Common Lecture (1)

Exactly one week had passed since the day Ethan and I attended the academy’s entrance ceremony.

From the very first day of the entrance ceremony, Ethan and I had caused a bit too much of a stir.

The duel between me and that Raidenhardt guy who picked a fight first-where I stabbed the back of his hand and won.

And then the incident where Ethan intervened when Raidenhardt insulted me and slashed his wrist-it was more than enough time for the rumors to spread among the freshmen.

Given that Lumina Academy was geographically isolated on an island, news didn’t spread outside easily. However, within the academy, the speed at which rumors traveled was astonishingly fast.

Frankly, it would’ve been stranger if such a spectacle-clashing blades and flying blood-didn’t spread like wildfire.

So, I had braced myself for the rumors about Ethan and me to circulate. Honestly, if they had spread as they were, without any distortions, I would’ve considered myself lucky.

But of course, word-of-mouth tales always go through exaggeration and embellishment.

…For example, like this.

“…That girl? The one who stabbed the son of Count Raidenhardt in the hand just because he bothered her?”

“I heard she didn’t just stab him-she outright slashed his wrist.”

“No, what I heard was that she was about to kill him, but her fiancé barely stopped her.”

Other freshmen from the Magic Department whispered among themselves while giving me strange looks.

Listening silently, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of injustice welling up inside me.

…Sure, I’ll admit I stabbed Raidenhardt’s hand. Even if it was a duel wound, it must’ve seemed a bit too brutal to the other freshmen.

But it was downright unfair that Ethan’s actions were being lumped together with mine as if they were my doing. And to make matters worse, I was the one who stopped him from killing the guy in the first place.

Of course, no matter how distorted the rumors were, I couldn’t just butt into other students’ conversations-people I wasn’t even close to-and correct them. The best I could do now was quietly go about my academy life.

All I could hope for was that some other incident would happen soon to bury my rumors.

After all, this was the game world of Lumina Academy-incidents big enough to overshadow Ethan’s and my rumors were bound to happen sooner or later.

“I remember her from the entrance exam. She was sitting next to me. When she got stuck on a question, she just blasted the entire exam hall with a Mana Blast…”

“…….”

“H-Hey! She’s looking this way!”

“Run!”

…They were so bold when spreading baseless rumors behind my back, but the moment our eyes met, they ran away without looking back.

I had enrolled as Ethan’s exclusive maid to avoid other nobles bothering me in the academy, but I never expected my classmates to avoid me like this.

What was the point of insisting on maintaining my position as Ethan’s exclusive maid again?

Strictly speaking, the incident at the entrance ceremony happened precisely because I was accompanying Ethan as his exclusive maid.

If I hadn’t been Ethan’s exclusive maid, he probably wouldn’t have lost his temper and lashed out like that.

Most likely, it was because of my association with the Blackwood family that he actively intervened in my duel with Raidenhardt.

Lost in thought, I packed my notes from the morning lecture into my bag and stepped outside-only to hear Ethan’s voice calling out to me as if he had been waiting by the classroom door.

“Lilith, class over?”

“…Young Master Ethan, didn’t I tell you it’s not good for you to wait for me like this?”

“My lecture ended an hour earlier, so I came to pick you up.”

“You could’ve waited at the Swordsmanship Department building or the academy cafeteria. I would’ve come to escort you. If you keep coming to fetch me like this, what will people think of me?”

“…Since when did Lilith care about what others think?”

“…….”

What kind of image does he have of me in his head?

I gave Ethan the most textbook response I could muster as he looked at me incredulously.

“Of course I care, Young Master Ethan. I’ve only just enrolled in the academy. If people start thinking of me as a maid who makes her master come fetch her, what will become of my reputation?”

“I’ve always thought this, but you don’t really need to flaunt the fact that you’re a maid, right? As long as you’re with me and fulfilling your duties as my exclusive maid, that’s enough.”

“But if I don’t display the symbols of a maid, others might not realize the hierarchical relationship between you and me.”

“…I don’t really care if they don’t realize it.”

