Horsemanship is a Maid’s Basic Skill (3)

As soon as I finished explaining that learning horsemanship would be safe, Ethan suddenly frowned as if in a bad mood.

For some reason, his face seemed tinged with a hint of anger, leaving me rather flustered by the unexpected reaction.

‘Just why is he angry…?’

What part of what I just said could possibly have upset him?

Didn’t he himself say he was worried about my injuries?

I was only suggesting a solution to that concern, so why this reaction?

Though I couldn’t quite grasp the reason, I was quick enough to read the mood.

Feeling that understanding the reason was urgent, I hurriedly asked Ethan why he seemed displeased.

“Young Master?”

“Ah, uh-huh.”

“Does my learning horsemanship from Head Butler Dietmeyer displease you in some way…?”

“Huh…?”

“If there’s another reason why this bothers you to the point of affecting your mood, could you please explain it in detail? If you tell me, I’ll correct it immediately.”

“No, it’s not exactly that, but…”

“Pardon?”

“…Let’s head inside first, maid. It’s getting late, and if we’re late for dinner, Father will be waiting.”

“…Understood, Young Master.”

With the approaching dinner time, our conversation ended in a vague, half-hearted manner.

Still unable to figure out why Ethan had been upset, I found myself caught in a small internal conflict.

…So, is it okay to learn or not?

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A few hours later.

After dinner, as the sky outside darkened and night deepened.

Having finished tidying Ethan’s room and preparing for his bedtime as usual, I remained in the room, waiting for his return.

Normally, I would have gone straight back to my own room after finishing the bedtime preparations to get an early rest for the next day.

But today, since our earlier conversation had been left unresolved, I couldn’t bring myself to leave just yet.

At the very least, I wanted to properly conclude the matter regarding the horsemanship lessons.

‘At minimum, I need a clear answer on whether I can continue learning horsemanship or not.’

…Of course, most servants in this situation would choose to obey their employer’s words and avoid pushing the matter.

After all, risking displeasure could lead to being fired or facing disadvantages in promotions later on.

But Lilith was completely immune to such concerns.

As a debt maid, she couldn’t be fired until her contract ended, and she had no intention of continuing as a maid once the three-year term was over anyway.

Though, even as a debt maid, crossing certain lines could still result in punishment rather than dismissal.

Still, it seemed unlikely Ethan would punish me just for asking about horsemanship lessons.

With these thoughts, I stood quietly in a corner of Ethan’s room, waiting for him to return.

Before long, familiar footsteps approached, and the door opened.

-Creak.

“Honestly, why would a maid suddenly want to learn horsemanship…”

“Welcome back, Young Master Ethan?”

“M-Maid?! You were still here?”

“Yes, Young Master. I had something to discuss regarding our earlier conversation, so I waited.”

“……”

He seemed to immediately realize the topic was about horsemanship.

His expression twisted into reluctance, making it clear persuasion wouldn’t be easy.

Though the exact reason was hard to guess, Ethan clearly disliked the idea of me learning horsemanship.

But for my future plans, I needed to learn how to ride-conflict was inevitable.

In other words, it was time to convince Ethan.

I had to prove that learning horsemanship wouldn’t interfere with my duties-in fact, it would benefit him.

“My desire to learn horsemanship isn’t just out of personal curiosity, Young Master.”

“……Huh?”

“As you’re now twenty-two, you’ll soon be taking on more responsibilities to succeed the Blackwood family.”

“That’s true.”

“You’ll be conducting inspections outside the estate, handling external affairs, and next year, you’ll even enroll at the academy. Naturally, you’ll be traveling by carriage much more frequently.”

“…What are you getting at, maid?”

“If I, as your personal maid, could drive the carriage, wouldn’t that be more convenient for you? You wouldn’t need to trouble Head Butler Dietmeyer unnecessarily.”

“Hmm. Personally, I think I’d prefer someone other than my maid driving.”

“……Pardon?”

“…It’s not that I don’t trust your driving. It’s just that, as my personal maid, you already attend to me-having you drive the carriage as well would make me uncomfortable.”

“Ah, I see…”

“And it’s not like I’m inconvenienced now. The estate has other coachmen besides Dietmeyer. Most handle cargo wagons, so their driving is rougher, which is why I often rely on Dietmeyer. But if needed, there are always skilled drivers available for passenger carriages.”

