episode_0080

As soon as Ethan realized that learning horseback riding was safe, his expression suddenly turned sour, as if he was feeling unwell.

For some reason, I felt flustered by his slightly angry and sullen face.

‘Why is he upset…?’

Where did I say something that would make him angry?

Didn’t he just express concern about my injury?

I only provided a solution to that issue, so why such a reaction?

Although I couldn’t quite grasp the reason behind his sudden change in mood, I was quick to read the atmosphere.

Feeling that it was urgent to first confirm the reason, I hurriedly asked Ethan about why he was feeling unwell.

“Young master?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Could it be that my teaching horseback riding to Mr. Dietmayer is upsetting you, young master…?”

“Huh…?”

“If there are other reasons that are causing you distress, could you please tell me more about them? I will rectify the situation immediately if you let me know.”

“No, it’s not really that but…”

“Yes?”

“…Let’s go inside for now, maid. It’s getting late, and if we sit down for dinner late, Father will be waiting.”

“…Understood, young master.”

With the arrival of dinner time, my conversation with Ethan ended somewhat awkwardly.

Still not understanding why Ethan was upset, I found myself caught in a small conflict internally.

…So, is it okay to continue learning or not?

***

A few hours later.

After dinner, as the evening grew darker and it got late at night.

Having finished tidying up Ethan’s room as usual and prepared for bed, I stayed in the room, waiting for Ethan to return.

Normally, I would have just gone back to my room after finishing up and gone to bed early for the next day.

But today, there were unfinished conversations with Ethan, so it felt unsatisfactory to just leave.

At least, I wanted to definitively conclude the matter regarding the horseback riding lesson.

‘At the very least, I need a clear answer on whether I can continue learning horseback riding.’

…Of course, in a typical employer-employee relationship, one would usually listen to the employer and comply rather than insist on their own way in such a situation.

It could lead to being cut off from employment or potential disadvantages in terms of promotions in the future.

However, unlike in other cases, I was completely immune to such factors as a debt maid.

Since I was a debt maid, I would not be cut off until the end of the contract period, and I had already decided to leave the maid role as soon as the contract period ended in three years.

Of course, even as a debt maid, there was a possibility of facing consequences if I crossed certain lines during work, so some caution was necessary.

But at least inquiring about learning horseback riding wouldn’t likely lead to Ethan punishing me.

With such thoughts in mind, I stood on one side of Ethan’s room, quietly waiting for him to return to his bedroom.

Not long after, familiar footsteps approached the door, and I could sense someone entering the room at the usual time.

-Creak.

“Anyway, why is a maid suddenly learning horseback riding…?”

“Have you come back, Young Master Ethan?”

“M-Maid?! You were inside?”

“Yes, Young Master. I was waiting as I had something to tell you about our earlier conversation.”

“….”

He quickly caught on that our earlier conversation was about horseback riding.

Edan’s expression quickly turned indifferent, indicating that persuading him would not be easy.

It might be a bit difficult to guess the exact reason, but Edan seemed to be displeased with the idea of me learning horseback riding.

However, I was determined to learn the skill for the future, even if it meant inevitable clashes of opinions.

In other words, it was time for me to somehow persuade Edan.

I had to prove that learning horseback riding would not interfere with my duties, and that it could even be beneficial for Edan.

“I am not learning horseback riding out of mere curiosity, Lord Edan.”

“…Hmm?”

“As you turn twenty-two this year, I believe you will have busier days ahead to continue the Blackwood family legacy.”

“That’s true.”

“You will be going on inspections outside the estate, handling external affairs, and even enrolling in the academy next year. So, it is expected that you will have more occasions to ride in carriages.”

“What are you trying to say, maid?”

“In situations where you need to travel by carriage, wouldn’t it be more convenient for you if your personal maid could drive the carriage? You wouldn’t have to bother calling for Mr. Dieter, the butler.”

“Well, personally, I think it would be more comfortable if someone other than a maid drove.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I don’t mean to say that I don’t trust a maid to drive. It’s just that even with my personal maid, Lillith, taking care of my needs, having her drive a carriage would make me feel uneasy.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Right now, I’m not uncomfortable at all. Besides, there are other coachmen in the estate besides Dieter. Most of them are servants who handle the luggage carriages, so they drive a bit roughly, which is why I usually rely on Dieter. But if needed, there are always staff available to drive the carriage with passengers.”

“…”

“So, there’s no need for Lillith to learn horseback riding just because she’s my personal maid. She won’t lose her position as my maid just because she can’t do that. And it’s not a situation where we urgently need a maid to drive a carriage, which rarely happens.”

