The Sad Love Story of a Certain Evil Woman -1-

[Q. The Sad Love Story of a Certain Evil Woman.]

In a story you don't know about. Your butler Ricardo could not overcome the black magic.

Your black magic failed, and the backlash fell solely on your butler Ricardo.

His flesh rotting away. Unable to move from the bed. On those days when he soaked the pillow with tears from excruciating pain. What were you doing then?

* The third one.

The first time she saw the blue window. The first was a story about how she would have died from black magic if Ricardo hadn't been there.

The second was about the process where Ricardo took on the aftermath of the black magic for her.

And the third... was a story about when Ricardo couldn't overcome the aftermath of the black magic...

Olivia's pupils trembled faintly.

Because she feared the tragedy born from her own stubbornness.

Of course, what she was about to see from now on was nothing more than an illusion that hadn't happened in reality, but at the same time, it could happen.

Her heart felt squeezed tight.

A sense of déjà vu, perhaps. A déjà vu toward events that could fully happen.

Olivia couldn't find the reason why the blue window showed such illusions.

Whether it was punishment for living badly, or a prank from the gods, she couldn't brush off the illusions shown by the blue window lightly.

It was just an illusion. A problem she could skip by squeezing her eyes shut, yet she couldn't take it lightly.

If she just willed herself not to read it, she could run away, but she chose to witness the horrific illusions without avoiding them.

Like a fool.

The vivid illusions that felt like personal experiences always made Olivia's shoulders tremble.

"Haa..."

A deep sigh escaped her.

What had she done this time? The thought that she might not be able to endure the illusion she would see ahead suddenly flashed through Olivia's mind.

If she approached it lightly, it would just be a sideshow story, but her heart kept growing heavier.

All of this. It could be a capricious prank from the gods. Or a malicious demon's joke. But there had to be a reason for showing these things.

Olivia decided to play along with the malicious god's prank.

Thinking of it as punishment for her wicked life, she nodded heavily.

"Yeah."

With the pounding of her heart, Olivia's vision went completely black.

Since she had some idea of what future the blue window would show, Olivia closed her eyes with an arrogant mindset that she wouldn't be as surprised as last time.

Because it hadn't happened.

*

A familiar space. Not the Hamel mansion. My room in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠capital mansion.

On the ceiling hung a photo of Mikhail, and on the desk were framed prints of photos taken by a hired photographer capturing Mikhail.

The place where Olivia, upon opening her eyes, stood was familiar yet filled with bad memories that made her pupils tremble.

A place where she had liked Mikhail. A place of memories where Ricardo had tried to stop her.

The calendar pointed to six months after using the black magic.

She still looked like an idiot, still crushing on Mikhail.

Olivia's fist clenched at the sight of her immature self.

Still liking him? What's so great about him?Olivia wanted to ask her illusory self, but no answer came back.

The clock showed 7:10 PM.

An early night with a bright full moon rising. In the quiet space illuminated by soft lamplight, Olivia stood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still without looking around the room.

She didn't want to linger on the room full of old memories. If she could, she wanted to tear down the photos on the ceiling and desk.

Not because she hated Mikhail, but because she pitied herself for still being obsessed with such nonsense.

Olivia kept her head down, praying for time to pass, feeling the disconnect between her current detached heart and the one back then. As the 10 minutes elapsed.

With the ticking of the clock, the blue window rang like an alarm signaling the start of the story.

*

-Bang!

-"Say it again."

The woman bursts into the room, yanking the door open so hard it seems the handle might shatter, brushing past Olivia.

Unlike now, with healthy legs and fierce eyes, the illusory self strides in with force on her toes, slamming down with thud! thud! of high heels, and sits on the chair in the room, shouting.

-"Say it properly with that mouth of yours."

Legs crossed, cold eyes glaring, the illusory self looks extremely angry.

Not the petty anger of having chocolate snatched, but rage boiling up from deep in her core, spat toward the man cautiously entering through the open door.

-"Ricardo. Say it again."

