episode_0157

A sudden picnic with Edan began during the afternoon teatime.

In a slightly awkward atmosphere, Edan and I quietly clinked our glasses.

-Clunk.

The two wooden glasses containing red wine collided between us, making a dull sound.

Although the glasses for wine were somewhat plain, it was not easy to find glass or ceramic wine glasses in a place like this.

Especially glass glasses were difficult to come by, no matter how expensive they were.

It was quite impressive that Edan managed to find wine glasses and wooden glasses in such a short time. It almost seemed like he had prepared in advance for this moment.

‘…Well, probably not.’

As Edan’s personal maid, I spent most of my time with him. If he had planned something strange, I would have noticed it right away.

Whether it was just buying cheese for a picnic or suddenly buying wine to accompany it, if he had planned it in advance, there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed.

Above the spread-out paper bag, with bite-sized pieces of cheese placed between us, Edan and I took a sip of wine.

Feeling a bit light-headed as the alcohol entered my empty stomach.

“How is it, Relise?”

“…I’m not sure. Today is actually my first time encountering wine.”

“Even so, it seemed like you were savoring the aroma while drinking.”

“…I just tried to imitate what other nobles do.”

Of course, the fact that it was my first time encountering wine was a blatant lie.

Wine wasn’t really an expensive drink in reality. Although most of my drinking in my past life was beer.

“Although it’s my first time trying it, personally, I think it’s quite good. It’s a bit heavier than the cocktails I had at the ball before, but the lack of sweetness makes the aftertaste cleaner.”

“…Are you sure it’s your first time trying it?”

“Yes, I am.”

To avoid Edan’s suspicious gaze, I deliberately picked up a piece of cheese placed between us and pretended to eat it.

As I was about to put a piece of cheese that seemed to be cheddar into my mouth, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Is it better to feed Edan first than me?’

Even though I came out today not as his personal maid but as a noble lady, there was still a certain class difference between Edan and me.

Even though I wasn’t his maid anymore, the class difference between us hadn’t completely disappeared.

Unable to put the cheese back after picking it up, I naturally reached out my hand towards Edan, as if I had planned it from the beginning.

“Here, Edan.”

“…Hm?”

“If you drink on an empty stomach, it’s not good. You should have some snacks with it.”

“…Ah, okay. Thank you, Relise.”

With a slightly awkward reaction, Edan took the piece of cheese from my hand and brought it to his mouth.

For some reason, his face turned slightly red as he ate the snack I gave him.

…Well, since I already fed him one bite, there’s nothing to say if I eat now.

With that thought in mind, I quietly picked up another piece of cheese and brought it to my mouth.

The savory and tangy scent of the cheese spread quietly in my mouth.

‘This is actually quite good.’

I was someone who had only tried cheese in burgers or pizzas, but I could distinguish that the cheese in my mouth was quite delicious.

Come to think of it, the cheese in this world is not much different from authentic cheese eaten locally, as distributing it far away without making it on-site must be a difficult task.

For that reason, it might be natural to find it delicious.

With a slight lingering stickiness on my palate, I took a sip of wine and let it flow into my mouth.

The lingering saltiness and the sharp scent of the wine seemed to harmonize strangely as they swirled on my tongue.

“Mmm.”

“…?”

It was the first proper drink I had in almost a year, no, almost two years. If you call a cocktail at a masquerade party a drink, that is.

Come to think of it, I hardly had any memories of drinking properly in this world. Being in the position of a maid exclusively for the nobleman, drinking was not an easy thing, after all.

Starting to feel slightly uplifted by the taste of the proper drink after a long time, Ethan looked at me with a somewhat curious expression.

“Lilith, are you drunk?”

“No, Ethan. I’m not weak enough to get drunk with just half a glass of wine.”

“…How do you know if it’s your first time drinking?”

“Just, a gut feeling.”

“You seem drunk though….”

Ethan mumbled something looking at me, but it didn’t seem important, so I let it slide.

Above all, I wanted to focus on the remaining wine and snacks in front of me.

For the second snack, I pushed a piece of cheese with holes (presumed to be a service from the cheese shop owner) into my mouth.

Along with a slight bitterness, a strong flavor filled my mouth.

And right after that, I finished by drinking the remaining wine in the glass.

The slightly uplifted feeling from the alcohol entering my body after a long time wasn’t that bad. It seemed like a bit of drowsiness due to a slightly full stomach was also coming along.

“Lilith, you surprisingly like alcohol.”

“…No. If I don’t show that I’m enjoying it properly, wouldn’t Ethan, who bought the wine, be disappointed?”

“Even so, you seem to be drinking quite enthusiastically.”

