Ethan Richard Blackwood, the prodigy of the Blackwood family.

    As the sole heir of the next Blackwood Duke family and a diligent young man who grows day by day while receiving swordsmanship lessons from his father, a Sword Master.

    He had to focus even more on his sword training to prepare for the entrance exam to the Luminoir Academy next year.

    However, Ethan Richard Blackwood has recently been unable to concentrate on his training.

    Due to someone who has been causing confusion in his mind for a while now because of some action she took three days ago.

    Whenever his mind wanders even for a moment, her face pops up in his mind.

    Her chest, and that touch…

    “Ah!”

    “Aaah!!”

    During a sword training session with his father Harold, Ethan got distracted for a moment by other thoughts, allowing a blow to his forehead.

    The loud impact echoed throughout the training ground, surprising not only Ethan but also Harold, who wielded the sword.

    Even though it was just a wooden sword, allowing a blow to the vital spot without proper defense was a mistake that caused Ethan to fall to the ground, holding his head.

    “Master Ethan?!”

    “Lord Ethan!”

    In a situation that no one expected, the head maid and the head butler rushed to Ethan in a hurry.

    After receiving the healing touch of a healing priest wrapping his head, Ethan reflected on the foolish action he had just taken in his heart.

    Even though it was a sparring session with his father who took the time to spar with him, targeting the vital spot due to other thoughts was one of the fatal mistakes he should never make.

    Especially considering that the thought that came to his mind was an impure memory of the past, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

    “I sense hesitation in your sword, Ethan.”

    “I-I’m sorry….”

    “It seems to be getting worse as the days go by. You haven’t shown any improvement since three days ago.”

    “….”

    “Let’s end the sparring for today. Ethan, stay in the training ground and swing your sword a thousand… no, two thousand times with a clear mind before going in.”

    “Yes….”

    For Harold, who always valued his own rules when it came to swordsmanship, not focusing on the sword was unacceptable, even if it was his own child.

    Therefore, he calmly returned to his study without hesitation, leaving behind a stern word.

    “Lord Ethan, are you okay?”

    “I’m fine now that it’s healed.”

    “It’s better to rest a bit until the wound heals….”

    “It’s fine. Since it’s just swinging a sword, there’s no chance of getting hurt. And the task my father gave me is probably more about refining my mind than physical training.”

    Sorting out the emotions that cause confusion in his mind.

    That was the top priority task for Ethan Richard Blackwood right now.

    Managing the unforgettable intense memory that happened three days ago with his head maid who barged into his room.

    “Do you feel it? This feeling in my chest that Isabelle doesn’t have.”

    “I bared my chest for you, and you’re just standing there with your hand out like a bachelor, flustered?”

    He shook his head vigorously to push away the vivid memories that kept popping up in his mind.

    Although it was a short-lived relationship born out of misunderstanding, there was no denying that there was a slightly improper contact between him and his head maid, Lillith.

    The confusing thoughts in his mind were an instinct that couldn’t be helped as a man in his prime.

    The huge heart that always tried to push away strange emotions whenever faced with them.

    The moment his hand touched her, the soft skin and the squishy texture he felt.

    And the sharp voice of her that echoed in his ears for a moment when he moved his hand.

    As if even now, the image of Lillith’s chest was flickering before his eyes….

    “Lord Ethan? How is the injured spot?”

    “Whoa!”

    As soon as Ethan realized that the flickering image was not his imagination but the actual Lillith, he reacted in surprise and fell backward.

    Lillith, seeing Ethan’s reaction, quietly got up from her seat without saying a word.

    “You seem to be fine, my lord.”

    “I-I’m sorry, maid. I was just surprised.”

    “I know I asked for a difficult favor, but I’m sure you’ll forget about that day….”

    “I, I forgot! I forgot…!”

    “…From the perspective of knowing what you forgot, you didn’t really forget, did you?”

    “……”

    It was as Lilyss had said.

    Even three days after that day spent with Lilyss, Edan couldn’t forget what happened, but instead, the memories were vividly etched in his mind.

    The human brain, being an organ that doesn’t understand the concept of negation, both trying to forget something and not trying to recall it only served to weigh down the memory and thoughts of that something.

    A young man in the prime of his life couldn’t free himself from the memories of that day as time went on.

    “As my father instructed, I will swing the sword and return, so everyone step back.”

    “…Yes.”

    “Yes, understood.”

    “…It would be good if the maid also stepped back. I can’t concentrate with the maid by my side.”

    “Are you sure?”

    “……”

    Lilyss, the head maid, sent a slightly cold gaze towards herself and vacated the place with the other servants, leaving Edan to swing his sword in the air.

    In an effort to erase the lewd and provocative images that kept popping up in his mind, he swung the sword to undergo rigorous training.

    ⁎ ⁎ ⁎

    After watching Edan and Harold’s swordsmanship duel once again today.

    I left the training ground with the other servants and found myself in a slightly troubled state.

    The young master of the Blackwood family, who had been wearing a foolish expression and seemed to be losing focus for the past three days.

    Even to the extent of being distracted during the most important swordsmanship duel with his father.

    I knew better than anyone else what had caused him to lose focus.

