Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: It Depends on the Woman (3)
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As soon as I received word from Ditmeyer that Ethan had summoned me, I headed straight up to the fourth floor of the Blackwood mansion.
Standing right in front of Ethan's door, I announced my arrival to the room's occupant with three knocks.
-Knock, knock, knock.
"Young Master, it's Lilith."
"...Come in, maid."
After a brief silence, I opened the door and stepped inside, taking in the sight of Ethan's room at a glance.
There had been a time when this room was a total mess every time I entered, but these days—whether I came in the morning or evening—it felt surprisingly tidy.
And there, sitting at the table waiting for me, was the room's owner, giving off an impression completely different from before.
His hair was neatly combed but slightly tousled, his eyes shadowed with faint dark circles from what looked like fatigue.
His limbs were slimmer yet firmer than before, and his belly fat had vanished to the point where it no longer showed.
Compared to his initial state, the young master now looked far more human, his gaze turning toward the door as I entered.
Meeting Ethan's eyes, I lightly grasped the hem of my maid skirt, bowed my head slightly, and offered a proper maid's greeting.
"You summoned me, Young Master?"
"...Yes, maid."
The moment our eyes met, Ethan seemed to carefully avert his gaze, even tilting his head slightly to the side.
Seeing his profile like that, the difference was clear— he'd lost weight and gained muscle compared to before.
Anyone seeing him for the first time would never guess he was Ethan; his transformation was that drastic.
Especially for me, who knew what he would've looked like if he'd grown up normally, the change felt even more alien.
At least, since I'd watched him slim down and bulk up in real-time while coming and going from the mansion, his current look had become somewhat familiar.
"Maid, shall we sit and talk? It might take a while."
"......"
"...If you're uncomfortable, we can just stand."
Ethan's suggestion to sit at the same table gave me slight pause.
Of course, I no longer saw him as some budding sexual harasser like I used to—it was just a fleeting moment of hesitation.
...Well, Ethan had changed in so many ways compared to before.
By now, he wouldn't try any weird moves on Lilith, of all people.
Having reached that conclusion in my head, I nodded and quietly took a seat across from him at the table.
"Understood."
In the original story, the reason Ethan had shown lecherous intentions toward Lilith was likely because, given his position, she was the most 'approachable' target.
For one, as his exclusive maid, she was the closest, and the other maids around her—all knight-maids—were too intimidating for a young boy like him to mess with easily.
Not to mention Aeria and Alicia, who even exploited their colleague Katarina, or Isabel, who bore the title of 'sharp-witted Isabel' and wouldn't fall easily to Ethan's schemes like the 'foolish Lilith' might have.
If Katarina, the weakest link in the food chain, had been around, maybe, but in the original game, she probably got sent to Silverwood territory in Aeria's place, taking the fall for her crime.
All in all, the environment itself had likely been set up to make Lilith the easiest target.
'On the flip side, he has no reason now to tarnish his own reputation by going after a commoner like me.'
With his level of looks, if he set his mind to it, he could easily seduce not just the other maids in the mansion but even pretty low noble ladies.
After all, now that he'd lost the weight, the genes from Harold and Thanacia were shining through on his face.
Even from my male perspective, he was objectively handsome—women must be falling over themselves.
There was no reason for him to force himself on a maid who'd said she wasn't interested...
...And honestly, such worries were becoming meaningless anyway.
'At this point, if Ethan seriously came at me, there's no way I could win.'
No way could Lilith—with her measly attack power of 13 and defense of 19—beat his battle-hardened, compressed muscles from training.
If he'd only been swinging a sword in the mansion courtyard with Harold, maybe, but Harold knew better than anyone in this world how nobles 'got strong.'
Once Ethan could swing a sword decently, Harold took him up the mountain behind the Blackwood mansion every day after rain.
To have him hunt the slimes that multiplied naturally after rain, building up experience.
Of course, Harold didn't know the concept of 'experience points'—it was just passing on what he knew from experience: 'Do this, and you get stronger.'
Anyway, as his exclusive maid, I'd accompanied him on those mountain trips and watched him hunt every time.
Each time, I'd estimated the number of monsters he'd killed and roughly gauged his current level.
'He's at least level 7 or 8 by now. And since he can use swordsmanship and body reinforcement magic together, he's way stronger in practice.'
At this stage, my wariness was pointless. If he really charged at me with intent, I'd lose even knowing it was coming.
Sure, Mana Blast might let me resist once, but using grand magic like that in the mansion would spell doom anyway.
Better to relax and pray he wouldn't try anything.
"......"
"......"
He'd called me here saying he had something to discuss, yet Ethan just sat there avoiding my gaze without a word.
...Did they inscribe this awkward-making habit into their genes or something?
His actions, so like his father's, nearly made my head boil for a second, but fortunately, before I could blurt anything out, Ethan finally spoke up.
"...Maid."
