episode_0100

The awkward gazes exchanged quietly in the bathroom, followed by a flustered reaction.

It was only natural for Ethan to react that way. After all, he was showing himself to me in a state of undress.

I had absentmindedly assumed that there would be a dressing room beyond the door and then the bathroom, based on my memories of preparing Ethan’s bath at Blackwood Manor.

I should have expected that in this cramped inn, there wouldn’t be a separate dressing room and bathroom.

Still, luckily, his back was turned towards the door, so the angle was such that only the really sensitive areas weren’t visible.

…Honestly, I had no intention of looking anyway.

What’s the point of scrutinizing another man’s body? Comparing it to my past life’s body?

Lost in these thoughts and momentarily flustered by the situation I found myself in, Ethan cautiously called out to me.

“M-Maid? Did you come in here by mistake?”

“…I apologize.”

“I-It’s okay. The structure here is different from the manor, so it’s easy to make mistakes.”

“…Excuse me. I’ll leave your change of clothes in front next time.”

“Y-Yeah. Just be more careful next time.”

Fortunately, Ethan didn’t seem too concerned about my mistake and graciously brushed it off.

Appreciating his kindness, I was about to quietly retreat when suddenly, Ethan’s bare back caught my eye.

“…Hmm.”

…Come to think of it, there aren’t any long towels to wash your back in this world.

The bath towels used in this world were simply round bundles made from drying and processing a specific plant.

To properly wash your back here, you needed someone else’s help.

Of course, being naturally flexible, Lilith had no trouble reaching her back, but Ethan would likely find it quite difficult to wash his own back.

As a man’s body gains muscle, it naturally becomes stiffer.

…Well, it wasn’t intentional, but I had already seen Ethan’s body.

As a form of apology, I quietly removed my socks and stepped into the bathroom to help wash his back.

-Splash, splash.

“Young Master.”

“M-Maid?! You’re still here?”

“I suddenly realized that I’ve never helped you with your bath before.”

“W-What?!”

“You probably find it difficult to reach your back and waist on your own. So, I’ll assist you with that part.”

With those words, I picked up the round bath towel next to the bathtub and brought it to Ethan’s back.

Taken aback by my actions, he sat down and bent his waist, glancing at me.

“T-There’s no need for that, Maid. I can wash my back on my own.”

“With such a robust body, how do you expect to reach your back on your own, Young Master Ethan?”

“…Ah, well!”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Young Master. I’m just fulfilling my duty as your exclusive maid.”

“I-I said it’s not necessary! Just leave!”

“….”

As soon as my hand touched his back, Ethan jumped in surprise and twisted his body away.

Clearly, he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of me washing his back.

…Kind of annoying, to be honest.

I mean, if our genders were reversed, I’d understand, but he touched my bare chest last night without hesitation. Why is he so averse to my hand touching his back?

Feeling a bit peeved by Ethan’s brazen attitude, I wordlessly placed the bath towel back down and returned to its original position.

For some reason, I was feeling a bit angry in that moment.

“Understood, Young Master. If you’re so averse to my hand touching your body, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“N-No. I didn’t mean it as a sign of disliking the maid’s touch.”

“I understand perfectly that you don’t tolerate my hand touching your back as much as you do touching my chest twice a month. I won’t engage in any inappropriate behavior during bath time in the future.”

“….”

…I mean, I offered to help him wash, so there was no need for him to react so dramatically.

I don’t know anymore. Whether my hand touches his back or not, it’s up to him.

Since his change of clothes was already placed in front of the bathroom door, I left Ethan in the bathroom and headed back to the room.

This time, a voice calling me urgently from Edan’s direction suddenly rang out.

“M-Maid!”

“…Yes?”

“Ah, no. I mean, well…”

“……”

“…My back is a bit itchy, so could the maid wash that part for me instead?”

Well, I knew he would call me if his back started itching.

In the end, why did he bother with unnecessary pretense when he was going to call me if his back started itching anyway?

Well, I am Edan’s personal maid, and I already had to apologize for seeing him naked once, so I had no choice but to fulfill his request.

“If that’s the case, I guess I have no choice, sir. I’ll wash it for you.”

