TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 2
1st Floor, right in front of the entrance.
After hastily smoothing down my disheveled hair with my hand and tidying up my outfit, I stood in front of the Young Lady’s room.
Today was the only Maid’s day off. In other words, it was just me and the Young Lady in the estate.
Now that I was the one who had to take care of the Young Lady if anything happened, I was incredibly busy.
‘This should be good enough.’
-Knock knock.
“Young Lady, I will enter.”
A calm voice, as if the loud noise was nothing, came from beyond the door.
“Come in.”
-Creak.
As I opened the door, I was greeted by a dismantled Teddy Bear.
“Oh, Divine Healer.”
Why had the Teddy Bear I bought last night to help the Young Lady relax turned out like this? Mourning the deceased Teddy Bear, I bowed my head.
Besides that.
The Flower Vase was shattered.
The Blanket was in chaos.
‘She really went wild…’
Why had she left the room in this state?
I had a faint guess about how unstable the room owner’s mental state might be.
While I was absentmindedly enjoying a moment of reality check, the room owner’s Cold Voice reached my ears.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
My eyes met with the room owner lying on the floor, glaring at me fiercely.
[Desmond Olivia Lv. 0.5]
[Occupation: Unemployed]
[Favorability: 20]
[Favorite Conversation Topic: Mikhail]
Matted White Hair.
A messy face.
My Master, who was the epitome of a shut-in.
Desmond Olivia.
The Flower of Society was nowhere to be seen, and instead, the one with her Head in the clouds was sprawled next to the bed.
Olivia extended her hand toward me.
“Help me up.”
The outstretched White hand of the Young Lady.
I lightly ignored her hand and lifted her up in one move.
“Ugh, how dare you casually touch a Noble?”
The Young Lady waved her hand up and down in protest.
Ignoring her cute resistance, I promptly threw her onto the bed.
“Ack…! A Butler who cruelly throws a Noble!”
“I am fine with that.”
The Young Lady opened her eyes narrowly.
It seemed she disliked how a Commoner treated a Noble like this. Her clenched fists looked intimidating.
“Eeeek! Commoner!”
The grumbling Young Lady.
She seemed intent on expressing how outrageously angry she was, but I was more distracted by her pale, exposed forehead than frightened. One impulse arose in my mind.
‘I want to flick her forehead.’
But that wouldn’t do. Flicking the fragile head of a Young Lady who only ate one meal a day might lead to a funeral, so I decided to suppress my trembling impulse.
That aside.
Was she hurt anywhere?
I worried that the Flower Vase shards underfoot might have cut her delicate skin.
From what I could see, she didn’t appear seriously injured. However, since injuries might not be visible, I needed a closer check to be sure.
Olivia lay neatly on the bed, her hands folded together.
I cautiously grabbed the hem of Olivia’s skirt.
“May I check for wounds?”
“You have my permission.”
The Lady Villainess nodded gracefully.
She showed no change in expression, as if showing her bare legs to a grown man was not embarrassing at all. At least her cheeks should have flushed. My Pride was slightly scratched.
“There’s a small scrape. I need to apply ointment.”
“A scrape?”
“Yes, just a little on the knee.”
“I didn’t feel anything.”
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Even after a year had passed, I still didn’t know how to respond to such remarks.
The Young Lady, who used to get angry even over a tiny wound, now reacted emotionlessly with an ‘Oh, I see,’ which still felt strange to me.
Though she spoke casually, accepting her words was a little difficult.
Olivia stammered, saying, “Ah.”
“Anyway, what did you do today?”
“I worked hard.”
“A parasite who does nothing but laze around?”
“…This parasite feels offended.”
The Lady Villainess harshly criticized the unpaid Butler. Annoyed, I decided to apply a bit more ointment.
-Press.
Of course, the Young Lady, who felt no Pain, wouldn’t know my feelings, but I wanted to show that I could carry out Revenge, too.
“Today, I cleaned the Fence.”
“Cleaned?”
“Yes. The Vines had overgrown, so they needed trimming.”
“Hmm… You worked hard.”
“Indeed, I did. Why were you like that, Young Lady?”
The Young Lady furrowed her brows as she spoke.
It seemed something significant had happened.
Pausing the ointment application, I focused on what she was saying.
“A Cockroach appeared…!”
“Pfft!”
“You’re scared of them, too.”
