The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 391: The Times Consumed by Revenge (11)

“In the story where you lost your light, ‘Ricardo’ shone brilliantly.”

The Blue Screen spoke.

It said that when she lost her light, Ricardo had shone even brighter.

—“The sorrow of losing Olivia still lingered in his heart, but Ricardo was able to rise above it through a certain ‘turning point.’”

—“He could shine even brighter. Far more than he ever did when he walked beside Olivia. To the point where he stood shoulder to shoulder with those whose names were etched into the academy’s history—or perhaps even surpassed them.”

Once, she wouldn’t have believed it. It would have been absurd to think that someone who always acted like a fool could be called a genius.

But now—

When she recalled the way he had carried himself, she could understand why the Blue Screen spoke so highly of him.

Ricardo had—

—“After parting ways with Olivia, he no longer hid his strength.”

Because he had been hiding it.

The Blue Screen, as if it were Ricardo’s greatest admirer, went on and on about his greatness.

And it even shared the details of how the Shartia in the viewing came to rely on him.

—“He comforted you after your failures. He cared for you... even more than before.”

‘...’

—“Who could have imagined? That he would reach out to you, someone who had failed.”

Shartia let out a long sigh and spoke to the Blue Screen.

“What do you want me to do?”

Why was it showing her this?

The Shartia in the viewing held the bouquet Ricardo had given her tightly, smiling as if it were the most precious thing in the world. She cradled it carefully, not wanting the flowers to be damaged.

It annoyed her.

She didn’t want to accept a hand offered out of pity.

And yet—

—Creak...

She couldn’t help but feel strangely envious of the happiness on her other self’s face.

“What’s the point of showing me this?”

Her voice grew sharp as she addressed the incomprehensible visions from the Blue Screen. Was it telling her to work harder for a better future? Or was it warning her to wake up and prevent this future from happening? She didn’t know. At the very least, shouldn’t it give her a reason?!

Shartia glared at the Blue Screen, swallowing her frustration.

But it ignored her demands and continued narrating its tale—its ‘unknown story’—without pause.

—“Ricardo remained steadfast.”

The scene in the viewing changed.

—“Even when you experienced sorrow.”

What the Blue Screen described unfolded before her eyes.

It showed her struggling.

Sitting in an empty room, wiping away tears when everything had fallen apart.

—“Are you all right?”

—“If you’re here to mock me, leave. I’m too tired.”

—“...I was actually here to invite you out. The weather’s nice, so let’s go do some volunteer work.”

—“...What?”

—“I got lucky and received disciplinary service today.”

—“You...!”

—“Heh!”

Whenever her emotions began to settle, it showed her more scenes of herself sitting alone in the dim classroom, looking desolate.

—“Mom...”

—“...Mom.”

—“...I miss you.”

And just as her breathing turned shallow with sorrow, it showed Ricardo beside her again—reminding her of how precious he was.

Cruelly.

So very cruelly.

—“When you were attacked by the Apostle of Mercy, you would’ve been in serious danger without him. You were truly weak back then.”

The moment she saw herself hiding pathetically inside a closet, only for Ricardo to open the door and find her—

Pathetically—

‘...Drip.’

Tears fell.

Why?

Why was she like this?

These weren’t even real memories.

They weren’t things that had happened.

And yet...

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Shartia couldn’t understand.

Not a single thing the Blue Screen showed her matched her memories.

But why...

“Ah...”

Why did her chest feel so tight?

Shartia pressed a hand to her chest and opened her trembling eyes to look at the scene before her.

—“Why are you crying again? Like a fool.”

—“Who said I was crying?”

—“Hmm... is that so?”

Ricardo sat beside her as she sat alone, saying nothing.

It wasn’t anything extraordinary.

It wasn’t anything grand.

Yet seeing Ricardo simply stay by her side made her heart ache.

Like it had unearthed a pain buried deep inside her.

“What is this...!!!”

Her chest throbbed.

She couldn’t even keep her eyes on the scene before her.

She had done nothing wrong.

She had done nothing to Ricardo.

So why did she feel this way?

“Why... won’t you explain this?!”

She couldn’t understand.

The Blue Screen didn’t wait for her. Instead, it continued speaking and delivered what might have been the words she least wanted to hear.

—“You wanted to have him.”

From the moment the Blue Screen first appeared, it had hinted at this possibility.

—“You wanted someone as outstanding as him to stand by your side at the academy. And at the same time, you wanted someone as strong as him to protect you.”

—“It’s selfish.”

—“Shameless selfishness.”

The Blue Screen began revealing the ugliness inside her, repeating the word ‘selfish’ over and over.

It was—

‘...Stop.’

I was annoyed.

—“More than anything, you didn’t want him to leave your side. You wanted the one who brought you laughter in your hellish days to stay beside you.”

—“So, when he handed you the bouquet at the graduation ceremony...”

The vision shifted again, showing her other self holding the bouquet during the graduation ceremony.

