Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Attempted Noble Murder (3)
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"M-Maid."
As soon as I opened the door to the exclusive maid waiting room like usual, the unexpected face that appeared wasn't a mansion guard or Harold—it was Ethan's.
Waking up in the morning and seeing Ethan's face first thing... honestly, it didn't bother me anymore.
Because starting the exclusive maid duties meant waking this little shit up and tidying his bedding.
Over the past three months, it was the face I'd seen first thing every morning, so the point where it could ruin my mood had long passed.
...Except for this, my last day in this world. I really didn't want to see this bastard's face even then.
I had a rough idea why he was standing in front of me, so I responded as nonchalantly as possible.
I didn't want to be treated like his toy right up to the very end.
"M-Maid...?"
"Enjoying the sight?"
"Wh-What?"
"Not satisfied with just choking you yourself, now seeing the maid who cursed you to drop dead being dragged to the slaughterhouse must feel great."
"M-Maid...! N-No...! Keep your voice down!"
"...?"
I'd reacted without emotion, just like I had with Aeria and Alicia, thinking he'd come to mock my final moments.
But for some reason, upon hearing me, Ethan started fidgeting nervously and glancing down the hall toward Harold's room.
"Is there someone else over there?"
"N-No... D-Dad hasn't woken up yet... Phew..."
"...?"
...What the hell was wrong with this kid all of a sudden?
This arrogant prick who never cared about anyone else's eyes, not even Harold's—why was he suddenly checking his surroundings?
And the way he fidgeted the moment I spoke.
This morning's Ethan was clearly off, no matter how I looked at him.
Not that it mattered much for someone like me, whose remaining time was unknown hours at best.
"I-I'm not here to tease you..."
"Pardon?"
"T-To the m-maid... I-I want to a-apologize..."
...What the fuck?
Considering Ethan's personality, there was no way he'd come to apologize to a mere maid like Lilith. There had to be some ulterior motive.
Like pretending to bow in apology, then suddenly headbutting me.
Or maybe to humiliate me by watching my reaction to his fake apology.
Making me look overjoyed as if forgiven for yesterday, then crushing that joy for maximum despair...
"..."
"M-Maid...?"
...But judging by this little shit's intelligence, he probably couldn't pull off that level of sophisticated torment.
Sure, he'd get slyer with age, but right now, his smarts were maybe elementary to middle school level.
And without proper home tutoring or basic education, his actual thinking ability was even lower.
I wasn't taking his words at face value, but strictly speaking, it was hard to assume some hidden agenda.
My gut said the apology itself was genuine.
"Are you referring to yesterday's incident?"
"Y-Yeah, yesterday... a-and other things too..."
"Other things?"
"A-All the pranks on you until now... I-I'm sorry..."
"..."
"M-Maid...?"
...Fuck, for real.
If you're gonna keep being a shitty little bastard, just stay that way.
Don't pull this repentant act at the last minute—what am I supposed to do with that?
It felt like refusing would make me the huge villain here.
Forgiving him wouldn't erase all the crap I'd endured from him.
My punishment was probably set in stone anyway.
In that light, if he'd apologized sooner, even a little, I might not have strangled him.
...But thinking that now was pointless what-ifs.
Considering the aftermath, objectively, accepting the apology was the better choice.
"Understood, Young Master Ethan."
"Uh, y-yeah...?"
"Since you seem to sincerely want to apologize to me, I have no choice but to accept it."
For whoever would take my place as his exclusive maid after me, accepting this repentant kid's apology now avoided future headaches.
Suppose I told him to shove his apology.
I might feel a brief satisfaction from snubbing him, but it could blacken this kid who'd just started changing.
Then his toxic influence might extend to my successor.
It wasn't zero chance that it'd be Isabel or Katarina.
'I'll suffer the shit alone and end it there. No need to drag innocent girls into it.'
On the flip side, accepting it might help Ethan grow mentally a bit.
Maybe he wouldn't turn into the irredeemable villain from the original game.
At least better than betraying his first brave apology.
Ethan looked up at me with a surprised expression and asked cautiously.
"Y-You're forgiving me...?"
