An Unyielding Position (2)

Due to Harold’s sudden summons, I quickly made my way to the third floor of the mansion as soon as I finished preparing Ethan’s bathing.

It had been a long time since I had a one-on-one meeting with Harold.

Unable to shake off the tension that always accompanied his presence, I quietly knocked three times on the door of his office on the third floor.

-Knock, knock, knock.

“…Come in.”

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, an oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

I quietly walked further into the heavy space, which always made it hard to breathe.

For once, Harold, instead of procrastinating by doing something else as usual, spoke first and stated his business.

“I apologize for calling you here so inconveniently.”

“…No, not at all. I am Young Master Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, so it is only natural for me to respond when the head of the Blackwood Family calls for me.”

“But it seems there are only about ten days left for that Exclusive Maid duty. Isn’t that right?”

“…That is correct.”

“I never would have predicted that you would repay your father’s debt with the compensation received from the Imperial Palace. Isn’t that right, Lady Lillith Rosewood?”

“……Yes, that is correct.”

…As expected, he’s bringing it up.

Since what I did at the Imperial Palace was so spectacular, it was virtually impossible to completely hide all the secrets.

Thanks to Seraphine’s creative accounting, the compensation for defeating the King Serpent somehow came through, but due to my affiliation, it had to go through the Blackwood Family’s accounts.

Furthermore, Harold, who managed most of the Blackwood Territory’s affairs, couldn’t possibly have failed to notice my actions.

In other words, the fact that I used magic to defeat the King Serpent had already reached his ears.

‘He hasn’t said anything about it until now, so I deliberately didn’t mention it.’

Why would he call me all the way here just to suddenly bring up the topic of me repaying my debt?

Wasn’t he calling me because of my recent work attitude? Was that just an excuse?

“Lillith Rosewood.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Thanks to you using magic to defeat the King Serpent, Ethan was able to overcome a moment when he was almost in danger, so I’ve heard.”

“Oh, no, that’s not it. It was Princess Seraphine, the Third Princess, who saved Young Master Ethan, and I merely followed the Princess’s orders….”

“Hmm? So you’re saying that Princess Seraphine lied to me?”

“Oh, no! Absolutely not!”

“It’s true that Ethan was safe thanks to you using magic, isn’t it?”

“…That is correct.”

I barely escaped a moment where a single wrong word could have led to the Crime of Insulting the Royal Family and sowing discord among nobles, and I secretly sighed in relief.

This Harold, he doesn’t even allow me to be humble.

“So, Lillith Rosewood.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Would you perhaps consider continuing to work as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid even after your contract ends?”

“……Pardon?”

…What is he suddenly talking about?

Harold is suddenly bringing up a contract extension?

And about Ethan’s Exclusive Maid contract, no less?

“Although I initially hired you as a Debt Maid, I feel it would be a shame to end the contract like this, given the talent you possess.”

“I-Is that so…?”

“Since you became Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, so much about him has truly changed. If it weren’t for you, Ethan might still be longing for his mother and going astray.”

“Y-You flatter me….”

“However, as Ethan’s father, I can’t help but worry. Especially when I think about him entering the Academy next year, even more so.”

“I-I understand your concerns.”

“Although Ethan will be twenty-three next year, if you exclude the period he was asleep due to the curse, he’s still only in his late teens. I wonder if he’ll be able to get along well with other students at the Academy. I was hoping you could assist him for at least that period, if you would.”

“…….”

“I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

The eligible age for admission to Luminor Academy was from 18 to 23 years old.

Whether noble or commoner, the Academy required passing a proper entrance exam, so it wasn’t uncommon for even high-ranking nobles to fail in their first or second attempts.

Therefore, the average age of new students entering the Academy was slightly over 19.

If Ethan were to enter the Academy next year, he would be 23, but excluding the time he was asleep due to the curse, he was practically close to the minimum admission age.

Knowing the extent of Harold’s family love, it wasn’t strange for him to worry about Ethan like this.

That’s why he was trying to keep me as his Exclusive Maid for a bit longer, somehow.

After all, it was an undeniable fact that I had served Ethan since his childhood until now.

…The problem was how far Harold was thinking when he offered me this contract.

If I rashly accepted the offer of merely becoming Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, my plans might be disrupted in other ways.

What I wanted was to ‘obtain the status of a baronet’s daughter,’ ‘enroll in the Magic Department of the Academy,’ and in that situation, ‘maintain my position as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid.’

If he asked me to give up the first two for the sake of dedicating myself to being Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, I naturally couldn’t accept it obediently.

Therefore, before discussing Ethan’s Exclusive Maid position, it was necessary to clearly address the aforementioned points.

“Master, you may already know this, but I have already received Young Master Ethan’s favor….”

“You mean you’re temporarily receiving a noble position in a branch family of the Blackwood Family and planning to take the Luminor Academy Magic Department entrance exam, correct?”

“…That is correct.”

“That’s fine. As long as you are confident in fulfilling your duties as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid even as a fellow student.”

“……Pardon?”

“Of course, if you serve as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid with the status of a noble lady, it would block your path to marriage with other young masters besides Ethan. That would be a matter for you to bear.”

…What? Why is he so cool about this?

I naturally expected him to subtly put me down with words like, ‘Would you even have time to focus on your studies while serving as my son’s Exclusive Maid?’