And...

The Shartia in the viewing once again exposed her current self’s ugliness.

A voice echoed in her heart.

Alongside the voice of the Blue Screen, a terrible, sinking desire rang out.

(I want him...)

—“You truly began to covet him.”

Her pupils trembled.

She never imagined that the broken version of herself would think such a thing.

“‘I want him...’ ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ What are you talking about...?”

—“You had nothing to offer Ricardo.”

“...This is ridiculous. Why...?”

—“You were anxious about not being able to stay by his side after graduation, but you had nothing to give him.”

“Why...?”

Her emotions flared.

“Why are you saying that?! That’s not me! I’m not...! That’s not who I am!!”

But the Blue Screen ignored her protests and continued showing the viewing.

“Stop...”

—“Perspective shifting.”

“...Please, just stop.”

—“Back to the place where you made your first vow with him.”

“I get it already...”

—“To the day when your selfishness danced wildly.”

“I know I’m awful... I get it...!”

—“Perspective shifting.”

Maybe she had known all along.

That the ‘self’ in the viewing was truly ‘her.’

*****

A field of white irises.

After the graduation ceremony, Shartia sat in the field of flowers, exhaling softly.

This was the end.

The end of spending time like this.

The end of being protected within the walls of the academy. After today, it would all be over.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

The end of spending time with him like this, too.

Shartia gazed at Ricardo with eyes filled with lingering regret. She thought he was such a fool, always putting himself at a disadvantage.

The longer he stayed by her side, the more his reputation must have suffered. Just thinking about his consideration for her made her chest ache. She never imagined their connection, which started in their first year, would grow this deep.

“Why did you call me if you’re not going to say anything?”

“...”

“Did you fall for my handsome face or something?”

“...”

She was greedy.

She wanted to keep the man who reached out to her when she had lost everything by her side forever.

She had nothing to offer him.

But the time he spent with her so naturally made her crave something selfish.

Even though this would be their last day together.

“Haa...”

“You’re going to make the ground collapse.”

“What?”

“There’s a saying that sighing makes the ground collapse.”

“You say the weirdest things.”

“That’s my charm, isn’t it?”

“Whatever.”

Her gloomy mood made her babble nonsense. She wanted to laugh and part ways with him cheerfully.

“This is the end, isn’t it?”

The heavy feeling in her heart slipped out in her words.

“It’s really... the end.”

Without filtering her thoughts, she spoke aloud.

She clenched her fists.

She knew it was impossible, but she wanted to ask him something—just in case.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have anything you want to do after graduation?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’m just curious.”

“It’s unusual for you to ask me such a constructive question. Weren’t you more likely to ask where we should drink tonight?”

“You’re such a delinquent I thought I should give you some life advice as your senior.”

“...So that’s how you see me.”

She clenched her fists and waited for his answer.

She hoped—just maybe—that what he wanted to do would be the same as her dream.

“I’m planning to leave the Empire.”

“...Leave the Empire?”

“Yeah. I want to travel. Honestly, I don’t think there’s a place for me here anymore... Haha!”

“...Are you giving up on becoming Emperor?”

—Snap...

“What choice do I have? I don’t even know if I’ll keep my head... and there’s no one left to help me.”

“That can’t be helped, then. In that case, I’ll—”

“So...!”

Cutting Ricardo off, Shartia stretched and gave him a sharp look.

It seemed like he had no lingering attachment to the Empire.

Fueled by faint hope—and desperation—she asked him something she shouldn’t have.

“I’m planning to go to the Frederica Empire and become an adventurer...”

“I...”

“Yeah?”

Her fists clenched.

The sight of him hesitating terrified her.

She hoped he wouldn’t notice the sweat forming on her palms as she nervously waited for his answer.

But—

“I think I’ll stay in the capital and work.”

“...”

Her chest sank.

Her heart trembled.

She knew she shouldn’t ask, but questions kept bubbling up.

“Why...?”

“Hmm... I wonder.”

“There’s no reason for you to stay...”

“I want to rebuild the Desmont family.”

“...”

“It’s my fault the family fell. If I had been better... if I had worked harder... Haha... Listen to me rambling.”

Her mind raced.

She should give up.

But strangely, his words made her feel like there was still a chance.

‘I don’t want to let go.’

Her dependency led her to a selfish decision.

“Really...?”

And she thought of a way to tie him to her.

Suddenly, it came to her.

A selfish, desperate idea to keep him by her side.

So she lied.

“Hey.”

She cruelly spoke.

“If you become Emperor, you can claim one of the national treasures...”

She said something she shouldn’t have.

“One of those treasures is said to have the power to bring the dead back to life...”

That day, she never saw Ricardo’s expression.

Not the hopeful smile of someone deceived.

But the bitter smile of someone who knew.

“Is that so?”

He probably—

“I’d like to hear more about that story.”

—knew from the start that it was a lie.

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