The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 303: Approaching steps (4)

Walking through the thick fog, Mikhail shuddered slightly from a sudden chill.

“...”

The faint moonlight shimmered like a mirage over the village, which seemed unusually eerie.

As she entered the village, Mikhail muttered to herself, tilting her head. ‘Was there always a village here...?’ she wondered. More precisely, the thought that crossed her mind was, ‘Was there always a road like this?’

‘...’

Pondering whether she had taken a different path than usual, Mikhail shook her head with a wry smile. The coachman, who was much more familiar with the roads than she was, surely knew better.

‘...’

Suppressing her uneasy feelings, Mikhail continued toward the village.

Green grass. Rain-soaked muddy paths. Ordinary houses.

Before long, Mikhail passed by a young couple walking down the street hand in hand. She smiled faintly at the sight of their affectionate display, but...

...

‘What the...?’

Her smile quickly faded.

Up close, the couple’s expressions were unnerving. Their faces were stiff, as though someone had forced them to hold hands, with their expressions frozen in an unsettling blankness.

Mikhail turned around, staring blankly at the couple’s retreating figures. She had never seen such expressions before in her life.

‘...This is strange.’

Kyararak.

Suddenly, the couple began laughing and patting each other’s shoulders as if nothing had happened. Although their faces weren’t visible, their affectionate gestures seemed to return to normal. Mikhail shook her head and continued walking forward.

‘It must just be because I’m tired.’

Even though the eerie feeling lingered, Mikhail forced herself to forget what she had just witnessed. Dwelling on unsettling memories would only make things worse.

Step. Step.

At the center of the village stood an inn.

It looked old.

Perhaps it was because she had just seen that strange couple, but the cold wind felt even more chilling than usual.

Even the flowerbeds in front of the inn. The gravel under her feet felt like something out of a ghost story a friend might tell.

As Mikhail looked up at the inn built from old bricks, she raised her head.

“...”

The windows were covered with yellowing curtains, making it impossible to see inside. Only the faint light seeping through the cracks in the windows hinted that there were people inside.

On the second floor, three people. On the third floor, four.

‘It’s still open, at least.’

The doorknob felt cold and unfamiliar in her hand. Strangely so. Perhaps it was because of the rain, but it felt much colder than it should have.

Mikhail swallowed the lump in her throat and ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) knocked on the door.

...Knock, knock, knock.

Each knock echoed with a dull, heavy sound that seemed to dissolve into the fog.

No response came from the other side, and the silence was so deep that Mikhail started to doubt whether anyone was actually inside.

A strange tension hung in the air. It felt as though someone—or something—was waiting in the darkness, holding its breath.

‘It’s just my imagination.’

Mikhail twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.

“Excuse me.”

The sound of the creaky hinges echoed eerily, and a woman at the center of the inn looked up at her.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hello!”

The innkeeper greeted Mikhail with a bright smile, as if she had been expecting her.

She seemed like an ordinary person. Unlike the unsettling couple, the innkeeper had a warm, welcoming expression, and she was a middle-aged woman with a kindly appearance.

Finally able to relax a little, Mikhail let out a breath of relief, realizing how tense she had been.

With the innkeeper’s warm smile easing her nerves, Mikhail nodded politely and followed her as she led the way. She asked the woman if there were any available rooms.

“Do you have a room available?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, then...”

As Mikhail reached into her pocket to pull out some money, the innkeeper leaned casually against the desk and started making small talk.

“So, what brings you here?”

“...Pardon?”

“Our village is in such an out-of-the-way location, we don’t get many visitors. I was just curious why you’re here. Hohoho!”

“...”

“You’re not eloping or running from someone, are you?”

“No, nothing like that. I had a bit of an accident on the road...”

“Ah, a special guest, then.”

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“What?”

The innkeeper mumbled something under her breath, but when Mikhail looked at her in confusion, she waved it off with a cheerful, “Oh, nothing! You must’ve had a rough time.”

The innkeeper placed a key on the desk.

“Your room is number 202.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, wait!”

Just as Mikhail was about to head upstairs, the innkeeper handed her a towel and a set of comfortable clothes, speaking softly.

“Have a good night.”

“Thank you.”

The innkeeper watched as Mikhail climbed the stairs, her smile fading.

And then.

“...”

