The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 187

Chapter 187 – The Story of the First Time I Met That Man (2)

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Occupation: Orphan
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Favorite conversation topics: Mom/Teddy bear/I’ll be back/I wasn’t abandoned/Fairy tales/Prince.
Disliked conversation topics: Orphan/Abandonment/Loneliness/Bad words

Meeting the male protagonist from the novel was unexpected.

I never imagined I’d meet him under a bridge.

A silver-haired boy breathed evenly beneath the sewage-stained bridge.

Hugging a teddy bear tightly, he looked more like a girl, yet given the name ‘Michail,’ I could only conclude it was the silver-haired boy I knew.

The boy before my eyes was the male protagonist ‘Michail,’ who would become the strongest character by the end of the novel.

I was taken aback.

Of course, I was taken aback.

I never thought the male protagonist appearing in the novel would be lying in such a miserable slum.

Though the novel did mention Michail was from the slums in a single line, it never specified that he was from the capital’s slums, so it was quite a surprise to me.

The story of being abandoned by his mother, taken in by a convent where he learned the sword, was described in some detail, but his time in the slums was so briefly mentioned it left me very confused.

“What the…”

The first main character I met from the novel besides the young lady.

“Is this a fateful encounter?”

Though I’d seen protagonist Yuria once, it wasn’t enough to say we had truly met, so I’ll skip that. Michail was the first true protagonist I met.

“Oh….”

I poked the sleeping Michail with a stick.

“Did I take him out?”

“…”

It would have been a problem if I really did.

“Mom…”

Fortunately, Michail muttered in his sleep, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew… Thank goodness. But why are you like this, scaring people.”

Gazing at Michail, clutching his teddy bear, I dove into thoughts.

With a face showing signs of days without food.

Wearing filthy rags.

I was sure.

This kid was a beggar.

As I pondered what to do next, I simultaneously entertained selfish thoughts of benefiting from this encounter.

‘Michail, huh…’

Wielding the holy sword, slaying monsters—the undefeated swordmaster.

How significant would it be to have someone like him indebted to me?

The grand plan to naturally befriend Michail at the academy and benefit from the fallout seemed to have stepped one pace closer, leaving me nodding in satisfaction.

No matter the changes, the fact remained.

“Oh… a fateful acquisition.”

Indeed, it was an incredible chance encounter.

How fun could it be.

Living homeless alongside the male protagonist of the novel.

Witnessing the protagonist’s growth up close, and if luck followed, going with Michail to a convent full of pretty nuns. And possibly becoming Michail’s best friend, gaining the affection of women Michail rejected….

Smiling contentedly, I squatted in front of Michail. I began poking Michail’s cheek with a stick as I checked if he was alive.

“Are you dead or alive?”

“…”

“Don’t die. It’ll be a problem for me.”

“Mom…”

“Alive.”

After about 30 minutes.

Michail’s golden eyes slowly began to reveal themselves.

As the golden eyes described in the novel emerged from beneath his eyelids, I waved lightly and greeted Michail.

“Mom…”

“I’m not your mom.”

I discarded the stick and pressed Michail’s cheek with my finger to ensure this wasn’t a dream.

Feeling the gentle texture.

“He’s real….”

“…”

“Is this really a fateful encounter?”

“…Mom?”

“I’m not a mom, nor a dad…. Hmm.”

I smiled at Michail.

“Then an older brother?”

I reached out towards Michail.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…”

“My name is Lee Minhyuk.”

Startled awake, Michail hurriedly moved and hid beneath the bridge. I didn’t know why he was making a fuss when I hadn’t done anything yet, but since my first impression was good, I restrained myself and smiled kindly at Michail, encouraging him to relax.

“Hello!”

“…”

Michail held the giant teddy bear tightly and glared at me. Despite feeling uncomfortable from his somewhat judgmental gaze, I endured with the patience of being the elder.

For a prolonged time, Michail and I had a staring contest.

While the rain, showing no signs of stopping, accentuated the awkwardness between us, Michail, like a street cat caught in the rain, seemed ready to unsheathe his claws.

Retracting my awkwardly extended hand, I spoke to Michail.

“Meeting for the first time is awkward, right? It’s awkward for me too.”

“…”

“Could you respond a little? I’m actually quite shy, you know.”

“…”

“Well, it’s not something you need to worry about, I guess.”

After another 30 minutes, unable to overcome the awkwardness, I laid out the cardboard box I had tucked under my arm and said.

“This is a bed. Aren’t you jealous?”

“A box isn’t a bed.”

“Oh, you’re quite spoiled.”

I smiled faintly at Michail, thinking perhaps he was finally responding.

Knowing everything, I approached Michail cautiously.

I could make a slip of the tongue.

If I approached him brashly, acting like I knew him, the already cautious Michail might draw a line.

Sitting at a distance from Michail, I carefully observed him.

Hunting a fateful encounter required focus, thus I was gradually assessing the prey’s demeanor.

-Grumble…

I quickly realized what the prey wanted.

I rummaged through my pocket to retrieve the cookies I had stolen from the bakery. Michail’s eyes began to widen gradually as he saw the edible food.

Watching Michail swallow nervously, I spoke softly.

“Do you want to eat?”

