episode_0409

Another week has passed since the day I lost something precious to Ethan in the secret cave off the coast of Pliana.

There was a bit of an awkward atmosphere between me and Ethan when we returned to Blackwood Manor.

“Release, have you heard the news of your father’s return?”

“I don’t know. The academy semester is over, so it’s probably time for you to come back… .”

“Yeah. I guess nothing really happened since he’s my father, but I’m a little worried.”

“He will probably be back soon. I think he must be busy with various things since he is a professor at the academy.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Even after Ethan and I returned to Blackwood Manor, Harold still hadn’t returned. Ethan and I both hoped he would return to the manor as soon as possible.

It wasn’t a particularly grand reason like the Blackwood family needed Harold’s charisma to return or anything like that. The reason Ethan and I were waiting for the Blackwood family head to return was for a slightly different reason.

“My father needs to come back soon so I can take the Blackwood Successor class.”

“That’s right, Master Ethan.”

“… I also have to do the swordsmanship training I always did with my father. I’ve been busy this semester so I haven’t had much chance to train.”

“… That’s right, Master Ethan.”

Even at Professor Mamamari’s villa and in the coastal caves on Pliana Beach, we ended up just getting excited and stuff, so to be honest, both Ethan and I were getting a little impatient at this point.

This semester, most of the classes were outside of the academy, so Ethan and Harold had fewer opportunities to spar, and as a result, the number of times Ethan received a victory reward for beating Harold was significantly reduced.

There were a few instances where they used other methods to satisfy each other’s sexual desires, even if they didn’t do it on the original broadcast… but those kinds of acts alone were not enough to satisfy the fundamental sexual desires of men and women.

…Ethan had to fight Harold and somehow win the game, so that he and I could have a proper sexual relationship. Other than that, we decided to do as little as possible and exercise moderation for each other.

‘But where on earth is Harold and what is he doing that makes him so late… .’

I knew that the Academy professors had longer semesters than their students, but it was still strange that he hadn’t arrived ten days after Ethan and I had finished our classes.

Of course, since it is a fantasy world, it is inevitable that it will be difficult to convey news when something urgent suddenly arises.

While Ethan and I were waiting for news from the Blackwood family, a letter arrived from the Academy. It was a letter with the Blackwood family seal on it, so anyone could tell that it was written by Harold.

“Lord Ethan, a letter from the master.”

“… letter?”

Ethan’s eyes narrow slightly as soon as he hears the news that it is a letter from Harold.

It wasn’t strange to have such a reaction without even reading the content. In the first place, the fact that the person hadn’t come and that the letter had arrived was likely a letter explaining why he couldn’t come.

In fact, as he read the letter he received from Harold, Ethan’s expression hardened so quickly that even I, watching from the side, could tell, and even without asking about the contents, I could easily deduce what was written.

“Is there news that the master will be home late?”

“… It’s not that it’s late, but they say you won’t be able to return to Blackwood Manor this summer vacation.”

“… Yes?”

“I heard he’s going to the northwestern highlands for some time to attend to some business. He’s going on a long journey, so he won’t have time to return to Blackwood Estate, so he’ll probably spend the entire summer vacation there before returning to the Academy.”

“… … Yes?”

No, what…?

So what about Ethan and Harold’s duel?

What should be the ‘reward’ that Ethan gives to Harold when he wins?

“Was there perhaps a message for the young master to come to the northwest? Perhaps it was to prepare for the training for the growth of the young master Ethan in a harsh environment… .”

“No. On the contrary. It says that you should not leave Blackwood Estate during this summer vacation, as you need to remain at Blackwood Estate to handle paperwork that needs to be handled as the head of the household and to respond to the overdue correspondence from the branch household.

It is also written that if you have any questions about managing the household, you can ask the head butler, Dietmeyer, and if you have any questions about managing the mansion, you can ask the head maid, Melissa.”

“… … .”

“… I don’t think I’ll be able to spar with Dad this summer vacation, Lilith.”

“… … .”

ah.

Ah, ah, ah!

Aaaah …

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The duel between Ethan and Harold was not held because Harold suddenly went on a business trip to another region.

