After the Rain Comes the Hard Ground (2)

“I won’t be joining the student council next semester, Lilith.”

A week before the new semester began.

After finishing winter break and returning from student council duties, Ethan delivered this unexpected statement to me.

No matter how upset he was about that incident, I never imagined he’d already decided to leave the student council.

Even though Natalie had been rude, I didn’t think it warranted cutting ties with Seraphine entirely.

“Does this mean you’re also giving up your connection with Princess Seraphine?”

“I’m not the one giving it up. She’s the one who gave me a reason to.”

…The fact that he’s already referring to Seraphine as “she” shows how deeply hurt Ethan must be by the recent incident.

From his reaction just now, it’s clear he’s genuinely disgusted with Seraphine.

“If this is about Natalie’s drunken behavior, I believe she’ll come to apologize once the semester starts. She likely couldn’t reach you during the break.”

“Yeah, probably. Even a commoner wouldn’t be that rude. Besides, she’s usually a decent person when she’s not drunk.”

“Then perhaps you should reconsider leaving Princess Seraphine’s student council after hearing Natalie’s apology?”

“Sorry, but this isn’t about Natalie’s mistake. It’s just that I’ve lost trust in Princess Seraphine.”

“Huh?”

He’s not angry because of Natalie?

I naturally assumed his anger stemmed from Natalie’s drunken antics that day.

If not that, then what exactly made him so furious?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Ethan reluctantly continued his explanation.

“I can tolerate drunken mistakes at a party. Everyone makes them. Natalie has always been well-mannered and humble, so there’s no reason to be angry about it now. Honestly, even if Princess Seraphine herself had done it, I wouldn’t have been that upset.”

“Then…?”

“What made me lose trust in Her Highness was the fact that she invited that bastard Gyeotmwa Josyegigot… the Hero, to the gathering without telling me.”

“…So the issue is that she invited an unannounced guest?”

“……Hah, something like that.”

At my probing question, Ethan glanced at me before letting out a deep sigh.

“You know how that Hero always has two women hanging off him, right?”

“…Are you referring to Saint Celista and Silena, the elf?”

“Yeah. That’s been bothering me for a while. Even if he’s the Hero, flaunting two beautiful women like that around the academy is just…”

“But isn’t Saint Celista obligated to accompany the Hero? And Silena is the only elf, so she doesn’t have many connections outside of him.”

“It’s not just that. The more I see of his reckless behavior lately, the more it bothers me. Take Natalie, for example.”

“Huh? Natalie?”

“…Originally, she was planning to participate in the final hunting festival with just Thomas, her childhood friend.”

…Well, of course. If no one had invited her to a party, that’s how the original story would have gone.

I could roughly guess what Ethan was implying.

Even to me, recruiting Natalie as a frontliner while already having Celista and Silena by his side didn’t seem like a good look.

No one would deny Natalie’s exceptional swordsmanship, but she was equally famous for her stunning beauty.

With the Hero already parading two beauties around, adding Natalie to his party would naturally raise eyebrows.

“If he needed another swordsman, he could’ve asked Nana or Karaham. But from what I heard, he only approached Natalie. The only girl among them.”

“…I see.”

“Of course, even if he had asked me, I might not have accepted. But at least he should’ve made the offer. His intentions are too obvious.”

Knowing Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s circumstances, I quietly swallowed the knowledge only I possessed.

Since both Ethan and Karaham were mid-bosses in Parts 2 and 3 of the original story, it made sense that the Hero couldn’t easily approach them.

And the fact that he recruited both Natalie and Thomas showed his genuine intent to follow the game’s romance route-something only I, as a former player of 『Luminor Academy』, could recognize.

To an outsider, it would just look like Natalie was his target, with Thomas being an afterthought.

Keeping these thoughts to myself, I offered a mild defense.

“Perhaps the Hero was closer to Natalie than to you, Young Master Ethan, so he approached her first? And if she had refused, he might’ve asked Karaham next.”

“…Sure, if that were the only thing, it wouldn’t seem strange. Strong students teaming up to win the hunting festival isn’t inherently wrong.”

“…Is there something else besides Natalie?”

“Agnes Elizabeth Blaze. The circumstances of her suddenly joining the Hero’s party at the last minute are also suspicious.”

