episode_0137

It had been about a week since Edan returned to the Blackwood Estate with Ethan.

During this week, each day passed by leisurely, almost like a break.

Even though Ethan’s duties as a full-time maid at the mansion were not significantly different from what he did at the academy, he was more accustomed to the tasks here as he had been doing them for a longer period of time.

Of course, my personal time had been greatly reduced as I followed Ethan around all day, assisting him.

“Lilith…?”

“Oh, yes. If you need any help, please feel free to let me know.”

“No, I didn’t call you for that reason. I was just wondering if you were getting bored just sticking by my side all the time. I’ve been cooped up in my father’s study all day lately.”

“….”

If I were to say that I wasn’t bored at all, that would be a lie.

Edan was busy taking care of Harold’s duties, spending eight hours a day on work, and even though we were in the same space, our conversations were few and far between.

So, while Edan’s question about whether I was bored or not was understandable, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t bear it.

Reading magical books in the Blackwood Estate warehouse or knitting in my free time was enough to pass the time.

“Don’t worry, Edan. As your full-time maid, I won’t leave your side and go anywhere else.”

“You can take a break by yourself for a while, or go for a walk with Isabelle or Katarina on your day off. Lilith, you’re not just a debt maid, so you have the freedom to come and go from the mansion.”

“I can rest enough in this place, and I’ve built enough camaraderie with Isabelle and Katarina outside of work hours, so it’s okay.”

“Well, that’s a relief…”

Even so, Edan looked at me with a slightly worried expression, as if he was concerned about me.

As soon as I saw that strange look in his eyes, I suddenly wondered if I had been mistaken all this time.

“Maybe I’ve been uncomfortable being in the same space all this time.”

Considering that Edan was becoming more like Harold these days, there was a good chance that he had inherited that trait.

Harold was famous for not having a full-time maid around because he found it annoying to have someone constantly by his side, so I should have thought that Edan might have inherited that personality trait.

I must have needlessly irritated him for a few days without realizing it.

“I’m sorry, Edan. I haven’t been able to understand the sincerity in your words until now.”

“Huh? Sincerity…?”

“It seems that you’re the type to be bothered if there are other people around while you’re working. I’ll step back without bothering you anymore, so feel free to call me again if you need me.”

“Huh? No, that’s not it! It’s not that Lilith’s presence is bothering me!”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Edan. I’ll step back for a while so as not to disturb you, so please call me again if you need me.”

“….”

Just a moment ago, I indirectly mentioned that I was uncomfortable being in the same space, and as soon as I mentioned stepping back, Edan, who had been embarrassed, suddenly looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I waited for a moment, thinking that he might have something else to say to me, and he suddenly emptied his cup of tea and pushed it towards me.

“Lilith, since you’ve finished your tea, would you mind going to the dining room to get a refill?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, and on your way there, could you also deliver these letters to Dieter? I have no one else to ask but you.”

“Oh, okay.”

“As expected, having Lillis always by my side gives me peace of mind. If I were alone, I would have been tired from constantly going back and forth from the study to run errands.”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

“Come to think of it, it seems better to just have Lillis by my side. It would be nice if she could just wait in the study for me even after running errands. …Just like before.”

“…I understand. Since Lord Ethan needs my help, I have no choice but to comply.”

“Yes. Since I need Lillis’ help, please continue to wait in the study for me. I’m counting on you.”

“Of course, I will do as you ask, Lord Ethan.”

In the end, why did he act so annoyingly when he would eventually admit that he needed me?

Thinking of him as someone who is not honest in many ways, I left Ethan’s study with a teacup and a letter in each hand.

Indeed, I am indispensable.

***

Harold returned to Blackwood Manor that evening.

Seemingly returning right after finishing his overdue tasks at the academy, he confidently rode back to Blackwood Manor.

Unlike Ethan, he was able to ride personally, so there was no need for a carriage.

Well, in reality, riding a carriage from the Knowledge Island would require almost a full day of travel, but with personal riding, the travel time could be reduced by 60-70%.

Harold returned to Blackwood Manor after a day’s journey from Luminaire Academy to Blackwood Manor, and as a workaholic, he immediately took his place at his study desk upon his return. Thus, after a week, my temporary role as Ethan’s caretaker came to an end.

…Thanks to that, I had nothing to do, so I was waiting in my personal room like this.

“I really have nothing to do.”

In fact, if I wanted, I could have received permission from Ethan to go out and hunt monsters in the backyard, which would have been somewhat helpful for my growth.

At least that way, it would be much more visibly beneficial for my growth than just focusing on reading in my personal room.

But I didn’t want to be so obsessed with growth to the point of neglecting my main job.

