The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Yuria's heart was crumbling.

From the moment she saw her changed face until now, she had been breaking and shattering repeatedly.

When she woke up in the morning, Yuria thought she was dreaming. She couldn't have imagined facing such an ordeal on the day of the ball.

She had woken up to a vibrant morning as always.

She had planned to get up earlier than usual to dress up beautifully, but everything went awry.

Yuria felt ashamed.

Showing her changed appearance to others was embarrassingly humiliating.

After calming down, she deliberated a lot. Yuria repeatedly pondered over which dress to wear.

Should she wear the dress given by Ricardo?

No matter what she wore, Yuria knew she would be criticized because of her ruined face.

Thinking this time would be different, Yuria chose her dress with a straw-clutching mindset.

‘Alright… Let's wear this.'

After much thought, she chose the light green dress gifted by Ruin. Wearing Ruin's dress, she thought, might ensure recognition from him.

She hoped someone would recognize her changed self. She didn't want to spend the ball alone again.

If Ruin recognized her, she thought, they could discuss her current problem together and find some consolation for her aching heart.

Ruin had said he could see the inner self.

Believing in Ruin, Yuria chose the dress.

Last night, Ruin had said he saw her, not her face. Even if she transformed into an ugly appearance, Yuria believed he would surely recognize her.

Yuria walked to the ballroom in the light green dress given by Ruin instead of the pure white dress from Ricardo.

Though she was sorry she couldn't wear Ricardo's dress, she wanted to ponder the pressing issue with someone first.

The walk to the ball was unbearably long.

Students passing her glanced at her face and whispered among themselves, while scoffing and laughter endlessly rang in her ears.

The scorn felt even colder than usual, making her steps towards the ballroom feel absolutely dreadful.

Overwhelmed with complex thoughts, Yuria sat on a bench, contemplating.

Perhaps she shouldn't go.

Attending the ball was an obligation for students of the academy, but she thought perhaps they would understand if she explained her situation.

But,

Yuria was a fearful person.

What if they didn't understand? What if causing another issue while already penalized led to even harsher punishment? With this worry, Yuria struggled to lift her immovable legs.

One step.

Two steps.

The weight of the air felt oppressively heavy with each falling step. Nevertheless, Yuria walked on, clinging to one hope.

‘Ruin will recognize me,' she thought.

Because Yuria believed in Ruin.

She trusted in his confident words and wore the dress he gifted, believing he would recognize her.

When she entered the ballroom,

Many criticisms were directed towards Yria.

-Ugly and yet she dressed up.

-Pfft. That's a bit…

-Looks like she borrowed her mom's clothes.

Just one aspect of her appearance had changed, yet the way people treated her was incredibly cold.

Everyone was mocking Yuria,

-What's with that girl?

-She's so ugly.

-Better off reborn.

No one recognized the wronged Yuria.

Not the friends she had been close with, nor the juniors who had received her healing during assignments and thanked her.

Everyone dismissed her with sneering laughter.

Yuria's stomach churned.

She couldn't understand their attitudes, and yet, even understanding them made her insides twist violently.

Conversations criticizing her disfigurement echoed around her, and she felt everyone's gaze on her face.

Her head spun.

She felt like vomiting any moment, overwhelmed by nausea.

She thought it would be just a matter of closing her eyes and enduring, comforting herself that she just had to bear it, but being actually at the ball made her realize how naive those thoughts were.

Yuria ran towards a corner of the ballroom, head bowed.

Because she wanted to live.

The thought of collapsing or going mad if she received any more attention drove her to run.

Hiding from people's gaze, she wondered if her heart would feel better. If she hid out of sight, maybe she could escape their mocking. Yuria gasped for breath, repeating her attempts to compose herself, and sighed in relief upon seeing a familiar face approaching.

‘Ruin.'

Ruin was coming towards her, hidden in the corner.

Seeing Ruin approaching with unhurried steps, Yuria felt relieved.

‘I'm glad I wore the dress Ruin gifted.'