“Ah, yes….”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
We exchanged a few more lighthearted words.
Starting with her horrifying statement about ‘Do you know how big the Cockroach was?’ and moving on to the latest Rumors.
To satisfy the curiosity of the Young Lady, who couldn’t go outside, I added a bit of a Lie while sharing stories about the outside world.
Among them, the Young Lady’s greatest interest was undoubtedly the Academy. When I mentioned topics related to the Academy, she pretended to be uninterested and turned her head, but her ears perked up.
“I heard the Swordsmanship Department won the Class Battle this year. Last year, the Magic Department won.”
“It’s because I wasn’t there.”
“Indeed.”
“Furthermore…”
“Aside from that, Ricardo, did it arrive?”
As I was joyfully sharing tales I had overheard while cleaning the Wall, the Young Lady abruptly interrupted.
If a certain Greek god who cherished excitement above all else had seen this, they might have slammed a harp onto the Young Lady’s head. But since I didn’t value excitement as much, I decided to quietly satisfy her curiosity.
“What do you mean?”
“The Letter.”
Olivia compressed her thoughts into a brief sentence.
“It’s still a long way until the debt collection notice arrives, though?”
“Not that.”
“That’s the most important one, though.”
[Olivia’s Favorability has decreased by 1.]
A rare Favorability decrease notification appeared.
It was something I had seen since the time of Possession.
I still don’t know what this is.
Occasionally, it gave out Quests, but aside from slightly increasing Stats, there weren’t any particularly great rewards, and I hadn’t seen a Quest in a long time since being expelled from the Academy.
Even the Status Window seems to have abandoned me. Is that it?
Setting aside my bitter feelings, I continued the conversation with the Young Lady.
“The fine is 1 Million Gold, though.”
“…Shut up.”
Olivia’s gaze was finally befitting of a Villainess after a long time.
‘What’s the point of glaring at me like that?’ I thought to myself, but her cuteness convinced me to let it slide.
But a Letter, huh.
If it’s a Letter coming to Our Mansion, there are only two types.
The Threatening Letters from students the Young Lady bullied at the Academy and the debt collection notices for the 1 Million Gold.
Neither are Letters to be welcomed…
Feeling uneasy, I looked up at the Young Lady.
“Young Lady, please don’t sell me as a slave.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
The Young Lady tightly gripped the Blanket.
“Not that. Is there a Letter from the Academy?”
“No, I haven’t seen one.”
“Is there no Letter from Mikhail?”
For a moment, wrinkles formed on my forehead.
“What did you just say?”
A brief silence followed.
“I apologize.”
I quickly offered an Apology.
A Butler unable to hide his expressions.
I still have a long way to go.
Perhaps my blunder displeased the Young Lady, as her lips twitched. She seemed ready to say something but was pondering over her words carefully.
“Forget it. Be more careful in the future.”
The Young Lady shook her head. It seemed the Letter she was waiting for mattered more than my mistake.
The Young Lady turned her head toward the Window.
Perhaps speaking it aloud felt awkward for her, so I decided to silently listen to what she had to say.
“I sent a Letter last week, too. Still no reply.”
-Nod.
I nodded indifferently.
“Could it be that I’ve done something so wrong? It’s clear he’s mad since he hasn’t replied even after a year.”
“I see.”
“Ricardo, do you think so, too? This week, I even wrote a Letter apologizing for everything I’ve done.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thinking of a good solution to her concern, I clapped my hands.
“Then don’t write anymore.”
[Olivia’s Favorability has decreased by 5.]
With a sudden ‘Ding!’ sound, a cold reaction followed.
“Shut up.”
The Young Lady responded icily.
Her words pierced like a Dagger.
At this moment, I keenly felt that the Young Lady was truly a Villainess.
Judging by her glaring eyes and tightly clenched Fists, as if daring me to say something, I could tell she was fuming. It annoyed me a little, too.
But I wasn’t that upset.
Who am I?
Am I not the long-suffering Push-Over Butler of this Villainess?
For 13 years, no less.
Even this side of her seemed healthy, which was reassuring. Thinking back to that day a year ago, I could now handle seeing her like this anytime.
No matter how terrible her personality, she was a Friend and a Master I had lived with for 13 years. We’d never had a fight so serious that I’d abandon her. If anything, this level of conflict felt minor.
Last time, she even threw a Flower Vase at my head.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go check again.”
