TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 117
[Q. A Villainess’s Sad Love Story.]
In a story you don’t know.
Your Butler Ricardo could not overcome Dark Magic.
Your Dark Magic failed, and its side effects were solely borne by your Butler Ricardo.
Flesh rotted away.
He became unable to move from his bed.
On the day his pillow was soaked with tears from unbearable pain.
What were you doing at that time?
(!) Nurse Ricardo, who has caught a cold.
1. Provide nursing care that satisfies Ricardo. (1/1)
2. Cook porridge for Ricardo. (1/1)
Reward: You can view the 〈3rd Side Story〉 ‘A Villainess’s Sad Love Story.’
[Would you like to view it?]
*
This is the third time. Seeing the Blue Window.
The first time was a story about how I would have died due to Dark Magic if not for Ricardo.
The second time was about the process in which Ricardo bore the aftereffects of Dark Magic for my sake.
And the third was a story about what happened when Ricardo could not overcome the aftereffects of Dark Magic…
Olivia’s pupils trembled slightly, frightened by the tragedy born from her own stubbornness.
Of course, the events she was about to see were merely hallucinations that would not occur in reality, but at the same time, they were events that could happen.
A feeling of suffocation gripped her heart.
Should it be called déjà vu?
A déjà vu of events that could very well happen.
Olivia could not find a reason why the Blue Window was showing her such hallucinations. Whether it was punishment for living badly or a joke from a god, she could not tell, but Olivia could not brush off the hallucinations shown by the Blue Window lightly.
It was merely a hallucination.
A problem that could be dismissed by tightly closing her eyes, yet she could not take it lightly.
Even though she could escape if she simply decided not to view it, she chose not to avoid it and instead opted to face the dreadful hallucinations.
Like a fool.
The vivid hallucinations that felt as if she had experienced them herself always made Olivia’s shoulders tremble.
“Haa…”
A deep sigh escaped her.
What kind of trouble had she caused this time?
The thought that she might not be able to handle the hallucinations she was about to see suddenly crossed Olivia’s mind.
If taken lightly, it was merely a story for amusement, but her heart kept growing heavier.
All of this.
Could be a joke from the Aberrant God.
Or a joke from the Vicious Demon, but there must be a reason for showing such things.
Olivia decided to respond to the Vicious God’s joke. Thinking of it as punishment for living badly, she nodded with a heavy heart.
[Would you like to view it?]
“Yes.”
The viewing of the 〈3rd Side Story〉 ‘A Villainess’s Sad Love Story’ begins.
With the pounding sound of her heartbeat, Olivia’s vision blacked out.
Since Olivia had a rough idea of what kind of future the Blue Window would show her, she closed her eyes with the arrogant thought that she would not be as surprised this time as she was the last.
Because it was something that had not happened.
[The viewing begins.]
*
[10 minutes before the viewing begins.]
A familiar space.
Not the Hamel Estate.
But my room located in the Capital Mansion.
On the ceiling, there was a photograph of Mikhail, and on the desk, there were framed photographs of Mikhail, taken by a hired photographer.
The place where Olivia, who had opened her eyes, was standing was a familiar yet unsettling space filled with bad memories.
Memories of liking Mikhail.
And memories of Ricardo dissuading her.
The calendar pointed to a time six months after using Dark Magic.
She still seemed foolish and appeared to like Mikhail.
Olivia clenched her fist tightly at the sight of her immature self. She asked the hallucinated version of herself why she still liked him and what was so appealing, but no answer came.
The clock pointed to 7:10 PM. An early night with a bright full moon. In the quiet space illuminated by a soft lantern, Olivia stood still without looking around the room.
She didn’t want to look at the room filled with old memories for long. If she could, she wanted to tear down the photographs on the ceiling and desk. Not because she hated Mikhail, but because she found herself pathetic for still being caught up in such things. Olivia kept her head down, simply wishing for time to pass.
As the ten minutes passed, she felt the gap between her current self, whose feelings had faded, and her past self, who had feelings, grow wider.
With the ticking sound of the clock, the Blue Window emitted an alarm clock sound, signaling the start of the story.
[The viewing begins.]
*
-Bang!
-Say that again.
A woman barged into the room, opening the door roughly as if she would break the handle, and passed by Olivia.
The hallucinated version of herself, who had healthy legs and fierce eyes unlike now, stomped with the sound of shoe heels echoing “Clack! Clack!” and sat on a chair in the room, shouting.
-Say it again, clearly, with your own mouth.
The hallucinated version of herself, crossing her legs and glaring coldly, looked very angry. It wasn’t the kind of anger that came from something trivial like having chocolate stolen but a deep-seated anger boiling from her deep danjeon, directed at The Man cautiously entering through the open door.
