Response to the Confession (3)

“Please be careful on your way back, Miss Lilith. And if anything feels off, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

The academy church, which also serves as the Theology Department building of Luminor Academy.

Standing at the main entrance of that church, Celista had been holding both my hands while repeating the same precautions she’d been emphasizing since earlier.

Having heard those words so many times they were practically ingrained in my ears, I could only nod in response.

“Yes. Thank you for everything, Saintess Celista.”

“Thank you for taking care of Lilith, Saintess.”

“No need for thanks-it was simply my duty.”

After somehow conveying my response to Ethan’s confession and returning to the hospital room, Celista.

The first thing Ethan and I did upon her return was to arrange for my discharge from the church by today.

With the weekend already over yesterday and classes and responsibilities piling up at the academy, lying in bed any longer would have been uncomfortable.

In my past life, I might have been thrilled at the idea of skipping school legally, but missing classes at Luminor Academy-where tuition wasn’t cheap-required considerable courage.

Not to mention, considering group projects with Agnes and student council work, I couldn’t afford to stay idle forever.

Fortunately, since there were no major lingering injuries, I was able to be discharged without issue-though Celista repeatedly emphasized how close I’d come to death.

This makes it the second time I’ve been indebted to the Aurelia Church.

Both times, I’d nearly died before being brought back, so I couldn’t help but hope this would be my last visit to the church.

“Well then, take care-“

“…Um, Miss Lilith.”

“Yes?”

“This might be a somewhat sensitive question, but before you go, may I ask you one thing?”

“What would you like to ask, Saintess Celista?”

“…Just a moment, could you lean in closer?”

Celista gestured cautiously toward me, as if this was something she didn’t want Ethan to hear.

I tilted my head slightly to match her height, and she whispered to me in a careful tone.

‘Miss Lilith… you are a noble, correct?’

‘…Pardon?’

‘You’re the only daughter of the Rosewood Baronet family, and you are indeed a member of that noble house, right?’

‘…Yes, that’s correct. But may I ask why you’re inquiring?’

‘Ah, no… It’s nothing. I apologize for the strange question….’

Why was she suddenly asking about my social status?

As I’d mentioned before, my current identity was that of the only daughter of a baronet family fabricated by Ethan and Seraphine.

Lilith Rosewood, born to Louis Rosewood and Marianne Rosewood.

A fake noble family that didn’t actually exist.

Only a select few-those connected to Ethan and Seraphine-knew the truth.

Even Isabelle and Katarina believed I was genuinely the daughter of a baronet, making this a secret that had to be strictly guarded.

Though I knew Celista wasn’t a villain, we weren’t close enough for me to casually reveal such a secret.

‘She must just find it odd that a noble is working as a maid.’

As I’d said before, it was practically unheard of for a noble lady to attend the academy and serve as a personal maid to a man.

Her suspicious gaze was understandable, and I didn’t feel particularly upset about it.

After all, I’d been in her care at the church for three days-it was only natural she’d be curious.

With that thought, I waved goodbye to Celista, and as we moved further away from the church,

an awkward silence began to settle between Ethan and me.

-Tap, tap.

“……”

-Step, step.

“……”

Perhaps because the kiss from earlier resurfaced in my mind, neither of us could bring ourselves to speak first.

Ethan, too, seemed lost in thought about what had happened in the hospital room, remaining quiet.

If this continued, the awkwardness would persist all the way back to the dorm-and possibly even into tomorrow morning.

As the older one here, I figured it was my responsibility to break this uncomfortable atmosphere.

“How is Princess Seraphine’s student council, Young Master Ethan?”

“Same as usual. Some people you’d recognize, some you probably wouldn’t.”

“Is that so?”

“See for yourself tomorrow. Official activities start then anyway.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried I might have caused trouble by being bedridden.”

“No one’s going to complain about someone who nearly died taking a few days to recover, Lilith.”

…Well, I suppose that’s true for Seraphine and those she approves of.

After that brief exchange, silence fell between us again, leaving only the sound of our footsteps echoing in the air.

-Tap, tap.

“……”

-Step, step.

“……”

…Damn it, seriously.

At this rate, no matter what topic I brought up, the awkwardness would just return.

So I decided to address the elephant in the room head-on.

If we kept tiptoeing around this, pretending to be temporary lovers would become impossible.

“Young Master Ethan.”

“…Ah, yeah. Lilith.”

“If you’re still troubled by the kiss we shared in the hospital room, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s fine, Lilith. I wasn’t really bothered by-“

“After all, it was only my second kiss. So you don’t need to feel burdened, Young Master Ethan.”

