The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen chapter 87

87 – A Day in Desmount

Two years ago.

My family was on the brink of disaster.

My lifelong family.

My noble family that I nurtured on the acclaim for being able to surpass the first generation’s legacy.

I let my guard down because of my daughter’s love.

– My lord, something terrible has happened! The young lady!

– Did Olivia start another fight? I hope she won.

– That’s not it. The young lady used dark magic!

– What!?

The downfall happened in a flash.

The bribes I had been paying to the royal family.

The public services and donations that I proudly presented were insignificant as society began to trample on us.

The rumors that spread across the empire.

The citizens participating in a boycott.

Even the royal family was trying to oppress us with laws.

My expectation of surpassing the Histania family, thought of as a rival, came to an end due to a mistake I had not made.

– Kwaah!!!

The number of desks shattered in rage was countless.

Just when things seemed to be calming down, Olivia’s past misdeeds from the academy surfaced, trampling any chance of respite. Malicious articles toppled our family’s business before it could even start.

Even the ‘Monetary Union’, a business alliance we had been maintaining since our ancestors, drew a line with us. My lineage was severely shaken.

I resented my daughter.

Despite raising her with love, as everything we had built turned to dust, my feelings towards her turned increasingly negative.

I wondered if I would feel better if I took away everything she owned. I did take away all her gems and money, but my frustration didn’t abate.

Rather, I became angrier, more frustrated.

So I decided not to see her.

No matter how adorable a child, the damage sustained from one of her mistakes was unimaginable.

I’d often indulged and understood her, but I decided that this time I could not forgive her.

Even my son, who treasured his sister dearly, cursed her in anger at that time.

We intended to part ways with Olivia.

-“The princess is said to be unable to walk again.”

-“…Don’t mention Olivia again. She is no longer part of our family.”

I didn’t visit her even after hearing that she could not walk again.

I didn’t help her when I knew she was in trouble because she had no money.

In consideration of the ever-faithful Ricardo who stayed by her side, I left Olivia with only the name of Nobility, knowing she would lead a life poorer than the common folk. I didn’t take pity on her.

That was my idea of discipline.

The lame revenge of an incompetent father.

My son went abroad and tried to set up a business, and the servants who had been with us for a long time could not stand the public criticism and left after submitting their resignitions. Alone in the now empty mansion, I sat sulking with my anger towards Olivia.

I should have taken the name of Desmoont. Numerous times, I regretted my decision, thinking that the public’s view would have changed if I did.

‘It’s not too late.’ I thought.

Then there was an announcement of another malicious article that ruined the business, and I found myself drinking all alone at night.

I had decided to make a hard decision.

I was determined to draw a line than to leave a room for ambiguity.

It was for the family.

Although my heart was heavy, I thought that I should draw a conclusive line to my decision until.

-The quest has been completed.

“You can view the 53rd side story, ‘Your daughter who can never return.’

Upon viewing a single piece of the past, I changed my mind. Seeing the horrific ending of a daughter I could no longer see as a father,

I decided to grit my teeth and bear it. That day, I remembered what I had said while crying after a long time.

“What a relief. That you’re alive… It’s a blessing.”

***

Beneath the resplendent dining table.

Watching discreetly, we sat in front of the grandly prepared meal.

“…hic…”

The young lady, indifferent to discretion.

“Ahem…”

Darbav, destined to be the lord of Deathmount.

“Heh…”

I, the young lady’s butler, also at the dinner table, was swallowing dry saliva, watching the sharp glance of a woman with crossed arms.

In the atmosphere where silence is swirling, the woman with crossed arms opened her mouth with a sigh.

“Darling.”

“…Olivia’s mom is calling.”

“I didn’t call. Dad called.”

“Then it seems you called Ricardo.”

“I’m not interested in adultery. My lord.”

In response to Darbav’s plea for mercy, the young lady and I answered with cold indifference.

For we too must live.

The mistress of Deathmount.

Darbav’s wife. Deathmount Rosanna was glaring at us, who came uninvited.

Especially at her husband.

“You gaze so lovingly.”

“Yes, I do. So lovely that I might go crazy. You said you would never see him, yet seeing you bring him here…”

With gritted teeth, Rosanna spoke.

“Because he is so loveable.”

“Hic!”

The young lady hiccuped at Rosanna’s angry voice. The young lady, looking for water while holding her chest, looked at me with trembling eyes.

“Ricardo…”

“Yes?”

“Are we screwed?”

Rosanna, pricking up her ears to their whispers, bellowed at Olivia with an ominous air.

“Olivia. Mom said not to use foul language.”

“… Mom uses it too.”

“When did I ever.”

“You gave a hint at that social gathering hosted by Matop… hitting the lady’s cheek…”

“That was because that woman made me angry!”

“…”

The young lady pursed her lips.

The head of the family is Darbav.

The head of the household is Rosanna.

The order of the Desmont family was clear.

Even the most extraordinary archmage had to listen unconditionally to his wife, Rosanna, in the household. Darbav could only keep his mouth shut because he was attracted to this aspect of her when he proposed to her.

To soothe his parched throat, Darbav drank some water and spoke in an awkward voice.

“L..L.. Let’s stop and eat now. You must be hungry after such a long journey.”

“What do you mean, thirst? She’s not done much work.”

“Yikes.. hiccup.”

The gloomy lady refused to converse any further by stuffing a piece of bread in her mouth.

“Olivia. I told you to eat bread with a fork. It’s not polite to eat it with your hands, no matter how many times I tell you!”

