The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

A lot of things had happened.

Michail once cried his eyes out, sitting on the ground, after his begging bowl was stolen by a thief.

-Sniff… Sniff…

“Why are you crying?”

“I collected so much today… I was going to show off… I was going to buy you cream bread today…!”

“Well, it’s fine for me. They stole yours instead of mine, so no loss.”

“It’s not fine at all!”

“You earn more in an hour than I do, remember?”

“…”

“Wow… So many are falling.”

“Yeah, a lot are falling.”

“Let’s make a wish! My mom said that if you make a wish on a falling star, it will come true.”

“It doesn’t come true. Do you know how many times I’ve wished?”

“…”

Watching the falling stars, I corrected Michail’s misconceptions. If you grow up with wrong ideas, you can end up with crooked beliefs.

“Did you know?”

“What?”

“Those are just rocks. Really big rocks.”

“…”

“Even if you make a wish on them, nothing will happen. You might as well pray to that statue that looks like an old man… Ow! Why did you hit me!”

“That’s boring.”

There were many small but memorable events.

Incidents like when Michail was nearly sold to thugs.

Or when he mistook a stranger for his mom and followed her, and I had to comfort him afterwards.

“Hey! That’s not your mom!”

“…She’s not my mom?”

“Sigh… Damn it. What do I do now.”

“She felt like my mom… She even smelled like mom.”

“Are you a dog? You think you can find her by smell?”

During that time, Michail started coming out from under the bridge and made friends in the slums.

Although Michail, being very wary, didn’t make many friends, his world began to expand.

Among all these memories, one stands out the most.

It’s when I was hit to the point of stirring up dust on a rainy day. The memory is vivid and unforgettable.

It was a trivial matter.

Something so negligible that others would laugh about it.

The incident when Michail had his teddy bear, which he always carried, taken away by thugs is what ‘Young Michail’ brings to mind.

“Waah! Give it back! Give it back!”

“Puhaha! Hey, look, he’s crying.”

“Give it back! My mom bought it for me!”

“Mom? What mom? You’re a motherless orphan.”

“Give it back!”

It was a disaster that young Michail couldn’t handle on his own. In the slums, this was just a common occurrence.

In a place where no one helps and everyone is out for their own gain, it was a disaster that people simply had to endure.

As I was returning after begging from the young lady, I heard Michail’s sorrowful cries from the alley.

“It’s mine… It’s mine… Please give it back.”

“Puhaha! Hey, watch this. We’re going to cook your teddy bear.”

“Don’t! Please don’t…!”

Rippppp…!

“Eeeeek! I told you to stop!”

“What the hell?”

The moment I saw Michail’s torn teddy bear, I think I felt murderous intent for the first time.

Seeing Michail lying on the ground, trying to collect the torn cotton, and the thugs laughing as if it was funny really pissed me off.

“Oh… They really got on my nerves.”

I swung a wooden sword like a loose screw.

“If you don’t want to meet your ancestors in the sky today, stop now. Although, you’ll probably be meeting them anyway….”

I think I got beaten until I almost died that day.

Though I made an impressive entrance, the difference in body sizes made it impossible to win.

It’s more accurate to say I fought like a dog, swinging a crude wooden stick.

In the slums, it’s no wonder I stood out to them, so I ended up getting beaten even more.

“Hey! Crush this bastard!”

“Die! Die!”

“This damn nobody, acting all tough!”

Unable to submit and get beaten further.

I figured squatting and getting hit was less embarrassing, so I just sat there and took it.

After a long beating, I played dead, causing the thugs to run away. I decided I’d give them a special treatment by bashing their foreheads with a brick later in the evening. Then I got up and said as if nothing had happened.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh…?”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Michail, having stopped crying, stared at my injured body as I took his hand, smiling as I led him back under the bridge.

Michail kept fidgeting his fingers adorably.

Under the bridge, I skillfully started sewing Michail’s teddy bear back together.

In my previous life, I had sewn a lot of clothes, so I was pretty experienced. I could do this with my eyes closed.

“Sniff… Are you okay?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You got beaten up so badly…”

“I didn’t get hit at all. Didn’t you see me dodge with just a shoulder move? I was really fast.”

“Liar. You took every hit.”

“I didn’t.”

“You got hit because of me.”

“…It doesn’t hurt.”

“You got hit right here.”

Poke.

‘Is this an assassination attempt?’

“Ouch!”

“See, it hurts.”

“It doesn’t.”

Michail apologized to me. He said he felt like a nuisance.

“I’m sorry. It’s because I’m abandoned here…”

“Even as a joke, don’t say things like that. It’s not your fault, so why say that.”

Honestly, it made no sense to blame Michail, so I nodded and accepted Michail’s apology.

“Um…”

After sneaking a glance at me, Michail fidgeted with his fingers.