“Ah, Miss Blaze…”

…As Ethan said, Agnes was another new heroine who joined the Hero’s party for the hunting festival.

While Natalie at least had ties to the Hero through the swordsmanship department, and Thomas was recruited through Natalie’s connection, Agnes had no such link.

For a swordsman like Gyeotmwa Josyegigot to suddenly recruit a mage like Agnes was odd by any measure.

Especially since Agnes was notoriously difficult to get along with.

“You’re acquainted with Lady Blaze, right?”

“…Yes. We took the Spirit Communication lecture together this semester. We’ve exchanged small favors too.”

“Right. Then, in your opinion, does that ill-tempered woman seem like the type to willingly join someone else’s party?”

“…Even if I were to flatter her, I can’t imagine that.”

Half-hearted defenses would only make Ethan suspicious of me, so I gave him an objective assessment of Agnes’s personality.

“First, since she has no friends in the academy, she likely rejected all other party invitations. She probably sees anyone who approaches her as leeches trying to ride her coattails.”

“…That bad, huh?”

“And the idea of Agnes humbly joining someone else’s party is even harder to picture. She’s too proud to ever place herself beneath others. Her lack of social connections is largely due to her stubbornness.”

“…Right. That’s exactly why I find it strange. Under normal circumstances, Lady Blaze would never team up with the Hero. So I looked into it-what connection they might have.”

The only possible link between them… was one person that came to mind.

In 『Luminor Academy』, no matter which department you started in, Agnes’s recruitment route was practically set in stone.

Even someone as difficult and stubborn as Agnes had one secret friendship within the academy.

“I later found out that Princess Seraphine has a personal friendship with Lady Blaze.”

“Ah…”

“And it was also Princess Seraphine who connected Natalie and Thomas to the Hero’s party. I only learned this by chance.”

“…I see.”

“Princess Seraphine introduced two women to Gyeotmwa Josyegigot… and then suddenly invited his party to the afterparty…”

“……”

“Of course, it could all be a coincidence. But that doesn’t mean I have to endure this unease.”

…He wasn’t wrong. If he’s feeling uneasy, it’s better to cut ties than force himself to maintain the relationship.

If I were in Ethan’s shoes, I’d probably feel the same way.

“Maybe the Hero recruited Natalie and Agnes out of necessity. Or perhaps he was targeting Lady August, not you, Lilith. But either way, I can’t trust Princess Seraphine anymore.”

“…I understand.”

“Yeah. So my decision is to step away from Seraphine’s student council after this semester.”

Ethan believes the Hero asked Seraphine to arrange the afterparty as a way to get close to me.

It’s just a suspicion, but the evidence is substantial enough for him to act on it.

Rather than risk losing me to Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, he’s willing to sever ties with the princess.

‘I didn’t realize he cared this much.’

Of course, I knew Ethan liked me after his confession, but I never expected him to go as far as cutting off a royal connection to protect me.

And the fact that he’s already figured out how Gyeotmwa Josyegigot approached Natalie and Agnes shows he’s been investigating during the break.

With this much suspicion piling up, it’s only natural for Ethan to feel uneasy.

Especially since he doesn’t know the Hero’s true intentions.

‘I don’t think he needs to cut ties with Seraphine entirely, but…’

Forcing him to stay in this uneasy situation wouldn’t be good either.

In fact, keeping them together might eventually lead to the same conflict as in the original story.

If that’s the case, it’s better to let them drift apart now while their relationship is still lukewarm.

We can always mend things later.

“Understood, Young Master Ethan. If that’s your decision, I’ll support you in stepping away from Princess Seraphine’s student council after this semester.”

“…Thanks. I know you’re also personally close to Her Highness and Lady August.”

“Your safety is more important than that. Have I ever acted against your wishes?”

“…Haven’t you done that quite a bit?”

…Now that I think about it, maybe I have.

Still, since Ethan has decided to distance himself from Seraphine, my role as his personal maid is to follow his lead.

“Well, this time, I’ll definitely act according to your wishes. You can rest assured.”

“…Thanks, Lilith.”

“It’s only natural as your personal maid.”

If I don’t believe in him, who will?

He’s already uneasy-of course, I have to stand by him.