Every argument always ended in my defeat.
Losing Favorability and only harming my Emotions—this made up the majority of our conversations.
I glanced at the Young Lady, who was glaring sharply at me while sitting on the Bed.
It seemed she was seriously sulking.
I should hurry and prepare Dinner.
Making an excuse, I fled from the Young Lady.
“I’ll go prepare Dinner.”
“I’m not eating. Get out.”
The Young Lady seemed thoroughly upset.
I bowed my head in farewell.
I didn’t forget to Vent my Anger.
“Mikhail, that Lolicon Bastard.”
-Ding!
A sound of decreasing Favorability echoed.
***
The room Ricardo left with a gloomy face.
Left alone in the room, Olivia muttered softly.
“Annoying. Annoying. Annoying.”
Today was just a terrible day.
A Cockroach appeared, causing her to fall off the Bed.
The Divine Healer scraped his knee.
And no Letter arrived from Mikhail.
On top of that.
She had an argument with Ricardo.
Over something so trivial.
All because of a Letter that didn’t even arrive.
It’s not kindergarten or anything.
Olivia pulled the Blanket over her head. Murmuring softly, Olivia whispered in a voice so faint that even a passing ant wouldn’t hear.
“Scary.”
Olivia clenched her Fist.
“Cockroaches are scary.”
The Cockroach she saw in her room today was enormous. She wanted to call Ricardo even now, but her Pride wouldn’t let her.
“Sigh.”
Unable to sleep, Olivia’s mind drifted over the events of the day.
Nothing special happened.
She stared blankly at the Ceiling.
Argued with the Butler.
That’s it.
The image of the Red-Haired Butler leaving the room with his shoulders slumped still lingered before her eyes.
“What’s with the meddling.”
Ricardo had said the right thing.
Waiting for a Letter from The Man who destroyed the household was insane and foolish. How pathetic must she be, punching her Blanket in shame every night.
“But what can I do if I like him.”
It was a kind of Stubbornness.
Since she had started, she wanted to see it through to the end. Having already fallen apart so miserably, there was nothing left to lose. All she could cling to now was her crude Unrequited Love.
‘Still, shouldn’t a Butler support me?’
Even with empty words, cheering her on and supporting her should be a Butler’s duty. Normally, other Noble Ladies would secretly have their Divine Healer Butlers hide Love Letters under shoe cabinets.
Ricardo had never done anything like that for her.
Instead, he was always busy hindering her Love of God.
[Olivia’s Favorability has decreased by 2.]
Thinking about it, Ricardo was the root cause of all this.
Whenever she tried to meet Mikhail, he would come up with all sorts of excuses to interfere, and whenever she tried to give Mikhail a Gift, he would overstep his bounds as a Butler with advice like today.
If Ricardo hadn’t been around, wouldn’t things have worked out between her and Mikhail?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
[Olivia’s Favorability has decreased by 1.]
Though she felt pathetic, she couldn’t shake these thoughts from her mind.
If Ricardo hadn’t stopped her from using Dark Magic back then, wouldn’t Mikhail be dating her now?
At that moment.
[Affinity 0 has been achieved.]
[Quest ‘Ingratitude’ has been completed.]
◎You have gained the right to view a Hidden Side Story.
◎You may now access the 32nd Side Story: “What if Ricardo hadn’t stopped Olivia from using Dark Magic?”
“What’s this?”
Had she finally gone insane?
Lying in bed all day, Olivia thought, “I’ve finally lost it.” Otherwise, seeing blue letters floating in the air made no sense.
[Would you like to view it?]
Even when she waved her hand to dispel it, the blue letters didn’t disappear.
‘Am I really crazy?’
Olivia became despondent.
But for some reason, her eyes were drawn to the blue letters. It felt like looking at a lone poisonous mushroom blooming in a forest.
She couldn’t take her eyes off it.
It felt like she might see the painting she yearned for.
The dream she had longed for so much.
She felt she might finally see herself smiling and going on a Date with Mikhail.
‘I’ve truly become a Crazy Woman.’
Even after an hour, the blue letters didn’t vanish, and Olivia, growing tired of them, spoke.
“I’m already crazy anyway. What’s the harm in going a little further?”
She was convinced that the Future shown by the Blue Window would certainly be a happy one.
“Alright.”
Olivia nodded.
“I’ll view it.”