episode_0479

“Release.”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

“I’m asking just in case… If Queen Rainy ever offers you to come back as her maid, then… .”

“Don’t worry so much, I will never naturalize to the Kingdom of Dephrin, Lord Ethan.”

“… Okay, thanks.”

The journey back from the Kingdom of Dephrin to the Empire of Argentia by carriage.

Ethan, who had been quite annoyed by what Queen Raini had said earlier, had been bringing up the same topic over and over again, demanding the same answer from me.

‘Seeing how much we’ve become dependent on each other, I’m sure we’ll have to break up during this winter break.’

Of course, I had no intention of naturalizing as a Deffrin, but I had no reason to back out of the plan I had made months ago to break up with Ethan.

I should go back to Blackwood Manor and spend some time talking to Isabel and Katarina, and I should also spend some serious time with Ethan so that I won’t regret leaving anytime soon.

Ethan and I got into the carriage, trying hard to suppress the emotions that were starting to ache just thinking about it.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Welcome back, Young Master.”

“You’re back, Dietmeyer. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“The master came home two weeks ago. He said he had a lot to teach you this semester.”

“… Phew, I see. Seeing my father say that, I guess I won’t have the time to recover from the aftereffects.”

It seems that Harold is trying to teach Ethan various knowledge about running the Blackwood Estate in order to properly train his successor.

Looking at Ethan, who was already shaking his head with a tired expression, it seemed like he would be quite busy for a while. Perhaps even to the point where the time we could spend alone would decrease accordingly.

The moment I was about to walk into the mansion with my luggage off the carriage, Isabel and Katharina, who had greeted Ethan first, hurriedly joined me on either side and snatched the items from my hands.

“Release~! I’ll take that!”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. It’s not that heavy, and I’m stronger than Isabel to begin with… .”

“T-Please leave it to us, Lilith…! Lee, Lilith must be tired since she came from far away in a carriage…!”

“I said it’s okay. And Senior Katarina is weaker than Isabel… .”

Despite my protests, the two of them forcibly took my luggage one by one and entered the mansion.

Seeing him act like that when we first met after a long time, it seemed like I had pretty good friends.

Those two people were like the first friends I made when I was a kid. … Well, Katarina still treats me like a superior, so it’s a bit burdensome.

Anyway, Ethan and I returned to Blackwood Manor with the help of other butlers and maids.

Even though it was a place I hadn’t been to in a long time, it felt quite familiar. As I walked up to the upper floor of the mansion, I thought to myself that being here made me feel more psychologically comfortable than being at the academy or anywhere else.

“… … Ah.”

As soon as I saw the place I had seen in my dream a month ago, a small exclamation escaped my mouth.

“… Release?”

“What’s wrong, Lilith?”

“Release… ?”

Ethan and the two maids suddenly stopped walking to the fourth floor and looked back at me as I stopped on the stairs.

I couldn’t possibly explain to these three people what I had seen in my dream, so I just shook my head and pretended to be calm as I continued walking.

“Nothing. I felt like I was back home for the first time in a long time.”

“… Yeah, if that’s the case.”

“It’s been almost ten years since Release and I started working here. Like Release said, sometimes I feel like Blackwood Estate is my hometown.”

“Lee, Lilith will continue to live in the Blackwood Estate… .”

The three people nodded their heads with expressions of understanding after hearing my impromptu excuse.

I don’t know about other people, but I should leave a letter for these three people.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

-Suddenly.

“Hueuuu… .”

A pleasant moan escapes from your body as you soak in a bath of warm water.

It felt like all the fatigue from the past few days of coming here from the Kingdom of Dephrin was gone in an instant.

“Release, are you feeling good?”

“Yeah… . I feel completely relieved… .”

“Get some warm-up, Lilith. You must have had a hard time because of the winter overnight stay… .”

Actually, it wasn’t as hard as Katarina thought. The most difficult part of staying outdoors, the heat and cold, was always solved when Sei and Sally were present.

In the first place, since Princess Raini had no misfortune, there were no restrictions on visiting the village, and we never encountered any thieves or monsters. Perhaps it was because she hoped that no misfortune would come our way.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that having to ride a carriage for several days wasn’t hard. No matter how good the inn was, there were no facilities as nice as the bedroom and bathhouse at Blackwood Manor.

Thanks to Ethan’s consideration, Isabel and Katharina came with us, so we had a chance to have a serious conversation with them.

“By the way, I have a question for you two.”

“Huh?”

“Yes?”

“How long will Isabel and Katarina continue to work at Blackwood Manor?”

“Huh? Why is that?”

“… … .”

“No, well… I was just curious.”

Would it have been too much of a test to suddenly ask how long I would work?

It was Katharina’s answer that dispelled Isabel’s doubts as she looked at me with a strange expression.

“I, I… . Oh, I think I’ll probably continue working for about 10 more years… .”

“That long?”

“Blackwood Manor is paying me well without being late… . After all, this is the only kind of work I’ve ever learned… . While I’m working here, I don’t have to worry about food or lodging, so I want to work there for as long as possible… .”

“But in 10 years, Senior Katarina will be in her 30s too, right? What are you going to do about dating or marriage?”

“What are you talking about, Lilith? Katarina-senpai is already in a relationship.”

“… Oh, right. That’s right. ”

Now that I think about it, I remember seeing you flirting with Dietmeyer before you returned to the Academy.

I don’t know how these two started dating, but… when I look at them like this, they seem like they would suit each other well.

I guess that since Dietmeyer took care of and protected the timid and vulnerable Katarina, such feelings naturally sprouted in her.

“Ah, no… . I, Diet and I aren’t that kind of people… .”

“You already habitually call me by my nickname, so why are you saying that, Senior Katarina? You even secretly exchanged glances with me and Master Ethan in front of the mansion earlier.”

“Ah, that, that was really just a coincidence… .”

“I asked you when there was no release, but you absolutely did not admit it. Honestly, it looks to me like you’re already in a relationship~.”

“Uh, uhhh… .”

… Well, there’s no way Katarina, who has a timid personality, would go around telling others about her love life. She might think that it might harm Dietmeyer, the head of the Blackwood family.

It seemed that he would have to hear about it later through Dietmeyer, or at least subtly ask Katharina to allow him to talk about his love life.

“I’ll hear from Senior Katarina next time, but what about Isabel?”

“I… I think I will probably continue to work in the future.”

“Until when? Surely not until I die.”

“Huh? I guess it wouldn’t really matter if I worked at Blackwood Manor for the rest of my life. As long as Lilith stays at Blackwood, I’ll keep working here.”

“… … .”

Isabel is confident that I will serve the Blackwoods for the rest of my life.

Well, considering the current relationship between me and Ethan, it wasn’t strange to misunderstand like that. If we maintained our current relationship, I could continue to be Ethan’s exclusive maid and at least obtain the position of a second wife or concubine.

Ethan, who was secretly a very affectionate person despite his appearance, would certainly do that if I wanted. In fact, being a concubine of a duke’s family is better off than being the wife of a low-ranking noble.

“Later, when Lilith becomes a little higher in status…then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to become Lilith’s exclusive maid.”

“… Well, I think Isabel would be a good maid too.”

“Right~? Then I will continue to work at Blackwood. Lilith and I will be friends forever!”

“… Yeah, that sounds good too, yeah.”

… If you answer with such a bright expression, I can’t tell you that I’m leaving Blackwood.

My steps towards leaving the mansion felt increasingly heavy.