“……What?”

The moment I said he didn’t need to worry, Ethan’s gaze turned sharp as he glared at me.

Sensing I’d misspoken, I opened my mouth to clarify-but Ethan cut me off with a dangerous expression.

“Did I say something wrong-“

“…Who was it?”

“Pardon?”

“The bastard who took Lilith’s first kiss-who was it?”

“……”

…Huh?

Wasn’t my first kiss obviously with the Hero? And didn’t Ethan already know that?

He’d been there when I was revived after dying-he must have seen Gyeotmwa Josyegigot giving me CPR.

Why was Ethan directing hostility at the Hero, who was practically my lifesaver?

‘Wait, did he see the CPR but not the mouth-to-mouth?’

Ethan had also fallen into the lake and barely survived-maybe his memories of that time were fragmented.

Especially something like Lilith’s first kiss, which he might have deliberately blocked out.

Perhaps he caught a glimpse but immediately looked away.

I’d tried to lighten the mood, but it seemed I’d only made things worse.

“Calm down, Young Master Ethan. I understand why you’re upset, but he is the one who saved my life.”

“…Saved your life? Are you saying someone saved you and then forced you to give them your first kiss as repayment?”

“That’s not it. I’m explaining that he had no choice but to perform something akin to a kiss to save my life.”

“Who the hell would use such a ridiculous excuse to take Lilith’s lips? When did this even-“

“It happened just the day before yesterday, Young Master Ethan!”

“……Huh?”

Ethan tilted his head in confusion at my mention of “the day before yesterday.”

For some reason, I felt now was the time to explain, so I quickly elaborated on my first kiss.

“The Saintess already told me everything. That when I was pulled from the lake, my heart had temporarily stopped, and my life was in danger.”

“…Yeah, it was bad. I really thought I’d lost you.”

“And that the Hero used CPR to save me in that situation.”

“…Right, that’s true.”

“She also mentioned that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was part of the process. And from what I’ve learned, mouth-to-mouth involves pressing lips together and blowing air into the lungs.”

“…Wait, Lilith. So the first kiss you mentioned was-“

“Yes. I considered the mouth-to-mouth from that day as my first kiss when I mentioned it to you. Naturally, I assumed you’d witnessed it too, since you were there.”

But I hadn’t expected that Ethan, who’d hugged me the moment I woke up, hadn’t known.

How could he have missed my first kiss-well, technically not a real kiss, but still-the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation happening right there?

…Though, admittedly, it was my fault for casually mentioning it, assuming he knew.

“No, Lilith. If that’s the case, then your first kiss was probably…”

“Yes. From your reaction, it seems you didn’t see it. In any case, if you’d prefer, I can forget about the mouth-to-mouth too.”

“…That’s not it, Lilith. The one who performed the mouth-to-mouth wasn’t that Hero you’re talking about.”

“Pardon?”

“…Lilith’s mouth-to-mouth-I was the one who did it.”

…Huh?

Gyeotmwa Josyegigot wasn’t the one who gave me mouth-to-mouth?

Wait, that doesn’t make sense. How would Ethan even know how to perform CPR?

“Young Master Ethan, where did you learn about mouth-to-mouth-“

“The Hero taught me on the spot. He said to pinch the nose, cover the mouth with mine, and blow air in.”

“……”

“I thought you knew, since you woke up right after I was pressing my lips to yours.”

“…I-I s-see…”

“And that CPR thing-I did that too. I didn’t like the idea of another man touching your body.”

“…Y-You did well.”

“Not that I had any right to decide who touches you, but…”

…So that’s what happened.

Meaning, even if I was unconscious, my first kiss was technically with Ethan?

And no other man had ever laid hands on me.

Somehow, a weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying lifted, and I felt myself relax.

…Well, at least it’s a relief that my first kiss was with Ethan.

“I see. That’s a relief then.”

“…A relief?”

“…Ah.”

“Lilith, did you just say ‘a relief’?”

“…Huh? What are you talking about, Young Master Ethan?”

“You definitely said ‘a relief.’ Does that mean what I think it means…?”

“No. I never said that. And even if I did, it wouldn’t mean what you’re thinking.”

“No, you definitely meant it like-“

“I didn’t.”

Ethan latched onto my slip of the tongue and wouldn’t let go.

If I admitted to it now, he’d never stop teasing me, so I stubbornly denied it.

His relentless questioning continued all the way back to the dorm.

…Honestly, he gets way too smug the moment he finds something to tease me about.