Secret Cave (1)

“…Hoo.”

The expansive ocean, visible the moment I woke up in bed this morning.

A wide sandy beach. A clear sky.

And… a beach that had become quiet and relaxed after most of the bustling Academy students had left.

After seeing off the Hero Party and various other individuals, including Prince Antonio, as they returned to their respective places, Ethan and I remained on Pliana Beach, enjoying the remaining two days of our vacation.

We had even moved our residence to the Beach Villa that the Hero Party had used until the day before.

‘Come to think of it, where are Prince Ethan and Lady Rosewood staying now?’

‘We are staying on the second floor of an inn not far from here. The room is spacious enough for Young Master Ethan, myself, and one maid who accompanied us.’

‘Oh? I heard you two were staying for two more days before leaving?’

‘Indeed. Opportunities to come to the sea are not frequent, so I intend to take this chance to properly rest before returning to the Blackwood Territory.’

‘Then, would you like to use this villa starting tomorrow? Princess Seraphine set the deadline generously, so it can be used until the morning of three days from now. We’re going back by carriage tomorrow morning anyway.’

‘…Hmm, would that be alright? I think we should hear from Princess Seraphine-nim first, rather than from you.’

‘I’ve already discussed it with her, Prince Ethan-nim. I hope you and Lilith-yang can use it to have a good time.’

‘…Understood. Since you’ve been so considerate, I will gratefully accept your kindness.’

…Thanks to the kindness offered by Gyeotmwa and Seraphine at dinner the evening we subjugated the Deep Sea Leviathan that appeared on the beach, Ethan and I were able to stay at the Beach Villa for the rest of our vacation.

It was certainly a good place to stay; the view that greeted me the moment I opened my eyes after waking up was quite lovely.

‘If you stay in a place like this, the intimacy among party members is bound to increase.’

There was a reason why the Beach Villa was rated as a top-tier accommodation in the Marine Biology Exploration Class.

Thinking that, I went down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast with the ingredients I had bought yesterday, and there was Isabel, already simmering stew and making sunny-side-up eggs.

“Oh, Lilith. Good morning~!”

“Isn’t it still dawn? Why are you up so early, Isabel?”

“I have to prepare breakfast for Lilith and Young Master, so I need to wake up earlier than Lilith, don’t I?”

“…We’re both maids, so you don’t need to wake up before me. You just need to wake up before Young Master Ethan.”

“Really? From my perspective, I don’t think there’s much difference between Lilith and Young Master anymore?”

“I don’t know what you mean, but I’m up now, so I’ll help. You boiled these potatoes to mash them, right?”

“Ah, yes! But Lilith, you can rest…?”

“It’s fine. At the Academy, it’s hard for me to help with work in the Dormitory, so I leave it to you, but there’s no need for that here.

After all, both Isabel and I are maids here to serve Young Master Ethan, so I can’t just leave it all to Isabel.”

“……”

Isabel stared intently at me, as if something I said was wrong.

It wasn’t the first time she looked at me like this, so I simply ignored it and focused on mashing the potatoes in the bowl. Whenever I asked if she had something to say when she looked at me like that, she always vaguely brushed it off, which was Isabel’s habit.

“By the way, Lilith, is there anything you want to do after graduating from the Academy?”

“Something I want to do?”

“Yes. It’s already been two and a half years since Lilith started attending the Academy. At first, I thought you entered the Academy to serve Young Master, but sometimes it seems like Lilith studies harder in Academy classes than Young Master does.

Is it because you have something you want to do after graduation? Or are you just studying hard to continue being with Young Master?”

“It’s not exactly wrong to say I’m studying hard to work alongside Young Master Ethan, but….”

It was thanks to the knowledge I had gained at the Academy that I was able to safely overcome several life-threatening situations, and somehow endure this semester’s Exploration Class, where I encountered Boss Monsters multiple times.

