To the Academy (2)

A carriage carrying one coachman and three passengers maintained a rather cheerful atmosphere as it headed toward the academy.

Perhaps because we had already traveled this route a week ago, the scenery felt somewhat familiar by now.

Maybe I had actually grown accustomed to the road much earlier. After all, it was a path I frequently took while playing “Luminor Academy” whenever returning to the academy.

…Though even that memory was from several years ago and was gradually fading.

Well, it wasn’t all bad since I’d grown familiar with this world’s atmosphere. After all, the world I would be living in from now on wasn’t the Korea of the past but the Argentia Empire of the present.

The carriage moved forward, brushing past scenery brimming with the fresh atmosphere of early spring.

Isabelle, unusually unable to hide her slightly excited emotions, chatted with me in an animated manner.

“Lillith, Lillith! This is my first time riding a carriage this far out!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I’ve often traveled to and from the villages within Blackwood Territory for work, but this is the first time I’ve ridden a carriage this far out.”

Well, given that Isabelle’s usual range of movement was limited to Blackwood Territory, her excitement made sense.

I deliberately avoided asking questions about her hometown or the parents she used to live with. That was also part of the general etiquette among maids.

In this world, live-in maids working for nobles were mostly those whose ties to their original hometowns or families had been severed for one reason or another.

There was no need to pry into facts that would likely just leave a bad taste. Isabelle probably wouldn’t want to hear about how my father sold me off as a debt maid because of gambling debts either.

Instead, livening up the mood with cheerful conversations about the present was a much better choice in many ways.

“You’ll probably be even more surprised when we arrive at Luminor Academy. The Island of Knowledge where the academy is located is a vast piece of land in the middle of a huge lake, connected by an incredibly long bridge.”

“An island in the middle of a lake… That sounds so beautiful…”

“It is. On clear days, the sky reflects perfectly on the lake, making it look like an island floating in the sky.”

“Wow…”

As soon as I gave a brief explanation about our destination, Isabelle’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

There had been some twists and turns before she could accompany me to the academy as my personal maid, but looking back now, it was a good thing she was coming along.

After all, with Isabelle around, I doubted I’d feel bored or gloomy during my time at the academy.

Indeed, Isabelle’s positive energy had a strange charm that spread to those around her.

“So even the usually expressionless maid smiles a lot when she’s with her friend.”

“…Was I being too loud, Young Master Ethan?”

“No, not at all. I just like seeing my maid happy. You don’t usually show that kind of cheerful smile.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah. That’s how it was.”

Though lately, there had been a lot of good news, so I think I smiled quite often.

Thinking about it, most of the times I smiled in this world were when I was chatting with Isabelle or Katarina.

Other than that, it was usually on special days-like when I leveled up or obtained the status of a baronet noble-when I chuckled to myself in my room.

Come to think of it, aside from the fake smile during our first meeting, this might have been the first time I showed a genuine smile in front of Ethan.

…Though I’d probably shown him plenty of embarrassed expressions by now.

“Would you prefer it if I smiled more often?”

“Huh?”

“You said you liked seeing me happy, didn’t you? If you’d like, I’ll do my best to smile more while working from now on.”

“Th-that’s not necessary…! I like you just the way you are now.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. So there’s no need to force yourself to manage your expressions just for me. …I’d rather be the one to make my maid smile.”

“Huh?”

“…No, never mind.”

…How bland.

I suppose I should be grateful that he never demanded I put on a smile in front of him.

Come to think of it, in the game “Luminor Academy,” the scumbag prince constantly forced his personal maid, Lillith, to maintain a smiling facade to hide the fact that he was abusing her.

Even in these small, everyday conversations, the stark differences between the scumbag prince and Ethan were clear.

Well, spending four years at the same academy as this Ethan might not be so bad after all.

…Actually, now that I think about it seriously, it might even be a little fun.

“Hmm~.”

“Isabelle?”

“Hm?”

“…Why are you looking at me with that weird smile all of a sudden?”

“Huh? When did I~?”

“…You’re doing it right now.”

“It’s nothing, hehe.”

…Why is Isabelle suddenly looking back and forth between me and Ethan with that strange expression?

Come to think of it, Isabelle had changed a bit compared to her game counterpart too.

The most obvious example was that in the game, Isabelle always wore a troubled expression, as if she had a lot on her mind.

Sometimes, in cutscenes, after Ethan and Lillith passed by her, she would stare at their backs with an icy gaze.

Not with the oddly pleased smile she had now.

Well, no matter how much Isabelle’s personality had changed, it couldn’t compare to Ethan’s transformation.

As I was thinking that and continuing the conversation about the academy with her, Ethan’s voice quietly called out to me again from across the carriage.

“Hey, Maid.”

“”Yes?””

“Ah, no. I was calling the maid over there.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

“It’s fine, mistakes happen. Just be careful next time.”

Ethan briefly apologized to Isabelle, who had answered at almost the same time as me.

From our conversation so far, it was easy to deduce that when he used the term “maid,” he was usually referring to me, his personal maid.

For other maids like Isabelle or Katarina, he typically called them by their first or last names.

It didn’t bother me. After all, Ethan was the only one who called me “maid,” and most of the maids working at the mansion knew that.

For a moment, I thought Isabelle had made the mistake because she was too excited about going to the academy.

But for some reason, today’s Isabelle added something else while apologizing to Ethan.

“But, Young Master. Do you plan to keep using that ‘maid’ title for Lillith even after we enter the academy?”

“…Sorry, but yes, I do.”

“However, isn’t the academy an educational facility where many nobles gather besides just Young Master Ethan and Lillith? I imagine there will be many other noble children and their personal maids at the academy…”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I just thought that inside the academy, it might cause fewer problems if you called her by her name, Lillith, rather than ‘maid.’ That’s just my personal opinion.”

“……”

“……”

Ethan fell silent for a moment at Isabelle’s rather bold remark.

It seemed he hadn’t considered this issue before, as he now looked quite serious while pondering it.

After hearing Isabelle’s words, I too realized it was indeed an important matter.

Once inside the academy, there would be countless other personal maids of nobles or maids employed by the academy itself.

If he kept calling me “maid” there, misunderstandings would be unavoidable several times a day.

At the mansion, I was the only one Ethan referred to as “maid,” so aside from new maids, no one got confused. But the academy was outside the mansion.

We needed to clarify how he would address me before entering the academy.

“I think Isabelle has a point.”

“…Maid?”

“To avoid confusion when necessary, I think you should call me by my name from now on, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

“Young Master?”

Ethan awkwardly avoided my gaze when I asked him to call me by my name.

He had no problem calling other maids by their names, so why was he acting like this only with me?

His inexplicable reaction made me feel slightly annoyed for some reason.

Deliberately leaning toward him to meet his evasive gaze, I pressed further.

“Young Master Ethan.”

“Ah, uh. Maid…”

“Not ‘maid.’ It’s Lillith.”

“……”

“Young Master Ethan?”

“…Got it. Lillith.”

I don’t know why he’s acting so embarrassed about calling me by my name.

Honestly, men can be so weirdly shy about the strangest things.

“……”

“……”

Damn it, now I’m feeling self-conscious too for no reason.

Thinking about it, Ethan hadn’t actually called me by my name very often.

Aside from when we pretended to be engaged during the imperial palace assault incident a year ago, this was practically the first time.

His exaggerated reaction made me feel strangely embarrassed too, and I found myself avoiding his gaze, turning my eyes quietly toward the window.

“Hmm~.”

“…What is it, Isabelle?”

“Oh, nothing~. It’s nothing, hehe.”

What’s with that look?

Seriously, what’s up with that expression?