Chapter 38: Three Years Have Passed…and I Have Become a Proper Villainess!

[Albion Central Railway, connecting the center of the continent, finally completed.]

Nearly three years had passed.

There had been various big and small events during that time, but first, the biggest change was my remarkable growth.

The me of my younger days, who was only 135.3cm tall, soon began her second growth spurt.

Before I knew it, I had grown considerably, and at the age of thirteen, I now possessed a lanky height of a whopping 147.5cm!

Rounding this up to the nearest decimal point makes it 148cm.

Since 148cm is practically no different from 150cm, it would be correct to consider my actual height as 150cm.

‘The effects of the stretching exercises were real.’

‘It was worth doing them diligently every morning…!’

‘I’ll keep growing like this and next, 160cm!’

‘Furthermore, I’ll become a cool beauty villainess in the mid-160s!’

The concept of height is very important for human beings.

Just as martial arts have detailed weight classes, the sense of intimidation that comes from height can never be ignored.

What is there to hide?

I am a villainess who must give other young ladies a strong sense of pressure.

“Fufufu….”

I imagine myself effortlessly subduing other young ladies with just a downward glance.

My own coolness makes a smile bloom on my face.

“Is something good happening?”

My personal maid, who was shyly drinking her black tea, asks.

She had initially taken the job temporarily, but due to her surprisingly proficient work skills, she gained the head maid’s recognition and had remained by my side until now.

“No. Just some pleasant daydreaming….”

Like a woman in her early twenties, her prime, even a simple gesture seemed elegant.

Unlike the house maids who were closer to servants, the ladies’ maids who attended to noble young ladies like me were maids in name only, practically ladies-in-waiting.

The fact that we were sitting across from each other at this table, sharing a meal, was probably proof of that.

This world is, after all, a created world made by an ‘author.’

Perhaps because of that?

Rather than completely matching the ‘ladies’ maids’ that existed in the history of my previous life, it felt closer to a combination of various concepts similar to ladies-in-waiting.

Above all, being of noble birth, she even sits alongside the family during meals.

However, she personally brings my breakfast to my bedside, and also carefully brews and pours the black tea I drink during tea time.

Of course, it’s just her receiving what other maids have brought and then presenting it to me.

Thus, she doesn’t give off the impression of a typical servant at all.

Still, since her official position is a maid, she does wear a maid outfit.

Well, maid outfits are cute.

However, perhaps to show the clear difference in actual rank, her attire has a much more luxurious feel than the outfits worn by other maids.

“By the way…. To think that having tea time like this will soon end, it’s quite regrettable.”

Clink, she places the teacup in her hand down on its saucer.

Actually, my maid, with whom I had grown quite fond over the past three years, was scheduled to leave soon.

The reason was none other than marriage.

I could have refused using my rights as her master, but.

As a proud villainess, blocking the marriage path of such a beautiful and lovely woman was out of the question.

“…Young Lady.”

As I expressed my regret, a look of emotion crossed the maid’s face.

The maid’s new home is in the southern part of the Empire, meaning the mainland continent, not the colonies.

Excluding the case of taking a ship to enter the Academy, it would be quite rare for me, the Governor’s daughter, to set foot on the mainland continent.

Perhaps this was the last moment we could see each other face to face.

Even if I were to board a ship to the mainland to visit the maid, who would have become a madam in her new home.

From her perspective, she had finally quit her job and was happily starting her newlywed life.

And then her former boss from her old job comes visiting, waving.
…

…That’s really awful.

Just imagining it is the worst….

Perhaps the me from the days when I was a 130cm wannabe villainess (extremely small) wouldn’t have noticed,

But the current me, a proper 150cm villainess (small), has had that much sense for a long time.

“Congratulations, on your marriage.”

“Thank you. So. What kind of congratulatory gift are you thinking of giving?”

The maid, with a serious face, throws a light joke.

If she desires a gift from me, who is making enormous profits from industrial explosives now that Raphael Inc. has been officially established….

“Fufu, you can look forward to that.”

If only to commend her hard work so far.

The finest among all the inventions I’ve made in the past year…!

“No. I’m asking this really seriously. If you give me some strange new gadget you developed as a gift, it will only be very troublesome for me to receive.”

“…….”

‘It’s… no good?’

“…It seems my prediction was correct after all.”

“B-But…. The one I made this time is really my masterpiece…though….”

The touching atmosphere from a moment ago had already vanished, and my maid now had a ‘well, of course’ look in her eyes.

‘No, setting other things aside, that one is truly an invention that will help a happy family, I tell you…!?’

That’s right.

For the past year, I had been studying books related to magitech engineering.

Because with the completion of the central railway currently traversing the central region of Albion, countless adventurers and pioneers had begun to flock to Abel Forest.

If you ask what relevance this has, Abel Forest is ultimately a wild monster territory where danger lurks.

In fact, considering Exia’s past experience of being damaged by a King Troll, I couldn’t guarantee that such a thing wouldn’t happen again.

