The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

I tried a simple question.

Because I was wondering if the Ruin sitting in front of me was indeed the Ruin I knew.

I threw a few questions at him that he had no choice but to answer.

"Are you an idiot?"

"Do you want to be hit for no reason?"

"Or is being hit your preference?"

That was the gist of it.

Of course, I asked a few other questions that only Ruin could answer, but I thought these direct questions were perfect for distinguishing the real from the fake.

The guy who came to the mansion a while ago showed a strangely awkward response to such provocations.

As if thinking, ‘If it were Ruin, he would have reacted this way,' and then showing a delayed reaction. I looked at Ruin, who was now creating a fireball in front of me, and thought.

This guy is not a fake.

I sent the lady and the bear broth outside to the yard. It seemed like they might hear something unpleasant if they stayed in the mansion.

Just by looking at Ruin's dark expression, I could sense that he wouldn't say anything pleasant.

If Ruin asks for something difficult like hunting a cockatrice, I plan to kick him out.

It felt creepy and bothersome.

I walked to the table with two cups of tea, looking at Ruin's shadow-cast face.

The sound of two tea cups being placed on the table.

Hoping he would realize I couldn't give him much time since he came unannounced, I asked him.

"Why are you here?"

"…"

"Speak, Ruin."

My voice pressured him gently.

Honestly, an uninvited guest wasn't exactly welcome.

That's why I pressed him even more gently.

"There must be a reason you're here, right?"

I wasn't feeling great.

So, to test him, I decided to spit out a question. In my mind, there could only be one reason for his visit to this mansion.

Hans.

I thought he came to inform me about the escape of the villain from the novel, whom I had barely managed to hand over.

Either to ask for help in capturing the escapee or to give information about it.

I probably wouldn't have mentioned that I was the one who captured Hans to the Tower Master, but just in case.

If Ruin hears from the Tower Master that I was the one who captured Hans, he would have to rely on me.

The only one who captured the corrupted Hans and had clashed with him.

So, I…

Opened my mouth with a light provocation.

"Don't tell me another incident has occurred at the Tower?"

"What?"

"The Tower is quite prone to incidents, isn't it? I've heard rumors that one of your disciples has gone down the wrong path recently."

"Shut up."

"Hmm. Is there a reason to be so angry? I believe there’s nothing incorrect about what I said."

"Shut it. What do you, who is nothing, have the right to judge the Tower? Want to die in silence?"

"Ah… I see. My apologies for the speculation."

Ruin neatly dodged my expectations. Seeing Ruin getting worked up, I thought I might have been barking up the wrong tree.

Then what could it be?

The reason this green-haired guy came to the mansion.

I doubt he came just to see my face, honestly, I'm not keen on seeing a man's face either.

Well, he probably feels the same.

I wanted to hear Ruin's story.

What could make someone with such high pride come to this mansion? I kept wondering what this green-haired guy, who dislikes me the most, was thinking when he came here.

I wished it would be an interesting story…

Because I wasn't in a great mood due to the guest wearing Ruin's face. I almost wanted to go directly to the heretics' headquarters.

So, I hoped Ruin would tell an interesting story. Otherwise, I might end up shattering Ruin's mental state as a form of venting.

I asked him with a cruel curiosity.

"So, why are you here? Honestly, we are not in a position to have a pleasant chat. I don't want to see the face of a man with a nasty temper."

"Speak more nicely."

"That depends on your actions."

"Really, such a shitty attitude."

"You're far worse."

"…"

"Don't glare and start talking. I'm getting tired of waiting."

Ruin ran his dry hand over his face, seemingly about to make a difficult request.

As the awkward atmosphere filled not just the kitchen but seemed to spill into the living room, Ruin slowly opened his mouth.

"Recently, I saw Yuria at a bar. She was drinking alone, Yuria, who doesn’t even like alcohol."

"Hmm… I see."

"You see?"

"Why are you getting worked up? I just answered."

Ruin, seemingly irritated by my mechanical response, glared at me.

"Continue, I'm listening."

"Ah… I have to endure."

"Thank you. So, what's the main point?"

"I saw something strange then."

"Strange, you say…?"

-Bang!

Ruin put down his teacup roughly and stared straight at me. He then said curtly.

"You."

"…"

"You were there."

"I don’t see the problem with that."

"You… were sitting next to Yuria, who was drinking alone, talking as if you were close. I was about to approach."

