Employment Negotiation (2)

Luminor Academy Swordsmanship Department Building, Second Outdoor Training Ground.

-Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ethan Richard Blackwood, the only son of the Blackwood Ducal Family.

Having attended his second afternoon class, ‘Basics of Mental Focus,’ the sound of him diligently swinging his sword in a proper stance echoed through the training ground, mixing with the wind.

Unlike his usual twin swords combat style, Ethan was swinging only a single Two-handed Sword straight ahead, but he didn’t particularly harbor any complaints about this class.

For a Swordsman, mental focus was always a skill that needed to be cultivated, and whether one swung a greatsword or twin swords during that process wasn’t particularly important.

Only Natalie, the 3rd-ranked member of the Swordsmanship Department who usually wielded an Estoc, was struggling a bit during this two-hour-plus process of swinging and mental concentration.

Swinging twin swords, to begin with, meant that the pressure on each arm was considerable, so for Ethan, it was simply a good opportunity to concentrate with just the right amount of weight.

Especially, considering Lillith, who had been constantly swirling in his mind lately, even such simple mental focus training was an essential part of his routine.

‘I… I somewhat… affirm it…’

A month ago, a shy confession Lillith made while they were engaged in their nightly activities.

Though it was a short phrase uttered in a small voice, he had clearly heard and remembered it.

Lillith had told him that she felt good from his touch.

‘Because Young Master Ethan’s hands touched me… I… I feel good…’

“……!!”

-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Was that Lillith’s way of shyly confessing to him?

Or was she simply honestly stating a physical reaction?

One thing was certain: Lillith’s reaction was the most positive response he had seen from her during their nightly activities so far.

As a result, Ethan’s frequency of thinking about Lillith had noticeably increased over the past month.

In Ethan’s view, up until then, Lillith had only tried to hide or conceal what she felt when his hands touched her chest, never once directly showing him any favor related to it.

The fact that she didn’t even get angry when he went beyond just her chest and brought his mouth to her, perhaps meant that she might be hoping for more progress than that.

If they were to progress beyond just touching her chest, then perhaps next…

-Thwack!

“Ethan! Your focus is scattered! Concentrate!”

“Yes! I apologize!”

Ethan, snapped back to attention by the bamboo sword of his instructor hitting the back of his head, quickly shook off Lillith’s face that had appeared in his mind, and continued swinging, focusing only on his sword and his energy.

At that moment, Ethan had no idea what was happening to Lillith.

There were already quite a few others targeting Lillith besides him, and they were approaching her while avoiding his gaze.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A certain cafe in the Academy Central Plaza.

At a table where one person had left from what was once a group of three, the two remaining female students quietly sat facing each other and talked.

“Hmm, I’ve been rejected.”

“…….”

“Actually, I somewhat expected it. I merely asked to confirm my suspicions. But I never expected her to say it was to uphold her ‘loyalty’ to Prince Ethan.”

“…….”

“I wanted to keep that person by my side if possible, so I even left the exclusive maid position vacant, but in the end, I only received a definitive answer like this… It’s been a while since things didn’t go according to plan, which is a bit troublesome.”

The blonde Princess took a sip from the teacup in front of her, a self-deprecating smile on her face.

The Border Count’s Daughter with sky-blue hair, sitting opposite her, simply listened in silence.

Waiting for her Guard Knight, whom she had temporarily sent away for their conversation, to return, Seraphine commented on the black tea in her teacup.

“Is this a Nilgiri Base blend, mixed with Darjeeling and Assam? For something sold at the Academy’s cafeteria, it’s quite a good blend…”

“…It’s because of Your Highness.”

“Pardon?”

“I… I could have gotten her to come over to my side if I had just spent more time! If Your Highness hadn’t interfered!”

“Oh, really? Didn’t you just say you were going to tell her today?”

“…….”

“And, even if I hadn’t intervened, the outcome wouldn’t have been much different. The only difference would have been whether a hesitant Lizzie-yang was rejected a few weeks later or not.”

Lizzie could not refute Seraphine’s cold assessment any further.

She simply quietly rinsed her mouth with the blended tea to soothe her bitter feelings.

“For me, this wasn’t the only opportunity. It was actually difficult to bring someone who already had an owner as an exclusive maid. …Still, if it had worked out, that would have been the best.”

“…Is that so?”

“And, I don’t think Lizzie-yang will give up yet either.”

“……Well, I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to avoid my gaze. After all, I can easily predict what Lizzie-yang’s next plan will be to approach Lillith-yang.”

Seraphine, deliberately putting on a relaxed expression and a calm smile to hide her disappointment, gained the upper hand in the conversation against Lizzie, who was in the same predicament.

And Lizzie, unable to completely hide the emotions surfacing on her face, averted her gaze from the Princess.

In the cafe, where only two women who had been rejected by one woman remained, only the bitter scent of coffee she had left behind lingered.