“…”

“I’ve had plenty, so I don’t need it.”

“…”

Michail, clutching his bear tightly, began to take hesitant steps towards me.

Seeing the cautious Michail approach as if ready to pounce at the slightest provocation, I smiled awkwardly and asked in a low voice as he reached for the cookies.

“You haven’t told me your name yet….”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Don’t you want the cookie?”

“…gulp.”

Michail began to step away from me.

‘Really hard to get.’

The Michail in the novel was quite sweet and considerate, yet whether it was due to ingrained gender discrimination or being reformed at the convent, he wasn’t showing any warmth towards me.

“Just eat it.”

I handed over the precious cookie to Michail with an indifferent tone.

“Then I’ll just call you ‘Hey.'”

Coated with cookie crumbs around his mouth, Michail answered without looking up at me.

“Do whatever you want.”

“Ha… This is not easy.”

The rain continued to pour.

Having finished the cookie, Michail curled up under the bridge again, and the teddy bear he held began to soak.

‘He’s going to catch a cold like that.’

“Achoo.”

‘I knew it.’

Michail’s body temperature gradually began to drop.

Despite what seemed so precious about the teddy bear, Michail had no intention of letting go of it. Every time I glanced at the bear, Michail would cling to it even tighter, protectively.

I chuckled at the look Michail gave me akin to seeing a pervert and said.

“I’m not going to steal it.”

“…”

“I prefer curvaceous older women to teddy bears.”

“…”

“If you keep holding it like that, you’ll catch a cold, so put it down for a bit.”

Michail wasn’t trusting me at all.

Watching his defensive behavior without knowing how kind and polite I was felt like eating a sweet potato—frustrating.

Though occupying a host body capable of enduring moderate cold, I couldn’t imagine how much colder it must be for the little kid.

Seeing Michail’s paling lips, I lifted the box I had covered myself with and said.

“You’ll catch a cold like that.”

“Don’t mind me.”

“Your words are quite bold.”

“You’re bolder.”

“That’s true.”

Michail didn’t give an inch and ignored my words.

Though I wished to return to my warm refuge, I couldn’t abandon the kid.

This place wouldn’t flood unless it rained heavily, but leaving someone alone here was unsafe due to inadequate security.

I let out a deep sigh and sat near Michail, passing time.

Even when night approached.

Even when Michail woke due to the passing bugs.

I dusted off my bottom and got rid of the bugs for him, staying distanced but nearby to relieve his fears.

Having set up a small campfire under the bridge, I said to Michail.

“Ta-da. Look at this.”

Though Michail seemed surprised about how I managed a campfire on a rainy day, I simply smirked, shrugging.

Being in a host body, I was thoroughly prepared.

I motioned for Michail to come.

“Will you not tell me your name even now?”

“…”

“Really difficult.”

What should I do with this fateful encounter?

I closed my eyes, looking at the rain-cleared night sky, keeping watch over Michail until his shivers turned into gentle breathing.

Thus, morning arrived.

“Cough… Cough…”

Sure enough, Michail caught a cold.

“Idiot. I told you to put it down while you slept.”

-Shake head.

“Oh dear.”

I tended to Michail.

To lower the rising fever, I retrieved a towel from a trash heap and placed it on Michail’s head.

“Get that filthy thing off me!”

Thanks to Michail’s dogged personality, I painstakingly started reaching out to him slowly.

Michail didn’t tell me his name.

Maintaining silence, he moved his aching body to the bridge and held his teddy bear tightly, persistent in keeping his spot.

“What are you doing?”

“…”

“I don’t know.”

“Why sit next to me?”

“Don’t you have a fever?”

“…”

Gazing forlornly across the bridge like a dog waiting for its owner, Michail held his ground.

I pretended not to know, but truthfully, I understood who Michail was waiting for.

Moreover, I knew the conclusion to this waiting.

Thus, I said to Michail.

“Let’s go.”

“…”

“I know a warm place.”

“Don’t impose when you know nothing.”

“Is that so.”

I continually stayed by Michail’s side.

While meeting with the young lady in between to earn some money.

-You brat! Where were you yesterday!

-You didn’t come.

-I was late because of dealing with the umbrella!

-Is that so. You should’ve come quicker. I had to make an umbrella out of cardboard.

-You should’ve stayed longer. Here! Take this.

-What is it?

-An umbrella!

I returned to the bridge and stayed with Michail.

At times, rescuing Michail from being swept away by the river, scolding him for his foolishness.

“Are you crazy!”

“…”

“Do you have a death wish…!”

“…”

“Do you know how worried I was…? With all this rain, why were you there!”

“Sorry…”

“Sigh… You nearly died.”

Michail slowly began to open up to me.

Bit by bit.

Though we didn’t leave the bridge, he slowly started talking to me and showing signs of playfulness like a child.

“What’s your name?”

“Me…?”

Michail fidgeted with his fingers as he looked at me. After biting his lip and pondering, Michail smiled slightly and said.

“I’m Michail.”

Thinking of the dashing protagonist from the fairy tales his mom used to read him.

Michail lied.

“My name is Michail.”

He wanted to appear strong.

And he wished for his mom to be the first to call his name.

Michail lied.

End of Chapter