TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 7
“Who is that?”
With groggy eyes from waking up, Olivia looked at the woman before her. A noble lady with a plain appearance and light brown hair. A question mark formed in Olivia’s mind.
I spoke as I sat the half-asleep Olivia on the bed.
“She is from the Academy.”
“The Academy?”
A brief buffering period.
Olivia slapped her own cheek, the Divine Healer, to wake her brain.
“Ah… Academy?”
“Yes, she came from the Royal Academy.”
“Why did someone from there come to our house?”
“She said she came because she was bored.”
Miss Hanna looked at me with a ‘What?’ expression. I turned my head indifferently.
The Student Council Treasurer, who suddenly came to the house of an expelled student just because she was bored. Somehow, I felt sorry, but what could I do? If she said she didn’t come to see the Master of the House but instead came for the Lowly Butler, the Young Lady would sulk.
I could vividly imagine her whining all day, saying, ‘The Butler is more popular than me? Is this a Master of the House?’
Since the aftermath should be handled by Miss Hanna, who woke up early, I shifted the responsibility to her.
In the midst of wandering gazes.
Olivia’s voice was heard.
“Did she come to reinstate me?”
“No. Do you want to be reinstated?”
“Uh… Huh? No?”
The Young Lady’s true intentions slipped out.
I gave an awkward smile.
The Young Lady looked up at me again and spoke.
“Then did she come to take revenge on me?”
“No… I don’t think so?”
Oops. I hadn’t considered the opinion of the person involved, so I turned to Hanna and asked.
“Did you come for revenge?”
“Ah… No?”
“That’s what she says.”
The Young Lady nodded.
It seemed she was finally starting to wake up.
“Ah…!”
After calculating the profit and loss, Olivia realized there was nothing harmful to herself and belatedly showed a strong reaction.
Olivia’s eyes widened.
“The Academy! Ohhhhh!!”
At Olivia’s enthusiastic reaction, I gave a satisfied smile. I had expected Olivia to show such an active response.
Mikhail—Accurately understanding the algorithm forming in Olivia’s mind regarding the Academy, my choice was spot-on.
How is that, Olivia? Isn’t this enough to earn a gratitude letter worthy of a Professional Butler? Pay me back when you succeed later.
Even I thought I was a Professional Butler.
Sitting on the bed, Olivia looked up at me. Like a puppy that received a fun new toy, she urged me to introduce Hanna. It was adorable.
“Ahem. This person here is none other than the Student Council—”
“Student Council!”
“And even the Secretary!”
“Secretary! History Manipulation! Ohhhhh!”
-Clap! Olivia clapped her hands.
If Olivia gave me such reactions, I’d be willing to grill steak twice a week, but she always gave lukewarm responses. Still, seeing her laugh so energetically after a long time was nice.
Olivia’s eyes had long lost any trace of drowsiness.
Her fever seemed to have mostly subsided as well, and now her bright eyes were fixed on the awkwardly standing Hanna. Olivia’s actions urged Hanna to speak to her quickly, as if saying, “Talk to me already.” I prepared some time for them to get to know each other.
“This person is the Young Lady I serve, Desmond Olivia, the Youngest Daughter of the Desmond Family.”
“Ah… Hello.”
Hanna looked at Olivia with a reluctant expression.
The woman sitting on the bed.
The expelled student who was called a villainess at the Academy.
With messy white hair.
Wearing pajamas.
She didn’t look in great condition.
There were countless rumors about her among the seniors.
And all the rumors were bad.
Spilling wine on dresses.
Bullying others.
Using Dark Magic.
She wasn’t someone Hanna was happy to see.
And she wasn’t someone Hanna wanted to get close to.
Rather, Hanna felt like saying something to her.
But the Red-Haired Butler next to her was too intimidating for her to say a word.
‘Scary…’
Even so, Hanna had no intention of being kind to Olivia.
No matter how intimidating the Butler was, this woman was the one who tormented Senior Mikhail. Hanna’s pride wouldn’t allow it.
‘I’ll never forgive her!’
“Miss Hanna.”
“Eek!?”
I called Hanna, who had a heavy expression. She seemed to have made some kind of serious resolution, but when I called her, her twisted expression was a masterpiece.
“It might be a bit awkward, but I’d like to ask you for a favor. The Young Lady hasn’t met anyone in a long time, so could I ask you to engage her in some conversation?”
“Yes… Of course.”
Hanna probably wasn’t pleased with this situation.
Considering what happened earlier with Ruin and now directly facing the infamous villainess of the rumors.
I would feel the same way.
She’s infamous even in the village. It must have been worse at school. Especially since her greatest connection was Mikhail.
In her eyes, we probably seemed unlikable.
Even so, I called Hanna because I wanted the Lady Villainess to talk to someone new after so long.
Every day, it was just the Maid and the Butler.
Talking to the same two people all the time must be tiresome.
How miserable must it feel to see the same ceiling and the same people every single day? I wanted to alleviate even a little of that sorrow, so I brought Hanna to this room.
I thought it might lift Olivia’s mood if Hanna, a student at the Academy, shared some new stories with her. It was a one-sided wish that led to this decision.
I had been lost in thought for too long.
I asked her sincerely.
Perhaps sensing the earnestness of my request, Hanna spoke in a calmer voice than before.
“I am the youngest of the Histania Count Family, Histania Hanna. Please feel free to call me Hanna.”
Fortunately, she didn’t say anything harsh.
I had been worried about what might happen if she cursed, but thankfully, no such words came out of her mouth.
At Hanna’s introduction, the Lady Villainess frowned. It seemed like the name was one she recognized from the encyclopedia of nobles in her mind.
