

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

Lost in thought, my lady pondered deeply, then hiccupped again at the sight of a crumbling wall.

“Uh…”

“Let’s go have fun until it’s repaired. How about stopping by your favorite chocolate shop?”

“Even so… the capital.”

My lady hesitated.

I knew what the capital meant to her.

A place with a splendid past.

At the same time, it’s a place where people who dislike my ruined lady are present. There’d be no issue if we avoided people, but we’d still need to be cautious.

“We can buy chocolate.”

“…”

“And go shopping, it’s been a while.”

“I can’t shop, I have no money.”

“…I’ll borrow enough this time.”

My lady chuckled softly and took my hand.

“Then I’ll help you pay it back.”

“Planning to stick eyes on teddy bears again this time?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll get scolded.”

My lady grinned mischievously and nodded her head.

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

“You want to do something?”

The lady said, smiling brightly.

“Let’s go see a play.”

That’s how we ended up heading to the capital.

***

The streets of the capital.

After bidding farewell to Yuria.

The lady and I, unable to contain our humming shoulders, were on our way to the chocolate shop.

Excited at the thought of indulging in luxury for the first time in a while. The lady excited at the thought of eating the chocolates from the dessert shop that had been a favorite for 2 years.

The steps of the two adults were childishly gleeful, but the thrill of a rare trip was undeniable.

The lady said to me with an uplifted voice.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

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

The lady’s mind buzzed with hopeful thoughts.

Though her face was obscured by the red helmet she wore, her voice, more animated than ever, allowed me to vividly imagine her expression.

Flush with cash from a loan, I smiled arrogantly and said to the lady.

“Buy whatever catches your fancy.”

“Eek…! Ricardo, have you decided to live for today only?”

“No.”

I responded with a confident smile to the lady’s question, which showed her concern about the wallet.

“There’s too much I possess to live just for today.”

“Wow…! Can you even buy the store?”

“…No.”

I shook my head in response to the lady’s question, which always demanded more than expected.

“For now, today…”

I pulled out a small notebook from the inside pocket of my jacket. A notebook filled with a tight schedule for this trip to the capital.

It was a passionate note written in the hope that this rare journey would leave unforgettable memories for the lady.

“We’ll go shopping at the chocolate shop at 10:30.”

“Ooh…”

“And then we’ll visit the newly-opened rice cake shop in the capital and do a taste test.”

“You seem busy, Ricardo.”

“I’m busy.”

“Lies. You have nothing else scheduled afterwards.”

“…”

[Day 1 Travel Itinerary]

1. Unpack at accommodation.

2. Visit the chocolate shop at 10:30 AM.

3. Afterwards, visit Malik’s newly opened store in the capital.

-End-

Somehow seeing through the glaringly empty schedule, the young lady’s insight took me by surprise, prompting me to maintain my silence.

The lady, with her helmet on, nodded and said to me.

“Right?”

“…Yes.”

She let out a small giggle.

After about ten minutes of walking.

We arrived at the chocolate shop and looked up with blank stares.

“Oh… it’s gone, isn’t it?”

[CLOSED.]

The sign, written in large red letters and evidently faded over time, bore the marks of long abandonment.

The shop, once filled with the sweet aroma of chocolate, now stood hollow and empty, indirectly conveying a sense of sorrow emanating from the lady who had been so full of anticipation.

Utter despair.

I looked at the lady with trembling eyes, but she remained petrified, unable to utter a word.

“I think I’ve gone blind, Ricardo.”

Rubbing her eyes as if to escape reality, the lady took off her helmet for a closer look, but the sight of emptiness only made her emotions well up with no way to hide them.

“Oh no… this shouldn’t be happening.”

“My condolences, miss.”

“Eek!!! This is just crap!”

The young lady erupted in loud complaints, pouring out grievances against the world.

As she stared blankly in resentment,

A deep, middle-aged voice came from behind.

“It closed down two years ago.”

It was a strong voice.

A steadfast and unyielding strong voice.

The middle-aged man was speaking to us.

“There was a customer who accounted for 60% of our sales, but they disappeared all of a sudden, and we were badly shaken. At the same time, many competing shops sprung up, so we’ve been closed for quite a while.”

“My daughter really liked it, you know.”

The middle-aged man spoke with a wistful voice.

I could sense a murmur filled with sorrow and a bitter smile forming on his lips.

It was a familiar voice.

With a stiff body, I turned my head.

And upon seeing the middle-aged man in the deep navy uniform, I was struck by the illusion that the world had stopped.

Black hair.

A man with forthright eyes.

At the same time, a man who, in the latter part of the novel, chooses death for his family.

“It has been a while.”

The head of the Desmund family.

Desmund Darvab was looking at us.