However, considering my initial purpose, that wasn’t the sole reason for attending the Academy.

Especially when I thought about the dream I had harbored in my heart since the day I realized I had entered a fantasy world.

“After graduating from the Academy, it might be fun to just travel the world without a plan for a while.”

“…Huh?”

“Even Isabel, this was your first time coming to the sea, and you really enjoyed seeing it in person, didn’t you? New experiences are always exciting, so I want to see many places while I’m alive. I also want to have many new experiences.”

“…Lilith, do you realize you just said something that sounded really like a grandmother?”

“Did I?”

“And Young Master probably won’t allow it…? No matter how much Lilith asks, suddenly saying you’ll travel around without a plan….”

“Huh?”

…Why is Ethan suddenly being brought up?

My role as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid would end after I graduated from the Academy anyway, so I wondered what Isabel was suddenly talking about.

‘…Come to think of it, I haven’t told Isabel yet that I plan to quit being an Exclusive Maid.’

Perhaps she thought I would continue to work for the Blackwood Family after graduating from the Academy, just like her.

It was regrettable to betray her expectations, but it would be a bit difficult for me.

Because seeing another woman, not me, in the position of Ethan’s partner, which would eventually come, was something my weak mental fortitude simply couldn’t overcome.

“Indeed, Young Master Ethan probably wouldn’t allow it.”

“…Right?”

“It wasn’t a serious conversation anyway, so it’s fine. I was just saying I’d thought about something like that.”

Although a separation would eventually come, there was no need to tell Isabel about it in advance right now.

I vaguely brushed off her question, thinking she would understand when the time came.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

-Swish, splash, splash….

The boisterous atmosphere had quieted, and Pliana Beach, which had been quite crowded until yesterday, was now almost deserted.

The Marine Biology Exploration Class was over, but Ethan and I were still walking along the beach in our swimsuits today, enjoying the last day of our vacation.

“It’s quiet. So this is what this place was originally like.”

“Everyone is busy. The Hero Party members, and the other Academy students too. It’s a bit regrettable that they don’t even have the leisure to enjoy a day or two of vacation, though.”

“…Well, it was a vacation I managed to get with some difficulty too. When I go back, I have to learn about family management and territory management from Father and Dietmeyer. I’ll have a lot more to do.”

While there was some leisure until the second year, from the third year onwards, it was time for Ethan to gradually learn about managing the Blackwood Territory.

It was the duty of the family’s eldest son, who was scheduled to graduate from the Academy, so it couldn’t be helped. He would probably get even busier in the second semester.

The other students who took Exploration Classes had already returned for similar reasons. There was no need to even mention the commoner students, who were busy from the start.

“I sincerely thank you for taking the time for me, Young Master Ethan.”

“…I didn’t mean it that way. I also enjoy having this time alone with Lilith, so you don’t have to thank me.”

“Still, it is true that my time, as merely your Exclusive Maid, is far less valuable than that of Young Master Ethan, the eldest son of the Blackwood Family. If we were to exchange time to share it, Young Master Ethan would undoubtedly be at a loss, so I am merely expressing my gratitude for that.”

“I don’t consider it a loss at all. …And strictly speaking, the value of our time won’t be that different in a few years.”

“Huh?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Ethan and I walked leisurely along the beach, holding hands, engaging in such conversations.

We stepped towards the incoming waves to wet our feet, and we even wrote each other’s names on the sand with our toes.

The two of us spent our time leisurely, doing things that lovers typically do when they come to the beach, which we hadn’t been able to do properly before due to the Hero Party members being around. All the while, I steadily held Ethan’s hand and quietly moved towards the coastal cave I had set as our destination.

“Young Master Ethan, it seems there’s a coastal cave over there.”

“Indeed, Lilith.”

“Would you perhaps like to go take a look?”

…Since Ethan had given up two precious days of his time at my request, I had to make sure he wouldn’t regret staying on the beach for two more days.