In the process, the ‘compensation’ that should have existed between me and Ethan naturally disappeared, so the emptiness was truly indescribable.

‘This semester, I was really just waiting for summer vacation.’

Because Harold didn’t show any mercy to Ethan and because Ethan’s condition fluctuated due to frequent external classes, it was hard for me to even make a chance to reward Ethan this semester. The curriculum itself changed as we entered our third year.

However, since we would train every day at the same mansion during summer vacation, I thought that Ethan’s number of wins would naturally increase, so Harold’s business trip was like a bolt from the blue to me.

‘It’s reaching its limit to just touch each other halfway through… .’

If I were a man who just needed to rub things, that might be fine, but for a woman like me, if I didn’t stimulate the erogenous zones a little deeper in my body, it felt a little lacking.

Besides, as someone who still had the soul of a unicorn from my previous life, I didn’t want to put anything other than Ethan’s things inside my body. Rubbing it with my fingers also had clear limitations in terms of length and thickness.

‘… I don’t think anything will change even if I complain like this.’

It was impossible for me to leave for the highlands in the northwest to catch Harold, and since Ethan had emphasized to Harold that he should remain in the Blackwood estate, I, as his exclusive maid, could not act alone.

“Master Ethan, please have some refreshments.”

“… Ah. Thanks, Lilith.”

I guess all I can do is just assist Ethan a little while he works.

It wasn’t that I didn’t particularly like working as Ethan’s exclusive maid, but I honestly couldn’t help feeling like a child who had his Christmas presents stolen.

“Release, would you mind providing a proper response to the letter from House Pinwood? I understand your request, but it states that it is difficult to support you this year.”

“… Can I write this? Wasn’t this the task that the master gave to Ethan?”

“It’s better if Lilith writes it because Lilith’s handwriting is pretty. And my father probably won’t say anything about Lilith’s writing.”

“…? Okay. Then I will write a reply, but just in case, I would like to ask you to do the final review.”

“Okay, please.”

I wonder if I, a mere maid, can get involved in the Blackwood family’s management, but for now, I follow Ethan’s orders and assist with his work.

It didn’t feel so bad to be in the same room as Ethan and do his work together. For a moment, I felt like I was the mistress of the Blackwood family.

… Well, at this point, it’s probably not going to happen, since Ethan’s fiancée is most likely Princess Raini.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t met Princess Raini even once this semester.’

Even though we were in different departments, I thought I would be able to meet her at least once, but of the remaining heroines, the only one I met the most was Mezlen, a fellow magician.

I remember that I was admitted to the academy, but I think I’ll have to visit the pharmacy department a little more often in the second semester.

While thinking about that, I finished up the work that had piled up with Ethan, and before I knew it, it was evening.

Ethan’s appearance, so focused on his work that he didn’t even realize the passage of time, was strangely similar to Harold’s, and I quietly walked up to him and told him that it was already dinnertime.

“Master Ethan, it’s dinner time now.”

“… Huh? What, it’s already this late?”

“Yes. It’s good to be focused on your work, but it would be better to take a break today. There’s still a lot of summer vacation left, so it’s important to strike a good balance between work and rest.”

“… Okay, Release. Oh, and the letter I asked for earlier… .”

“I’ll organize it and put it on your desk in the office, so you can review it tomorrow and seal it if there are no problems.”

“Okay, Release. Oh, can you tell her that dinner is in about an hour? I think I need to catch up on some work I missed today before that.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to pass that on to the kitchen.”

Ethan leaves the office with slightly hurried steps and heads downstairs.

Seeing that, I cleaned up the office where I had been working with Ethan a little while ago, then walked to the kitchen a beat late and relayed Master Ethan’s instructions.

‘By the way, where did Ethan go in such a hurry…?’

If he had called me for the purpose of paying tribute, it wouldn’t have been for that reason, and I confirmed that he went downstairs from the office, so he didn’t go up to his room.

‘If Ethan missed any work today, then maybe… .’

Since Ethan only had one task left to do today, I walked to the training grounds on the first floor where he was probably.

I also brought my personal dagger with me in case it could be of any help to Ethan.