Luke, Seraphine’s Guard Knight, who had returned late from his ‘stroll,’ tilted his head at the awkward atmosphere and approached his mistress.

“Is something the matter, Princess-nim?”

“No, nothing special happened.”

“Is that so. The atmosphere seemed a bit gloomy, so I thought Your Highness…”

“It’s just a pity that I was hoping for that ‘something special’ to happen.”

“…….”

“Well, meeting her today was merely testing the waters with a rare opportunity that arose. It seems difficult to recruit her this semester, so I’ll have to aim for the Student Council President Election next semester.”

“…Understood.”

Luke, confirming that things hadn’t gone well, tried to match Seraphine’s mood and prepared to leave the cafe with her.

However, Seraphine was already looking at her Guard Knight, Luke, with other thoughts in her mind.

As soon as Luke noticed her peculiar gaze, an ominous feeling quietly began to stir within him.

“The biggest problem is that I’ll soon have to fill the now completely vacant exclusive maid position.”

“…Is that so, Princess-nim.”

“The problem is that I need to get the Academy’s permission beforehand to bring in an exclusive maid from outside. I could bring one starting next semester, but I haven’t registered an exclusive maid position for this semester.”

“…….”

“Half of this semester is still left, what should I do, Luke?”

“……I don’t know.”

No, in fact, Luke knew.

He knew what command would soon come from her lips.

“Luke.”

“…Yes, Princess-nim.”

“Today, we’ll have to go into town and get a Luminor Academy uniform tailored. A women’s uniform, perfectly fitted to Luke’s physique.”

“…Understood.”

“Should I ask them to add Maid Frills to the sleeves, like Lillith-yang’s clothes? And a Head Dress and Lace Cuffs too…”

“M-m-my p-pleasure, Your Highness…”

Due to the incident unintentionally caused by Lillith, Luke’s title was suddenly changed from Guard Knight to exclusive maid.

Without Lillith knowing, Luke only deepened his animosity towards her in his heart.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Swordsmanship Department Building. Men’s Locker Room.

Among the male students drenched in sweat after finishing their second afternoon class, Ethan, who had changed from his Training Clothes into his Academy Uniform, left the locker room a little faster than the other students.

“I’ll be going first. See you all tomorrow.”

“Ah, good work, Blackwood Prince-nim.”

“Haha, go carefully, Prince Ethan!”

After exchanging words with the other students of the Swordsmanship Department, he walked out of the training ground with slightly quickened steps.

Thinking of her, who would be waiting for him at the end of class today, his steps felt as light as a feather even after the arduous class.

As soon as he passed the Men’s Locker Room and stepped out into the main building of the Swordsmanship Department, he saw Lillith, his exclusive maid.

“Lillith.”

“…Are your classes finished, Young Master Ethan?”

“Yes, they’re finished.”

“…As I told you yesterday, today is the Dormitory cafeteria’s regular closing day. So, it seems we’ll have to buy food from a nearby shop and return. Isabelle is probably waiting for us too.”

“Right, it would be good to go back quickly.”

“……Yes.”

“……?”

Unlike usual, Lillith’s reply was delayed by a beat today for some reason.

Ethan, having observed Lillith for a long time, immediately noticed that her demeanor was slightly different from how she usually treated him.

Feeling a little uneasy, Ethan cautiously asked his exclusive maid a question.

“Um, Lillith.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“Do you have something on your mind? You seem a little troubled today.”

“…No, that’s not it.”

“If it’s not something on your mind… perhaps there’s something you want to tell me?”

“…….”

“…Lillith?”

“……There is something I wish to convey to Young Master Ethan.”

At Lillith’s reply, the Prince of the Blackwood Ducal Family suddenly felt a terrifying sensation as if his heart was collapsing.

Ethan, though a little afraid of the unusual aura he sensed from her, didn’t want to avoid Lillith’s words.

Ethan questioned Lillith again, who wore a hesitant expression.

“T-tell me, Lillith.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“What is it you want to tell me…?”

Could she be about to say she suddenly wanted to quit as his exclusive maid?

Or perhaps she was going to say that living in the same dormitory was uncomfortable and she wanted to move to the Magic Department Dormitory?

Neither scenario seemed pleasant, so Ethan hesitated, wondering how he should react if such a response came back.

But what came from Lillith’s lips was merely a reply that reassured him once again.

“Young Master Ethan.”

“……Yes.”

“I look forward to your continued favor as your exclusive maid.”

“……Huh?”

“I merely wished to convey this to you.”

“…Ah, yes. Right. I… I look forward to it too, Lillith.”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

It wasn’t the answer he expected, but precisely because of that, the Blackwood Prince was relieved.

Lillith quietly observed his reaction and steeled her resolve once more in her heart.

Indeed, this place, by his side, seemed to be the most comfortable for her, more so than by anyone else’s.