episode_0088

“…Me, as your exclusive maid?”

As soon as I heard Isabel mutter a sentence in response to Edan, I was engulfed in such a shocking sensation that I wanted to collapse on the floor.

‘Isabel… Edan’s exclusive maid…?’

A momentary, unsettling thought brushed through my mind.

As I considered the possibility of Isabel becoming Edan’s exclusive maid, my mind was so consumed with various complex emotions that I couldn’t think straight.

Apart from the shock of Isabel potentially taking my place as his exclusive maid, I felt incredibly foolish for not having predicted this simplest yet most rational possibility.

‘When I think about it, it’s just natural.’

Even though three years had passed since she became Edan’s exclusive maid, how many times had I actually behaved like a proper maid in his personal service?

Tidying up the bed and cleaning the room? Those were tasks that any maid in the mansion could do, not just an exclusive maid.

Accompanying him to meals or external activities? That was an obligation that an exclusive maid should fulfill from the start, not something I had done on my own.

However, as I realized the countless possibilities of Edan not wanting me as his exclusive maid, my heart started pounding like crazy.

Who would want to make a woman who tried to strangle them and curse at them in a whisper their exclusive maid?

Moreover, considering how many times I had ignored Edan’s words and acted impulsively, maybe he had already felt a headache just from my presence in his mind, so it wouldn’t be strange at all.

‘Perhaps every time I asked to be his exclusive maid at the academy, he kept avoiding it…’

It was a moment of understanding when I realized that maybe he didn’t want me around and was taking this opportunity to drop me altogether.

Of course, trying to push a brazen facade of working properly now wouldn’t be convincing at all.

Edan had already been planning to appoint Isabel as the next exclusive maid around the time my contract was ending.

And you know what’s even funnier?

If the roles were reversed, and I were Edan, I would have chosen Isabel over Lilith as the exclusive maid without a doubt.

In terms of household chores, Isabel would probably do a hundred times better than me.

Moreover, her personality. Isabel’s kindness and warmth towards everyone, unlike my self-centered nature, made her a much better fit for the role.

And what about appearance? Even if Lilith had a slight advantage according to the game’s official settings, let’s call it a draw since Isabel was cute.

And even if Lilith had a slight edge in appearance, that wasn’t a virtue that an exclusive maid should possess in the first place.

In short, the moment Isabel and I competed for Edan’s exclusive maid position, my defeat was practically 100% guaranteed.

In the end, it meant that I would have to give up the position of Edan’s exclusive maid to Isabel and enter the academy as a mediocre noble daughter with various tricks up her sleeve.

“…Could you give me some time to think, Lord Edan?”

“Sure. But I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible.”

“Yes…”

As negative thoughts swirled in my mind, the conversation between Edan and Isabel behind the wall seemed to be coming to an end.

After confirming that Edan had completely disappeared upstairs while hiding, I quietly approached Isabel, who was left alone.

I had to somehow ask her to give up the position of Edan’s exclusive maid.

“Even Master Eden is like that. Even if you don’t consult with Lillis, suddenly asking a question like this…”

“…What did you talk about with Master Eden, Isabelle?”

“Ah! L-Lillis?!”

Isabelle was startled by my voice popping out of the square and fell backward.

I quickly grabbed her arm and waist as she almost fell to the ground while stumbling.

Thanks to that, her body leaned slightly against me, barely avoiding falling over.

“Th-thank you, Lillis….”

“What did you talk about with Master Eden, Isabelle?”

“L-Lillis? Why are you suddenly…?”

“Answer the question, Isabelle.”

“L-Lillis…. Your eyes look scary today….”

Isabelle avoided eye contact as if she didn’t know how to respond to my firm question.

Come to think of it, asking her like this was probably a difficult question for Isabelle.

A veteran maid like Isabelle wouldn’t casually gossip about the affairs inside the mansion. Handling the events inside the mansion was the top priority for a servant.

So, it was only natural for me to ask questions that she had to answer.

Anyway, with just the last conversation, we could understand the situation without asking what they talked about.

“It was about the head maid, Isabelle?”

“I-I heard, Lillis…?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“I see….”