‘Ah…'

"Pfft."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Was this the reason Ruin came all the way here? I had prepared myself for a heavy request and thought of kindly rejecting it, but I couldn’t help laughing at the trivial reason Ruin had come.

Silence ensued.

Ruin's expression looked like it could crack any moment due to the laughter spilling from my mouth.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Well, it's just funny, isn't it? You came to the mansion just because you saw Yuria drinking."

"Just? Did you say just now?"

"No… Pfft… Mr. Ruin, isn’t this situation funny to you? What’s wrong with drinking together? And…"

I spoke sarcastically to him.

"What's your relationship with Yuria to be acting like this? I truly don’t understand."

I responded to Ruin with a cold voice.

Was there something wrong with my words?

Ruin, who has no special relationship with Yuria, comes here to talk like this, isn’t it funny? Faced with my question, Ruin harshly stood up from his chair and glared at me.

But…

"…"

Ruin couldn't open his mouth.

There was no flaw in my words, and he hadn’t even considered that he liked Yuria yet.

The person he keeps thinking about.

What could Ruin, who thought of Yuria only so much, possibly say?

See. You have nothing to say.

Ruin clenched his fist.

Frustrated by the situation, clenching his fist and grimacing was all he could do.

I smiled at Ruin, taunting him for his silence.

"By any chance, did you come here to ask me… not to meet with Yuria anymore?"

"…"

"It seems I'm right. But…"

I trailed off, sharing one fact Ruin seemed to forget.

From what I felt while reading the novel.

And the emotions I experienced since becoming involved in the novel, I spoke to Ruin without hesitation.

"Don’t you think you have no right to say this?"

"What?"

"If Yuria bothers you, why come to me with such a request when you did nothing but watch Yuria suffer? I'm curious."

"It wasn’t that I just watched…"

"Lies."

I smiled.

"Such a clumsy lie."

Really.

"Mr. Ruin."

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

"Do you like Yuria?"

"Shut up."

"But, you know…"

I spoke a bit cruelly to Ruin. It might hurt a lot, but no, it would hurt a lot, but the blunt conclusion spoken by the affection meter in the novel, I delivered to Ruin's ears as if whispering.

"Ms. Yuria does not like you."

"Maybe. I mean."

I finally said to Ruin.

"I'll ask you this time."

The most curious story, with the meaning of sending him away.

"Do you like Yuria?"

I asked him a question he couldn't answer.

*

As Ruin left the mansion and walked through the yard with a dark expression, he muttered.

"What right does he have to dictate what I do? Fucking ridiculous."

He couldn’t pull himself together.

Originally, he intended to tell Ricardo to leave Yuria alone.

Because Yuria had been troubled the more she got involved with Ricardo. And when he saw Yuria talking with Ricardo in the bar with a happy expression.

He felt twisted inside.

Ruin wanted to resolve this feeling.

The emotional turmoil caused by Hans's incident seemed to intensify a scene of forgotten memory.

He thought if he could erase this feeling, his head might clear a bit.

Honestly, he expected Ricardo to accept his suggestion.

Ricardo was lenient and cautious in matters related to Yuria. He thought he would just say, "Understood."

But Ricardo ruined his mood with harsh words.

"Stop spouting nonsense…"

Ruin muttered in a low voice, clenching his fist.

"Just stop it…"

He continued to mutter to himself, filled with various emotions.

She doesn’t like me.

It’s just that she keeps coming to mind.

It’s disgusting to see her with another man. It’s not because I have weird feelings.

It’s friendship. Yes, it’s just friendship.

And.

I should protect her.

From Hans.

From other threats.

If I keep watching over Yuria, she will come to like me.

Ruin wasn’t in a hurry.

So.

He wished the guy who knew nothing would stop interfering.

Since he’s no better.

"Ah, fuck, really. What's with the color of this mansion? So fucking childish."

Ruin muttered a bit louder, loud enough to echo across the mansion's yard.

And then.

An unfamiliar woman's voice reached Ruin's ear.

"Huh?"

A sharp, disliked female voice responded to Ruin's muttering with a retort.

"What?"

The woman teaching the giant bear to beg turned her head slowly with dull eyes.

"You?"

"…"

"Are you picking a fight with me?"

White hair.

The dull eyes of the woman sitting in a wheelchair began to harbor a dark glow.

"Ah…"

Ruin disliked Olivia.

"Hey."

"Hey…"

"Can't you hear?"

At the same time.

Olivia scared him.

"I'm asking nicely."

*

-You're the Tower Master's disciple?

-…

-Bullshit.