I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 316

Early morning. Ethan’s room.@@@@

I woke up, staring at the now all-too-familiar ceiling of this room, and, as usual, I got up from the bed to prepare for work.

‘...I don’t even bother to sleep in my room at Blackwood Manor anymore.’

At the Academy dorms, it was unavoidable that we shared the same bed. But here at Blackwood Manor, there’s a separate room for me and another one for Isabelle, and it’s an unspoken rule that we use separate rooms.

...Well, it’s not really a “rule” per se. A maid sleeping in the same bed as her master either means she’s the master’s secret lover or being used as a sex maid for more intimate purposes.

‘...Am I both?’

Luckily, in my case, I’m not officially his lover—only a temporary one—and I’m only treated as a sex maid when I’m giving him his "rewards." So, it’s kind of a half-and-half relationship.

The reason I’ve been waking up in Ethan’s room recently is simple: I’ve just gotten too used to it.

After returning from the Academy, I tried sleeping in my room a few times, but I had trouble sleeping most nights, often waking up early in the morning. I’ve just become too accustomed to dorm life, and now I’ve picked up a bad habit.

‘...I’ll have to fix this eventually, after I leave the manor.’

But for now, there’s no need to rush.

Besides, Ethan didn’t just allow it—he practically welcomed it with open arms. So, for the past month, Ethan’s room has effectively turned into a double room for the two of us.

Of course, all my belongings as a maid are still in my personal room, so I’ll need to head over there to get ready for the day.

Snore, puuuu...

‘I guess he’s gotten used to it too. He sleeps so soundly even with me next to him.’

Deciding to wake Ethan after I’ve officially started my workday, I slipped out of the bed in my pajamas and quietly left Ethan’s room to head to my own.

I should hurry up and get back to my room before Harold sees me. If he sees me leaving Ethan’s room in the morning, who knows what he’ll think of me...

Creak.

‘...He’s not here.’

The door to Harold’s room was firmly shut, as I confirmed through the crack in the door.

Feeling safe, I quickly tried to make my way back to my room, but the plan fell apart just as I took my first step.

‘I need to get back before Harold sees me...’

"Good morning, Lilith."

"......?!!"

Suddenly, Harold’s voice came from behind me, sending a chill through my body. I froze momentarily but quickly tried to regain my composure, greeting him as naturally as I could.

"Good morning, Master."

"I saw you leaving Ethan’s room. Did you sleep there last night?"

Harold went straight to the point, asking bluntly. I tried to stay calm and answer as nonchalantly as possible, knowing that revealing the truth about my relationship with Ethan could be dangerous.

If Harold—who would do anything for his son, even pretend to be dead—found out that Ethan was infatuated with me, it would leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

"We shared a bed, but nothing happened that would cause you concern, Master."

"......."

"Of course, I don’t deny that Tanacia was an outstanding mage, but magic is at a disadvantage in close combat with swords. The seniors were much greater in number. I could see she had taken down a few thugs, but the ringleader, the one orchestrating the bullying, stood there smirking at her."

"......."

"What do you think I did when I saw that smirk?"

Even though the story of Harold and Tanacia’s past wasn’t covered much in Luminor Academy, I could already guess what Harold had done.

Considering that Tanacia became Harold’s wife, the answer was practically half-given already.

"Did you step in to defend her and take on the seniors of the swordsmanship department?"

"Why would you think that? I’m not the kind of person who goes out of his way to interfere with other people’s business."

"If you hadn’t stepped in, Tanacia wouldn’t be your wife today."

"Hmm. Aristocratic marriages aren’t usually based on things like that. Is that your only reason?"

"Also... if you had run away from that situation, I doubt you’d be telling me this story now."

"Hmm?"

"Men are embarrassed to reveal their weaknesses in front of women, so if you were ashamed of what happened back then, you wouldn’t be sharing this story with me... oops."

I immediately realized how audacious my words were and clamped my mouth shut, quickly bowing my head.

"S-sorry! I spoke out of line, being just a maid, how dare I..."

"It’s fine. You’re right. If it were an embarrassing story, I wouldn’t be telling you about it."

"......"

"As you said, instead of ignoring the situation, I chose to step in and save Tanacia. At the time, I didn’t really know why I did it. I was just acting on instinct."

"I see..."

"It wasn’t until much later that I realized why I did it. I simply wanted to make a good impression on her."

"I... I understand..."

"Yes. On her, a mere baronet’s daughter from a remote, undeveloped region, not some marquess or duke’s daughter."

"......"

"I’ve never thought that just because I’m the son of a duke, I should marry someone of a similar rank, Lilith. I still don’t think that way."

"Ah, I see..."

Suddenly, after sharing his past, Harold casually made his way downstairs.

Left alone in the hallway outside Ethan’s room, I could only stare blankly at his retreating figure.

‘So what am I supposed to do with this...?’

It was such a bizarre experience, having Harold appear out of nowhere, say what he wanted, and leave.

...At least it seemed like the fact that I had been in Ethan’s room last night had blown over.