As I had already reached a certain level, hunting monsters in the Blackwood backyard would only give me a tiny amount of experience points.

Since I had recently leveled up once, I would need to accumulate over 1,000 experience points again to reach the next level.

The conclusion was that I would have to spend almost two weeks hunting every day to level up by hunting monsters in the Blackwood backyard.

Instead of neglecting my main duties and doing that, it was better to stick by Ethan’s side.

After all, passing the time like this and reading the magic books in the Blackwood Manor warehouse also had its own benefits. Not all growth had to be visibly shown in numbers, and it was not the only meaningful information to live in this world.

“It’s nice to have some free time after a long time.”

It was the feeling of mental relaxation that I hadn’t felt in a long time, away from the daily competition and tasks of Luminaire Academy life.

The Blackwood Territory itself was a peaceful background that was almost unrelated to the main story, except for the ‘Ethan Subjugation’ event.

By now, that guy, Gethmjoshegi, was probably participating in the main story with Serista and Sirena.

In the ‘Luminaire Academy,’ there were many events during summer and winter vacations where you could interact with various heroines and progress the story.

With such thoughts in mind, I was enjoying the peace of mind, completely unrelated to the annoying events of the main story.

Now, the rhythmic sound of a knock that I could recognize even with my eyes closed could be heard from outside the door.

Knock, knock.

“Edan, sir?”

“I have something to discuss briefly, is it a good time now, Lillis?”

“Yes, sir. I am always ready.”

“Then come to my room for a moment. I’ll be waiting inside.”

“Yes, Edan, sir.”

It’s not mealtime yet, so is he planning to go out for some external activity?

***

Knock, knock, knock.

“I will come in, Edan, sir.”

“Come in.”

Creak. With the sound of the door opening, I stepped into Edan’s private room.

As I visit every morning and night to tidy up the bed, it is a familiar sight in a sense, as familiar as my own private room.

And naturally, Edan sitting at the table, waiting for me, caught my eye.

“What did you call me for?”

“First, come and sit here for a moment.”

“…Yes.”

What’s this about?

I remember that most of the conversations Edan has with me while sitting at the table are quite important.

For a moment, I wondered if he was planning to take me to some noble social event like last time.

“Lillis, do you have any schedule for tomorrow or the day after?”

“No, as your exclusive maid, I always keep my schedule empty.”

“Is that so?”

“Are you planning to go out of the estate?”

“Oh, yes. My father is coming back, so I don’t have to take care of the household affairs anymore, and now is the best time for you, Lillis, to be free. I can go alone, but it would be better in many ways if you come with me.”

I had thought about it just in case, but it seemed like he was planning to take me to another noble social event, pretending that I was his fiancée.

I had already given up on correcting the rumors about me being Edan’s fiancée. The closed amplification network of the Luminoir Academy made it impossible for the rumors to disappear even if I refuted them.

If Edan, a member of a prominent noble family like me, took action, I could prevent the spread of rumors to some extent, but Edan seemed to have no intention of denying the rumors circulating between us.

Perhaps it was a good situation for political use, so he didn’t bother to deny it. If the rumor spread that the heir of a prominent noble family had no fiancée, it would always cause trouble in negotiations between nobles.

I always had to deal with nobles who used the position of fiancée as a bargaining chip in every interaction, and it was easy to sour relationships by rejecting proposals from nobles with whom I had a good relationship, and I always had to be suspicious when accepting requests for new interactions.

In that sense, the present situation, where I played the role of a fake fiancée, was the most freeing time for Edan.

Therefore, it was understandable that he would take me to another noble social event to show that the rumors were not just idle gossip within the academy.

…Well, I couldn’t help it if Edan wanted it.

I didn’t particularly want to act as his fiancée anywhere, but for now, it was a politically important act for Edan.

Above all, as someone who had no intention of marrying a man in the future, whether Edan’s former fiancée label was attached or not, it didn’t matter to me.

So here, as Edan’s exclusive maid, I had no choice but to readily agree to his request.

“Where are you planning to go, Edan, sir?”

“I won’t go far. I’m going to the Greystone Village.”

“Grainstone Village?”

“Yeah. It’s a nearby village, so I’m planning to leave tomorrow. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, I know where it is, but…”

“Yeah? What’s wrong, Lillis?”

“…Even in such a small village, can they have something like a noble social gathering?”

“…A noble social gathering?”

“Yes?”

“Well, in Grainstone Village, there’s a blacksmith run by a half-dwarf, so I’m going there to get Lillis’ new dagger fitted.”

“…Ah.”

Oh!

Oh, oh no, oh no!