The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 278: About your love (10)

The sky was blue.

"..."

And so was Shuen's hair.

‘This is good...’

It was the first time she was spending time with Michail-senpai, the one she had longed for. Sitting at the same table and sharing a meal with him felt like a dream come true.

Of course, they had eaten together at the Academy before.

- You must have been hungry, you’re eating so fast. - Ugh, ugh...! (It's a habit!)

Back then, she had gotten used to quickly finishing her food in the bathroom, which left her with little time to sit down properly. Now, sitting across from Michail, Shuen held her fork in reverse grip, deep in thought.

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‘Today is my chance! It’s the beginning of Shuen and Michail-senpai’s lovey-dovey life!’

Being with someone she liked, in a pleasant place. The fact that she was here, in this moment with Michail-senpai, felt surreal.

She wasn’t sure how to express her feelings in words, but one thing was certain: it felt sweet.

‘Hehehe... Hehe...!’

A mischievous laugh escaped her lips, and she couldn’t help it.

Michail placed some pasta on her plate and asked, “How’s life at the Academy these days? Are you adjusting well?”

“Ohoho... It’s very enjoyable! The classes are easy, and that thief... I mean, the culprit was caught too.”

“Yeah... I’m glad no innocent person was wrongly accused.”

Michail’s expression darkened briefly before he shook his head and smiled again.

“Eat as much as you want. I’ll cover the bill, so if you’re still hungry, feel free to order more.”

“No, no! I’ll pay!”

“Nah, I invited you, so I’ll pay.”

Shuen stared at Michail, thinking how incredibly handsome he was.

‘The commoner is handsome too, but Michail-senpai... he has a different charm. Oh no! What am I thinking?!’

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

‘Go away, thoughts!’

-... Don’t be afraid.

‘...No, just stay a little longer.’

Remembering Ricardo’s encouragement, a soft smile formed on her lips.

The conversation continued seamlessly.

It was as if they had never been awkward. Michail shared stories about the Academy and gave Shuen tips on things she didn’t know, like hidden information or how to better manage her daily life.

- Did you know there’s a huge flower field behind the Academy? - Really? I’ve never heard of that. - Haha... That’s because only a few people know about it. It only appeared after I enrolled. It’s been about three years now. - Who made it? - Not sure. It’s filled with nothing but canary flowers. - Oh...

Michail promised to take Shuen there one day and lifted his fork.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes!”

Shuen listened attentively to Michail, who led the conversation effortlessly.

She had always thought that someone with the name “Michail” would be difficult to approach, but as they spoke, she realized he was just a regular person.

Shuen was happy.

This moment, right now, made her happy.

However, there was something bothering her.

- Thump...

For some reason, her heart had been aching ever since she met the commoner at the public restroom.

The commoner’s laugh echoed in her head. That carefree smile when he stepped away, saying it was all done, wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

- Smile. - Hihihi? - Pfft! No, not like that.

When she looked at Michail-senpai, her heart didn’t hurt. In fact, it felt comfortable, like being with an old friend. Even though her heart was still pounding, Shuen couldn’t figure out why.

‘This is strange.’

As she glanced around the restaurant, she found herself searching for someone. She was thinking of the person who said they’d be watching from afar, feeling disappointed when she couldn’t see them and her heart pounded again.

‘Am I sick or something?!’

Her heart was racing so wildly, it felt like an illness.

“Ugh...”

It wasn’t a painful discomfort, just...

- Thump, thump.

Her heart was beating harder than usual.

Michail noticed Shuen clutching her chest and asked cautiously, “Shuen, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t look well.”

“Oh... no, I’m fine.”

“Really?”

Shuen thought it over.

It was probably nothing serious. Just a reaction to all the stress she had been under. When you think too much, it can cause an overload.

“It’s nothing...”

Shuen shook her head, trying to brush away her thoughts.

Time passed as they continued to talk.

They explored the marketplace together, watched a street circus, and enjoyed beer at the night market. It had been a fun day.

Almost too good to be true.

The more time they spent together, the more it felt like a dream. But as the sun set, the commoner she’d glimpsed from afar earlier was nowhere to be seen.

She had seen the commoner while wandering around the marketplace, but now he was gone.

- Ohoho... Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal that’s too much for a commoner to handle...

[Miss Shuen, you shouldn’t say things like that.]

- No, no...! Next time, let’s just enjoy a nice meal together. I’ll treat you.

The commoner, who had helped her by tossing a paper airplane with advice, had vanished from her view. Now that she had grown closer to Michail-senpai, Shuen was left with a sense of loss, walking the streets with a disappointed expression.

As night fell, she began to search frantically for the commoner. She had promised herself she would confess to Michail soon, but with no sign of the commoner, Shuen clenched her fists.

‘Where did he go?!’

He had said he would be watching.

With the commoner gone, Shuen lost the rhythm of the conversation with Michail. Sensing her distraction, Michail paused and called her name.

“Shuen.”

“...”

“Shuen!”

“Yes?!”

Startled, Shuen looked up at Michail, who asked, “Were you looking for someone?”

“No, no!”

“You’ve seemed distracted, like you were searching for someone. Is something wrong?”

“No! The most important thing for me right now is being here with you, Michail-senpai!”

“Oh...”

Shuen gasped, realizing she had just confessed her feelings. She watched Michail carefully for his reaction, suddenly nervous.

“...Shuen?”

Shuen closed her eyes tightly. It felt like the right moment.

People were bustling past them, but here, in the middle of this busy street, she felt like the opportunity had finally come.

She was a bit tipsy, and for some reason, she felt like now was her chance. If she didn’t act now, she might never be brave enough again.

“Hooo...”