“Y-yes. Please.”

“Just showing your back to your personal maid, there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

As I got up to go back to the room, I picked up the bath towel I had put down and sat back behind Edan, carefully washing the parts his hands couldn’t reach with the bath towel.

Bathing him turned out to be surprisingly manageable.

***

The night passed quietly at the Knowledge Island where Edan and Lilith had experienced various events throughout the day, starting from the mansion.

Lying on the bed to rest his tired body, Edan Richard Blackwood fell into deep thought.

“Kuu… Kuu…”

“……”

Looking at his personal maid, Lilith Blackwood… Rosewood, sleeping peacefully next to him.

‘…Sleep well.’

Unlike himself, who couldn’t seem to fall asleep due to his racing heart, Lilith, his personal maid, fell asleep easily as soon as she lay down.

Considering that she had started her day earlier than him as his personal maid, and especially after being exhausted from serving him all day, it was natural for her to fall asleep easily. However, when he thought about how he couldn’t seem to fall into a deep sleep even after two hours of lying in bed, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

“……”

He was just too tense to close his eyes, knowing that they shared the same room.

Edan couldn’t help but feel a strange dissatisfaction with Lilith’s nonchalant attitude, as if it didn’t matter whether they shared the same bed or covered themselves with the same blanket.

He still couldn’t grasp Lilith’s position in relation to him.

Sometimes she treated him as if she didn’t see him as a man, and other times she acted as if she had some kind of emotion towards him.

Although their relationship had become much closer than when she first became his personal maid, he couldn’t guess how close they really were.

His initial plan to gradually confirm her feelings had completely changed at some point, and although it was a misunderstanding that led to his actions, he had accidentally touched her chest.

Seeing him unable to regain his composure, she had no choice but to allow the next action.

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed that the physical connection was prioritized over the emotional connection in their current relationship.

Edan always pondered whether he should view this positively or not.

There was a saying that if the body desired, the mind followed, but he still hoped that her heart would come first.

He even tried to share his feelings during their physical relationship in an attempt to lead it into a spiritual love, but that strategy didn’t work out as well as he had thought.

Instead, every time he tried, Lilith seemed to become more irritated the next day, so whenever he noticed her mood, Edan had no choice but to cautiously apologize.

…If he could just peek into her heart at least once.

If he could know what kind of emotions she held towards him, he could decide what to do.

Should he continue to slowly progress in their relationship, or should he approach her a little faster before losing her?

Or perhaps, accepting that there is no hope and letting her go sooner rather than later would be wise.

‘…It’s an issue without an answer for now.’

I can’t know the answer, so I can only continue to work harder in the future.

If she already has feelings for him, that’s good enough.

Even if that’s not the case, emotions can change depending on one’s efforts.

Keeping unresolved worries in your heart and obsessing over them was the most self-destructive act.

In order to get a little deeper sleep, Edan quickly closed his eyes and prepared to fall asleep.

The swordsmanship exam at the Academy is the day after tomorrow. In other words, he still had a day of leisure until tomorrow.

Since it’s a rare day with no plans, spending tomorrow secretly dating by wandering around the Release and Knowledge Islands would be a good idea.

As Edan imagined wandering around the island with her, Luminaire Academy, he was about to fall into a deep sleep.

He began to feel the soft touch of two arms wrapping around his forearm.

– Mm, sleepy.

‘…Sleepy?’

Feeling a familiar yet warm sensation, he gently opened his eyes and looked to the side, where Lillis was sleeping soundly, looking at him.

With her two breasts sandwiched between his arms, the situation was quite unexpected.

Edan quickly suppressed the voice that almost burst out.

“……!!”

Although he had touched her chest several times before, this was the first time his arm was sandwiched between her breasts.

Worried that she might feel embarrassed, Edan tried to quickly pull his arm away.

But as he tried to do so, Lillis held onto him even tighter, forcing Edan to suppress his voice once more.

– Mm, snug.

“……”

– Grr!

“……!!!”

On the first night at the outskirts inn on Knowledge Island.

Edan’s sleepless night was destined to be a little longer.