The Letter the Villainess Awaits -1-

Right in front of the first-floor entrance. I roughly smoothed down my disheveled hair from rushing over, straightened my clothes a bit, and stood before the young lady's door.

Today was the day off for the mansion's sole maid. Which meant it was just me and the young lady in the entire place. With me now being the one responsible for looking after her if anything happened, I was in a pretty hectic state.

'This should do.'

-Knock knock

"Young lady, I'm coming in."

A calm voice drifted from beyond the door, as if it hadn't just made a huge racket moments ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago.

"Come in."

-Creeeak.

I pushed the door open, and a dismembered bear doll greeted me.

"Oh, Lord have mercy."

Why had the bear doll I'd bought her last night for some mental peace ended up like this?

I bowed my head in mourning for the doll's cruel fate.

And that wasn't all. The flower vase was shattered. The blankets were a total mess.

'She really went wild...'

I could only imagine her unstable mental state from how she'd trashed the room.

As I stood there dazed, lost in thought, the room's owner's cold voice cut through.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

My eyes met those of the room's owner, lying on the floor and glaring daggers at me.

Matted white hair. Grimy face. My liege looked every bit the hikikomori.

Desmont Olivia. The flower of high society was nowhere to be seen; instead, here was a girl whose head was a blooming field of crazy, sprawled face-down beside the bed.

Olivia reached out a hand to me.

"Help me up."

The pale hand of the young lady extended toward me. I lightly ignored it and scooped her up in my arms.

"Ughhh. How dare you manhandle a noblewoman like this?"

The young lady flailed her arms up and down. I brushed off her cute rebellion and tossed her straight onto the bed.

"Eek...! You inhuman butler, throwing a noblewoman like trash!"

"I'm allowed to."

The young lady's eyes widened in fresh outrage. She seemed miffed that I, of all people, was handling a noble like her so roughly. Her tiny fists trembled—truly terrifying.

"Eeeeek! You commoner!"

The grumbling young lady was trying to express her supposed raging fury, but my eyes were fixed on her pale forehead, and all I felt was one impulse over fear.

'Wanna flick it.'

Probably shouldn't. With the young lady only eating one meal a day, her fragile skull might not survive a flick—I'd end up planning her funeral. So I suppressed the twitching urge.

Anyway. Hope she wasn't hurt anywhere. I worried the shards from the flower vase underfoot might have nicked her delicate skin.

She didn't look badly injured at a glance. But hidden spots could still be hurt, so I'd need a closer check.

Olivia lay neatly on the bed, hands folded. I cautiously grasped the hem of her skirt.

"May I check for wounds?"

"Permission granted."

The villainess nodded regally. No blush or shame showing her bare legs to a full-grown man—her expression didn't change a bit. It was enough to scratch my pride a little; you'd think her cheeks would at least pinken.

"It's a bit scraped. I'll apply some ointment."

"Scraped?"

"Yes. Just your knee a little."

"Didn't feel a thing."

Silence fell over the room in that instant.

Even after a year, I still didn't know how to respond to that. The girl who'd rage over a pea-sized scratch was reacting so indifferently with an "oh well"—it still felt awkward.

She'd said it thoughtlessly, but accepting those words was tough for me.

Olivia mumbled an "ah" to brush it off.

"Anyway, what'd you do today?"

"Worked my ass off."

"You, who only lounges and eats?"

"...The loafer you're talking to feels offended."

The villainess cruelly mocked her unpaid butler. Annoyed, I decided to apply a bit more ointment.

-Squish.

Of course, the pain-insensitive young lady's knee wouldn't register my feelings, but at least I'd shown I could hold a grudge too.

"I cleaned the fence today."

"Cleaning?"

"Yes. Vines had overgrown, so it needed tidying."

"Hmmm... Tough job."

"It was. So what were you up to, young lady?"

She furrowed her brow.

Something big must've happened. I set down the cotton swab mid-application and focused on her words.

"A cockroach came out...!"

"Pfft!"

"You're scared too."

"Ah, yes..."

"Why're you looking at me like that!"

We chatted a bit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more about trivial stuff. Starting with her disgusted rant—"Do you know how big that cockroach was?"—to the latest rumors making rounds.

To satisfy the young lady's curiosity about the outside world she couldn't visit, I spiced up the tales from cleaning the walls with a few white lies.

Her top interest? The academy, naturally. When I brought it up, she turned away pretending disinterest while perking up her ears.

"Heard the swordsmanship department won this year's inter-class tournament. Magic department took it last year, though."

"'Cause I'm not there."

"True that."

"Exactly..."

"Hey, Ricardo, did that come?"

I was merrily unpacking my bundle of gossip from wall-cleaning when she abruptly cut me off. Some Greek god who valued fun like life itself would've smashed a lyre over her head, but I didn't live for laughs, so I quietly indulged her curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"A letter."

Olivia compressed her thoughts into one short word.

"Still a ways off for debt collection notices."

"Not that."

"But that's the most important one."

A rare favorability drop notice after so long. I'd seen it since possessing this body, but I still didn't get it. It occasionally gave quests, but aside from minor stat boosts, no great rewards—and I hadn't seen one since getting expelled from the academy. Even the status window had ghosted me.