Shuen put on a serious expression and looked directly at Michail.

“Michail-senpai...!”

“Huh...?”

“The truth is... the truth is I—!”

Michail looked at her with a somber expression, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Stop, Shuen.”

“What are you saying? I’m about to tell you something very important...!”

Michail sighed deeply. A sense of foreboding made Shuen’s eyelids twitch as Michail continued.

“Listen, Shuen.”

“...”

“I’d like for us to remain close as junior and senior classmates.”

Michail cut her off before she could finish her confession. As someone who had been confessed to countless times, he could read the situation.

Sensing what Shuen was about to say, Michail cautiously continued, seeing her teary eyes.

“Actually, the reason I wanted to meet today was because I had something to ask you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, really sorry, but I need to know.”

Michail’s difficult words silenced Shuen.

“Shuen... what do you think about Ricardo?”

“The commoner? Why...?”

“You’ve been hanging out with him a lot lately, so I wondered if something had happened between you two.”

“Happened? But, why are you asking about the commoner? I thought today was about...”

- Clench.

Michail clenched his fist, his eyes trembling as he asked her,

“Has Ricardo said anything strange about me? Like, does he find me annoying or say he’s upset with me?”

Seeing the trembling in Michail’s eyes, Shuen shuddered. She couldn’t understand why he would ask such a question.

She hadn’t expected him to bring this up, and the weight of her emotions began to overwhelm her.

“No... hic.”

“Shuen...”

“No... hic, we agreed to eat together and have fun today. We made a promise...”

“This is really important to me.”

“For me, right now, this moment is what’s important!”

Shuen clenched her fists tightly, her frustration bubbling over. What was this? How could he ask something like that after turning down her confession? She pushed Michail away, her voice rising.

“You should have asked at the Academy! This is so humiliating!”

“...I’m sorry.”

“If you hate the commoner so much, why don’t you ask him yourself?! Why are you asking me?!”

The conversation felt surreal, like it was happening to someone else. Shuen stood there, dumbfounded.

“No... I’m sorry, Shuen. I misspoke. I was just curious about how that guy was doing.”

“I hate everyone!”

“Shuen!”

Shuen pushed Michail away and started running. She didn’t know where she was going, but she just wanted to escape the suffocating feeling inside.

“Uwaaaaa!!! I hate everything! I hate the commoner! I hate Michail-senpai! Why am I always the one stuck being the sidekick?!”

“I want to be the main character too! Even if it’s just for a minute, like a rice ball! Why am I always treated like this?!”

“Everyone is an idiot, a stupid mutt!”

- Thump...

Her heart was pounding furiously.

- Thump, thump.

A strange pain was starting to rise. Even now, for some reason, the commoner’s face kept popping into her mind. Shuen stomped her feet, holding back tears.

“Get out of my head, commoner!”

- Thump, thump...

“Uwaaaa!!!”

She had been running for a while when...

“Huh?”

Wiping away her tears, Shuen stopped, finding herself in a dark alleyway with a blank expression.

“Where am I?”

The unfamiliar street and the dark, eerie atmosphere made her sniffle as question marks popped into her head.

“Did I just... reach the end of my life...? Or is it just my imagination?”

Just as Shuen awkwardly turned to leave the alley...

“Hey there~~”

She heard the rough voices of men from ahead.

“Hey, miss. You’re pretty.”

“If you’ve got time, why not hang out with us? You didn’t come here because you’re lonely, did you? Did your boyfriend dump you?”

Seeing more than five thugs, Shuen awkwardly smiled, stepping back. She had never experienced something like this before.

“N-No! I just got lost...”

- Clang!

One of the thugs kicked a bucket that had fallen on the ground and leaned in toward her.

“Huh? We’re good guys.”

“W-What...?”

“We’ll treat you better than your boyfriend.”

“W-What kind of vulgar talk is that...? I... I don’t really understand.”

“Puhaha! Cute.”

Shuen’s breath trembled as she tried to summon her magic. Thugs like these should be easy to deal with. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) She was scared, but in this situation, she could only rely on herself. Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and shouted.

“Earth’s strength...! Give me power...!”

- Grit...!

“Whoa, whoa, hold on!”

“Boss, I think she’s a mage.”

'Oh crap. Run!'

The thugs, who had flinched at Shuen’s outstretched hand, soon burst into laughter, mocking her.

- Phew...

‘Wait, what’s happening?’

“Puhahaha! What’s this? Were you about to use magic? Damn, that scared me.”

“Huh...? Why isn’t my magic working?”

“How should I know, you crazy b****!”

Just as one of the thugs with a knife reached out toward Shuen, she realized with a sinking heart.

‘Ah... I drank alcohol.’

Shuen couldn’t use magic when she drank. Alcohol affected her magic flow, making it impossible to control.

As her magic dispersed and the thugs’ rough hands reached for her dress...

“Hmm... You sure live an exciting life, Miss Shuen.”

A red glow and a cloud of dust appeared in front of Shuen.

“I told you I’d watch over you, didn’t I?”

The man, smiling, asked her,

“How do you feel after being rejected? Do you feel better now?”

- Thump, thump.

“You b*****d!”

“Get him! He’s alone!”

Shuen couldn’t hear the thugs anymore. Right now, all she could hear was the voice of the man standing in front of her.

With a trembling voice, she looked up at Ricardo and asked,

“Commoner... I think I have arrhythmia.”

Her heart was pounding madly.

- Thump, thump.

Ricardo smiled and said,

“You’re like a migratory bird.”

“Huh?”

“You might not realize it yet, but it seems like you’ve fallen in love with someone.”

- Thump.

“Oh...”

Shuen smiled brightly and replied,

“That seems to be the case.”