episode_0169

The morning after spending the night in bed with Edan for the first time in a while.

“Ha, hah… ”

Feeling a lingering fatigue from not being able to fall into a deep sleep all night, I unconsciously let out a yawn that slipped out of my mouth.

Edan, who quietly observed my appearance, turned a slightly worried gaze towards me and asked.

“Lilith, are you okay? You seem unusually tired today.”

“I’m fine, Lord Edan. I apologize.”

“If you’re tired, how about taking another day off?”

“Thank you for your suggestion, but taking more time off from the academy may affect my studies. Also, as your exclusive maid, I may not be able to assist you smoothly.”

“If Lilith says so, I won’t insist.”

…I wonder who is the cause of my fatigue in the first place.

Being conscious all night that Edan was sleeping next to me made it difficult for me to fall asleep. Despite being undeniably tired due to various reasons.

Until now, whether Edan or Isabelle slept next to me, I could fall asleep comfortably without a second thought.

Just adding a temporary relationship as lovers, I couldn’t help but worry that Edan might attack me while I was asleep.

After various thoughts, I finally managed to fall asleep around 3-4 in the morning.

As the exclusive maid’s wake-up time was 6 in the morning, a few hours of sleep wouldn’t completely relieve my fatigue.

In the midst of this, I forced myself to get up and crawled out of bed this morning.

“… ”

“Lilith, is there something on my face?”

“No, there isn’t.”

“…But why have you been staring at my face so intently since earlier?”

“Is there a reason why I can’t stare intently, Lord Edan?”

“…Huh?”

“Although temporary, aren’t we currently in a relationship as lovers, Lord Edan?”

“Oh, right… Sorry, Lilith. I asked something strange.”

If I were to say that I would use a different bed now or install a canopy curtain on the bed, it would definitely seem suspicious.

Maybe I mistakenly thought that I was being conscious of myself and made a confident expression like last time.

If I had known, I should have installed a canopy curtain during the first semester when we were not yet in a relationship. At that time, there would have been enough reason to secure privacy space.

I didn’t know that sharing the same bed would be so awkward.

Originally, until just a few days ago, I couldn’t even imagine becoming like lovers with Edan, so it was inevitable.

“Don’t fall asleep during the morning classes, Lilith. I’ll be going to the Magic Department building for lunch, so wait for me.”

“Yes, understood.”

My heart still seemed to mistake what happened on the lake as a feeling of love, and I couldn’t stop my heart from fluttering in front of Edan.

After parting ways at the crossroads, I walked towards the Magic Department building with a calmer heart.

The bed issue… I’ll figure it out somehow as time goes by.

***

Although an awkward relationship as temporary lovers had been added between Edan and me, his attitude did not change noticeably compared to before.

We had meals together during lunchtime as usual, spent the remaining time chatting while taking a leisurely walk around the campus, and after all classes were over, we returned to the life of Lord and exclusive maid.

As I had worried, there were no sudden attempts to close the distance or unexpected skinship to embarrass me.

…As temporary lovers, I was prepared to accept some boldness from him to some extent.

It was inevitable that the overwhelming amount of time spent in a master-servant relationship rather than a romantic one would lead to this.

Until now, I hadn’t really thought of us as lovers, so if suddenly asked to act like lovers, even I, Lily, would have been taken aback.

At least in this world, Edan, who I observed closely, had never experienced a romantic relationship, so it was natural that he was not familiar with how to handle women.

-Thud, thud, thud…

“Ah, Lily. Come over here.”

“…Yes, Master Edan.”

…Yet, despite maintaining the manners of a romantic relationship in this peculiar way, it couldn’t help but feel frustrating.

While I appreciated Edan’s small consideration in guiding me inside as soon as I heard the sound of hooves and carriage wheels from behind, there was something that didn’t sit right with me.

Isn’t this… usually what people do in a romantic relationship?

This almost felt like serving a lady as a maid would be no different.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit down in this strangely reversed master-servant relationship. Clearly, Edan was my master and I was his exclusive maid.

Should I just take the lead here?

