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Chapter 89: Our Family (2)
The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

"…Sniffle."

In the Desmond family mansion in the capital, in Miss Olivia's room.

Pushed by Kyle's hostility, Miss Olivia and I were practicing self-restraint in the mansion, saved from being expelled thanks to Rosanna and Darbav.

The dejected Miss Olivia was blowing her nose with tissues, a gloomy expression on her face, and I, too, was not in the best of spirits as I handed her tissues and tried to console her as she cried.

-How dare you come here?

-…I'm sorry.

-After nearly destroying our family, how can you show your face?

-I'm sorry…

-Get out. I don’t even want to see your face.

Kyle used to be affectionate toward his sister.

To anyone looking, they were siblings who got along well and relied on each other tightly.

Until he was 14, Kyle had a severe case of sister complex, even dreaming of marrying his younger sister.

-When I grow up, I'm going to marry Olivia.

-Do you have a sister complex?

-Sister complex? What's that?

-It's an insult.

-…?

Although he abandoned his childhood dream upon growing up, I remember Kyle being a caring brother who doted on Olivia until she entered the Royal Academy.

He even shared his favorite snack, chocolate, with her.

-Olivia, eat this.

-No thanks. Dark chocolate is too bitter for me.

Of course, Olivia, with her child-like tastes, often refused, but Kyle cherished her that much and treated her with care.

Kyle would grumble at me for always being with his sister, but he was friendly enough to even give me chocolate.

-Eat this.

-Isn’t half a piece a bit too little?

-Be honored that I’m giving you anything at all. Peasant.

-Consider it an honor that I refuse. Noble.

-Eek!!!'

But even such a severe sister-complex could not withstand the weight of black magic.

Two years ago.

When Miss Olivia fainted due to black magic, it was the first time Kyle grabbed me by the collar.

-Why… didn’t you pay attention? If only you had been a little more attentive to Olivia, this wouldn’t have happened.

-I'm sorry.

-That damned sorry… Does everything end with an apology? This incident could endanger our family. Does it end with just an apology?

-I will try to do something. So…

-What can you do…!

Being grabbed by the collar by Kyle, who adored Miss Olivia terribly, was not a pleasant feeling. I was already disturbed simply because I hadn’t prevented Miss Olivia's use of black magic, and being berated made it feel even worse.

I couldn't put into words how complicated I felt at the time, both physically and emotionally.

And today, that Kyle told Olivia to leave.

It might have been said in a fit of fatigue, but from Kyle's eyes filled with anger, I could read his sincerity. He wasn't the always caring Kyle; his eyes looked at her as if she were a stranger.

It must have been a huge shock to Miss Olivia, who had only seen her brother's kind side.

So now, Miss Olivia was crying, and we had quickly come to the conclusion to take care of the head of the family's birthday and return to the mansion.

With tears in her eyes, Miss Olivia quietly spoke.

"Ricardo… I know I've done a lot wrong. It just hurts so much."

Miss Olivia told me with a choked voice. The tissues soaked with her tears piled up on the table like a mountain, and sorrowful tears flowed from her eyes.

"I know too. I know I've been a nuisance to the family and brother… But I'm so sad I can't stop crying."

The same words were uttered by Miss Olivia.

Her mournful voice pained my heart, but since this was something she had to overcome, I didn't say anything and simply stayed by her side.

I wanted to help Miss Olivia, but this wasn't something covered in the novels.

What I could help with was external: fighting, earning money, and cheering her up. Beyond that, there was nothing I could do.

I couldn't interfere. It was an issue Miss Olivia had to resolve by herself, so all I could do was silently offer her a tissue to wipe her nose.

"Sniff!"

Miss Olivia blew her nose again, then buried her face in her palms with another sorrowful look.

"Sniff… it hurts."

I glanced at Miss Olivia and asked in a low voice. I just couldn't overlook her shoulders shaking pitifully.

"Miss, do you resent Kyle?"

"Why…?"

Miss Olivia's eyes, brimming with teardrops, were fixed on me. I replied to her as if stating the obvious.

"I was thinking of giving him a flick on the forehead."

"Ricardo, you're not close with my brother."

"What can I do if Miss says she resents him? I have to hit him."

"You can't do that. Ricardo will get expelled."

"I won't do it."

Miss Olivia looked at me incredulously, her eyes conveying a sense that she couldn't believe someone like me existed. I felt a strange satisfaction in seeing that look.

