Side Story – Lilith Free Pass (2)

 ‘…Exactly at what point will it be taken off?’ 

 All the while I was walking around the ruins, that was the only thought in my head. 

 While walking around the Mireya Ruins, I couldn’t help but be nervous the entire time, wondering exactly when the order would pop out of Ethan’s mouth. 

 ‘Still, he wouldn’t openly strip me in front of people, right…?’ 

 He’d probably take me to some secluded spot and strip me, or perhaps hide in the shade or bushes and make me take a naked walk this time for sure. 

 Or he might suddenly present his thing and make an absurd demand like, ‘There’s nowhere to hide it, so hold it in your mouth.’ 

 ‘Still, up to this point, it’s barely acceptable.’ 

 Anyway, as long as we didn’t get caught, it was just a deviant act between the two of us. As long as no other men or women got involved between me and him, anything else was fine. 

 In the first place, I had to grant this level of request for Ethan’s personality to return to normal. To get back the possessive and obsessive him, I had to endure this much. 

 …Of course, it was also true that it was embarrassing, though. 

 ‘There are so many tourists, like an ant colony…’ 

 Mireya was already a city with many outside visitors, but now the Saint’s Wedding was also overlapping. 

 If I ran into an acquaintance while doing something strange with Ethan, it would be over. The problem was that Ethan was from a Ducal Family, so he was acquainted with most nobles. 

 If it were someone like Agnes or Lizzie, who were close enough to understand, I would just be embarrassed and it would be over, but if anyone else caught us, it would truly be ruin. 

 A fountain built with splendid marble, a sacred church where many tourists were taking commemorative photos, and the singing of a choir could be heard from various places on the street. 

 In a place like this, doing such a thing with Ethan meant…. 

 ‘Really, no matter how I think about it, it seems like a crazy thing to do, but…’ 

 If I could change Ethan’s mind with that, it would be worth it. 

 Thinking such thoughts, I tried to cover my flushed face. 

 ‘Now that I think about it, he deliberately chose such a crowded tourist spot to prevent me from escaping…’ 

 The process of stripping would be difficult, but once I was stripped, there would be no way to escape. No matter how I thought about it, there was no way I could run away naked in a place like this without a ‘guardian.’ 

 The tension wouldn’t ease, as I didn’t know when he would reveal his true colors. Thinking such thoughts, I subtly glanced at Ethan, who was next to me. 

 Ethan, who was holding and reading a tourist guide in one hand, quietly uttered. 

 “This is where the First Saint Mireya performed a miracle.” 

 “…Huh?” 

 “They say that as soon as she prayed in front of this fountain, rain fell on the drought-stricken village. Enough to fill the reservoir.” 

 “Ah, yes…” 

 …Not yet, I guess. 

 Right, I haven’t quite prepared myself yet either. 

 Thinking he might seriously try something around the next spot, I carefully walked behind Ethan, and the words that came from his mouth were: 

 “They say this mural here was made even before Saint Mireya was born. The Old Grand Church was built in a way that didn’t damage the ancient ruins.” 

 “This is a sculpture made by a famous sculptor. It says it’s the sculptor’s work, his life’s masterpiece made over 10 years, that suddenly came to life and moved. It also says that summoning magic truly developed after that incident.” 

 “Oh, there’s also a sculpture of the First Saint here. It’s wrapped in Holy Magic, so it hasn’t corroded. Lilith, look too.” 

 “……Yes.” 

 A sculpture depicting the Saint caring for children and the form of a god responding to her prayers. 

 Of course, it was beautiful and sacred, but… no matter how I thought about it, I simply couldn’t concentrate with Ethan’s perplexing attitude. 

 ‘He’s not doing anything?’ 

 We came all the way to the ruins, claiming it was a date, but two hours had already passed without anything happening. 

 Far from making me do anything strange, it was an empty sensation to the point where I couldn’t even feel the slightest physical contact. 

 After all the trouble of giving him the Lilith Free Pass, I inexplicably began to feel a sense of crisis at the feeling that physical contact had decreased much more than usual. 

 “This time, over there…” 

 -Malkang. 

 “Th-this time, shall we try going over there, Ethan?!” 

 “…Alright, shall we?” 

 As if to say it was perfectly fine to do strange things, I hugged his arm, tucking it between my breasts, and deliberately pointed my finger towards a secluded corner of the ruins where there were almost no people. 