"Yes, Young Master?"
"On the sixth day of this week, afternoon... do you have time?"
"......Pardon?"
What nonsense was this all of a sudden?
Where in the world does a master ask his exclusive maid if she has time?
Exclusive maids couldn't set their own days off or rest anyway, and if there was a conflict, they naturally prioritized the master.
Since Ethan had asked such a foolish question first, it was my turn to give the most obvious, common-sense reply.
"As your exclusive maid, Young Master, my time is yours."
"Th-that's not what I meant. I was just wondering if you had any prior plans."
"What plans could a debt-bound maid, who can't even leave the mansion on her own, possibly have?"
"You get along well with your colleagues. I thought maybe you had something scheduled with them."
...Well, it was common knowledge among the servants that I was close with Isabel and Katarina.
Ethan bringing it up wasn't weird in itself.
The issue was why he kept fretting over it and watching my reaction.
What if I did have plans with Isabel or Katarina? He knew as well as anyone that his orders as master took priority.
This young master, with his weekly rotating lessons in academics and etiquette, wouldn't lack such basic knowledge.
'I have no idea what his angle is, keep asking like this...'
Anyway, I had no fixed plans, and even if I did, in this situation, I had to say no.
A mere exclusive maid making a noble tiptoe around her wouldn't end well.
"I don't, Young Master."
"...Really? You're not just saying that to spare my feelings?"
"If you truly think I'm minding your feelings, shouldn't you take the hint and realize it's a no?"
"...Sorry. I'll be more careful from now on."
Something frustrating slipped out on impulse, but luckily, I hadn't stepped on a landmine.
Of course not—he'd heard worse from me before, and he wasn't the type to snap over something like this now.
The hate-Ethan from Luminor Academy might've, but not the one in front of me.
"May I ask why you're inquiring about my weekend schedule, Young Master?"
"...An invitation came from the imperial palace."
"Ah..."
The imperial palace... the imperial palace.
Around this time, the invitation they'd send Ethan would probably be that one.
"An invitation from the palace at this time of year to you, Young Master... it must be for Her Highness the Third Princess's birthday banquet."
"...You knew?"
"I happened to learn of it."
Precisely because the Third Princess was one of the heroines in Luminor Academy.
And the emperor was famous for hosting banquets inviting noble children on each of his kids' birthdays.
Ethan's family had decent status, and his age matched the Third Princess's, so an invitation from the palace wasn't odd.
'The original game's Ethan probably got invites like this often too.'
After all, Luminor Academy's Ethan was undeniably a noble young master by birth.
He just lacked popularity due to his repulsive looks and hygiene.
And from what I knew, he was aware of his ugliness and skipped most such events.
Of course, that was the Ethan Richard Blackwood from the original world.
This Ethan Richard Blackwood, walking a path utterly unlike hate-Ethan's... might decide differently, and that wouldn't be strange.
He wasn't lacking confidence in his looks anymore, had matured through proper etiquette training,
and above all, as he'd started helping Harold with estate management lately, he probably knew best how important it was to show his face at official events.
So, him asking if I had plans on the sixth day held no special meaning.
'He has an external event that day, so clear your schedule as exclusive maid and accompany me.'
Having roughly grasped his intent, it was time to cut to the chase.
I had no excuse to skip accompanying him anyway.
Wanting to wrap up the main point quickly, I preempted what he might ask.
"Is the banquet on the sixth day this week?"
"...Yeah. That's why I was asking if you'd like to attend with me."
"Understood. I had no plans anyway, but I'll definitely clear my schedule that day, Young Master."
"...For real?"
"Yes, Young Master."
It was weird to summon someone over something so minor. For an exclusive maid, following her master to external events was not just natural but essential duty.
Besides, judging by Ethan's recent activities, these outings would only increase.
To convey there was no need to ask permission every time for such things, I supplemented my answer.
"You don't need to ask your exclusive maid about every little thing like this. Accompanying you to external events is a core duty, after all."
"......Huh?"
"If that's all, I'll return to my waiting room."
As I thought we'd finished and rose from my seat,
Ethan suddenly wore a panicked expression and grabbed my hand as I stood.
"W-wait, maid!"
"Is there more?"
"It's not that—I just worried you were misunderstanding and leaving..."
"Pardon?"
"...You get it, right? That you're coming to the banquet with me."
Why was he repeating the obvious over and over?
After over two years working as his exclusive maid here, did he think I wouldn't understand that?
Nobles bringing personal servants to banquets wasn't rare anyway.
To imply I shouldn't need to explain again, I nodded emphatically.
"Of course. I understand perfectly."
"...R-right. Good, then."
"I'll head back to my waiting room. See you at dinner, Young Master."
"Yeah. Rest up, maid."
After that pointless exchange with Ethan,
I returned straight to my waiting room and rested until dinner.
...It would be three days later before I truly understood what he meant by 'attend the banquet together.'