Each One’s Thoughts (2)

The morning after executing Machart and concluding the meeting about my qualifications as the Saintess.

Despite having slept alone for the first time in a while, I woke up without any nightmares, feeling quite refreshed as I slowly rose from the bed.

‘It’s been ages since I slept this soundly alone.’

Since Machart was 99% the cause of my nightmares, the moment he was gone, my sleep quality improved dramatically.

I had wondered if I might still struggle to sleep without sharing a bed with Ethan even after Machart’s defeat, but thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case. Though, at the academy, whether I liked it or not, we had to share a bed.

‘It would’ve been too embarrassing to insist on sharing a bed with Ethan even here.’

Gyeotmwa Josyegigot and Celistaya were one thing, but I couldn’t help but feel oddly self-conscious about how Seraphine and Agnes might see me.

Even if I swore up and down that we only shared a bed and did nothing else, they probably wouldn’t believe a word of it.

“Ah, now that I think about it….”

I ended up falling asleep last night without even changing my clothes properly.

Given that I even slept with my corset still on, I must have been utterly exhausted. No wonder my chest felt tight the moment I woke up.

In that regard, the maid uniform was actually more comfortable for daily life since it didn’t have such cumbersome accessories. Sure, things like garter belts were a hassle to put on and take off, but they didn’t interfere with daily activities. After all, it was designed for ease of movement while working.

‘First, I should wash up and change into different clothes.’

Laundry wasn’t an issue since I could just use Clean Magic to handle it in an instant, but the idea of wearing the same outfit again felt uncomfortable.

With that thought, I took off my clothes one by one, used Clean Magic on them, and neatly folded each piece before placing them on one side of the bed.

Even if I wore different clothes while staying at the imperial palace annex, I’d still have to wear these when returning. After all, these weren’t technically my clothes-they belonged to the Blackwood family.

-Ssssshhh.

Hot water cascaded over my head as I stepped into the bathroom attached to the guest room. Feeling deeply grateful for the surprisingly modern plumbing in this medieval-esque world, I roughly mapped out my schedule for the coming days.

‘I’ll probably stay at the annex for about four days, right?’

Gyeotmwa Josyegigot was likely planning to take us to one of the events scheduled for the second-year summer vacation. And since the summer vacation events were about to begin, the timing lined up.

From what I remembered, there were two major events left around this time, and both would require about four days of travel to reach.

The first was the “Lara’s Secret” event in the southwestern Witch’s Forest, where we’d solve problems related to the alchemy witch Lara, earning exclusive items and her favor.

The second was the “Lilia’s Land” event in the northeastern grasslands, where we’d intervene in a territorial dispute between barbarians and nobles, protecting the barbarian tribe and earning Lilia’s favor.

Since these two events ran simultaneously in the game, players had to choose one or the other. In 『Luminor Academy』, “Lara’s Secret” was generally considered the optimal choice.

‘Lara’s side just had way more rewards to reap.’

It wasn’t that Lilia lacked appeal as a heroine-her wild, athletic spear-wielding charm had its own cult following.

But the rewards from her event paled in comparison to Lara’s. Even those who preferred Lilia usually picked “Lara’s Secret” for efficiency.

For one, completing Lara’s event granted the “Witch’s Pendant,” an exclusive item that granted immunity to mental attacks-an absurdly overpowered item in the late game.

Additionally, Lara doubled as the academy’s apothecary. Raising her favor during this event meant all her items would be half-price afterward-an insanely good deal.

And, in some ways, the most important reward was that Lara’s “scene count” would start immediately after the event.

Lara was the type of character who, by modern standards, fit the “gloomy yandere” archetype. After solving “Lara’s Secret,” she’d fall head over heels for the protagonist, even barging into their room naked that very night.

That didn’t mean she was promiscuous-in the game’s canon scenes, she was clearly a virgin.

‘If only she’d been a main heroine, she would’ve crushed the popularity polls.’