    “Even if he has no experience with women, to be affected like that just from touching a chest…”

    Using seduction as part of the strategy to regain the position of head maid was one thing, but I hadn’t expected Edan to suffer such repercussions.

    Moreover, it was all a result of my own foolish misunderstanding, which ultimately led to the embarrassing situation of a maid touching her master’s chest.

    Looking back now, it was a foolish and regrettable act, but what made me even more anxious was Edan’s noticeably changed behavior.

    His actions seemed to indicate a change in his state of mind, and even his attitude towards me was becoming increasingly awkward.

    I couldn’t help but think that it was only a matter of time before someone noticed that I was the cause of Edan’s change.

    …Perhaps, the solution was surprisingly simple.

    Just close my eyes and let him touch me once more to dull the intense memory from before.

    The reason for my foolish expression and distraction was simply due to the stimulation being too strong, so making that stimulation familiar might solve the problem.

    The issue was that I wasn’t keen on that method at the moment.

    If I had allowed him to touch me once, would it be reasonable to let him touch me two or three more times until he got used to it?

    At that point, it would be like being sucked into the path of the original game’s Lilyss.

    And if I made a mistake, Edan, who had opened his eyes to the sensation of a woman’s touch, might demand something even more intense in the future.

    I had only allowed him to touch me up to my chest. If Edan demanded anything more lewd, I would never allow it.

    And personally, I didn’t have any intention of letting him touch me further.

    It wasn’t that I disliked Edan touching me, but rather, I didn’t like the strange feeling that came over me when he touched me last time.

    It felt like I wouldn’t be able to return to my original self once I surrendered to that sensation.

    So, there was only one other viable solution.

    Redirecting Edan’s attention away from the memory of touching my chest towards something else.

    It wouldn’t be easy to replace the memory of Lilyss’s chest being touched in Edan’s mind, but it was necessary to resolve this situation.

    If Edan continued to show that distracted attitude without recovering, there was a possibility that Harold would find out what had happened between me and Edan.

    It wouldn’t just end with the dismissal of the head maid; there was a possibility of severe punishment for daring to seduce my son.

    “I might end up having an unwanted reunion with those damn women from the Silverwood Territory….”

    The more anxious thoughts crept up in my mind, the deeper my worries seemed to become.

    I had to somehow divert Edan’s attention elsewhere before Harold caught on.

    And it had to be in a constructive way, preferably not related to me…

    “What are you pondering, Miss Lillis Rosewood?”

    “Eek?!”

    As I stood still, lost in my persistent thoughts, Dietermayer, the head butler, approached me and spoke.

    Ever since encountering him with his inscrutable expression, my mind remained in a state of confusion.

    ‘Already troubled by Edan’s matters, why is he suddenly popping up…’

    I was on the verge of irritation at his appearance, making my already complicated thoughts even more so.

    But perhaps I could seek help from Dietermayer, who managed many aspects of the mansion, to divert Edan’s attention elsewhere.

    Come to think of it, just like me, Dietermayer had closely observed Edan and Harold’s swordplay duel, witnessing Edan’s recent changes vividly.

    In fact, Dietermayer had a record of observing Edan and Harold’s duels long before I started watching Edan’s training.

    Maybe utilizing the information from him could be enough to shift Edan’s focus elsewhere…

    “Mr. Dietermayer, I have a question for you.”

    “What would you like to ask, Miss Lillis Rosewood?”

    “You have been watching Edan’s training matches with the master for a long time, right?”

    “Yes. In case either the young master or the master gets seriously injured, I try to observe their swordplay duels as much as possible to be prepared to handle any situation.”

    “In those duels between the young master and the master, has Edan ever defeated the master, may I ask?”

    “I’m sorry, Miss Lillis, but this is a personal matter between the young master and the master, so I cannot easily disclose it to Edan’s personal maid.”

    Perhaps due to his reserved nature, Dietermayer didn’t easily share such information.

    Although I could already guess his response from his reaction, I still wanted a definitive answer from him.

    I pleaded with the butler as if it were crucial information that I needed to know.

    “It’s because it’s crucial knowledge, Mr. Dietermayer. …Perhaps I can find a way to return Edan to his previous self, who suddenly started changing recently…”

    “Do you have confidence in that statement?”

    “I can’t be sure, but… I believe there is a possibility.”

    “…”

    “Mr. Dietermayer, you wouldn’t want to see Edan unable to concentrate like this, would you?”

    Seeming to agree with my words, the butler appeared to be deep in thought.

    In the end, it seemed that providing an answer to me was an act for Edan’s sake, as Dietermayer cautiously responded to me.

    “This information should not be disclosed to anyone else.”

    “Understood.”

    “Since the young master Edan began his swordplay duels with Master Harold, the number of times he has landed a valid blow on the master…”

    “…”

    “Unfortunately, it has never happened.”

    Dietermayer discreetly shared valuable information with me, glancing around to ensure no one else was listening.

    Despite his remorseful confession, I couldn’t help but quietly smile inwardly as soon as I heard his answer.

    It was a moment when a way to divert Edan’s attention away from the memories that lingered in my mind had suddenly come to mind.

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