Just like the couple from before, the innkeeper’s face stiffened into a blank, expressionless mask.

 Suppressing the unease lingering in her mind, Mikhail lay down in her room, running a hand through her hair as she stared at the ceiling.

“Hah...”

Lying on the bed, her exhaustion began to melt away. The training with Ricardo, as well as the meal they had shared, had taken a toll on her.

Focusing all her energy on one thing had left her completely drained, and as the fatigue caught up with her, Mikhail slowly closed her eyes.

Still.

“For the first time, I gave Ricardo something...”

It hadn’t been a bad day. Like a ray of sunshine breaking through a stormy sky, the warmth she felt brought a small smile to her face.

For the first time, she had treated Ricardo to a meal and gotten to talk with him a little more.

Even though she could only approach him this much for now, if she kept meeting him and talking with him, maybe they could grow closer.

Then one day... Maybe she could show him her true self and find the courage to apologize. Mikhail believed that day would come.

It had to.

It was the only way she could hold on to her desire to mend their broken relationship. As she pressed her weary eyes with her sleeve, she stifled the tears that threatened to fall.

“I should wash up...”

Mikhail muttered to herself as she glanced at the towel and clothes the innkeeper had given her.

Her rain-soaked body longed for a proper bath, despite her having wiped herself down earlier.

With that, she took a step.

...

Two steps.

...

At the third step, Mikhail suddenly stopped, a strange thought crossing her mind.

“Why...”

...

“Why is it so quiet?”

The silence was unsettling.

Given the inn’s old structure, the walls shouldn’t have been very soundproof, yet the entire place was eerily silent.

The neighboring rooms. The upstairs rooms. The hallways.

She had definitely seen lights on in the neighboring rooms. She had clearly seen the light spilling from behind drawn curtains, yet the inn was deathly quiet.

Maybe she was just being overly sensitive since she was alone, but this silence was too much...

Just then.

Ah, that feels so refreshing!

A woman’s voice came from the next room.

“Hah...”

Mikhail let out a sigh of relief and resumed her walk to the bathroom.

She wasn’t being chased or anything, so why was she so on edge? Shaking her head at her own cowardice, Mikhail continued on her way.

In the room next to hers.

...

The silence returned.

As though someone—or something—was pressing its ear against the wall, listening, it was disturbingly quiet once more.

 “Cheepal.”

Having woken up from her nap, the lady muttered a curse with a disgruntled expression.

“Hrumph.”

I fed the lady a piece of fruit as she stared at the ceiling, still groggy, and asked her why she had suddenly cursed.

“Why are you swearing all of a sudden, my lady?”

“There was a pig in my dream.”

“Isn’t that a good dream?”

The lady shook her head.

“I was the pig.”

“...?”

“I was wearing a pig onesie and eating meat.”

“Oh...”

The lady pouted and sighed.

“I like the dragon onesie better...”

“...?”

“I wanted to wear the dragon onesie.”

“You didn’t curse because of that, did you?”

The lady looked at me with an expression that clearly said, of course.

“Exactly.”

She truly had the oddest things to be picky about.

Not wanting to hear more of her eccentric fashion preferences, I stuffed another piece of apple into her mouth to silence her before I gave in to buying her a dragon onesie.

“Hrumph-hrrumph...”

The lady munched on the apple, looking at me with a satisfied expression.

“Ricardo, you should have some too.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“You’re trying to make me a pig, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you already one?”

“...Oink.”

“Pfft...!!!”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the lady’s sudden playful sound, something I never thought I’d hear from her.

What kind of noble behaves like this?

“Don’t laugh.”

She’s more like a childhood friend.

“Don’t laugh!!!”

“Haha! I refuse.”

“Iiiiiiek!!! Don’t laugh!!!”

I easily dodged her flailing fists, still smiling.

“I’m not a pig!”

“I know. Oink... Pfft... Haha!”

“Why are you laughing!?”

“How can I not when it’s so funny?”

“Iiiiiiek! Stop laughing!”

After a while of playful bickering with the lady, we both paused when we heard a soft tapping at the window, raindrops gently knocking against the glass.

The lady turned her head and looked at me.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

“It’s raining.”

And then.

Ssshhhh...

Feeling the sudden chill, I turned to look out the window.

“Yes. It’s raining.”