 Ethan would probably have understood with that much. Thinking such thoughts, Ethan and I moved, deliberately making slightly excessive physical contact, but. 

 “It seems we’ve seen almost all of the Old Grand Church Ruins. Right, Lilith?” 

 “…Yes, it seems so.” 

 In the end, Ethan and I finished without doing anything at all until the very end. 

⁎ ⁎ ⁎ 

 …Though I was calmly sightseeing with Lilith, pretending not to know, I actually knew. 

 I knew what she was hoping for from me when she handed me an absurd item like the ‘Lilith Free Pass.’ 

 ‘Right, Lilith wouldn’t do that.’ 

 The profanity I heard from her in the early hours of last night was a bit shocking, but… after sleeping and waking up and thinking about it, it didn’t leave that much trauma. 

 It was already a memory from over 10 years ago, and for me now, the memories of Lilith, who became my wife since then, remained more strongly. 

 -Malkang. 

 “…….” 

 She must be doing this, rubbing her chest against me to an excessive degree compared to usual, to somehow cheer me up. 

 To pretend to be serious, I couldn’t check her expression, but even without specifically looking, I could easily infer what kind of face she was making. 

 ‘Really, she’s so cute.’ 

 Even so, if she’s this lovely, I can’t help but let what she did wrong last night slide. 

 It was fortunate, if anything, that only Mirif heard her cause such a commotion. That high-ranking priestess is her friend, so there probably won’t be any particular problem. 

 As for The Hero… it’s true that our values don’t align, but he’s still a trustworthy guy. 

 I don’t know what the two of them talked about, but I decided not to worry too much about it. Even in a marital relationship, it’s natural to have one or two secrets you don’t want to reveal. 

 …So this is just my whim. 

 A whim to lightly tease Lilith, who got angry at me without reason last night. 

 “E-Ethan! Th-that reminds me, they say steak is famous here! They say the calves raised directly by the priests and the butter made from their milk are very famous…” 

 “Alright. Then shall we eat out for dinner tonight?” 

 “A-and, they say you can reserve private rooms too. It’s a place where just Ethan and I can relax, so I think we could spend some intimate time without being seen by others… H-how about it?” 

 “…Alright, that’s not bad either.” 

 What Lilith wanted was so obvious, and she was so cute. 

 …I just want to watch her fidget like that a little longer. 

⁎ ⁎ ⁎ 

 Even though I had gone on a date with Ethan for once, my heart was still heavy. 

 Even after going to all the trouble of creating and handing him the ‘Lilith Free Pass,’ it felt like there was almost no reaction from Ethan’s side. 

 At first, I thought it was a good idea, but as time passed, it didn’t feel like things were unfolding as I expected. 

 ‘Is he really not doing anything at all…?’ 

 I had already made up my mind hours ago to truly grant everything if possible, but there was no particular reaction from Ethan’s side. 

 Not at all, even when we went to see the ruins, even when we ate, even while we were watching the night view from the bell tower. 

 Honestly, by this point, he might have even squeezed my butt once, but Ethan maintained a thoroughly gentlemanly attitude from beginning to end.   

 ‘Was the problem that I used an ambiguous expression like ‘Free Pass’?’ 

 Maybe I should have suggested something like a ‘Bedtime Free Pass’ from the beginning. Or something like a ‘One-Day Slave Contract.’ 

 Because I gave him something that could be interpreted ambiguously with a double meaning, today ended up being just a full day of dating. 

 Well, I mean, if Ethan wants this, it doesn’t particularly bother me, but this won’t solve anything at all. 

 For me, who wished he would return to his previous suspicious and obsessive self, even if it was a bit extreme, this was close to a failure. 

 ‘It seems I should prepare another strategy.’ 

 Indeed, I might have to seriously draw up something much more direct, like a One-Day Slave Contract. 

 If he were bound by a real contract, not a flimsy piece of paper like a child’s toy, wouldn’t he surely reveal his true nature? 

 I can ask Mirif for contract consultation or notarization. Since she’s a high-ranking priestess in her own right, she can surely notarize a contract. 

 Of course, the content of the contract might be a bit… that way, but if I explain it’s just a small event to restore our marital relationship, she’ll understand. 

 “It’s pretty, Lilith. Mireya definitely seems to have a beautiful night scenery.” 

 “…It does.” 

 …He’s just calmly enjoying the night view, completely oblivious to what’s on my mind. 

 Today, as soon as I return to the church, I’ll meet Mirif right away.