The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 375



375 – The Story of When She First Met Hic -2-

That day was an ordinary day.

Only. It was raining from the sky.

It was just another day, except for the fact that the new students had just arrived.

-Swooosh.

As always, Shaltia was working in her office. She was wrestling with a mountain of paperwork, and outside the door, she could hear the excited chatter of the new students.

“The history professor is really weird…! Who gives homework on the first day of class…”

“I don’t know~! We’ll just fill it in with free assignments later. But hey, isn’t that first-year swordsmanship student handsome?”

“Who? The one with silver hair?”

“No, the one with red hair. I don’t like the silver-haired one, he looks too feminine. The red-haired one is totally my type. He looks strong too.”

“Whatever… He wasn’t even wearing the uniform.”

“That’s what makes him attractive.”

The academy was noisy because the new students had just arrived. The academy, filled with new classrooms and new friends, must have been more fun than their boring hometowns.

A faint, wistful smile appeared on Shaltia’s lips.

“Sigh… Let’s figure out the list. Even if I work all night, it won’t be enough to fill the spots left by the graduates.”

This batch of new students had many prodigies.

There was a new student with more divine power than a priest who had prayed all their life, and a student recognized for their swordsmanship talent who was selected as a scholarship student at the academy.

A direct disciple of the Tower Master, who was receiving public attention, also joined this batch, and her half-brother had also entered the academy.

It was a batch full of prominent talents. This batch, indeed.

The faculty had high expectations, thinking it was a group that would never be seen again at the academy, and they had to bring them into the student council before they were snatched away by the seniors.

As always, she would be stuck in her office….

“Yaaawn…”

Honestly, she was envious.

Of the students enjoying their youth.

She hadn’t been able to play like that when she was a freshman.

It was inevitable to feel regret about her past school life, where she had no choice but to run blindly to secure her unstable position. If she hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have been able to live in the imperial palace.

“I’m envious.”

The gatherings to drink after exams.

The farewell parties before summer vacation. The regrets she had now, when she wasn’t even invited to such gatherings anymore, were meaningless.

“Maybe I should get some fresh air.”

Since it was raining, it felt even more depressing, so she thought she should take a break and get some fresh air.

Shaltia let out a deep sigh and looked at the window.

-Swooosh…

The early spring rain had never felt so melancholy.

“Let’s get out quickly. Before it drags on any longer.”

Just as I reached for the umbrella next to the desk.

-Ratatatatatata.

A loud noise started to echo from the hallway. The sound of hurried footsteps, as if being chased by something, was thumping closer.

Even though class was over, if a professor caught them, they would surely get an earful.

“Not like a child…”

Shaltia, annoyed, sighed as she pulled up her hair. She wanted to go out and say something, but she decided against it, not wanting to waste her precious time. After all, it was probably someone she wouldn’t get involved with anyway.

“Tsk.”

Just as she clicked her tongue at the thought of an immature student lowering the academy’s standards.

-Wadadadadadada!!!

The running footsteps were getting closer to her.

From noble mtl dot com

“Ha… really!”

Just as she was about to go out and say something about the noise.

-Drurururuk!!!

“Huh?”

He appeared in front of her.

A red-haired man roughly opened the student council president’s office door and greeted her. A curious man, dressed in a butler’s uniform despite being an academy student.

“Oh… no one’s here.”

“…?”

“Ah.”

The man smiled brightly as he saw her face.

“Hello.”

Her first thought upon seeing the man was not anger, but absurdity. She couldn’t understand who he was to open the door without permission. His sudden greeting was also ridiculous.

“…Haha.”

Seeing the man’s bright smile, committing a mistake even a commoner wouldn’t make, she felt the urge to deduct points from his department.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…”

“I am Ricardo, a first-year student in the swordsmanship department.”

The man casually introduced himself.

“…Ha.”

It was a type he had never encountered before.

He had prided himself on having met many types of people, but this was the first time he had encountered someone who brazenly laughed with a steel face.

He was sure it was a face he had seen at the entrance ceremony, but annoyingly, he couldn’t recall it.

‘A noble…?’

No, definitely not a noble. There wasn’t a noble who didn’t know his face. Even if their parents had told them to remember his face, a noble committing such disrespect was unthinkable.

The man was striding towards Shartia, who was frowning.

Shartia, with wide eyes, watched the approaching red-haired man from her seat.