“……”

“So, there’s no need for Lilith to learn horsemanship just because she’s my personal maid. Not knowing how wouldn’t disqualify you from your position. Besides, situations where we’d be so desperate for a driver that we’d need a maid to step in are rare to begin with.”

…Logically, I had no rebuttal.

As Ethan said, emergencies requiring a maid to drive instead of trained coachmen were exceedingly rare.

Unless it was a special event like fleeing the Blackwood estate with just the maid to escape a duel-challenging protagonist-something that only happened in game cutscenes.

In the game, there were scenes where Lilith, who couldn’t ride, had to carry Ethan on horseback-though never by choice, always under his orders.

Convincing the current Ethan with such scenarios seemed impossible.

Unlike the game’s perverted Ethan, the one before me wasn’t the type to ride a maid-driven horse for fun.

Moreover, if he put his mind to it, he could likely learn horsemanship himself within months.

He was already busy with Harold’s swordsmanship training, but if he committed, he’d master riding and carriage-driving soon enough.

…Given all that, persuading him now seemed futile.

I’d have to learn horsemanship later, after leaving the Blackwood estate.

At least I’d gotten basic knowledge from Dietmeyer today. For now, retreating was the safer option.

“Understood, Young Master. If that is your wish, I’ll set aside my desire to learn horsemanship.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. As your personal maid, I must never forget my place. Pursuing activities that displease you would be improper.”

“It’s not that it displeases me, just that there’s no need for a maid to learn it…”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”

With the Blackwood family having plenty of horses, carriages, and coachmen, there was no need for a maid to learn horsemanship. My argument had been thoroughly dismantled.

Unless I had some unique advantage over other coachmen-which I didn’t-there was no point in insisting.

The only difference between me and other drivers would be the number of passengers-hardly a compelling reason.

“I thought that if I could drive, we could travel alone without needing additional attendants, but as you said, that’s hardly a necessity in the Blackwood household.”

“…Wait, alone?”

“Yes. As a servant, I can’t ride in a carriage driven by you. If we’re considering minimal personnel, it made sense for me to learn.”

“……”

“And in emergencies where a carriage isn’t available, we might need to ride a single horse. Of course, that would require some skill on my part.”

This Ethan wasn’t the perverted bastard from the game who’d enjoy close-contact horseback rides with Lilith.

Well, Lilith’s looks were appealing, so maybe he’d like it?

Still, even if he did, it wouldn’t be enough to overturn his decision.

The Ethan from 『Luminor Academy』 might have prioritized his lust, but the one before me wasn’t that type.

“Then I’ll take my leave, Young Master. Apologies for disturbing your rest.”

“……”

Seeing no further gain in staying, I moved toward the door.

Just as I opened it to leave, his voice called out from behind.

-Creeeak…

“M-Maid!”

“Yes?”

“Do you… still want to learn horsemanship, even a little?”

…What kind of question is this now?

Well, with the conversation already over, there was no reason to hide my feelings, so I answered honestly.

It wasn’t like my answer would change his mind anyway.

“If you’re asking whether I want to or not… I’d prefer to continue learning.”

“I see…? So you do want to keep learning…?”

“But I won’t insist if it displeases you. My duty is, above all, to serve as your personal maid.”

“……”

“It’s late, so I’ll-“

“…You can keep learning horsemanship.”

……Huh?

He’s allowing it now?

Why?

“Are you sure, Young Master? You don’t have to go out of your way to indulge me like this…”

“…It’s not about indulging you. After hearing you out, I realized it’s actually a good idea. Since you’re my personal maid, having you learn would only be beneficial.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll inform Dietmeyer, so feel free to continue. As you said, it’s good to be prepared for emergencies.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Young Master.”

“Alright. You can go rest now, maid.”

“Goodnight, Young Master.”

“Yeah, you too.”

For some reason, Ethan had finally permitted the horsemanship lessons.

Quietly celebrating his change of heart, I headed back to my room.

A small smile crept onto my face at the thought of continuing my lessons.

Talking it out had been the right choice after all.

…Though I still didn’t understand why Ethan’s mood had shifted so abruptly, it didn’t matter now.

No need to overthink it. A win’s a win.