“……Excuse me?”

“A-Ah, never mind! Let’s just go eat. We’ve got afternoon classes too.”

“…Understood.”

…Well, at least this was better than Ethan wandering around the academy alone without a care in the world.

If we walked around together like this, anyone who saw us would undoubtedly recognize our master-servant relationship.

Thinking about it that way, it wasn’t so bad.

Surely, the other students watching us from a distance would see Ethan and me as nothing more than a master and his exclusive maid.

“The Blackwood heir is with his fiancée again today.”

“For a supposed fake engagement, they seem awfully close. Maybe the fake engagement is the fake part?”

“No wonder Cassius almost died. If I were him, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back either if someone talked to my fiancée like that.”

“…….”

-Whoosh.

“…Lilith? Why did you suddenly step back when we were walking side by side…?”

“You go ahead, Young Master Ethan. I’ll follow behind you.”

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden…?”

…It’s just that rumors spread fast in an isolated academy like this because they’re entertaining.

I’m sure they’ll die down eventually. Definitely.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Even during lunch with Ethan, whispers about us from other students occasionally reached my ears.

It couldn’t be helped-this was the academy cafeteria, after all, and there weren’t any decent restaurants outside where we could eat instead.

But when about 80% of the whispers were baseless speculations about Ethan and me, it was impossible not to be bothered.

“Earlier, the Hero asked her to eat with him, but she refused. Today, she’s with her fiancé again.”

“Just how close are they?”

“They’re practically glued together outside of class. And they’re even using the couple dormitory-at this point, they’ve pretty much done everything.”

We’re not engaged. We’re just master and exclusive maid.

The reason we’re always together outside of class is because I’m his exclusive maid.

It’s not a couple dormitory, and we haven’t “done everything.”

What the hell do they think I am?

“Lilith, not hungry?”

“…No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“You have a Swordsmanship Department class this afternoon, right? At least we get to share one class together.”

“…Yes, I’m glad for that too.”

Well, now that I think about it, it’s not like I’m the only one suffering because of these rumors.

Just as absurd rumors swirl around me, Ethan must be dealing with his own share of annoying gossip.

As the one who unintentionally caused this, I couldn’t help but feel guilty toward Ethan.

I didn’t expect that Raidenhardt brat to keep making a fuss even after getting beaten like that.

And the EXP I gained from that scuffle was a measly 200-not even enough to level up. In every way, that duel was a loss.

As I continued eating, lost in thought, another group of noble girls started whispering Ethan’s name among themselves.

“Look, over there. It’s Prince Ethan.”

“Prince Ethan… Isn’t he the one who ruthlessly drew his sword against the heir of House Raidenhardt?”

“The person next to him-is that his exclusive maid… or his fiancée?”

…I should’ve expected this.

No matter how much of a duke’s son Ethan was, he couldn’t escape becoming gossip fodder in the academy.

In the end, like me, Ethan hadn’t made the best first impression on the other students.

Seeing him suffer because of me made me feel a little guilty…

“The moment he heard his fiancée was insulted, he drew his sword without hesitation. He didn’t even care who the other person’s family was.”

“Not only that, but he also made sure to get a proper apology for his fiancée’s honor. Truly, the epitome of chivalry.”

“I wish my fiancé would follow even half of Prince Ethan’s example. That man wouldn’t care if I was insulted right in front of him…”

“As expected of a noble from a prestigious ducal house. Even his knightly virtues are impeccable.”

“…….”

While I was suffering from distorted rumors among my fellow Magic Department students, Ethan was somehow gaining a strangely favorable reputation among the noble girls. For some reason, my head started heating up.

Here I was, already branded as a maniac who would draw her sword and try to kill someone just for making eye contact, while Ethan was…

“…Lilith, are you really okay?”

“…Yes, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“You don’t look fine…”

It wasn’t that I felt wronged. If Ethan’s reputation improved among the noble girls, it would benefit me too.

So, I should’ve been happy about their praise of him.

…But for some reason, I couldn’t help but feel my blood boiling.