As soon as Isabelle showed an attitude that she had already heard the conversation, her reaction softened a bit.

Looking into Isabelle’s eyes, I directly asked her about the proposal that Eden had made to her.

I wasn’t one to beat around the bush, and I didn’t have the mental capacity to ask indirectly.

“Will you accept Master Eden’s proposal?”

“What does Lillis think?”

“Why are you asking me about that, Isabelle?”

“W-well, it’s not just my opinion that matters, it’s important to hear Lillis’s opinion too! I was planning to ask you anyway….”

…But Isabelle had her own sense of loyalty. Instead of immediately accepting Eden’s proposal to become his head maid, she first sought my opinion as the original head maid.

Normally, the in-game Lillis would probably not care about her own opinion and just give a positive response to what Isabelle wanted to do.

Unfortunately, the current situation wasn’t as good for me to act as the ‘kind girl Lillis.’

Facing Isabelle, who was waiting for my answer with a tense expression, I honestly conveyed my feelings.

“Tell me honestly? Or do you want me to beat around the bush?”

“H-honestly….”

“I want you to reject Master Eden’s proposal.”

“…What?”

“I hope you didn’t accept the proposal regarding the head maid that Master Eden mentioned.”

“….”

“I just asked you to be honest.”

Isabelle’s expression stiffened instantly at my proposal to reject Master Eden’s head maid position.

It wasn’t pleasant to see her disappointed expression, but no matter what, the situation was unavoidable at the moment.

“I see…. Lillis thinks it would be uncomfortable for me to become the head maid….”

“…It’s not just for that reason that I’m asking you to reject it.”

“T-then why…? Can you tell me why I shouldn’t become the head maid…?”

“…I’m sorry, Isabelle.”

“….”

“The position of Master Eden’s head maid is essential to me.”

After explaining the reason for rejecting the head maid position, Isabelle suddenly showed a strange reaction.

For some reason, her expression, which seemed like it would burst into tears any moment, changed into a bewildered look this time.

I explained in detail to Isabelle the reason why I asked her to give up the position of Edan’s exclusive maid, not wanting to incur her resentment.

“I, I’m going to enter the academy next year, Isabelle.”

“Oh, um… I just heard about that from the young master…”

“Thanks to the young master’s care, I was able to enter as a noble. Even though I’m a lower noble.”

“T-that’s also thanks to the young master…”

“Do you think the noble students from other academies will leave a lowly noble like me alone with no connections?”

“Uh, probably not…?”

“So, it’s necessary for me. The position of Edan’s exclusive maid. I’m confessing this honestly to you without telling the young master.”

“Oh, um… But, Lilith, the exclusive maid that the young master mentioned to me…”

“Please reject it, Isabelle. I know it’s shameless and audacious to make this request, but I must be Edan’s exclusive maid while attending the academy.”

“….”

Isabelle, rolling her eyes in confusion as if unsure of what to say.

She seemed to be pondering what to answer, judging by her reaction.

After a moment of silence, Isabelle’s response, thankfully, was the most joyous news for me.

“I never even thought about Edan’s exclusive maid position from the beginning…”

“R-really?!”

“Yeah. And I was going to tell you because it seemed like Lilith was misunderstanding something. The exclusive maid offer from Edan was…”

“Isabelle~!! You’re truly my best friend!”

“Huh, huh?! L-Lilith?!”

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I couldn’t help but embrace Isabelle with all my body.

Isabelle, buried in my arms all of a sudden, called my name with a slightly flustered voice.

“Huh…! L-Lilith, so, what the young master said was…!”

“Isabelle, thank you! I will never forget this kindness!”

“Wait, Lilith! Where are you suddenly going this time?!”

“Just to make sure you don’t have a hard time rejecting the young master, I will firmly persuade him! Instead of you as the exclusive maid to be hired at the academy, take me!”

“No, Lilith! That’s a misunderstanding from the beginning…!”

Deciding to check Isabelle’s words from downstairs later, I quickly ran upstairs to Edan’s room.

Before Isabelle’s resolve wavered, I had to somehow get a definite answer from Edan to hire me.