Though sorry to Ricardo, Yuria felt fortunate that Ruin recognized her.

She thought being alone in such a vast ball would be the ultimate misery.

She thought things had improved.

She had made more friends than last year.

Even though many friendships were still awkward, she had managed to find friends to laugh and chat with. Yuria blushed with emotion at Ruin's approaching steps, hoping the academy's ball would move in the direction she had hoped.

‘He recognized me.'

As Ruin approached, Yuria folded her hands and bowed her head.

She wanted to talk about the shame and injustice she had faced. To say that she woke up with a changed face and to seek solutions together.

She wanted to confide this stifling feeling to a close friend.

That's why Yuria harbored great expectations from Ruin and hoped for his swift arrival.

-Step.

-One step.

-Step.

-Two steps.

-Stop.

Seeing Ruin standing before her, Yuria, overwhelmed with emotion, called his name.

-Ruin.

-Hey.

-Can't you change your clothes?

A profound disappointment ensued.

It felt like the world was crumbling.

Ruin, who had promised to recognize her inner self, had coldly changed his stance. Yuria found this new, cold behavior of Ruin utterly alien.

-What?

-You and this dress utterly mismatch.

Yuria couldn't believe Ruin, who had initially praised and insisted she wear the dress, saying it suited her well, was now speaking the opposite.

She had believed.

Believed he would recognize her.

Yet, Ruin was spewing cold words at her.

Yuria internally screamed in denial.

‘You said it would suit me.'

‘You asked me to wear it.'

‘You told me not to wear Ricardo's dress, so I wore this… Why can't you recognize me?'

Feeling a massive betrayal from Ruin, who had lied, Yuria clenched her fist tight.

She understood why Ruin couldn't recognize her, but still, but still…!

She hadn't expected him to be so cold.

Without even asking her name, Ruin coldly spoke, dragging Yuria's self-esteem further into the abyss.

Ruin's obstinacy was breaking her down.

Even revealing her name,

Even pounding her chest in frustration didn't change Ruin's cold treatment; if she didn't change her dress immediately, his response implied he'd take action.

You said you'd see the inner self.

Even if my face changed, you said you'd recognize me.

Was it all just pleasant talk?

Tears stupidly kept streaming down Yuria's face as she bowed her head and cried.

Ruin sighed at her bowed figure.

-Don't cry.

-…

-Stop crying. Your ugliness is upsetting.

Ruin, who once claimed her crying was painful to see, promising to make her smile and asking her to remain friends, had forgotten those past assurances and was repeating cold, sorrowful words.

The world turned dark.

Her vision blurred, and she felt enveloped by a quiet emotion as if whispers were caressing her ears.

‘Why do I have to suffer through this…?'

Always facing hardships alone.

Disgust at those who caused her pain and then boasted as if they were superior.

She wanted to try hard.

Was it so wrong to want to laugh with everyone? Yuria bowed her head and let the tears fall.

She wanted to give up and start over.

The friend who betrayed her.

Those women mocking her hardships.

At the moment she felt like resetting everything and starting anew,

-Boom!

"Um."

The light from the splendid chandeliers illuminated a man walking towards her.

Always laid-back and playful.

Yuria was startled.

She hadn't expected Ricardo to attend the ball.

She hastily covered her face with her hands, not wanting to show her shabby appearance to Ricardo. She knew Ricardo, like Ruin, wouldn't recognize her, but she didn't want to show him this state.

‘Don't come.'

‘Don't come…'

‘Go away.'

As the footsteps neared, reaching close to where Yuria was huddled,

-Step.

-Step.

-Step.

The approaching footsteps halted at one spot, not moving further.

A sigh of relief mixed with complex emotions and sadness surged like a flood at that moment.

A warm hand gently rested on her head.

It was warm.

Very much so.

It was comforting, as if soothing all her pain.

A tender voice sounded above Yuria's head, always as gentle as it had been.

"Today, you are beautiful as well."

Ricardo, who recognized her when no one else did, was looking at her with a smile.