"So, Miss. Do you resent Kyle?"

Miss Olivia shook her head vigorously.

"No. I'm the one at fault… I don't resent him."

"You’re well aware."

"I'm not that shameless."

"Oh. How surprising. I thought Miss would immediately go and create a scene with Kyle."

"I'm not crazy."

"Just kidding."

The blunt jest helped to gradually subside Miss Olivia's crying. Her trembling shoulders calmed, and the flow of her tears subsided, clearing away her tearful expression.

I voiced an overstepping thought to Miss Olivia. I wasn't sure if it would help, but it was a problem we had to solve together.

I cautiously tried to speak.

"Miss, if you don't resent Kyle, how about apologizing?"

"I already said I'm sorry. But brother doesn't want to see me."

As Miss Olivia's tears threatened to burst again, I didn't hesitate to express my presumptuous thought.

"Not just saying sorry. A plausible apology. What if you go to his room and say you've been through a lot, that you've been sorry for everything? I thought that might work."

I blushed at the embarrassing suggestion, scratching my awkward head as I sheepishly continued.

"We don't have anything to give, nor have we done anything right, but we're ready in spirit, right? Of course, without kneeling. Pride won't allow that."

"Ricardo's knees are extremely heavy."

"My knees are expensive. If you pay me the back wages, I'll consider kneeling."

"I don't have money."

"Then it seems I'll never kneel."

"…"

I didn't resent Kyle's behavior. On the contrary, his actions were what I expected, and his words were the complaints we had to hear.

‘It’s because of you the family fell apart.'

I thought I would have acted like Kyle did. I might have been harsher. Considering how Kyle just said to leave and retreated to his room, I thought him to be almost saint-like.

That's why I cautiously suggested the overstepping thought to Miss Olivia.

Let's have a heartfelt conversation.

I proposed that we do what we could now, and after some hesitation, Miss Olivia shared her doubts with me.

"I… don't know how to apologize."

"You did well when you looked at my hand last time."

"That was because Ricardo did something bad. It made me feel bad because you lied…"

"This is similar, isn't it?"

"It's different. I've never apologized to brother before. And I've never apologized to anyone else either."

Miss Olivia bowed her head sulkily, wearing a gloomy expression. Apologizing was the least of her talents. It was Miss Olivia, after all. She couldn't muster the courage easily.

"What if I apologize and brother gets even angrier? It could make things worse."

"It's natural for Kyle to be angry, Miss."

"I know, but… If I apologize awkwardly… brother might dislike me more."

"Miss."

I placed my hand on Miss Olivia’s disheveled hair and smiled softly. Her fluffy white hair felt so soft to the touch that I wanted to stroke it for a long time.

"Kyle… cherishes you very much. Maybe he's waiting for you in his room right now."

"No, he really hates me. He said so earlier… to leave."

"So he threw you out?"

"No…"

Miss Olivia murmured quietly, her head bowed.

"If it were me, I would have told him to leave right away."

"Oh… you're finally learning to empathize. I'm a bit surprised."

"Of course."

Miss Olivia straightened her shoulders and nodded with a bleak expression. Proud of her growing warm heart, Miss Olivia was boasting. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but admire the stormy growth of her chest for different reasons.

"Impressive, indeed."

"Hmm."

"You're still growing…"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Miss Olivia tilted her head with a puzzled look, but I brushed it off as if it were nothing.

"Miss."

"Hmm?"

"When I hurt my arm, how did you feel?"

"I was…"

Fiddling with her fingers, Miss Olivia spoke in a small voice that echoed in the room.

"I was really angry. Because Ricardo got hurt."

"Right? I think Kyle feels the same way. He's probably extremely angry because you got hurt, just like how you felt. I'm cautiously guessing, of course."

"What if not?"

With an unavoidable smile, I messed up Miss Olivia's hair. Her disheveled hair prompted me to burst out laughing.

"If not, there's nothing we can do but keep apologizing. If he doesn't accept the apology, we apologize again. Then someday, he will accept it."

"But…"

I looked at Miss Olivia's sullen face and spoke. Hoping that her smiling face, which suited her better than her crying one, would make her happy.

"Miss, are you going to avoid seeing Kyle from now on?"

"No… I want to keep seeing him."

"What about Lord and Lady Rosanna?"

"I want to see them too."

"Then…"

I lifted my head and told Miss Olivia.

"Go apologize to him heartily. If you get rejected, I'll go and flick Lord Kyle on the forehead for you."