Even if it meant maintaining loyalty to Edan, I had no intention of neglecting my duties as a temporary lover.

Although I had never experienced a romantic relationship in my past life, I had over 20 years of experience as a man, at least.

I knew well enough how men of our age reacted to certain behaviors of women.

…But coming on too strong from the first day of being in a romantic relationship might seem a bit tacky, so perhaps it was best to start off lightly.

-Tap.

“…L-Lily?!”

“…Please don’t make a fuss over such a small gesture, Master Edan. Holding hands is a common act between lovers, isn’t it?”

“Oh, uh, sorry, Lily. We are in a romantic relationship now, right.”

Edan needlessly raised his voice, drawing attention from those around us.

Thanks to him, my plan to casually hold hands from below was ruined, but letting go of his hand now would be a blow to my pride.

So, I purposely held on a bit tighter to prevent accidentally letting go.

-Squeeze.

“….”

“….”

Whether it was the warmth from Edan’s hand that I felt, or the slight blush on my face, we didn’t exchange a single glance as we walked slowly to the student council room.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Welcome, Master Edan. And Miss Lily.”

“Hello, Princess Seraphine.”

“It’s been a while, Princess.”

“The weather outside seems quite cold. Both of your faces are flushed.”

“….”

“….”

After exchanging greetings with Seraphine, Edan and I entered the student council room.

As soon as we stepped inside, Luke, who had become completely accustomed to his duties as my exclusive maid, handed us each a cup of chamomile tea.

“It’s a warming tea.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

…It might make us even warmer in the current situation.

But I couldn’t bring myself to refuse Luke’s kindness, so I quietly accepted the herbal tea she offered.

As I took a sip, a pleasant warmth filled my body.

“You were early yesterday and today as well, Princess Seraphine.”

“I just arrived, Master Edan. You both came in just as I was about to start work.”

“Shall I assist with the administrative tasks starting today, Princess?”

“Yes, Lily. By the way, we didn’t have a chance to chat leisurely last time, did we? Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thanks to your concern, I’ve improved a lot.”

“I owe my life to the great hero and Serista for saving me.”

Well, that’s true. If those two weren’t there, I would have been a dead man by now.

However, I later heard that they were able to arrive at the lakeside just in time because they received a report of a kraken appearing while they were in the middle of a conversation with Seraphine.

In a way, I indirectly owe my life to the help of Luke and Seraphine.

“Luke, have you been well all this time?”

“Yes, Lilith.”

“…Are you managing well as the princess’s personal maid? I mean, are you continuing with the duties because of my refusal to accept the princess’s offer?”

“I’m not doing the personal maid duties for that reason, Lilith. So, don’t worry.”

“…Is that so?”

Thinking about the original plot, Luke, who is now working as the personal maid, seems quite awkward.

While there were a few instances of revealing a female identity in the game, it was quite rare for Luke to willingly take on the role of Seraphine’s personal maid like this.

So, I couldn’t help but wonder if Luke was doing the personal maid duties unwillingly because of my interference, but surprisingly, her response indicated that she actually enjoyed it.

“I learned a lot from our battle at the end of last semester, Lilith. Especially the fact that you have the ability to protect your master even with such skills, I gained a lot of insight.”

“Yes?”

“Not only in the role of a guard, but also in taking responsibility for every little detail of your master, you stick to the position of a personal maid. I used to think that hiding my weakness as a woman was important, but thanks to you, I was able to correct my thoughts.”

“…Yes?”

“Until then, I was foolish not to understand your thoughts, Lilith. Following your example, I have decided to become a steward who can take responsibility for every aspect of Princess Seraphine as her personal maid. Therefore, my current position is entirely my choice.”

“Oh, I see… I understand… Thank you for being honest, Luke.”

“I may have missed the right timing to apologize, but I apologize now, Lilith.”

“I accept your apology. Thank you for being honest, Luke.”

“As expected, Lilith, you are very understanding.”

It seemed like there were some serious misunderstandings from various angles, but the atmosphere shifted smoothly.

Well, if she’s happy, I don’t need to interfere.