Ricardo carefully closes the door and turns around.

-"I'm sorry."

As Ricardo's figure entered Olivia's eyes, she let out a weak gasp.

Not from surprise, but from the disconnect with his current self.

'Ricardo...'?

Olivia stared at Ricardo.

His once glossy red hair looked dry and sandy. His complexion was deathly pale.

And. Ricardo's hands were trembling faintly.

Like someone with essential tremor. Dressed in his usual white shirt, Ricardo gave an awkward smile and bowed his head.

-"I'm truly sorry."

The illusory self didn't notice Ricardo's changes, but the real Olivia, who had only seen his healthy form, spotted them instantly.

'He's in pain...?'

Ricardo was gripping his right arm with his left hand.

The tendons bulging in his left arm, as if telling it not to tremble anymore, caught Olivia's eye.

'What's wrong?'

The illusory self glared at such a Ricardo and pulled out an envelope from her bosom.

-"Ha."

Frowning at the crooked handwriting, the illusory self mutters, "You wrote it so I can't even read it."

To the cold reaction, Ricardo gives his usual awkward smile and apologizes.

-"Ahaha... I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm no good at writing, so..."

Olivia's pupils trembled greatly as she watched Ricardo bow his head in apology for his poor handwriting.

'That's better than usual...'

Olivia knew how badly Ricardo wrote. Over their long time together, she learned it was something he couldn't fix.

And so. She could tell at a glance that the resignation letter the illusory self held was written with more care than usual.

She could read it without interpretation.

How much thought and effort he put into it—she knew. How many times he erased and rewrote it, spending so much time.

The illusory me glared at Ricardo, frowning.

Throwing the resignation letter at his feet, the illusory me spoke to Ricardo with disdainful eyes.

-"Quitting?"

Ricardo, with his awkward smile, picks up the paper at his feet, crumples it in both hands together.

-"Yes, I'm resigning as miss's butler now."

The illusory me haughtily lifted her head and spat out words as if to hear the reason.

In an arrogant voice questioning if he could live well without me, the illusory me spoke to Ricardo, who shrugged his shoulders.

-"What's the reason? Not enough pay?"

Spewing words I couldn't even imagine saying now, the past me, fully dominant in our relationship, chattered away arrogantly.

I hadn't been hurt, so the black magic wasn't discovered, and since Ricardo bore all the aftermath, the family took no hit—back then, I was insufferably arrogant.

And. I had no idea what Ricardo was going through because of me.

Ricardo's eyes were sad.

Staring blankly at the resignation letter in his hands with eyes that seemed about to close.

-"It's too hard, so I'm quitting."

-"What?"

With a bitter smile, bidding farewell, Ricardo let out a deep sigh and spoke to me in a trembling voice.

-"Miss's personality is just too prickly, you know."

-"...What did you just say?"

-"I've endured it for 13 years. I've saved up a lot of money, so even if not the capital, I can open a shop in the outskirts and live leisurely, healing a bit."

-"My personality is shit?"

-"Yes."

The illusory me let out a sigh in disbelief and opened cold eyes.

-"Don't talk bullshit. What's wrong with my personality?"

-"Right? What's wrong with it... Am I the one doing this?"

Ricardo carefully pushed the crumpled resignation letter across the table with both hands.

Even in Ricardo's sad smile as he gave his final greeting, the illusory me just got angry.

-"You're really quitting?"

-"Yes."

-"I'm warning you, I'm not holding you back. Your nagging was annoying me anyway; I've been putting up with it out of sentiment."

-"That's a relief."

Ricardo's eyes were wet with tears.

From his moist eyes bidding me farewell, I could instinctively tell.

This wasn't quitting.

It was preparing for goodbye.

-"Miss."

Ricardo bowed his head one last time with a bright smile.

-"Take care."

And...

-"I liked you."

Olivia didn't hear Ricardo's tiny whisper.

Neither did the illusory Olivia.

Nor the current Olivia.

It was too small a voice.