“Ricardo didn’t say anything.”

“Ricardo!”

“I’m sorry.”

I too, couldn’t say a word to Mrs Rosanna. No one could stop her when Mrs. Rosanna was angry.

Rosanna had always been like a cuckoo protecting the peace of the family. When her son was angry, she would get just as angry to calm him down. If Darbav got angry because of work, she supported him through her connections as the competent head of the household.

I also received a lot of help from Rosanna when I lived in a mansion in the capital.

She was aggressive enough to directly intervene and dismantle the knights when discrimination occured because of one’s commoner status.

Perhaps because she was a former adventurer, she had a somewhat radical side, but she was a considerate person who showed a humane side.

As if to signify that, Rosanna’s eyes are now on the young lady’s feeble legs.

“…”

Rosanna, wordlessly biting her lips, her eyes teared up as they stared at the girl’s legs.

“So… what are you going to do about it?”

Rosanna sniffled, turning her head to wipe away her tears.

The mansion she visited upon Darbav’s invitation.

“Don’t we all need to eat? Why don’t we eat together?”

“Dad, do you hate me?”

“Enough. Let’s talk while we eat. Ricardo, if you haven’t eaten, come with us. Surely we can make time for a meal.”

“Of course, Master.”

Darbav had confidently entered the mansion, but his head was hanging low at the final gate. He certainly wasn’t any help to us.

“It’s just a meal. Right, Rosanna?”

“Ugh…”

Rosanna’s deep sigh echoed around the silent dinner table.

“What are we going to do when Kail shows up? Will you take responsibility if he throws a tantrum like last time?”

“…”

“Last time, he said he would go talk to Olivia. If he sees us in the mansion, what is he possibly going to say? ‘How have you been?’ Is that it?”

“I’ve been…thinking…”

“Thinking? What is there to even think about! You just brought us here!”

As Rosanna continued her nagging, Darbav’s shoulders slumped.

Rosanna, who possesses a beauty not matching her age, might seem beautiful to Darbav, but nagging was different.

Subtly observing, I began to sip my soup while watching the two.

“Oh…this is delicious.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“It is? I made it. How is it?”

Rosanna asked me, her face flushing.

“Is it good? I tried making it from the recipe you gave me in a letter last time. The guests said it was delicious, so I tried.”

“Last time?”

Upon hearing the story, Darbav perked up his ears and looked at Rosanna.

“Uh…”

Rosanna awkwardly smiled and then glanced between Darbav and me.

“I’ve been exchanging letters.”

“Since when?”

“About 2 years? You never told me anything, so I had to plant a spy.”

The lady, who was dipping bread into her soup with a fork, looked at me with the eyes of one who has been betrayed.

“Ricardo…!”

“I’m sorry. I had no choice.”

“…Traitor!”

Rosanna spoke, her smile nurturing. The Rosanna that always praised how the Miss grew up every time she received a letter that detailed what had happened in the meantime.

I knew the reason for her kind treatment was because of the letters she had received for the past two years.

When it was the Family Head’s birthday, I had even proposed a visit in a letter.

Darvab, who thought getting upset would be a typical reaction considering her nature, replaced it by looking at me with the same eyes as Olivia.

“Traitor.”

“She’s right, Father.”

“As expected, our daughter.”

“Yes.”

A mother and daughter that were alike in so many ways.

Rosanna, who had been talking animatedly, took a well-cooked steak from the kitchen, and began to talk about the most memorable instance from the letters on the dining table.

“Honey, do you know? Olivia tried to earn some money.”

“Olivia?”

“Yes. She was attaching eyes to teddy bears…”

The young Lady shouted, her face turning red.

“Eek!!! Don’t say! It’s embarrassing!”

“Why~ I’m proud of my daughter. Normally, you should start boasting about…”

“Eek!!! Punish Ricardo!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re my servant!”

“If you have a complaint, why don’t you become the lady of the Deathmont too, Miss?”

“Eek!”

Rosanna tenderly gazed at all of us with a soft smile on her face. Then she put a piece of warm meat on my plate and said,

“Thank you.”

I couldn’t lift my head.

***

In the afternoon when the sun set.

Rosanna and Darvab were sitting in the office after a long time, sipping on their drinks.

Two people, tilting their glasses to the wind that blew subtly, created an atmosphere laden with an inexplicable melancholy.

As Rosanna silently placed a tray of food on the table, Darbav asked her in a tender voice,

“Where are the kids?”

“Olivia is asleep. Ricardo said he would sleep later.”

“Hmm…”

Darbav nodded, sipping his bitter wine.

“Ricardo says he can leave, but I told him to sleep and go after your birthday. Good move, wasn’t it?”

At Rosanna’s smile, Darbav also smiled and nodded.

“You did well.”

A serene ambiance.

The family, gathered after a long while.

A sense of contentment, felt for the first time in a long time, made its way onto Darbav’s face.

Rosanna cautiously raised a question to Darbav.

“Why did you bring him along? Even when you said you wouldn’t see him again.”

“Just…”

Looking at the brightly-risen moon, Darbav said,

“I missed him.”

On hearing this, Rosanna gave him a smile and replied,

“You did well.”

*

The following morning.

The mansion was noisy with the loud voices of two people.

“Yiikes! Air raid warning!!!”

“Cough, cough…! Imperial Emergency…!!”

“You’re making too much noise!”

It turned out to be the cuckoo’s noise disturbing the peaceful morning.