…It makes sense logically.

It’s not easy for a situation to arise where Lillith needs to drive a carriage instead of the already proven other coachmen.

It’s not like a special event where the protagonist escapes with a maid to Blackwood Manor, avoiding a duel challenge.

In the game’s cutscenes, there were scenes where Lillith would ride and drive Edan, not because she wanted to, but because Edan ordered her to.

It might be a bit difficult to persuade Edan to imagine such a scenario now.

Unlike in the game, the current Edan was not a character who would easily be swayed by my maid driving the horse.

Moreover, if he seriously decided to learn, he would quickly pick up horseback riding. Judging from his etiquette training and swordsmanship, he seemed to learn things quite fast when he set his mind to it.

Right now, he was too preoccupied with following Harold’s sword training to have the luxury to think about learning something new.

But if Edan made up his mind to learn, he would be able to ride horses and drive carriages within a few months.

Upon reflecting on those aspects, it seemed impossible to persuade Ethan at this moment.

If that was the case, it was unavoidable. I would have to learn equestrian skills separately after gaining independence from Blackwood Manor.

For now, I had learned the basic knowledge from Dietmayer throughout the day. It was safer for me to step back here in many ways.

“I understand, young master. Since that is your wish, I will set aside my ambitions regarding equestrian skills.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I must not forget my role as Ethan’s exclusive maid, and it would not be wise to engage in activities that you do not approve of.”

“Not because I don’t like it, but simply because maids do not need to learn equestrian skills…”

“Yes, you are right.”

Caught up in the logic that there was no need for a maid to learn equestrian skills in the Blackwood family with many carriages and grooms, I had no choice but to give up.

Unless there was a clear difference from other grooms, there would be no merit for Lillis to learn such skills.

The difference between the driving of other grooms and Lillis was only in the number of people riding in the carriage together.

“I thought that if I could drive the carriage, it would be possible for you and I to move alone without the need for other people, but as you said, it was an unnecessary advantage in the Blackwood family.”

“…Alone?”

“Yes. As a servant, I cannot ride in the carriage you drive, and if we consider moving with the minimum number of people, I thought it would be best for me to learn to drive the carriage.”

“….”

“Moreover, in urgent situations where we need to move quickly without a carriage, we may have to ride a horse. Of course, that would only be possible once my driving skills have improved.”

Ethan’s character was not like a perverted brat in the game, so he wouldn’t enjoy horseback riding with Lillis.

Well, Lillis’ character was pretty, so maybe he would like it a bit?

Even considering that, it was not enough to overturn the decision already made.

Unless it was Luminaire Academy’s Ethan, the Ethan in front of me was not the type to prioritize tasks according to his sexual desires.

“Well then, I will retire for the night, young master. I apologize for disturbing your bedtime.”

……..

Deciding that there was nothing more to gain, I walked past Ethan and headed towards the door.

Just as I was about to open the door and leave the room, I heard his voice calling me from behind.

– Kkiiii….

“M-Maid!”

“Yes?”

“Maid, do you have any desire to continue learning equestrian skills, even a little?”

…What a sudden question.

Well, since the conversation was already over, there didn’t seem to be any reason to hide it, so I answered honestly without beating around the bush.

After all, it didn’t seem like changing my answer would change the already reached conclusion.

“If I were to judge based on whether I have the desire or not… I have a greater desire to continue learning.”

“Is that so? So, maids want to continue learning…?”

“But I will not focus on something that you do not wish for. My duty is to be Ethan’s exclusive maid, after all.”

……..

“It’s late at night, so I will go back now…”

“…Would you like to continue learning equestrian skills?”

…Huh?

He suddenly allowed this?

Why?

“Are you sure, young master? You don’t need to go out of your way to say such things to me…”

“…Not because I allowed it, but after hearing the maid’s words, I felt reassured. Lillith is my exclusive maid, so there’s no harm in learning properly.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll make sure to inform Edan, so it would be good to continue learning in the future. Just in case, as the maid mentioned, to be prepared for any situation.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Master.”

“Yeah. You can go rest now, maid.”

“Good night, Master.”

“Yeah, you too, maid.”

For some reason, Edan finally allowed me to continue my horseback riding lessons.

Quietly humming a tune of victory in my head at Edan’s capricious decision, I made my way back to my room.

Still smiling quietly at the thought of being able to continue my riding lessons.

It was a good idea to talk to him after all.

…I still don’t really understand why Edan’s mood changed from bad to good, but now it doesn’t really matter.

Why bother figuring it out. Good things are good, right?