I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 308

Just to clarify, in Luminor Academy, there wasn’t originally any festival after the hunting season.

The academy’s hunting festival was an intense final exam where students risked their lives to hunt monsters in the dungeon connected to the academy’s forest. Students would return with their trophies, and the competition would be about who caught the strongest monster and who captured the most.

It was a test where injuries were common, and while not every year saw fatalities, it wasn’t unheard of. That’s why, in the original Luminor Academy, a festival after the hunting season would have been unthinkable. After all, how could anyone enjoy a celebration when someone’s friend or family member might have died during the hunt?

The only time a festival could happen after the hunting season in Luminor Academy was after the second semester of the second year’s hunting exam.

That day, the "Hero's Party" defeated a dangerous boss monster from the dungeon and saved other students, who were close to dying. One of the saved students was a high-ranking individual whose death could have caused diplomatic issues, making the celebration well-justified. Plus, the meat of the "Giant Owlbear" they defeated had to be consumed, serving as the excuse for the feast and drinks that followed.

That was the only time in the entire story of Luminor Academy that a post-hunting festival, with meat and alcohol, ever occurred.

So, why was I sitting here with Ethan, with Lyria and Callaham across from us at this festival? The reason was simple.

They just decided to join our table of their own accord. Ethan and I hadn’t invited them, yet here they were.@@@@

"...And then Senior Lilith said this! She told me that if a man doesn’t get moved by such a passionate confession, he’s probably impotent, so I should just give up on him!"

"Uh, Lyria... I didn’t say it that harshly...."

"But it’s such a valid point!"

"That’s really useful advice, Lyria!"

"Indeed, Lady Rosewood must truly be a genius at seduction!"

"..."

By now, other athletic girls had gathered around our table, and Lyria had started spreading the gospel of my supposed "genius" in confessions.

The confession that was supposed to fail had somehow become known as the most passionate and intense confession in the history of the academy, and now people were treating me like the mastermind behind it all. The dizzying atmosphere of admiration was overwhelming.

Ever since Lyria and Callaham had started dating, she kept bringing me up every chance she got, spreading this ridiculous image of me as some kind of confession expert. With Lyria’s loud, enthusiastic nature, I couldn’t stop the nickname from spreading, even if I tried.

...For the record, Agnes was sitting at this table not long ago, but it took less than five minutes after Lyria and Callaham joined for her to flee back to the Hero's Party table, complaining about the noise.

"Ah, Lady Rosewood! Would you like another drink?"

"...No, I’m fine."

"Oh! You must be running low on snacks! I’ll go get some more—please, wait here with Lord Ethan!"

"No, no... it’s not that we need more food. As the maid, it’s my job to—"

"I’ll be back in no time!!"

"...do that...."

Since Lyria had told him I helped her with her confession, Callaham had started treating me with more respect than ever before, making it even harder to escape the attention of this musclehead couple.

'Individually, they’re already loud, but together... it’s like their noise synergizes...'

It wasn’t all bad, though. Unexpectedly, I’d grown closer to Lyria, and honestly, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

After all, I had gone through her route once before in a past life, and even though her character was divisive, I personally liked her as a healthy and attractive beauty.

"About four and a half glasses of fruit wine."

"Then I guess we don’t need to worry about being overheard."

At that level of intoxication, she’d be too out of it to even notice if someone carried her to bed and undressed her. So, it seemed safe to talk openly.

"You’ve become quite the celebrity lately, haven’t you? ‘Genius of Seduction,’ ‘Confession Master.’ It’s all anyone talks about in the academy these days."

"...Yeah, can you not remind me? I didn’t expect things to turn out this way."

"Did you really match up Lyria and Callaham?"

"Well, I suppose it ended that way, but I didn’t exactly plan it. It just... happened."

"...Hmm, is that so?"

The hero stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Did I mess up?

"...Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh? No, not at all. It’s fine."

"Really? That’s a relief."

"You said it wasn’t intentional, right? So there’s no reason for me to blame you. Besides, it’s not like I was planning to bring Lyria into the Hero’s Party anyway."

"..."

Now, what would he say if I told him I was planning to match the other heroines with different men?

One thing was clear: He wouldn’t be too happy about it. Pairing the heroines off before the ending would be altering the original story of Luminor Academy.

But for me, based on my beliefs, it was something I felt I had to do. Three heroines abandoned after the hero returned to Earth was already too many.

"Hey, Hero."

"What?"

"No matter how many women fall for you and cling to an impossible love, you’re still planning to go back to Earth, right?"

"...Yeah."

"And you said you won’t get involved in anything here that you can’t take responsibility for?"

"Right."

"Good. Then I’m going to start doing things my way, and I don’t want you complaining about it."

"...Huh? What are you planning now?"

"I’m going to match the heroines you plan to abandon with other guys."

"......"

"I despise the idea of someone carrying the pain of unrequited love for the rest of their life as if it’s something beautiful. It’s not."

While my position and status might limit what I could do, I was determined to act as much as I could. Even if the hero didn’t approve of my plan.