“…How about you drink a bit more, Ethan? They all go well with wine.”

“I’m fine just watching you, Lilith. Should I pour you another glass since there’s wine left?”

“…Just one more glass.”

“Okay, okay.”

Unlike the first glass that was only half full, this time Ethan filled about three-quarters of the glass.

I noticed the increased amount, but I just accepted it without making a fuss.

It’s not like I can put it back in the bottle just because it’s too much.

“Here, Lilith. Try this too.”

“Yes?”

“You haven’t tried cheddar cheese earlier, right? It’s delicious too.”

With those words, Ethan handed me a piece of thick yellow cheese.

As the cheese piece came right in front of my eyes, I thanked him and without any second thoughts, I ate the cheese he offered.

“Thank you, Ethan. …Hmm.”

“…Huh? Huh?!”

“Ugh…. This is quite good too. It’s savory, has a nice salty taste to it.”

“Ah, uh, uh…”

“…?”

For some reason, Ethan suddenly looked flustered and quickly withdrew the hand that had handed me the cheese.

Feeling something was off, I glanced at his face, and there he was, avoiding my gaze with a blush that was several times redder than usual.

…He hasn’t even finished one glass yet. Was he the type who couldn’t handle alcohol well?

With those thoughts in mind, I emptied the contents of the second cup that had been refilled, enjoying the sudden picnic that had started with full force.

Edan’s voice calling me in a serious tone casually reached my ears.

“Lilith.”

“Yes, Edan.”

“…I have something serious I want to talk to you about, will you listen?”

“…Yes?”

As the buzz in my head started to clear, my eyes shook with confusion.

In contrast, Edan’s eyes meeting mine were more serious than anyone else’s.

“Lilith.”

“…Yes.”

“Actually, I’ve had something I wanted to tell you for a long time.”

No, please don’t.

I’m not sure what it is, but please don’t say it for now.

“If I don’t tell you now, it will only be delayed further.”

“…I see.”

It’s okay to delay it for a lifetime.

No, at least until I graduate from the academy.

“Actually, it seems like it’s already too late, but I’ll say it clearly this time. If you’re okay with it, from today on, our relationship…”

“Edan, wait a moment.”

“Lilith?”

Before more dangerous content could come out, I interrupted Edan’s words and quickly scanned the surroundings.

The lakeside promenade bench on a weekend afternoon. The atmosphere was not crowded to the point of madness, but it wasn’t completely empty either, with an average population density.

If there was anyone among them who could recognize the academy students or me and Edan, the current conversation would be awkward in many ways.

It would be a perfect situation for rumors to spread that the Blackwood Viscount’s exclusive maid, the junior viscount’s beloved, had rejected the nobleman she served without fear.

To smoothly reject Edan’s response, it was necessary to move to a place where there would be no problem even if some disturbance occurred.

“I understand that you have something to say, Edan. But before that, would you mind going to a place where it’s just the two of us?”

“A place where it’s just the two of us?”

“Yes, somewhere where no one else can see or hear us.”

There were too many people here to share a “serious conversation.”

When Edan showed some emotions towards me and I responded, there was a possibility that someone could spread second or third-hand rumors.

High-ranking people’s love stories were good gossip fodder that could go up and down people’s mouths even as times changed.

Moreover, there had already been a similar rumor about me and Edan at the academy. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

“A place where it’s just the two of us, where would that be?”

“Well, that’s… the problem is that in this situation, the only place where it’s just the two of us would be a guest room at an inn.”

If I were to abruptly enter a room like a double room at an inn to hear the story, it would practically be the same as giving Edan permission to speak.

Somehow, I needed to find a place where we could talk privately without Edan doing anything reckless.

“Boat rental station.”

“Oh…!”

…Yes, no matter how bold Edan was, he wouldn’t try anything extreme on the lake.

With that thought in mind, I pointed to the sign of the boat rental station that caught my eye in a hurry.

“What about there, Edan?”

“A boat rental station?”

“If we’re on the lake, we can talk without worrying about other people listening. I think it’s a good place to have an important conversation. What do you think?”

“Well, that’s not a bad idea.”

Successfully interrupting Edan’s words and leading him to a place where only the two of us could be, was a moment of success.

Now, there would be no need to worry about others seeing or hearing us, so I just needed to reject him gracefully.

And if possible, provide as much explanation as possible for Edan to understand.

In order to continue my full-time maid life with Ethan without it becoming awkward, this seemed like the most rational decision.

“….”

Ethan looked at the boat rental place I pointed to with a meaningful gaze.

Up until that moment, I still didn’t know.

That the boat we were heading towards, the place where I had led Ethan, would become, in many ways, a ‘place where I couldn’t escape’.