No matter how I thought about it, such good conditions were continuously being offered, which made me suspicious.

There was no reason for Harold to show me such favor without any benefit to himself.

He was a character who was endlessly soft only towards his ‘family,’ like his wife or children. Towards others, it was normal for him to show little interest and a cold reaction.

Even if it was Lillith, who had spent a long time as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid.

“And, your monthly employment fee will be this much.”

-Clink.

Simultaneously with Harold’s words, a few coins dropped onto the office desk.

For a moment, the thought crossed my mind that he might be planning to pay my salary with just a few silver coins since I’d be working as an Exclusive Maid while studying.

But as soon as I saw the three gold coins on the desk, my mind began to race.

“Three gold coins a month. And if you serve as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid for all four years, I’ll add an additional four gold coins per year.”

…Huh?

Wait, three gold coins a month?

How much is three gold coins a month in this world, approximately?

One gold coin was roughly equivalent to a month’s living expenses for a family of four, which meant it was worth about 3 million won.

Three such gold coins a month amounted to almost 10 million won, based on my previous world’s standards.

And even a bonus of four additional gold coins every year.

In other words, the annual salary was effectively 40 gold coins, and since this was for a total of four years, that’s 160 gold coins.

Even after deducting all the tuition, living expenses, and miscellaneous fees for 『Luminor Academy』, I calculated that I would accumulate nearly 100 gold coins in my possession.

Just by attending the Academy and taking care of Ethan, I would have 100 gold coins upon graduation.

It would be an absolute loss not to accept such an offer. What kind of fool would refuse 100 gold coins right in their hands?

It would be enough initial capital to start anything as soon as I graduated from the Academy!

‘…Still. Let’s calm down first.’

Think rationally, Lillith. There’s no way Harold would make such a good offer to me without any benefit to himself.

It was clearly an offer with a trap somewhere.

Perhaps if I accepted it obediently, I might get tied into a vague contract, forced back into a life no different from a Debt Maid, or he might bring up contract non-fulfillment and try to hire me for a much lower amount than originally offered.

Was there anything in what Harold just said that could be interpreted differently?

Entering the Academy with Ethan, serving as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, with a salary of 36 gold coins a year.

If I successfully completed my duties as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, an additional 16 would be added, and according to the implication of entering together, Harold would probably guarantee my baronet status as well.

…No matter how I think about it, isn’t this too good of a deal just for me?

Moreover, being Ethan’s Exclusive Maid was something I had wanted from the beginning, and now I was getting an unexpected bonus on top of that. Is there any reason for me to refuse this…?

‘…Ah.’

Ah, right.

I almost forgot.

The fact that Harold’s permission alone was not enough for me to become Ethan’s Exclusive Maid.

No matter how much I wanted to be Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, if Ethan himself refused, this contract and everything else would become null and void.

Harold was a man who would easily give in to Ethan’s words, so I had to persuade Ethan rather than him.

To do that, I didn’t have time to spend talking with Harold here.

I had to go back to Ethan as quickly as possible and somehow persuade him to take me on as his Exclusive Maid again.

It wasn’t impossible for the contract to be terminated overnight by Ethan if I finished all the contract details with Harold here and became complacent.

So, I bowed my head before Harold and indirectly expressed my intention to persuade Ethan.

“I am truly grateful for your words, Master, but….”

“Are you, by any chance, refusing my offer?”

“…I believe that choosing Young Master’s Exclusive Maid should be Young Master Ethan’s decision, not yours, Master.”

“……Hmm?”

“I also wish to continue my duties as Young Master Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, but it seems Young Master has not yet made up his mind. Would you please wait for Young Master to choose his Exclusive Maid himself?”

“……Yes, now that I think about it, your words are correct.”

‘…Phew.’

With this, it was completely certain that I only needed to persuade Ethan.

From now on, all that remained was to clearly appeal my excellence as an Exclusive Maid to Ethan, even more so than before.

“Now that Ethan is growing up, as you said, I cannot decide on an Exclusive Maid without consulting his opinion.”

“That is correct, Master.”

“Understood. Then I will ask Ethan separately next time. Please wait until a conclusion is reached.”

“Thank you for your words, Master.”

“You may leave now.”

“I will take my leave, Master.”

After bowing to Harold and expressing my greetings, I quickly exited his private office.

As soon as I left his office, I immediately began searching for Ethan, who should have finished his bathing by now.

I needed to solidify his decision as quickly as possible before Harold called Ethan separately to ask about an Exclusive Maid.

‘Ah.’

Fortunately, I found Ethan talking to someone in the Servants’ Waiting Room area on the same third floor as Harold’s office. To get a definitive answer from him about the Exclusive Maid position, I walked quickly towards where Ethan was.

…Until the unidentified silhouette talking to Ethan changed into the face of the person I knew best.

“…Indeed, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Yes. So, for you….”

‘Isabel…? Why is Isabel with Ethan….’

Isabel didn’t usually talk with Ethan that often. What was going on?

For some reason, a sense of unease began to creep in, so I quietly hid near Ethan and Isabel and started eavesdropping on their conversation.

Soon, an unbelievable statement came from Isabel’s lips, and I was instantly struck by a shocking feeling, my heart plummeting.

“…Me, as the Exclusive Maid?”

‘……Huh?’

…Isabel?

Why are *you* being offered that?