Noble Exchange Meeting (1)

Three days had passed since I collapsed in the cafeteria from sleep deprivation, and finally, the long-awaited morning of the MacHart subjugation operation-the day of the Noble Exchange Meeting-dawned.

“Ugh, ughhh…”

My body naturally woke up around the time morning sunlight streamed through the window. It was a regular morning habit I’d developed from years of disciplined living.

Just three days ago, I had been suffering from sleepless nights, but fortunately, thanks to finally getting some rest, I woke up naturally on the day of the operation without any issues. My ruined condition had also returned to normal, if only for a brief moment.

-Rustle, flop.

As I carelessly tossed off the maid nightgown I was wearing to change into my usual clothes, I suddenly froze at the sight of something familiar yet oddly out of place. Slowly, my dazed mind began to clear.

‘Wait a minute…’

This isn’t my room.

Realizing I had woken up in Ethan’s room instead of my own, a brief wave of confusion washed over me. Fortunately, that flustered feeling quickly subsided as my mind fully awakened.

‘Right. I told Ethan I’d be sleeping here for a while.’

Recently, nightmares and insomnia had prevented me from falling into deep sleep, so three days ago, we agreed that I would sleep in Ethan’s room until the operation day to manage my condition.

I didn’t fully understand the reason, but at the very least, having Ethan’s warmth beside me kept the nightmares away.

It wasn’t out of any desire to share a bed with him-this was purely preparation for the decisive battle against MacHart. If my condition deteriorated on the day of the operation, not only would I be in danger, but so would everyone else involved.

‘Luckily, Ethan still seems to be asleep.’

I almost became a perverted maid sneaking around in my underwear while my master slept. Thankfully, I woke up earlier than Ethan, so disaster was averted.

Not wanting to give Ethan any unnecessary misunderstandings, I slowly gathered the clothes I had carelessly tossed aside.

-Slither.

Climbing onto the bed to retrieve the scattered clothes, I carefully reached for the top that had landed on the opposite side of Ethan’s body.

Slowly, cautiously, so as not to wake him…

“Haaah. Lilith, you’re awake…”

…But contrary to my hopes, Ethan woke up not long after I did, and at that moment, my position was far from ideal.

-Thud.

“Huh?!”

As I leaned over him to grab the clothes, Ethan sat up, and his face ended up buried directly in my chest.

“Eeek?!”

-Flail.

Startled by the sensation, I lost my balance and fell forward, resulting in me effectively smothering Ethan’s face with my chest first thing in the morning.

“Ngh, mmph?!”

“S-sorry! Excuse me!”

“Lilith?! What just-“

I hastily gathered my discarded clothes, dressed quickly, and hurried back to my room next door.

Throughout breakfast, Ethan and I could barely bring ourselves to make eye contact.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Inside the carriage heading to the Imperial Palace Annex, the venue for the Noble Exchange Meeting, with Ethan.

Perhaps because it had been a while since we were alone together in a carriage, the atmosphere inside was intensely awkward in many ways.

To be honest, it wasn’t just the carriage-Ethan and I had been awkward around each other lately. Starting with this morning’s incident, uncomfortable situations had been piling up.

Like the time I passed out in the cafeteria and woke up clinging to Ethan. Or when I couldn’t sleep alone and went to his room to ask if we could share the bed.

Then waking up the next morning plastered against him again. Almost kissing him out of habit in my sleep. With these kinds of incidents repeating daily, it was only natural we’d ended up like this.

So, to be honest, this suffocating awkwardness was unbearable, but…

‘If I think about the upcoming operation, this awkward atmosphere might actually work in our favor.’

After all, if Ethan and I appeared to be on bad terms, MacHart would feel more at ease approaching me. A trap with a hint of authenticity wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, if we acted too unnatural, the act itself might be exposed, so I needed to ease the tension a little.

“Ed.”

“……”

“…Ed?”

“Ah, yeah. What is it, Lilith?”

“Lili…th?”

“Li, Lili…”

Was he not nervous? Or was he so nervous he was making mistakes like this?

Realizing this wouldn’t do, I deliberately brought up the upcoming operation to loosen his stiff demeanor.

“If you’re this awkward already, how are we going to fool Prince MacHart?”

“…Sorry, Lilith.”

“……”

“Li, Lili…”

“We’ve all been preparing for this moment for so long. Lady Agnes even pretended to fight with me to dispel Prince MacHart’s suspicions, and Saint Celista risked her own safety to bestow her blessing upon me. This is a plan we’ve all worked hard on together-we have to take it seriously.”

“…I’ll do my best when the time comes, so don’t worry.”

“I’m counting on you, Ed.”

Of course, Ethan was the type to deliver when it mattered, so he’d probably perform better in the actual operation.

I wasn’t doubting his confidence, but I still wanted a little more insurance.

What if he lost control of his anger the moment he faced Prince MacHart? Or if he lingered too close to me while I played bait and got caught by MacHart?

If he made a mistake like that, the MacHart subjugation operation would effectively be over. Once MacHart saw through the trap, he’d never fall for it again.

And if that happened, I’d have to beg Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt to let me join the Hero’s Party. If MacHart fully awakened as a true demon while still affiliated with the Blackwood household, it would endanger everyone under the Blackwood name.

Dragging out the battle would only wear me down, not MacHart, so I had to end this before summer break was over. I needed to reclaim my peaceful academy life by the next semester.

Even if I didn’t say it, Ethan wouldn’t deliberately put me in danger, but since I was relying on his help for free, I wanted to motivate him a little.

As thanks for after everything was over, I figured a small incentive wouldn’t hurt.

“Ed.”

“Yeah, Lili.”

“If this goes well and I’m no longer in danger from Prince MacHart, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“Sure, Lili… Wait, what?!”

“A wish. Just one.”

…Ah, wait. On second thought, maybe that was too hasty.

I quickly added a condition to prevent Ethan from making an unreasonable request.

“Of course, something like asking for 10,000 gold coins is out of the question. It has to be something within my power to grant.”

“……”

“You’re not very excited. Did you want something other than a wish, Ed?”

“N-no! I-I didn’t mean it like I didn’t like your offer!”

“Then?”

“I-I was just thinking… if it’s really anything you can grant, then…”

“……”

Honestly, what a pervert.

He must have really enjoyed what I did for him with my mouth a week ago. The way he couldn’t hide his thoughts was painfully obvious.

If we could just take down MacHart safely, I wouldn’t mind doing that again. Sure, my mouth and throat would suffer a bit, but compared to my life, it was a small price to pay.

And unlike the Hero or the others, Ethan was risking his life for me without any ulterior motives. If he wanted that as a reward, I’d gladly oblige.

“Do as you please. Of course, this is assuming I survive the operation.”

“…I’ll protect you no matter what, so don’t worry.”

“I’ll leave it to you, Ed.”

If he just wanted me to use my mouth again, I could easily grant that. That was all I thought at the time.

Little did I know what Ethan would demand as his reward for defeating MacHart.