episode_0179

“Where did you go?”

“…!”

Ethan’s voice coming from right next to my ear.

The clear yet cold voice whispered in my ear, instantly jolting my tired mind awake.

“I was sleeping…?”

For some reason, my sleep talking seemed a bit off today.

My head spun in confusion, unable to make a proper judgment due to Ethan’s mixed emotions in his voice.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, not even a word. What I did to Ethan today was clearly neglecting my duties as a full-time maid.

I didn’t want to burden Ethan with unnecessary worries, or maybe I didn’t want to wake him up in the middle of the night and take him to the Black Forest for some reason.

But regardless, the fact that I, as a full-time maid, did something out of line was undeniable.

“So.”

“….”

“You’re not going to answer where you went and came back from?”

-Thump.

Ethan’s voice enveloped me like a pressure, and I felt my heart beating rapidly for a moment.

Was it because of the guilt of committing a sin against Ethan, or the guilt of neglecting my duties as a full-time maid?

Or maybe it was just the fear of Ethan suspecting me that made me feel this way.

“To the Black Forest… I went and came back.”

“The Black Forest?”

“Yes, Ethan.”

“Are you going to train at this late hour?”

“No, I didn’t go there to train.”

“Then?”

“I went to meet someone, and I came back…”

-Thud.

“Oh, ah….”

As soon as he heard that I went to meet someone, his grip on my wrist tightened significantly.

The pressure and sense of danger transmitted through my wrist made the end of my words tremble.

“What kind of kid is it.”

“What?”

“Who called you out at this hour of the night.”

“Oh, no… It’s not that he called me out, it’s just, um, a promise…”

“A promise? Is it Princess Seraphine? Or that girl from the Augustus family?”

“No… It’s not them…”

“Could it be that damn Gethm something warrior guy?”

-Thud!

“Oh, no… Ethan, sir…”

The pressure on my wrist became even stronger. It was starting to feel slightly painful now.

I had a gut feeling that if I didn’t explain properly, things might take a turn for the worse.

Before the atmosphere got any more serious, I had no choice but to explain to Ethan the reason why I had to meet someone and go out in the middle of the night.

From taking a class in Elemental Communication with Agnes to the relationship I formed with her, and even about the planetary alignment that occurs once every 100 years and her spirit contract.

“So, I just went to Blaze’s place to give him a lesser fire spirit, Ethan. And I didn’t stray from the path or deviate in any way during the process.”

“Is that so?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Blaze directly. I can introduce you to him if needed.”

“….”

Although Ethan’s grip had softened, the pressure he exerted had eased a bit. He asked me a question to confirm my answer.

“So… you didn’t meet Princess or the Augustus heiress…”

“That’s correct, Ethan.”

“I didn’t meet that hero who shamelessly flirts with women all the time….”

“I swear to the goddess, I didn’t go to meet anyone other than Blaze. The only other person I encountered was the dormitory supervisor.”

“Sigh….”

-Sigh.

After explaining multiple times, Ethan finally released my wrist as if he was reassured.

I’m not sure what the difference is between meeting Seraphine or Lizzie and meeting Agnes, but after this response, his fierce aura seemed to calm down to some extent.

However, he still pinned me down on the ground, making sure I couldn’t escape or get away.

“So, Lilith.”

“Yes, Lord Ethan.”

“Setting aside who Lilith met, why didn’t you tell me that you sneaked out of the dormitory in the middle of the night?”

“I know this might sound a bit strange, but….”

“…Tell me. I’ll listen and then judge.”

“I was afraid of bothering you or causing you worry, Lord Ethan.”

“….”

Ethan’s face stiffened again as soon as he heard my first sentence.

Even in the dim darkness, the change in his expression was clear enough to notice.

Of course, while confirming his expression, I had no choice but to convey my thoughts and judgments to Ethan.

“Knowing that.”

“…Lord Ethan?”

“Knowing that, you still went out of the dormitory alone without saying anything, Lilith?”

“….”

With a clearly angry voice, Ethan brought his face close to mine.

Even in the faint darkness, I could see his expression clearly as he brought his face so close to mine.

It was the moment I realized that sneaking out without informing Ethan was a mistake.

“Lilith.”

-Thump.

“Yes, L-Lord Ethan.”

“Are you testing me, Lilith?”

-Thump, thump.

“T-Testing you…. I-I would never dare to test you, Lord Ethan….”

“But why do you keep provoking me like this? Always engaging in secretive actions and pushing yourself into potentially dangerous situations.”

“It was just a nighttime outing, Lord Ethan. As you know, with my skills, I can easily handle a few criminals….”

“I’m telling you, Lilith.”

-Thump, thump, thump.

“I-I’m sorry….”

Whether he was truly angry today or not, Ethan scolded me with a serious expression.

For some reason, his authoritarian attitude made my heart race uncontrollably.

‘I was wrong….’

My intention was simply not to burden Ethan with unnecessary worries.

If by any chance I brought up the topic and Ethan prohibited nighttime outings, I wouldn’t be able to keep the promise I made with Agnes.

So, I tried to resolve things smoothly while Ethan was asleep, but it seemed like speaking up beforehand would have been better.

‘Just apologizing might not be enough to resolve this….’

As I pondered on how to calm Ethan’s emotions, a rumor that had spread widely on the community site in the past suddenly came to mind.

In order to somehow lighten his mood in the current situation, I cautiously made a suggestion while locking eyes with Ethan.

“Being able to subdue a few villains is no excuse. What if more of them come at us? And this is an academy, there are definitely people stronger than you, Lillis.”

“….”

“Have you already forgotten how close you came to dying at the lake last time? I still can’t shake off the thought of almost losing you back then…”

“E-Edan, sir.”

“I haven’t finished speaking yet, Lillis.”

“W-Would you… touch my chest…?”

“Sure…”

As Edan continued to scold me endlessly for my unauthorized nighttime outing, he suddenly paused when I jokingly asked him to touch my chest.

Could it actually work?

“Lillis, even in this situation, making jokes…”

“Oh, no… I didn’t mean it as a request for you to touch my chest or anything like that. I just remembered hearing that when men touch a woman’s chest, the brain releases calming hormones…”

“Hormones?”

“Well, instead of getting too excited and talking, maybe you could touch my chest and talk calmly… That’s what I meant, Edan.”

“….”

“This offer is only for you, Edan.”

I hope he buys it.

I hope we can somehow move past this.

It was a proposal I reluctantly made, swallowing my pride. Asking him if he wanted to touch my chest first was quite embarrassing.

But this time, my mistake was greater, and Edan’s anger towards me was justified.

If a touch on the chest could resolve this, it was better than the alternative.

…Of course, if this didn’t work, it would be a bit awkward.

“….”

“….”

No matter how angry he was, Edan was still a young man at heart.

He hesitated slightly to easily reject a proposal from a woman he liked to touch her chest first.

Deciding to be clear, I took one of Edan’s hands and placed it on my chest.

From his expression as he placed his left hand on my right chest, I could clearly see his desire.

– Makank

“Li-Lillis.”

“Have you calmed down a bit, Edan?”

“….”

Momentarily taken aback by my surprising proposal, Edan, with one hand on my chest, seemed to regain his composure.

In the darkness, his eyes, the only source of light, met mine quietly.

After a brief silence, Edan’s face slowly approached mine, our lips meeting in the dimness.

– Makank