Michail took a deep breath and spoke with a trembling voice.

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Why did you take the hits for me?”

“Because you’re weak.”

Michail shook his head and responded.

“I’m not weak.”

“Really?”

At that moment, I was busy mending the teddy bear and couldn’t see Michail’s expression, but I imagined he had a touched expression on his face.

After all, what I said was pretty cool.

If Michail had been a woman, he’d probably have fallen for me by now. With that thought, I stifled the urge to smile, trying to keep a straight face as I spoke.

“You’re weak, so I’ll protect you.”

“But why…?”

“Just because. I wanted to.”

“What if I get stronger?”

“That’ll never happen in a million years.”

‘Or will it?’

“When you get stronger than me one day, you can protect me then. Right?”

“I’ll protect you?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

I smiled faintly as I spoke.

“Until then, I’ll protect you.”

Wi it would lift his spirits at least a little.

“I promise.”

After staring at me for a while, Michail’s eyes gleamed as he started talking.

“You know…”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been thinking…”

“Yeah, you should probably show me some filial respect, right?”

“No. I want to become someone who protects the weak, like you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Like! When you see bad guys, you swing your sword and say ‘Go.’ I want to be cool like that!”

“Did I do that?”

“Yeah.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of embellishment.”

The fact that Michail wanted to be like the person who got beaten up made me laugh a bit, but I played along with Michail’s flattery and smiled faintly.

“Alright.”

I told Michail.

“If it’s you, you can do it.”

As someone who knew the novel.

And as someone who had watched over Michail during his time in the slums, I spoke with certainty in Michail’s success.

“I’ll cheer you on.”

“Cheer…?”

“Yeah, cheer you on.”

For the first time that day, Michail asked me a question in return.

“What’s your ideal type?”

“Not you, Lee Minhyuk.”

“Leecu Minhyuk?”

“…”

“Leee Miinuelk?”

“Don’t turn a perfectly innocent name into a nuclear weapon.”

I clenched my fist, watching as Michail tried to mimic my name, and chuckled softly. It seemed that my name was challenging for people to pronounce.

Patting Michail’s head as he tried, I said.

“That’s enough. Better for you to stay yourself than turn my name into a bomb.”

“Leein… Min…”

“That’s enough. You’re just making it worse.”

Michail murmured regretfully, whispering, “I feel like I could say it right if I keep trying,” but stopped.

I gazed at Michail, smiling softly.

“Why do you ask about my ideal type? Are you planning to introduce someone?”

“No!”

“Then why?”

“Just… Curious.”

Seeing Michail’s shy and fidgeting fingers made me want to pump my fist in the air in victory. With any luck, he might introduce me to a gorgeous woman someday.

With a smile, I answered Michail’s question.

“Listen carefully—I’m only going to say this once.”

“Okay…!”

“Someone kind.”

“Okay.”

“Someone pretty.”

“Okay…”

I don’t know why he was writing all of this down on paper. He really was a good friend.

Imagining the partner I had in mind, I continued.

“And preferably with unique hair color.”

“Hair color?”

“Yeah.”

Shrugging and burying his face in the notebook, Michail couldn’t lift his head.

Perhaps my requirements were too demanding, causing Michail to contemplate too deeply.

Though concerned, I couldn’t help it. I was trying to find a life partner, and it was only natural that I’d have some difficult criteria.

Given how much I’d suffered to brighten Michail’s childhood, I figured a little selfishness was warranted. So, with a bitter smile, I warned Michail about the dangers of indulging my expectations.

“Lastly, she should have a good figure.”

“…”

Suddenly, Michail fell silent.

Michail, who had been diligently noting down everything I said, stopped his pen and his ears began to turn red.

“Why…?”

Did I ask for too much?

Just as I was worrying that I might have set the bar too high, Michail mumbled something under his breath, something I could barely catch.

“Mom has a great figure too… so I…”

I couldn’t quite make out what he was murmuring, but soon after, Michail’s expression brightened, and he looked up with a broad smile.

“Is that all?”

“Hmm?”

“Is she a good fit as your bride?”

“Oh… I guess so? But I have big dreams, so I might have several wives.”

I thought it was better to say it in advance.

In the future, if Michail saw my shameless marriage life, he might raise a sword against me, so I figured it was better to educate him early for the sake of my reincarnated life.

Sure enough, Michail puffed his cheeks petulantly and said I was shameless.

“That’s shameless.”

“I can’t help it. I’m too awesome.”

“So arrogant.”

“…”

Michail smiled brightly and said.

“I’ll allow it.”

“As long as you like your first wife the best.”

things ended well.

“Anyway, thanks.”

Indeed, dealing with things early was always for the best.

*

A long time passed like that.

Just when Michail had almost forgotten the pain of losing his mother.

Rain fell.

Yes, rain.

A very sorrowful rain.

End of Chapter