The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Three days before the ball,

Under the cover of darkness,

The whispers of girls harboring dark intentions were carried by the wind.

-Yuria is really too much of an eyesore, isn't she?

-Exactly. She's become so arrogant since Olivia left. We should have driven Olivia away back then.

-We shouldn't have made up those baseless stories.

-Sigh… It was bad enough when she was here, but it's even more annoying now.

Under the dark shadows, the girls sharing these words all harbored dislike towards one girl.

Despite being of lowly commoner status, she received much love for her superior beauty and the attention from those they could only yearn for.

Whether it was the righteous-hearted Michail, the cranky Fire Mage, or the man of the highest status in the Empire, they all secretly longed for them.

The very sight of the girl, who was close to these unreachable heroes, fueled their hatred.

That's why they detested Yuria.

No matter how hard Yuria tried to be friendly, their arrows of hatred were like nails that wouldn't easily come out.

Without any wrongdoing on her part, the girls still despised Yuria.

Even after receiving humiliating letters,

Or hearing Yuria's heartfelt tears, they continued to dislike and resent her.

Every small action of Yuria felt like a fishbone stuck in their throats, and her smiling face in joy seemed arrogant to them.

Through their jealousy-coated lenses, the existence named Yuria became an object of envy.

-At this ball, she's going to be unbearably annoying again.

-So annoying, seriously.

-Exactly. What makes that commoner so bold? It's absurd for her to even speak with the Crown Prince. He must find her so bothersome too. I can't stand that weird smell she has.

-Haha, agreed. That musty smell, right? Makes me want to vomit.

-Right! It wasn't just me, then?

Their vile conversation solely focused on one person, turning every little dust particle related to Yuria into a huge dust ball as it passed through their lips.

As time passed, the stories spun in their mouths became fleshed out lies, and the dark intentions in their hearts turned into ‘anger,' fermenting into grudges.

-Isn't there a way?

Gradually, they entertained the thought, "Maybe we should try it." After all, they had always behaved this way – ignoring, bullying, and even when it seemed too much, Yuria never reacted.

The gravity of violence felt lessened.

As their conversation reached its climax,

-Are you having an interesting conversation?

A dark shadow began to loom.

-I have an interesting idea. Would you like to hear it?

***

One day before the ball,

Yuria, back in her dormitory, gazed endlessly at the dress hanging on her wardrobe.

"Wow…"

It was the dress she had wanted.

She had only seen it from afar, too expensive to even consider, now shining gloriously before her eyes.

Glowing softly in pure white,

Unlike the second-hand dresses that always smelled musty, this one wafted a subtle rose fragrance.

Every time she bought a used dress, she needed to mask its scent with perfume. But this new dress, gifted by an unexpected person, required no such effort.

Ricardo.

The boy who always appeared in her toughest moments had once again come as a great light.

Sitting in her chair, Yuria reminisced about the events from a few days ago.

-I can't accept it.

-It's okay. I don't need such clothes. I might consider a shirt, but a dress isn't my style.

-Then give it to Olivia.

-Hmm… The lady is too generous, it might not fit her.

-But still…

-If you won't accept it, I'll have to put it back. I want to avoid unnecessary spending. Well, it's a good deed for others.

-But…

Foolish.

Yuria knew.

This dress wasn't second-hand.

Of course.

-30,000 gold.

No one would sell a brand-new dress as used, especially not one that hadn't been worn. It was obvious from the way the merchant inspected the product and Ricardo's flustered reaction when I offered to pay. It was an unmistakable response.

-I'll buy it.

-No, I must buy this dress.

-Where does that happen?

-Right here.

Ricardo was flustered.

Truly.

Memories bringing a smile, Yuria's face heated up as though she was holding a hot sweet potato.

"Fool."

Unable to even lie.

"Why are you so good to me?"

Ricardo always appeared like a hero in times of trouble.

Life at the Royal Academy without Ricardo for the past year was incomparable to before.

Though bullying had lessened and incidents had decreased in Ricardo's presence, overcoming occasional hardships without him had been truly difficult.

The hardships were fewer, but they felt insurmountable.

