episode_0126

Academy Swordsmanship Department Building, 2nd Outdoor Training Ground.

-Whizz, whizz, whizz!

Ethan Richard Blackwood, the illegitimate son of the Blackwood Ducal Family, was diligently swinging his sword in the second afternoon class, “Fundamentals of Concentration,” the sound of his sword cutting through the air echoing in the training ground along with the wind.

Unlike his usual fighting style of dual-wielding swords, Ethan was solely focusing on wielding a two-handed sword in a frontal manner, but he didn’t harbor any complaints about this class.

In swordsmanship, the element of concentration was always a training that needed to be cultivated, and in the process, whether one wielded a greatsword or dual swords was not that important.

Only Natalie, the 3rd ranked in the Swordsmanship Department who usually wielded Estoc, was struggling a bit during the over two-hour session of swinging and concentration.

Wielding dual swords meant that there was considerable pressure on each arm, so for Ethan, it was a good opportunity to concentrate with just the right amount of weight.

Especially considering the recent confusion caused by Lillith in his mind, even this simple concentration training was essential for him.

“A little… I, I agree….”

A shy confession Lillith made a month ago while they were working together at night.

Though it was a short statement spoken in a soft voice, Ethan clearly heard and remembered when Lillith said she felt good when his hand touched her.

“…!!”

-Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

Was that Lillith’s shy confession to him in her own way?

Or was she just honestly talking about a physical reaction?

One thing was certain, her response was the most positive one he had seen from her during their time working together at night.

As a result, Ethan had been thinking about Lillith more frequently in the past month.

Until now, Ethan believed that Lillith had only hidden or suppressed her feelings when his hand touched her chest, and she had never directly shown him any favor in that regard.

Even when she took his hand to her lips, she didn’t get angry, so maybe she didn’t even realize she was expecting more from him.

If their current chest touching led to further progress, maybe next time….

-Whack!

“Ethan! Your focus is wavering! Concentrate!”

“Yes! I’m sorry!”

After being hit on the back of the head by the instructor’s wooden sword, Ethan snapped back to attention, hastily pushing away the image of Lillith’s face in his mind and focusing solely on his sword and energy to continue swinging.

At that moment, Ethan had no idea about what was happening with Lillith.

Apart from those excluded, there were already quite a few people aiming for Lillith, avoiding his gaze and approaching her.

***

At a café in the central square of the academy.

In a group of three, one person had left, leaving the remaining two female students to sit quietly and talk.

“Hmm, it’s a shame he declined.”

“….”

“To be honest, I had some expectations. I just asked to confirm, but I never expected him to say he did it to uphold his ‘loyalty’ to Master Ethan.”

“….”

“I even left the position of exclusive maid open in the hopes of keeping him by my side, but in the end, to just get a definite answer like this… It’s been a while since things didn’t go according to plan, so it’s a bit awkward.”

With a self-deprecating smile, the golden-haired princess in front of her took a sip of tea from the cup in front of her.

Sitting across from her, the azure-haired chamberlain, Byungbaek Yeongae, maintained a quiet silence, simply listening to her words.

As she waited for her escort to return for their conversation, Seraphine commented on the taste of the black tea in her cup.

“Is this a blend of Nilgiri base, Darjeeling, and Assam? It’s quite a good blending for something sold in the academy cafeteria…”

“…It’s because of the princess.”

“Pardon?”

“If I had just a little more time, I could have convinced her to come over to our side! Even if the princess hadn’t interfered!”

“Is that so? Weren’t you planning to talk to her today?”

“….”

“And even if I hadn’t intervened, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different. Perhaps Liji’s hesitation would have shifted a few weeks later, but that’s about it.”

Unable to refute Seraphine’s cold assessment, Liji simply washed away the bitterness in her mouth with a sip of her blended tea.

“I didn’t see this as my only chance this time. Bringing her, who already has an owner, as a full-time maid would have been difficult. …But if that had happened, it would have been the best outcome.”

“Is that so?”

“And I don’t think Liji will give up just yet.”

“….I’m not sure.”

“You don’t have to avoid my gaze. We can predict well enough what Liji’s next move to approach Rilise will be.”

Putting on a relaxed expression to hide her regretful emotions, Seraphine smiled casually, taking the upper hand in the conversation with Liji, who couldn’t hide all the emotions that crossed her face and avoided the princess’s gaze.

