First Love? (1)

It took Ethan over an hour after his spar with Harold before he could get up from the floor.

That alone showed just how much fatigue had accumulated in Ethan’s body in that short time. Though it was only natural after swinging his sword at nearly the same speed for almost two hours against a Sword Master.

‘…Well, it was still somewhat cool, I guess.’

At the very least, Ethan had earned full marks in my book for not giving up despite being just a “Sword Expert” who shouldn’t have been able to face a “Sword Master.”

His refusal to surrender until the very end, managing to take a round from a Sword Master, was undeniably cool. If I were an ordinary girl, I might have thrown myself at Ethan like some naive country maiden the moment the spar ended.

Of course, being someone who understood restraint, I didn’t crudely throw myself at him. I simply sat quietly beside Ethan as he lay on the floor, patiently waiting for him to recover enough to get up.

After dozens of rounds against a Sword Master, Ethan deserved all the time he needed to rest.

“How does it feel to achieve your first victory against Master Harold, Young Master Ethan?”

“…Honestly? I’m not sure.”

“Pardon?”

“If I had to put it into words, this wasn’t a complete victory. I only managed to take a single round after deliberately draining Father’s stamina-it’s not like I truly surpassed his swordsmanship.”

“I don’t think the details matter that much, Young Master Ethan. The undeniable result is that you won a round against Master Harold, isn’t it?”

“…I suppose so.”

“Or are you indirectly refusing because the ‘reward’ I promised doesn’t appeal to you?”

“N-no! That’s not it at all…!”

Fortunately, he seemed to remember my promise to give him “everything.” After all, it was precisely for that desire that Ethan had crossed swords with Harold until now.

“I remember your words clearly, Lillith. You said you’d give me ‘everything’ if I won even a single round against Father.”

“…Yes, I’m glad you remember.”

Hearing those words from Ethan made it all feel real. The moment when I would truly give my virginity to him was now just around the corner.

There was no running away now-not that I had any intention to. Giving Ethan my first experience was something I had longed for as well.

“…You said it yourself, Lillith. That you wouldn’t regret giving me everything once I won another round against Father.”

“That’s correct, Young Master Ethan.”

“…I-I heard a woman’s first time can be painful. Don’t expect me to go easy on you even if it hurts.”

“…I’ve been prepared for that ever since I first saw your… equipment, so it doesn’t matter.”

“……..Right.”

My blunt response made Ethan look slightly guilty.

Of course, I had no intention of making him feel indebted over something like this. Considering the effort and results Ethan had achieved so far, I was willing to accept any request from him.

Though it was only a temporary victory and Ethan couldn’t yet be called a Sword Master, few Sword Experts could claim to have ever defeated a Sword Master going all out, so he had every right to take pride in it.

“So, Young Master Ethan.”

“Hm?”

“When do you plan to properly take me?”

“…….”

“You’ve earned the right to claim me after today’s spar. If you wish, you can demand your ‘reward’ from me anytime, anywhere.”

“R-right…”

“For your information, I’m ready whenever. Even if you decide to take me tonight, I won’t object. And if you can’t wait that long, we could always do it right here in the bath-“

“W-wait, Lillith. I get that you’re excited, but can you calm down a little…?”

“I’m not particularly excited. I’m just thinking about when Young Master Ethan will claim his reward…”

“…T-there’s no need to rush, right?”

“Pardon?”

“Since it’s my first time with you, I… think I need some mental preparation too. …And honestly, if we do it today, I might be a little too exhausted.”

“…….”

Well, I suppose that made sense.

Ethan had just finished going all-out against Harold. His excuse about needing to recover was understandable.

Even the Sword Master he had faced needed Dietmeyer’s support to stand afterward-how much more exhausted must a Sword Expert who had clashed with Harold’s blade be?

There were still two days left before the academy reopened, so as long as we did it before then, there wouldn’t be any issues.

After a full day’s rest, his stamina would likely recover by tomorrow.

Since he had already won a round today, he wouldn’t push for another spar tomorrow, meaning Ethan would have plenty of energy to spare.

At that point, I wouldn’t even need to do anything-Ethan would pounce on me of his own accord.

‘Just one more day, just one more…’

After just one more day, I could finally shed this troublesome virginity and be free from the obligations of a saintess.

So I resolved to wait patiently for Ethan to take me the next day… but unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition.

…After realizing how dangerous it was to just passively wait for Ethan to make his move, I decided our first experience would happen in a slightly different way.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

That evening, after Ethan won a round against Harold in their swordsmanship spar.

After some rest and recovering enough to move, Ethan quickly returned to his usual routine as if nothing had happened.

As if sparring with his father, Harold, was just part of his daily life. As if winning a round against a Sword Master wasn’t a significant achievement.

His demeanor was so casual that I was almost taken aback.

‘He’s not going to forget that he actually beat Harold, is he?’

After I had gone so far as to promise him “everything,” it would feel unfair if he just brushed off the victory.

Though, given Ethan’s obsessive personality, the idea of him forgetting anything about me was absurd.

‘If I keep bringing it up, he might start seeing me as some kind of lewd maid.’

My decision to give myself to Ethan was based on his efforts for me and his promise to win against Harold to claim me.

It wasn’t like I was making the offer because I desperately wanted him inside me. So all I could do was calmly wait for the moment Ethan decided to take me.

After spending the day following our usual routine, I quietly lay down in the servants’ waiting room next to Ethan’s bedroom.

If Ethan was going to take me tomorrow, I needed proper rest too.

‘Finally… tomorrow?’

Starting tomorrow, I wouldn’t be able to call myself a virgin anymore.

As a former unicorn in my past life, the thought left me with mixed feelings. Though it came with many restrictions, it was also the moment when one of my defining traits would disappear.

‘The thought of not being a virgin anymore is a little scary, but…’

As a former unicorn, “giving my virginity to the one man I’ve chosen to love for life” was a perfectly acceptable way to lose it.

In fact, there was no more beautiful way to lose it. The true essence of a virgin heroine was only fulfilled when she offered her one and only experience to the protagonist.

The value of purity lies in preserving it for the most precious moment with the most precious person. I didn’t care about other people’s views on chastity-this was simply my personal philosophy.

And now, with only a day left until that moment arrived, my heart pounded so hard that I couldn’t sleep.

‘Tomorrow, Ethan and I will… Tomorrow, Ethan and I will… Tomorrow, Ethan and I will…’

Calm down. Calm down, Lillith. It’s just your first time.

It’s something any normal adult man and woman would experience. Getting nervous and excited over such a common, simple act was downright provincial.

It’s not like I was some country girl experiencing first love-I was long past the age to be flustered over something like this.