If a dress had been stained with wine, Ricardo would've casually appeared, pretending it was a coincidence, with an ‘Oh, it just so happens I have a universal cleaner here,' and removed the stain without a trace. Now, such happenings would leave her flustered and helpless.

The burden of enduring trials seemed to have grown heavier. With no one to rely on or help…

"Sigh…"

That's why, Yuria couldn't hate Ricardo.

The wrongdoings in the dungeon might erase the feelings of hatred, but more than that, it was Ricardo's actions, doing such things effortlessly, that made it impossible to dislike him.

What woman could hate receiving such a gift?

To have the dress she wanted most hidden among old clothes as a surprise, who would dislike that?

Previously, Yuria might have found Ricardo's deep understanding of her scary, but now, that feeling had transformed into fondness, leaving her without any negative thoughts. In fact, she liked it.

Now, she wasn't sure.

Had it been someone else, she might have thought of them as a stalker, but being charmed by Ricardo's approach of disguising gifts as coincidences, she couldn't entertain such thoughts.

Yuria continued to gaze at the untouched, brand-new dress.

This ball would be different from the past.

There would be no one to belittle her for wearing an old dress, and wearing the dress Ricardo gifted her felt like it would give her strength she didn’t have before.

The disdainful comments,

And the sneers for a commoner daring to wear such fancy clothes seemed surmountable in Ricardo's gifted dress.

Ricardo had always been a protector. Perhaps this time, too, he would appear like a prince on a white horse if something happened.

"What am I thinking…"

Yuria shook her head, smacking her warming cheeks.

And so, ten minutes passed.

-Ding-dong.

An unfamiliar visitor began calling for Yuria.

***

Under the dim streetlights lining the academy's promenade,

Yuria found herself walking along the path with her friend Ruin, who had unexpectedly come to visit.

Despite only wearing a cardigan, making it a bit chilly, the weather had softened significantly, enabling Yuria to manage by clutching at her clothes.

As they hesitantly walked under the streetlights, Ruin finally broke his silence.

"Tomorrow, huh?"

"Hm?"

"The ball."

"Oh…"

The ball.

A place filled with nothing but unpleasant memories for Yuria.

Though balls were frequently held at the academy, especially the New Year's ball, it had always left Yuria with bitter memories.

Troubled by Olivia in her freshman year,

And by Ricardo's absence in her sophomore year,

Yuria was filled with concern about how this upcoming ball would turn out.

No matter how nice the dress, if the people she met were going to cause trouble, it could turn into the worst experience.

Yuria responded to Ruin's question with an awkward smile, nodding.

"Yeah. Just a day away."

"Um… Yuria."

Ruin, exhaling white breaths in the cold, looked forward. Glancing at the paper bag he held, he smiled awkwardly, feeling out of place.

Unaware of Ruin's intentions for calling her out through the dorm supervisor, Yuria thought it might be about academics, but Ruin's expression suggested something else.

Yuria clasped her hands and walked.

Waiting for Ruin to open up.

"Do you have something to say, Ruin?"

"Uh… It's nothing big. We've been friends for almost three years now."

"Right?"

"And your birthday is coming up, and I feel like I haven't really done much for you."

"That's not true. You've taught me magic and even gave me a necklace."

"Is that so… Haha!"

Ruin laughed awkwardly, gazing at Yuria.

Then, holding the paper bag he had been carrying, he extended it to Yuria with an awkward smile.

"This isn't anything grand, but I thought you'd look good in it."

"What's this?"

"A dress."

"Huh?"

Inside the paper bag was a light green dress, similar in color to Ruin's hair.

At a glance, it appeared to be an expensive garment.

While not as much as the one Ricardo had gifted, Yuria thought it would be comparable.

Ruin, offering the dress, blushed, while Yuria looked at the dress inside the paper bag with a hesitant smile.

"Ah… Sorry, Ruin. I don't think I can accept another dress."

"Huh?"

Ruin looked at Yuria in confusion and asked,

"Who?"

"…"

"Who gave you another one?"

"A close friend."

"Is it Ricardo?"

Ruin clenched his fist, seeing Yuria's silent response.

"Throw it away."