The Calm Before the Storm (2)

After all the nobles who had approached in attempts to somehow connect with the Blackwood family retreated at Ethan’s single remark.

Having quietly secured a spot in a corner of the now-silent banquet hall, Ethan and I continued our conversation in that secluded area.

Since Ethan had used the excuse of wanting to spend time alone with his partner to dismiss others, I thought it would be better to maintain the atmosphere of interaction between us for a while longer.

“Isn’t it a bit too secluded to be in such a corner during this social gathering, Ed?”

“…You’re still using that nickname even when we’re alone.”

“Well, since the imperial palace has many unseen eyes and ears, we should be careful by default, right? Or perhaps you’ve suddenly become uncomfortable with me calling you that now, Ed?”

“Ah, no… That’s not what I meant.”

That wasn’t what he meant, huh? His expression clearly showed how awkward he felt about it.

Somehow, finding Ethan’s weak point after so long gave me a strangely pleasant feeling.

‘There’s no way he could bring himself to ask me to stop calling him that.’

After all, he was the one who asked me to play the role of his fiancée, and it would be strange for him to stop me from fully immersing myself in that role.

In fact, Ethan should be grateful to me for this situation.

What kind of maid would have the audacity to casually create a nickname for a noble young master and play the role of his fiancée?

Considering the potential for accusations of disrespect, even lower nobles would hesitate to do such a thing, let alone an ordinary maid.

As his exclusive maid who had watched him grow up, I could boldly pull off such a stunt.

The characters in Luminor Academy may vary in personality, but most are well-crafted with strong consistency.

Even though Ethan was originally a villain, he remained consistent to the end with his conviction of “I’ll never give up Lilith, even if it costs me my life.”

Given everything I’d done to Ethan so far, creating a nickname was hardly the most extreme thing-it would be odd for him to get angry about this now.

‘Though I was occasionally startled when he got angry over unexpected things.’

But since I’d already figured out that even those outbursts were politically motivated, there was nothing to fear.

After exchanging words about the nickname, leaving Ethan standing awkwardly beside me, I scanned the Evening Rose Hall, continuing my primary motive for attending tonight’s masquerade.

To spot prospective new students-in other words, characters presumed to appear in Luminor Academy.

Of course, even if I found them, actually engaging in conversation or interaction would be impossible given my status.

But at least I could admire them from afar. Since I was in this game’s world, I might as well enjoy as much of it as possible.

Since I wouldn’t be enrolling in the academy, I couldn’t experience the main story-so I had to make the most of the game’s elements this way.

However, even with my keen “gamer’s eye,” finding characters other than the August siblings proved quite difficult.

Naturally, even characters who should have been present were nowhere to be seen, which inevitably raised questions in my mind.

‘At the very least, Agnes the Inferno should have attended.’

Agnes Elizabeth Blaze.

As I’d mentioned earlier, some might have already guessed-this character was, of course, also from Luminor Academy.

Not just any character, but one of the main heroines, popular enough that even non-romance players would recruit her for her combat prowess.

As her epithet “Inferno” suggested, she specialized in fire magic, and in this world, mages were naturally noble heroines.

Of course, I wasn’t assuming she attended just because she was a noble.

I only mentioned it because, given Agnes’s background, her participation was highly likely.

‘Agnes is from a branch family of the Elizabeths, and since she relies on the main family’s support for her magic training, she can’t defy their orders.’

Though crowded, bothersome gatherings like this were among Agnes’s least favorite places, she knew better than to oppose the main family.

Especially since this masquerade was a royal event, it took clear precedence over other gatherings-the Elizabeth marquis family would undoubtedly have received an invitation.

So while other characters might be absent, Agnes should have definitely been here.

As I scanned the dancing crowd, wondering if she might be among them, Ethan’s quiet voice came from my left.

“Lily.”

“……”

“…Lily?”

“…Wait, were you calling me by that name just now, Ed?”

“……Yeah.”

…For a second, I thought he’d met someone with a similar name.

Though, given that until recently, Ethan had an appearance quite distant from such social events, it was unlikely he had noble acquaintances his age who’d recognize him by face.

Unless he’d secretly made a pen pal somewhere, but that didn’t seem like his style.

Besides, as his exclusive maid, I handled all his correspondence-there was no way I wouldn’t know.

“So, what about Lily?”

“…Lily said this would be better.”

“Huh?”

“You said in the carriage that if we’re pretending to be engaged, it’d be better to use a more familiar nickname. And you’ve been calling me Ed all this time too.”