-Ricardo. Say it again.
Ricardo carefully closed the door and turned around.
-I’m sorry.
When Olivia’s eyes took in Ricardo’s appearance, she let out a weak sigh. Not out of surprise, but because of the dissonance between his current appearance and the past.
‘Ricardo…?’
Olivia stared at Ricardo.
His once lustrous red hair now looked dry, as if washed with sand, and his complexion was pale beyond belief.
And.
Ricardo’s hands were trembling. Trembling as if he had tremors. As always, Ricardo was wearing a white shirt, but he awkwardly smiled and bowed his head.
-I truly apologize.
While the hallucinated version of herself failed to notice Ricardo’s changes, Olivia, who had only seen the healthy Ricardo in reality, immediately sensed the difference.
‘Are you sick…?’
Ricardo was holding his right arm with his left hand. His left arm’s veins, bulging as if to stop the trembling, caught Olivia’s attention.
‘What’s wrong?’
The hallucinated version of herself glared at Ricardo and pulled out an envelope from her bosom.
[Resignation Letter]
-Ha.
Looking at the crooked handwriting, she frowned and muttered, “You wrote this so sloppily I can’t even read it.”
At her cold reaction, Ricardo, as always, gave an awkward smile and apologized.
-Ahaha… I’m sorry.
Saying he was sorry.
Apologizing for being bad at writing, Ricardo bowed his head, and Olivia’s pupils trembled greatly as she watched him.
‘You wrote better than usual….’
Olivia knew how bad Ricardo was at writing. Spending a long time with him, she naturally came to understand that it couldn’t be fixed.
That’s why.
She could immediately tell that Ricardo’s resignation letter, held by the hallucinated version of herself, was written with more care than usual.
She could read it without needing to decipher it.
She knew how much he had deliberated and tried.
How many times he erased and rewrote it, how much time he spent on it, Olivia understood.
The hallucinated version of herself frowned as she glared at Ricardo. She threw the resignation letter at Ricardo’s feet and spoke to him with a disdainful look.
-You’re quitting?
Ricardo, wearing an awkward smile, picked up the Resignation Letter that had fallen to the floor and clasped it tightly with both hands.
-Yes, I intend to quit being the Young Lady’s Butler.
The hallucinated version of myself arrogantly raised her head and spoke as if to hear his reason. In a haughty voice, she addressed Ricardo, who flinched at her words.
-What’s the reason? Is your salary not enough?
The Past Self, who dared to say things I could never say now, acted as if she held all the power in her relationship with Ricardo.
Because I wasn’t injured, the Dark Magic wasn’t exposed, and Ricardo had solely borne the Aftereffects of the Dark Magic, the version of me from that time was unbearably arrogant.
And. She didn’t even know what Ricardo had gone through because of her.
Ricardo had Sad Eyes.
With eyes that looked as though they were about to close at any moment, he blankly stared at the Resignation Letter in his hands.
-I’m quitting because it’s too hard.
-What?
Ricardo, bidding Goodbye with a Bitter Smile, let out a Deep Sigh and spoke to me in a trembling Voice.
-Because the Young Lady’s personality is so difficult to deal with.
-…What did you just say?
-I’ve endured it for 13 years. I’ve saved up a lot of money, so I think I’ll open a Store in the Outskirts—not the Capital City—and live a relaxed, Healing life.
-Are you saying my personality is terrible?
-Yes.
The hallucinated version of myself let out a sigh of disbelief and opened her eyes coldly.
-Don’t talk nonsense. What’s so bad about my personality?
-Exactly. What’s so bad about it…? I wonder why I’m like this.
Ricardo carefully pushed the crumpled Resignation Letter onto the Table with both hands.
Even as Ricardo smiled sadly and gave his final Goodbye, the hallucinated version of myself could only continue to get angry.
-Are you really going to quit?
-Yes.
-Just so you know, I’m not going to stop you. I was already annoyed by your Nagging and was thinking of firing you, but I held back because of sentiment.
-That’s a relief.
Ricardo’s eyes were wet with tears. Seeing Ricardo bid me Goodbye with moist eyes, I had a Hunch.
That he wasn’t just quitting.
But that he was preparing for a Goodbye.
-Young Lady.
Ricardo gave a Bright Smile one last time and bowed his head.
-Please take care of yourself. And…
-I liked you.
Ricardo’s softly spoken words were not heard by Olivia.
Neither by the hallucinated version of Olivia.
Nor by the present Olivia.
It was too quiet to be heard.
[The perspective shifts.]