Something like that, anyway. Pushing aside the bitterness, I continued chatting with the young lady.

"The fine's a million gold."

"...Shut up."

Olivia shot me a properly villainess-like glare for once.

'What're you gonna do, stare like that?' I kept it to myself—too cute to say aloud.

A letter, though. For our mansion, letters came in just two flavors: threats from academy kids she'd bullied, or the million-gold debt notices. Nothing to celebrate...

With a bad feeling, I looked up at her.

"Young lady. Don't sell me into slavery."

"Don't talk bullshit!"

She clutched the blanket tight.

"Not that—any letter from the academy?"

"No. Haven't seen one."

"No letter to Mikhail?"

My forehead creased in an instant.

"What did you just say?"

A brief silence flowed.

"Sorry."

I apologized quickly. Couldn't hide my expression—still got a long way to go as a butler.

She seemed a tad pleased by my blunder, lips twitching like she wanted to say something but was mulling it over.

"Forget it. Be careful from now on."

She shook her head. Her awaited letter mattered more than my slip-up, apparently.

Olivia turned to the window. Too awkward to say it herself, it seemed, so I listened quietly.

"I sent a letter last week too. Still no reply."

-Nod.

I nodded halfheartedly.

"Did I screw up that bad? A whole year with no reply—it must mean he's pissed."

"I see."

"You think so too, Ricardo? I wrote this week apologizing for everything up till now."

"Aha."

A good idea hit me at her question, and I clapped.

"Then just stop writing."

The alarm dinged instantly, followed by an icy response.

"Shut up."

Her words stabbed like a dagger. In that moment, I truly felt she was the villainess.

She glared, daring me to speak, fists clenched tight. My mood soured too.

But not that much. Who am I? The villainess's loyal pushover butler. For 13 years, no less.

Even this felt healthy. Compared to that day a year ago, I could handle it anytime. No matter how shitty her temper, she was a friend and master I'd lived with for 13 years—we hadn't fought bad enough to abandon ship.

This was tame, really. Last time she'd chucked a vase at my head.

"Sorry. I'll go check again."

Our verbal spars always ended in my defeat. Losing favorability, hurting feelings—that was daily life.

I glanced at the young lady sitting on the bed, glaring fiercely. She was properly pissed now.

Better make food quick. I made an excuse to flee.

"I'll go prep dinner."

"Not eating. Get out."

Yeah, she was sulking hard. I bowed.

Didn't forget to vent on the way out.

"Fucking Mikhail! Lolicon bastard."

The room where Ricardo left with a sullen expression. Left alone, Olivia muttered softly.

"Annoying. Annoying. Annoying."

Nothing was going right today. Cockroach appeared, knocking her off the bed; her beautiful knee got scraped. No letter from Mikhail.

And on top of that. She'd fought with Ricardo.

Over something utterly trivial. A letter that hadn't even arrived. Like they were in kindergarten.

Olivia pulled the blanket over her head.

She whispered in a voice even a passing ant couldn't hear.

"Scary."

Olivia clenched her fist.

"Cockroach scary."

The one in her room today was too big. She wanted to call Ricardo right now, but pride wouldn't allow it.

"Haa."

Sleep wouldn't come, and today's events flashed through Olivia's mind.

Nothing much. Stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blankly at the ceiling. Fought with the butler. End.

The image of her red-haired butler slumping his shoulders as he left still lingered.

"Why's he gotta butt in."

Ricardo was right. Waiting for a letter from the guy who trashed the house was insane, foolish.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

How pathetic must she look? She punched the blanket in shame every night.

"But what can I do? I like him."

It was a stubborn fixation. She'd started, so she wanted to see it through.

With everything already in ruins, nowhere left to fall. All she could cling to was this shoddy one-sided crush.

'Shouldn't a butler cheer you on, at least?'

Even empty words of support, backing her up—that's a butler's duty. Normal noble ladies had their butlers sneak love letters into shoe lockers.

Ricardo never did that once. He'd only ever interfered with her love.

Thinking it over, Ricardo was the root of all this. Whenever she tried seeing Mikhail, he'd make excuses to block her; when she prepped gifts for Mikhail, he'd overstep like today with his "advice."

Without Ricardo, maybe she'd be dating Mikhail now? The thought fueled her anger.

Pathetic as she felt, the thought wouldn't fade. If Ricardo hadn't stopped the black magic back then, would Mikhail be with me now?

That was when it happened.

"What the...?"

Had madness finally come? Lying in bed all day must've driven her nuts, Olivia thought.

Otherwise, blue text floating in the sky made no sense.

The blue text didn't vanish no matter how she waved it away.

'Am I really losing it?'

Olivia grew depressed. But her eyes were drawn to the blue text anyway—like spotting a lone poisonous mushroom in the mountains. She couldn't look away.

It felt like she could see the picture she'd longed for. Her dream: laughing with Mikhail, dating him.

'Guess I'm a total nutcase now.'

After an hour with no change, bored and irritated, Olivia said,

"I'm already crazy. What's a little more?"

The blue window's future had to be happy, she was sure.

"Yeah."

Olivia nodded.

"I'll view it."