Lara’s biggest flaw as a heroine was that she wasn’t one-despite having a dedicated fanbase. And that was precisely the problem.

In 『Luminor Academy』, Lara had no other personal events beyond this one. She wasn’t even romantically available in the end, living her life independently as a witch.

On the flip side, she didn’t demand commitment just because you took her virginity, making “Lara’s Secret” a stress-free event for players.

Even a virgin-route purist like Gyeotmwa Josyegigot would find it hard to pass up “no-strings-attached gloomy yandere witch virgin sex.”

In contrast, Lilia’s event offered lackluster rewards and an unremarkable conclusion.

Completing her story did grant the “Barbarian’s Necklace,” but its effects were strictly inferior to the “Witch’s Pendant.”

Lilia’s favor would increase, but she didn’t offer discounts or bonuses like Lara. And since she wasn’t a yandere, there were no “scenes” to unlock either.

Lara’s event was superior in both efficiency and lewd content, so we’d probably head to the southwestern Witch’s Forest in about four days.

‘I should buy some insect repellent while I have the chance.’

Years of maid work had desensitized me to bugs, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get bitten by Adidas mosquitoes and killer ticks in a summer forest.

With that thought, I finished my shower and rummaged through the wardrobe for something to wear. Since Seraphine had said I could use anything in the room, I figured it didn’t matter what I picked.

‘Maid uniform, maid uniform….’

I searched the guest room wardrobe as usual, but there wasn’t a single maid uniform-not even an apron or headdress. The only clothes inside were noblewoman dresses.

What the-? Why weren’t there any maid uniforms? I’d assumed there’d be at least one set.

Had they not even considered the possibility of a maid staying here? Thinking about it, that made sense.

It wasn’t standard for maids to stay in VIP suites like this. Typically, servants accompanying guests would share quarters with the palace staff in a common waiting area.

“It’s such a hassle to get dressed and go all the way down to the servants’ quarters just to change….”

But I couldn’t exactly go down there in just my underwear and garter belt either.

As I pondered what to do, my eyes landed on a door connecting to the adjacent room.

“…Is this a private servants’ waiting room?”

Thinking there might be a maid uniform inside, I absentmindedly opened the door-only to find a surprisingly spacious bedroom instead.

“…Huh?”

Were the imperial palace annex’s servants’ quarters always this luxurious? Did palace servants really stay in places like this?

But I didn’t recall seeing anything like this in the main palace. After 25 playthroughs, I should’ve noticed if such lavish quarters existed.

This room felt less like a servants’ waiting area and more like another guest room.

As I stood there, baffled, trying to figure out the room’s purpose, the door on the opposite side suddenly opened, revealing a familiar figure.

-Click.

“Phew….”

“……”

A man stepped out of the steamy room, completely naked.

My brain short-circuited as I stared blankly at Ethan, who had just emerged in his birthday suit, toweling his hair. He noticed me standing there a second later.

“……”

“…Wait, Lilith?!”

“…Y-yes?”

“Wh-what are you doing here?! And why are you only in your underwear…?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking what you’re doing here, Young Master…? Especially in that state…?”

“I just finished showering….”

“I only opened this door because I thought it might lead to the servants’ quarters… Oh.”

It was only then that I realized the door I’d opened wasn’t to a servants’ quarters-it was just the adjoining room.

“M-my apologies, Young Master Ethan!”

-Slam!

Damn it. They should’ve warned me about this room layout.

Who would’ve guessed the rooms were connected like this? Is this how all the annex rooms are?

‘Come to think of it, in the original, Machart used this place for noble gatherings.’

I could vaguely imagine how this door had been used before. Knowing those debauched nobles, it definitely wasn’t for anything wholesome.

“Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa….”

Thanks to this, I’d not only shown Ethan my underwear-clad self first thing in the morning but also gotten an eyeful of his post-shower nudity. It took me a while to calm my racing heart over such a trivial reason.