"Forgiveness is an expression used by superiors to wipe away a subordinate's faults. In that sense, I can't forgive you, Young Master."
"Wh-What...?"
"So just understand that I've accepted your apology. That should lighten the burden on your heart."
"Th-Then the maid..."
"I won't mention past incidents again. That's the end of it."
"..."
...Though I probably wouldn't be in a position to mention anything anyway.
Dead people don't talk. I'd likely be the only one who knew how annoyingly shitty Ethan had been these past three months.
Still, this incident should have sobered him up a bit, so he'd at least restrain himself from treating my successor the same way.
...Oh, right. Almost forgot something important.
"...Young Master Ethan."
"Y-Yeah!"
"If it's alright, could you give me a moment to say goodbye to my colleagues?"
"G-Goodbye...? Where are you going, Maid...?"
"...Wherever it is, it won't be anywhere good."
At least among my guesses, it was either a dung field or beyond this world.
"Even if you've apologized, attempted noble murder is a grave crime. Especially since your father, the master, dotes on you so much—you surely won't escape execution."
"Uh, th-that's..."
"But if my colleagues hear I've been executed or exiled far away, they'll worry a lot. At least I want to tell Isabel and Katarina not to worry about me."
"No, M-Maid..."
"Please, Young Master Ethan. It won't take long—just a bit more mercy?"
Bowing my head to Ethan felt a little ridiculous, but it was just a momentary humiliation.
If it eased Isabel and Katarina's worries about me, it was worth it.
And I wanted to talk to the two people I'd grown closest to in this world one last time.
Plus, sharing some future knowledge I had could help them somehow.
All in all, securing this meeting had real value.
"I-I didn't tell Dad, so it's fine...!"
"Pardon?"
"Y-You're worried I'll tell Dad, right? If I tell him you choked me... y-you'd become someone I can never see again..."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"So it's fine... I didn't tell him about yesterday..."
"...Pardon?"
...No way. Was that why Harold hadn't dragged me off noisily last night?
Why no one had come to kill me even while he slept or this morning?
Just because Ethan hadn't snitched to his dad?
"..."
Considering the game Ethan, who ran crying to Harold at every problem he couldn't handle, it was hard to take this kid's word at face value.
Noticing my suspicious gaze, Ethan urgently repeated himself.
"R-Really... I swear I didn't tell, Maid..."
"...Are you ordering me not to resist you anymore in exchange for silence about yesterday...?"
"N-No, it's not that... I just didn't say anything... I-I thought if I snitched to Dad, I'd never see you again..."
"..."
"I didn't want that... S-So I kept quiet..."
...Should I believe this or not?
The lack of guards coming to kill me even this morning suggested he hadn't told—but purely out of fear I'd die? Hard to buy.
...Well, doubting him wouldn't improve my situation.
Better to nod and keep my mind at ease than stress over unconfirmed futures.
"I see. Thank you for your leniency, Young Master Ethan."
"Y-You believe me?"
"Yes. Since you've said you'll overlook my momentary lapse and cover for me, I can only trust your word and be deeply grateful."
"N-No... I was the one in the wrong..."
...No matter how I thought about it, this didn't feel like Ethan—more like someone else.
Whatever. Him being even a little tamer was good news for me, not bad.
To avoid getting caught about yesterday, I needed to resume my abandoned duties anyway.
"Then first, I should finish cleaning the room from yesterday. May I enter your bedroom for a moment?"
"Y-Yeah, c-come in..."
...Honestly, I don't believe people change overnight.
This attitude might just be a temporary reaction from yesterday's terror, and tomorrow he could revert to the old Ethan and fuck with me again.
If so... I'd deal with it then.
It was a life I'd already counted as dead once—worrying over hypothetical futures felt foolish now.
Believing he'd become a bit more human would at least ease my mind.
At least no immediate worry for Isabel and Katarina...
"...Ah."
"What's wrong, Maid?"
"...Nothing."
Come to think of it, I'd almost made a fool of myself begging to say goodbyes moments ago.
If I'd done that sob story only to keep working here, how awkward would it have been?
Imagining that near-miss future made my face burn.
...Dodged creating an embarrassing black history moment.