Midnight Secret Outing (2)

“Where did you go?”

“…!”

Ethan’s voice coming from right beside my ear.

The moment his clear yet cold voice whispered into my ear, my exhausted mind instantly jolted awake.

‘Weren’t you asleep…?’

No wonder his sleep-talking seemed a bit strange today.

My mind spun in confusion, unable to make proper judgments due to the emotion-laden voice pressing down on me.

While I was struggling to think of how to respond, his voice tickled my ear once more.

“Lilith, I asked where you went.”

“…My apologies, Young Master Ethan.”

“Yeah, you should be sorry. My exclusive maid sneaked out in the middle of the night without her master’s permission.”

“……”

Even with ten mouths, I had nothing to say. What I did today was clearly a violation of my duties as an exclusive maid.

While my reasons were to avoid causing Ethan unnecessary worry or dragging him out to the Black Forest in the dead of night…

…Regardless, it was undeniable that I’d overstepped my bounds as his exclusive maid.

“So.”

“……”

“Aren’t you going to answer where you went?”

-Thump.

His voice wrapped around me like pressure, making my heart race for a moment.

Whether it was guilt over betraying Ethan, the weight of abandoning my duties, or simply fear of being under his suspicion-I couldn’t tell.

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

“…The Black Forest?”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“At this hour? To train?”

“…No, I didn’t go for training.”

“Then?”

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

-Squeeze.

“Ah, agh…!”

The moment he heard I went to meet someone, the grip on my wrist tightened sharply.

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

“…Who was it?”

“…Huh?”

“Who the hell called you out at this hour?”

“N-No… It wasn’t that they called me out, but… we had a… promise…”

“A promise? Princess Seraphine? Or that bitch from the August family?”

“No… Not them…”

“…Don’t tell me it was that damn Hero guy, what’s-his-name, Gyeotmwa?”

-Squeeze!

“N-No… Young Master Ethan…!”

The pressure on my wrist grew even stronger-now to the point of slight pain.

With the uneasy feeling that things would escalate if I didn’t explain properly, I had no choice but to quickly tell Ethan who I met and why I had to go out at this hour.

About my Spirit Communication class in the Magic Department, my relationship with Agnes, the once-in-a-century Planetary Alignment Day, and her spirit contract.

“…So, I just finished attaching a low-level Flame Spirit to Miss Blaze and returned, Young Master Ethan. Also, I never once strayed from the path or left my position during the process.”

“…Really?”

“…If you don’t believe me, you can ask Miss Blaze directly. If needed, I can introduce you to her myself.”

“……”

It seemed my answer wasn’t entirely displeasing, as the grip loosened slightly.

The heavy pressure from earlier eased a bit, and Ethan asked again as if to confirm.

“Right… So you didn’t meet the Princess or the August girl…”

“…That’s correct, Young Master Ethan.”

“And you didn’t meet that skirt-chasing Hero either…”

“I swear on the Goddess that I didn’t go to meet anyone other than Miss Blaze. The only other person I encountered was the dorm supervisor.”

“Sigh…”

-Sigh.

Only after multiple explanations did Ethan finally release my wrist, seemingly relieved.

I wasn’t sure what difference it made whether I met Seraphine, Liz, or Agnes, but at least his murderous aura had somewhat subsided after my answer.

Though he was still pinning me down so I couldn’t escape.

“So, Lilith.”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“Setting aside who you met, why didn’t you tell me you were sneaking out of the dorm in the middle of the night?”

“This might sound a bit strange…”

“…Say it. I’ll hear you out first.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you or make you worry, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

Ethan’s face hardened the moment he heard the first part of my answer.

Even in the darkness, the change in his expression was unmistakable.

Still, I had no choice but to explain my reasoning.

“If I had told you, I thought you might oppose me going out alone at night or even insist on accompanying me, which would have been troublesome for you.”

“…You knew that.”

“…Young Master Ethan?”

“You knew that, and yet you snuck out without saying a word, Lilith?”

“……”

His voice dripped with unmistakable anger as he leaned his face closer to mine.

Close enough that even in the dim light, I could see his expression clearly.

At that moment, I fully realized my mistake in sneaking out without telling Ethan.

“Lilith.”

-Thump.

“…Y-Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“Are you testing me?”

-Thump, thump.

“T-Testing? How could I ever dare to test you…?”

“Then why do you keep provoking me like this? Always acting secretive, throwing yourself into dangerous situations…”

“…It was just a nighttime outing, Young Master Ethan. As you know, my skills are enough to handle two or three thugs…”

“I’m talking, Lilith.”

-Thump, thump, thump.

“S-Sorry…”

Ethan’s tone was more serious and pressing than ever, as if genuinely furious.

For some reason, my heart pounded wildly at his high-handed attitude.

‘I did mess up…’

My only intention was to avoid making Ethan worry unnecessarily.

If I had told him and he forbade me from going out, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my promise to Agnes.

So I thought it’d be easier to handle things while he was asleep.

But if I’d known it would lead to this, I should have just told him upfront.

‘An apology alone won’t be enough…’

While pondering how to calm Ethan down, an old urban legend I’d once read about popped into my head.

Desperate to soothe his mood, I cautiously made a suggestion while meeting his gaze.

“Saying you can handle two or three thugs is nonsense. What if more came? And this is the Academy-there are countless people stronger than you.”

“……”

“Have you already forgotten nearly dying at the lake? Just thinking about almost losing you then makes me wake up in the middle of-“

“…Y-Young Master Ethan.”

“I’m not done, Lilith.”

“…W-Would you like to touch my chest…?”

“Tou-“

Just as he seemed about to endlessly berate me for sneaking out, my sudden “touch my chest” offer made him pause and stare at me.

…Wait, does this actually work?

“…Lilith, even in this situation, you’re joking-“

“N-No… I didn’t mean it as a way to ask for forgiveness or anything like that.”

“…Then?”

“I-I heard before that when men touch a woman’s chest, their brains release calming hormones… psychologically…”

“…Hormones?”

“A-Anyway, rather than talking while so worked up, maybe you could touch my chest and calm down a bit…? T-That’s what I meant, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

“O-Of course, this offer isn’t for anyone but you.”

Will this work?

I really hope this can smooth things over.

It was already embarrassing enough for me to suggest letting him touch my chest.

But since this was clearly my fault and Ethan’s anger was justified…

If letting him grope me once could resolve things, that was fine by me.

…Though if this doesn’t work, I might be in trouble.

“……”

“……”

Even as angry as he was, Ethan was still a teenage boy.

He hesitated slightly when faced with the offer from a girl he liked.

Deciding to go all in, I grabbed his hand and placed it on my chest.

As his left hand rested on my right breast, his expression betrayed clear desire.

-Squish.

“…L-Lilith.”

“A-Are you feeling a bit calmer now, Young Master Ethan?”

“……”

Dazed by my unexpected offer, Ethan snapped back to reality with his hand on my chest.

His eyes, the only things shining in the dark, met mine quietly.

After a brief silence, his face slowly drew closer.

In the dim light, Ethan’s lips met mine in a quiet kiss.