In short, if only to save my precious dolls,

It was inevitable that acquiring knowledge about magitech engineering was essential for me.

Above all, aside from the necklace’s levitation magic and water magic, my aptitude lies in alchemy.

Alchemy is a production profession, at best a support role. It’s not suitable for combat at all, is it?

I still have plenty of medicinal herbs and materials I want to experiment with and collect in Abel Forest.

Even just to collect them, I needed a self-defense weapon.

Just like when I was first stranded in the forest, I had a crude shotgun tucked into my belt.

“Haa…. Well, I’ll at least take a look at what it is.”

“Y-Yes! If you see this child, you’ll definitely want it right away too!”

The maid, as if she really couldn’t help it, asks to see the gift I was planning to give.

Worried she might change her mind, I rushed to my personal laboratory and brought back a magitech doll.

“Oh my. What a cute maid doll, isn’t it? If it was such a cute gift, you should have told me sooner.”

The maid, who had been looking suspicious, brightened up upon seeing the handmade magitech doll.

A black-haired doll, rare in this world, befitting a magitech doll made with reference to the Kiriel triplets.

The maid, seeing the same hair color, is very pleased, asking if I made it modeled after her.

“No, it’s not….”

“…In times like this, couldn’t you just say yes?”

“But that’s the truth.”

The maid cutely grumbles at the doll that only shares her hair color.

Seeing that scene, I thought, how could someone who was so strict at first change so much.

More accurately, she had maintained a stiff work mode and then gradually opened up to me.

Looking at my beautiful, cute, and efficient personal maid, I feel like I want to keep her by my side.

Should I cancel the wedding even now?

No, then she’d go back to her stiff work mode like before, right?

She might even become much colder….

Actually, even though I think this way, the timing of my personal maid’s retirement was very opportune.

Though her abilities are outstanding, that’s limited to the safe greenhouse of the mansion.

An environment like Abel Forest would obviously be too harsh for her.

That’s right.

I am scheduled to leave for Abel Forest soon for the vaccination plan.

Unlike my previous life, in this world, one becomes an adult at the age of fifteen.

So, thirteen is an age where one should gradually start cultivating independence.

“As for that doll, while it’s not on par with my Kiriel or Exia, it possesses the ability to easily repel any ruffian who dares to harm my excellent maid. For reference, its weapons are two types: a magitech engineering rifle and a shotgun that can convert mana drawn from its core magestone into bullets….”

“Fufu, after the wedding ceremony is over, I should make some cute clothes for this little one.”

“No. Those clothes are special equipment that I’ve enchanted with alchemy magic, so you don’t need to change them.”

“What kind of cute clothes do you want to wear? In my opinion, black would suit you very well.”

“No. So, there’s no need for that….”

“Oh right, first I need to give you a name.”

The maid, who’s planning to quit her job, is now openly ignoring even her master’s words.

Still, since she seemed to really like the gift I gave her, I decided to let it slide.

“But I’m worried. If an excellent aide like you leaves, I feel like that empty space will constantly linger….”

“You don’t need to worry about that. My successor is a child far more outstanding than me in every aspect.”

“Fufu, excessive humility is actually not good, you know.”

“Don’t you know best yourself, Young Lady?”

“…?”

‘What does that mean…?’

I would find out the answer to that much later.

Because the maid, noticing that I knew nothing about the ‘successor,’ didn’t tell me anything until she left for her new home.

If I could, I wanted to attend the wedding, but the journey from Albion to the Empire’s mainland was longer than I thought, so I didn’t have the time.

Instead, I gave her a grand farewell, and she herself seemed greatly moved, so I believe my congratulatory feelings were sufficiently conveyed.

And so, a few days later, my new closest aide.

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw her, who had become a ladies’ maid.

“…Miss Heine?”

“Yes. I, Heine Rubel, will be working as Lady Lin’s ladies’ maid from today onwards.”

Over the long period of three years.

Heine had changed almost beyond recognition.

To be precise, she had become much closer to the Heine I knew from my previous life.

“W-Wait a moment…!”

“Yes, Lady Lin.”

As I became flustered, Heine smiled bewitchingly.

‘That Heine, who always showed a cold merchant’s demeanor to everyone except the protagonist Cain, could smile so brightly?’
…
I see.

I’m truly glad she’s become genuinely happy.

My efforts back then were not in vain after all….

However….

That’s that, and this is this.

Right now, the most important question was separate.

“…Miss Heine.”

“Yes, Lady Lin!”

“Your height… how tall are you now?”

Even compared to me, a cool beauty villainess of a whopping 150cm—it’s 147.5cm—her eye level was even higher.

“I am 156cm.”

Smirk, Heine (Middle) ‘s arrogant smile bears down on me.

Heine, who got a job as my personal maid, looks down at her master (Small) as if she’s cute, and chuckles with satisfaction.

“O-One hundred fifty…six?”

And so, a truly impertinent,

New cool beauty maid came to be.