“……Ah.”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

He’d been enduring the awkwardness of being called a nickname all this time, and now he thought it was unfair that he was the only one suffering.

So he decided to boldly call me by a nickname too.

…That’s kind of cute.

Did he think I’d get flustered if he called me by a nickname?

Unfortunately for Ethan, that wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t the type to get awkward over something like that.

Calmly, I replied, giving him permission to call me whatever he wanted.

“That’s a nice nickname, Ed.”

“R-Really?”

“If you want to call me Lily, go ahead. Not that it’ll stop me from calling you Ed, though.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

“…Don’t mention it, Ed.”

……Somehow.

…It’s hard to explain why, but I feel strangely embarrassed.

Even though it’s just one letter removed from “Lilith,” it suddenly feels like Ethan and I have grown much closer.

In fact, it’s making me feel a bit flushed.

Now I kind of understand why Ethan acted so awkward whenever I called him Ed.

If he felt like this every time, his reactions make sense.

Of course, I wouldn’t make as big a deal out of it as he did, and I definitely wouldn’t stop calling him Ed.

Never stop calling him Ed. The one who gives up first loses.

“By the way, Lily.”

“…What is it, Ed?”

“If you don’t mind, would you like to dance…?”

Just as Ethan, looking somewhat nervous, was about to make some kind of suggestion-

His words were abruptly cut off by a voice coming from the opposite side.

“…*giggle*, here you are. I finally found you.”

‘…Ah.’

…Even before seeing her face, I could already picture this character in my mind-why was that?

Of course, as a heavy player of Luminor Academy, it was only natural.

A main character who had to accompany me for nearly 1,000 of my 2,000 total playtime, and one of the main heroines alongside Lilith.

Hearing her voice, which I’d grown so familiar with it had become tiresome, I instantly knew which character had appeared.

When I turned my head, there she was-Princess Seraphine, standing as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Greetings, nameless noble and lady.”

‘Wait, didn’t you just say you finally found us?’

Perhaps wanting to maintain the masquerade’s theme, Seraphine shamelessly greeted us as if we were strangers.

Given that, the response Ethan and I had to give was practically predetermined.

“…Greetings, nameless noble lady.”

“…Pleasure to meet you, beautiful lady.”

Simply responding in a way that matched Seraphine’s masquerade theme.

A third-rate noble would foolishly recognize Princess Seraphine and start introducing themselves out of excitement.

Since she had planned this masquerade herself, she likely took joy in “interacting without pretense.”

By opening with “nameless noble and lady,” she was practically broadcasting the kind of interaction she wanted.

Anyone with sense would naturally play along.

Fortunately, both Ethan and I were perceptive enough, and neither of us was the type to make a fuss just because we recognized Seraphine.

‘Well, I had a feeling she’d come looking eventually.’

Since Ethan had explicitly announced my attendance in advance, Seraphine would naturally want to confirm it herself.

Whether a noble had truly brought a commoner maid as his partner to her event.

Given her personality, she’d insist on verifying such things firsthand.

That aside…

‘Damn, she’s really fucking beautiful.’

Though she wore a mask covering her eyes like everyone else, Seraphine’s beauty was beyond what such a mask could conceal.

The rest of her face was visible, and even the hidden parts seemed to radiate through the mask.

It was like witnessing luminosity in human form.

Anyone who failed to recognize Seraphine despite this might as well have had slime cores for eyes.

‘Calm down, Lilith. Even though it’s my first time meeting a main heroine, there’s no need to be nervous.’

I’ve seen plenty of game characters by now, right? Isabelle, Ethan, the August siblings-they’re all game characters too.

Of course, Seraphine was a core character and main heroine who appeared throughout the main story, putting her in a different league-but the same could be said for Lilith.

So there was no need to panic. Just respond naturally without making it awkward…

“Oh, the weather is really~ nice today, isn’t it…?!”

“……?”

“……?”

Ah, fuck.

This idiot, seriously.

Not only did I open with a topic that would make anyone cringe, but I also delivered it in an obviously forced tone.

Naturally, the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

“…Lily, isn’t that topic a bit out of place? It’s already nighttime-not exactly weather-talk hours.”

“…*cough*, you’ve brought quite the… interesting partner, I see… um, nameless noble sir…”

Ethan looked at me with pity, while Seraphine turned her head away, struggling to hold back laughter.

Since they both knew I was just a commoner maid, their reactions carried a strange sense of consideration-which only deepened my self-loathing.

I seriously want to die, damn it…