“What… what are you doing? Stay away.”

“As the rumors say, you are beautiful, Princess Shartia.”

“Huh…? You know me?”

“Of course.”

“Then why are you doing this…?”

The man let out a small laugh and started to take something out from his pocket. Strangely, she wasn’t worried that he might have a weapon. It was curious, really.

“I’ve been a fan for a long time.”

“…What are you saying?”

The red-haired man, who had been flattering her, firmly placed a square object from his pocket into her hand.

“This is my gift to you.”

“…”

“Please keep it.”

“…”

With those words, the man opened the window and threw himself out. On a rainy day, without an umbrella.

“Hey!!!”

Shartia, who had been staring out the window, looked at the object in her hand with a bewildered expression.

And then.

“Chocolate?”

She burst into laughter at the unexpected item in her hand.

“Puhahahaha!”

If he was going to make a move, he should have been a bit more honest. Chocolate, really, chocolate….

Despite the unexpected confession, Shartia felt secretly pleased. After all, she was still a woman.

Due to his status, he couldn’t accept his feelings, but he decided to overlook the rudeness of the man who had caused trouble and left.

It seemed that the man had fallen in love at first sight with his appearance at the entrance ceremony and clumsily conveyed his feelings.

“Hmm hmm hmm…”

Just as he was about to laugh at the shy and rough confession of the man.

“How cute.”

-Screeeeech!!!

This time, a loud shout echoed through the hallway as it approached.

“Wha…what?”

It was a voice full of anger. The woman, who seemed to be filled with all the anger in the world, was running down the hallway with heavy footsteps.

-Screeeeech…!

As the woman passed by, murmuring conversations could be heard.

-Screeeeech?! Did you see Ricardo?

-N…no?

-How dare you speak informally!

-Huh…?

At the same time, the woman’s voice was getting closer to him.

“Ricaaardo!!!!”

Shaltia stood there, holding the chocolate in her hand, her eyes trembling. She felt uneasy for some reason.

“…No way?”

The man who had fallen from the window seemed to be related to the woman outside the door for some reason,

and the ominous thought that the reason the female student was shouting down the hallway might be related to the chocolate in her hand suddenly crossed her mind.

-Screeeeech!!!

-Click.

“Hey.”

-Click… Click…

The woman walking down the hallway stopped, and Shaltia’s uneasiness was realized.

-Rattle.

“…”

“Eek?”

“First-year student.”

“Ah, right, the greeting… Ricardo said to do it well….”

“Hello.”

The black-haired girl who opened the door placed her hand on her belly button and greeted politely. “Hello,” she said.

Just a moment ago, her behavior outside the hallway was nowhere to be seen, and as the tension eased with her rather courteous behavior….

[Ol…]

A sudden ominous feeling crept in as I saw the name on the student’s name tag.

‘Familiar…’

It was a face that seemed familiar, like someone I had seen many times before. Although I couldn’t see the name on the name tag from a distance, the face full of annoyance was definitely one I had seen somewhere.

‘Who is it…’

– Have you seen Ricardo?

‘I feel like I should remember….’

– Ricardo took my chocolate….

‘A name starting with Ol….’

– Ugh…?

[Oli..]

‘Wait a minute…’

An ominous name flashed through Shaltia’s mind.

The living devil of the empire.

The child born of nobility, different from the start.

‘Desmond Olivia’

Shaltia looked at the girl in front of her with trembling eyes, and the moment she saw the face of the noble girl staring intently at the chocolate in her hand, Shaltia’s world crumbled.

“That’s mine…?”

“…”

“Eeeeeek!!!!”

*

“Puhaha!!!!”

The guild master who was listening to the story burst into laughter while looking at Shaltia.

“No, why did you start your first meeting with a bomb pass?”

“Exactly. I tried so hard to find that kid the next day….”

“Really, an unstoppable person. I want to see that Ricardo once.”

Shartia responded with a bitter smile as she watched the guild master burst into laughter.

“You’ve probably already seen it.”

“What…?”

“I think you might have unknowingly come as a guest too. Asking about the empire’s situation or requesting to find someone…”

“…”

Shartia stretched while glancing at the guild master, whose expression had hardened.

“But he’s not such a bad person.”

“…”

“I owe him my life once.”

Shartia lifted her teacup with a gentle smile.

“I almost died.”

“…”

“Really…”