“Histania?”
It must be a fairly well-known noble household.
‘Then this is trouble.’
When the Young Lady memorizes other families, she does so using keywords.
For example.
-The household where the Head is a playboy.
-The household where the Mother is a Renowned Healer.
-The household that was eradicated due to gambling.
She stores them in her memory like this.
It would be fortunate if she only stored it in her memory.
The Young Lady speaks it out loud.
Without any filtering.
I focused on the Young Lady’s words with worry, and as if in response to my concern, a destructive word came out of her mouth.
“Ah. The household with nothing but swords in their brains?”
I wanted to applaud Olivia’s behavior. Today, too, the unchanging pure yet sharp wit of our Lady Villainess.
There is nothing she won’t say at a first meeting.
The Young Lady isn’t bad. She’s just a little more honest than others.
Sometimes her hands act before her words, but considering there are people whose magic acts before their hands, this is relatively mild.
Or maybe not.
Whether she knew my concerns or not.
The Lady Villainess continued her monologue.
“So, as the youngest, you’re the Knight Commander’s daughter. Do you also have nothing but swords in your head?”
At Olivia’s villainess-like sharp tongue, Hanna’s face turned red.
“Young Lady, that’s rude.”
“Ah, sorry. I guess I got too excited seeing a person after so long.”
Still, she’s a woman who knows how to admit her mistakes. I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings Hanna might have about thinking Olivia is an utterly awful woman.
I was about to say, “If you talk to her more, you’ll see she’s fine.”
But Hanna was already broken.
“Ah… that’s correct.”
It seems clearing up Hanna’s misunderstanding is hopeless.
***
Hanna was flustered.
From seeing the Butler beating up Ruin to being in a bedroom with the Lady Villainess.
Everything today was a new experience for Hanna.
Especially.
“Ah, the household with nothing but swords in their brains?”
Hanna couldn’t hide her shock at the sudden comment that hit her without warning.
The Histania Family.
A family that honed their swordsmanship since their ancestors and rose to become a Count Family through their achievements in war.
In other words, a family built entirely on swordsmanship and whose identity is also entirely about swordsmanship.
The villainess’s words were correct.
Their family is all about ‘swords.’
They inherit the title of Head of the Family with swords.
And they pass down wealth through swords.
No talent in swordsmanship? That person would be treated worse than a branch family member.
Her Father is the Knight Commander of the Imperial Knights’ Order.
Her Older Brother is the youngest Knight in the Imperial Knights’ Order.
Her Older Sister has been the top ranker in the Swordsmanship Department for four years now.
They were people who shone brighter than anyone else.
Even though she was the top of her class as a 1st Year in the Swordsmanship Department, unlike her Older Brother and Older Sister who achieved it through talent, she gained her position through painstaking effort.
Swinging a sword all night long.
Putting marriage on hold, she developed calloused skin on her hands while sharpening her swordsmanship to become the top of her class.
At first, she was proud of her painstaking effort.
Her Father had said that effort itself was also a form of talent. But recently, she came to learn that effort cannot beat talent.
Before entering the Academy, she once saw her Father and Senior Mikhail dueling by chance.
-Your skills have improved.
-You flatter me!
-Hahaha…
It was dazzling.
It was incredible that someone appeared who could make her Father smile with swordsmanship, and their sword-based conversation was so impressive.
At the same time, she felt a wall.
She had never experienced something like that.
Her Father had never smiled because of her, and honestly, even maintaining her position as top of the class was a struggle.
Since that day, Hanna lost interest in swords. And she gained a new interest in Mikhail.
Hanna loved swordsmanship but also hated it.
It seemed to be a repercussion.
Because she was so untalented, she admired Mikhail, who was exceptionally talented, and her Father also looked favorably upon Mikhail…
She hated herself for thinking like this.
Once again, the voice that irritated Hanna reached her ears.
“What’s the Academy like?”
It was an utterly innocent question.
What’s the Academy like, she asked.
Hanna responded curtly.
She wanted to say out loud, “Why does someone who’s already been expelled need to know?” but she couldn’t, not with the Butler standing beside her.
“It’s just okay.”
She hid her true meaning of, “It’s much better without you.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Olivia nodded her head.
Hearing the rumors about her having difficulty walking made her curious if it was true. But she hid such sensitive questions.
Olivia asked Hanna another question.
“How’s Yuria? Is she doing well?”
Yuria. The woman she bullied the most.
Driven by jealousy, she started tormenting her, but Yuria overcame it with dignity and became the top ranker in the Healing Department—a remarkable senior.
Hanna respected her deeply.
Hanna answered Olivia with disdain this time as well.
“Yes. She’s doing very well.”
“I see.”
That’s when it happened.
Olivia’s cold voice cut through.
“But why are you speaking to me so rudely?”
Unlike earlier, the Lady Villainess’s tone was icy. For a moment, Hanna’s chest felt tight.
“I’m speaking kindly, aren’t I?”
“Pardon…?”
“You should speak kindly, too.”
Warmth returned to the Lady Villainess’s voice.
“Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to speak rudely as well.”
Hanna felt offended.
Who was this person to tell her what to do?
She considered saying something, but the strange sound she kept hearing prevented her.
-Hic… Hrk… Hahaha!
It was coming from the Butler standing behind her.
The Butler was nodding with his fist in his mouth, as if he were a proud Father watching his child succeed on their first errand.
From behind, the Butler quietly gave a thumbs-up.
“I did well, didn’t I?”
The Lady Villainess looked at him and smiled brightly.
‘What is this?’
Hanna couldn’t keep up with these two.