The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 377



377 – The Story of When She First Met Him -4-

Ricardo was smiling brightly like a naive fool.

“But it still stings a bit.”

“…How?”

“How, you ask? I walked up here.”

Ricardo’s childlike smile never wavered. He looked at her with the same expression he always had, as if he didn’t know he had risked his life to come through the flames.

Reality starts to blur.

When I see Ricardo’s smile now, I feel like laughing like a naive child too, and the fear of facing death just moments ago seems to fade away.

But when I see the droplets of water dripping from his hair, I realize that Ricardo didn’t come here with an ordinary heart.

-Fwoosh…

He too is risking his life.

-Crash…!

I slowly begin to understand that he is staying here, fearing the debris that could fall on us at any moment.

Shaltia shouted at Ricardo, her hands trembling.

“Go…!”

She told him to leave without worrying about her.

“I can get out on my own, quickly…!”

She told him not to worry and to leave because he would be in danger if he stayed any longer.

She said words she didn’t mean to Ricardo. In truth, she wanted to thank him for coming, to hug him and ask him to take her out of here. But foolishly, she said these words to Ricardo instead.

Ricardo smiled gently and held Shaltia’s shoulders.

“Shh. Don’t say anything. I know what you want to say.”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve inhaled too much smoke. Don’t breathe too deeply.”

After saying his piece, Ricardo placed a wet towel over her mouth. He overlapped his fingers with her limp hand to help her hold the towel, and with a small smile, he stroked her hair.

“Fortunately, the empire’s treasure is safe.”

“Trea…sure?”

“The princess is the empire’s treasure, isn’t she?”

“…”

“Of course, milady is the world’s treasure too.”

As the cold wet towel steadied my breathing, a sense of relief washed over me. The relief of being alive. And I felt a strange emotion towards his calmly smiling face.

You are….

The feeling that ‘you are different from others.’

Touching the body of royalty without asking for permission.

“I’ll hold your shoulder.”

Not knowing what might be said, yet holding me in his arms like a princess from a fairy tale.

“I’ll hold on tight, so just stay conscious.”

You are not afraid, unlike others.

I felt it for the first time then.

That Ricardo, contrary to what I knew, was strong enough to lend his back to others.

Though I couldn’t understand his thoughts.

He showed completely unpredictable actions, but I realized that what he did wasn’t so bad.

“Then, let’s go.”

Time seemed to stop.

Like the passage in a book that says time stops when you have your first kiss. The moment in his arms etched deeply into my memory, as if it would never be erased.

Even though the place was filled with black smoke and scorching flames, I felt more at peace in that moment than ever before.

“Ouch, hot…!!”

Puhat… like a fool.

*

“That’s amazing.”

“…Right.”

The guild master, who listened to the story, began to tease Shaltia with a fresh smile as if he had returned to his youth.

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Even the iron-willed Shaltia had a girlish smile on her lips.

The guild master, intrigued by the clumsy appearance of the princess he saw for the first time, added more.

“Isn’t this a romance between young men and women that wouldn’t even appear in a novel?”

“Don’t tease me too much. It’s embarrassing….”

“Tease? When I was young, it was my dream to meet a man like that. Of course, I met my husband now…. Anyway, who wouldn’t fall for someone who appears like a hero through the flames in a life-or-death moment? Even I would fall for him.”

“That’s true.”

“So… what happened next? It seems like Ricardo doesn’t seem completely uninterested either.”

“…Sigh. How can I date when I’m busy trying to survive? A woman like me would probably be a nuisance to him.”

“Isn’t she beautiful? If we only consider her appearance, she might be comparable to the Empire’s greatest beauty, Princess Olivia.”

“Olivia is….”

– Huh? I didn’t pick my nose.

Recalling Olivia’s usual behavior, Shartia let out a hollow laugh and nodded.

“In a different sense, I think I could win.”

“Hmm…”

Shartia lifted her teacup and began to talk about the aftermath.

“Well, if Ricardo had made a move on me after that, I might have fallen for him.”

“That means…!”

“Listen to the end.”

Shartia brushed her hair back as if just thinking about it gave her a headache and let out a long sigh.

“Thinking about what that guy did in the hospital still makes me angry.”

*

After coming to her senses, she found herself in a hospital.

Even though there were renowned doctors residing in the academy dormitory, it was impossible to accommodate all the patients who came in at once.

“…”

She raised her hand to check the time.

5 PM.

It seemed about two hours had passed since the fire broke out. The clock she saw just before she fainted had pointed to 3 PM.

“Ha… this is bad.”

As much as she wanted to run to the academy and finish things immediately, she couldn’t muster the strength to do anything in her current state.

She had to write a report on the fire.