In the cafe where only the two women remained, the bitter scent of coffee left behind by the princess lingered in the air.

As Luke, Seraphine’s escort who had returned from a late “walk,” approached his mistress with a puzzled expression, she assured him that nothing was wrong.

“I was just hoping for something ‘interesting’ to happen, that’s all.”

“….”

“Well, meeting her today was just a rare opportunity. Since it might be difficult to capture her during this semester, we should aim for the student council president election next semester.”

“Understood.”

Confirming that things didn’t go well, Luke tried to cheer up Seraphine and walked back to the cafe with her.

However, Seraphine was already thinking of something else in her mind, and as Luke noticed her strange gaze, a sense of unease began to creep into his heart.

“The biggest problem is that we need to fill the empty position of the full-time maid.”

“…Is that so, Your Highness.”

“The issue is that bringing in an external full-time maid requires approval from the academy. We can bring one in starting next semester, but we didn’t register the position for this semester.”

“….”

“We’re only halfway through this semester, so what should we do, Luke?”

“…I’m not sure.”

Actually, Luke knew.

He knew what command would come from her lips soon.

“Luke.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Today, let’s go out to the city and get a tailored uniform for Luminoir Academy. A women’s suit that fits your physique.”

“Understood.”

“Should I add maid frills to the sleeves like Lily’s clothes? And also a head dress and lace cuffs….”

“…Mm, d-don’t… bother…”

Luke, who unintentionally became a full-time maid from a bodyguard due to an incident caused by Lily.

Unbeknownst to Lily, Luke couldn’t help but harbor more resentment towards her in his heart.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Swordsmanship Department building. Men’s changing room.

Among the male students drenched in sweat after the second afternoon class, Ethan, who changed from training clothes to school uniform a little faster than the others, left the changing room.

“I’ll go ahead. See you all tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Master Blackwood.”

“Haha, be careful, Master Ethan!”

After chatting with other students in the Swordsmanship Department, Ethan walked out of the training ground with slightly quicker steps.

Even after a tiring class, his steps were light as a feather as he thought about her waiting for him at the usual time.

As he passed the men’s changing room and headed towards the main building of the Swordsmanship Department, he could meet his full-time maid, Lily.

“Lily.”

“…Has the class ended, Master Ethan?”

“Yeah, it’s over.”

“As I mentioned yesterday, today is the regular closing day for the dormitory cafeteria. So, we should buy food from a nearby store and go back. Isabelle is probably waiting for us.”

“Yeah, it’s better to go back quickly.”

“…Yes.”

“…?”

Unlike usual, Lily’s response seemed a beat late for some reason today.

Ethan, who had been watching Lily by his side for a long time, could immediately sense that her attitude was slightly different from usual.

Feeling a bit anxious, Ethan cautiously asked his full-time maid.

“Lily.”

“…Yes, Master Ethan.”

“Do you have something on your mind? You seem a bit worried today.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“If it’s not something on your mind… do you have something to say to me?”

“….”

“Lily?”

“If there’s something I want to say to Master Ethan, there is something.”

Feeling a fearful emotion as if his heart was crumbling at Lily’s response, the Master of the Blackwood family.

For some reason, Ethan felt a bit scared of the strange aura he felt from her, but he didn’t want to avoid Lily’s words that she wanted to convey to him.

Ethan, who was hesitating, asked Lily carefully.

“Lily.”

“…Yes, Master Ethan.”

“What do you want to say? Is it…?”

Was she suddenly going to say that she wants to quit as his full-time maid?

Or is she going to say that she wants to transfer to the Magic Department dormitory because she finds the current dorm life uncomfortable?

Either way, it was not a pleasant thought, so Ethan hesitated about how to react if such a response came back.

However, what came out of Lily’s mouth was a response that reassured him instead.

“Master Ethan.”

“…Yeah.”

“Please continue to rely on me as your full-time maid in the future.”

“…Huh?”

“Just, I just wanted to convey that.”

“…Ah, yeah. I’ll also rely on you, Lily.”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

It wasn’t the answer he expected, but that’s why the Master of the Blackwood family reacted with relief.

Confirming his reaction quietly, Lily gathered her resolve once again in her heart.

Indeed, this place seems to be the most comfortable place for her, more than anyone else’s side.