She had to investigate the student list and the damage.

And she had to prepare the recovery and support request documents….

Just thinking about it gave Shartia a headache. She let her hand fall from the clock and sighed.

“…Alright. I should just rest.”

She didn’t think she could do anything in her sick state. Wearing a patient’s gown and going to the front lines might look good to people, but if she collapsed, it would be even more troublesome.

“There’s no one here….”

There was no one in the hospital room.

No one came to visit.

No one came to stay by her side out of concern, and she was alone in the empty hospital room.

Perhaps it was because she was royalty that she was allowed a private room. Shartia, staring at the ceiling of the lonely hospital room, covered her eyes with her hand and sighed.

“…”

She wasn’t sad, but what should she call this feeling?

“…”

It wasn’t very pleasant.

Time passed.

-Tick.

For ten minutes, she spent the lonely time staring endlessly at the firmly closed door.

Maybe that door would open.

She spent the silent time feeling like one minute was an hour, thinking that at least one person might come to check on her.

-Squeeze…

Her chest felt heavy.

She had barely come back alive, but instead of feeling moved, she felt regretful, which made her very sad.

She needed to recover quickly to thank Ricardo, to express her gratitude. But her sinking heart showed no signs of recovering and continued to fall.

When the clock’s hand passed five minutes.

-Knock, knock.

“I’ll come in even if you don’t allow it.”

A familiar voice reached Shartia’s ears.

“Huh…?”

And beyond the open door, a man with red hair, carrying a bunch of fruits, walked in.

The moment Ricardo’s eyes met hers, he made a face as if to ask how she was awake and then began to tremble.

“…”

“Looks like you can’t trust doctors’ words. They said you’d wake up in five days… Seems like there are only quacks in the capital.”

“…You.”

“Are you awake?”

“…”

Ricardo, with a refreshing smile, began to pour water into a cup.

Shartia silently watched Ricardo as he poured the water. His face had red burn marks, and there were traces of emergency treatment he had done himself.

-Squeeze…

Why are you doing this?

Shartia, who had nothing to offer, felt awkward with Ricardo’s kindness, which expected nothing in return.

So she spoke stiffly for no reason.

“The fire?”

“Extinguished.”

“The injured?”

“No fatalities. The most injured person is the princess. Of course, she fainted from exhaustion, not because of the fire.”

“I see… That’s a relief. How long have I been unconscious? It feels like about two hours.”

“Ah…”

Ricardo, handing over a glass of water, answered with an awkward smile.

“It’s been about two days.”

“What…!”

As the startled Shartia tried to get up, Ricardo shook his head and stopped her.

“Let me go.”

“No… You can’t move without my permission in the hospital room. It’s a life I saved.”

“I have things to handle right now…”

Ricardo, silently offering the glass of water, spoke to Shartia with a cheerful smile.

“I’ve taken care of the urgent documents. I’ve also written the report.”

“…What? You did?”

“Well, I received elite education at the duke’s house. Oh, and I’ve temporarily entrusted the student council president position to a competent person.”

Shartia was dumbfounded by Ricardo’s words, who had solved so many things in such a short time. She realized that the fool she thought was actually a genius coveted by all nobles.

“Someone who learned from a teacher better than me, so the work will be handled properly. Probably.”

She coveted him.

In many ways.

The man who made her laugh, handled work efficiently, and knew what she wanted to hear first was honestly so desirable that she wanted to take him away.

“So, my lady…”

“Puhaha!! Are you crazy?”

“No… And then…”

“Uh… Keep talking.”

Shartia and Ricardo, who had found stability, were getting closer as they talked.

What kind of life have you lived?

How is life at the academy?

It had been so long since they had such a peaceful conversation that Shaltia couldn’t help but smile.

“…”

Shaltia shyly spoke as she watched Ricardo peel the fruit.

“Thank you…”

Ricardo replied, sticking the fruit with a fork.

“You’re welcome.”

When they returned to the academy with such joy.

“Shut up!!! I’ll do whatever I want! I’m the president now, so if anyone has a problem, get out… No! You’re expelled!!!”

It felt like the world was collapsing.

*

“Thinking about the hard time I had back then… Ugh…”

“Hahahahaha!!!!”

The guild master burst into laughter.

“Your friend Ricardo is really considerate.”

“What?”

Shaltia glared at the guild master, feeling displeased by his unexpected remark. The thought of the hardship she endured that day was disheartening.

However.

“Didn’t he deflect the criticism?”

The guild master began to speak in an unexpected direction.

“Didn’t he deflect the criticism that the student council president would have received?”

“…”

“Lady Desmond would have liked it.”

It was something she couldn’t understand because she had seen it up close.