I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 310

Returning to the Blackwood estate after several months for winter break felt more familiar to me than the home I lived in as Lilith or even the one from my past life. On the first night back, I found myself unable to fall asleep and eventually woke up a bit earlier than usual.

“.......”

The faint light from the time stone showed a 4, which meant it was around 3:30 AM. Considering that we had only arrived late last night, had a quick meal, washed up, and gone to bed, I hadn’t even slept for three hours.

‘...I can’t sleep.’

Was it because I had napped while resting on Ethan’s lap in the carriage? Or perhaps my body wasn’t used to the unfamiliar bed after such a long time? Or maybe... it was simply because the familiar warmth wasn’t next to me.

I hoped it wasn’t the last reason. If I became too accustomed to having Ethan by my side every night, it would only make it harder when the time came for me to leave this estate.

Of course, I didn’t necessarily have to leave the Blackwood estate, even if I didn’t marry Ethan, but staying here wouldn’t do me any good. After all, what would be the point of remaining as a maid only to witness Ethan and his future wife indulging in their affection? That would surely mess with my head.

It would be best to follow through with the contract I made with Harold and leave once my four years at the academy were over, collecting my severance and moving far away.

“Ugh, ugh...”

Once I had woken up, there was no point in staying in bed, so I decided to start my day early. Back when I was a regular maid, waking up at 4 or 5 AM was common, so this was just a bit earlier than that.

After brushing my hair, putting on my maid uniform, and fastening my headpiece, I quietly left the personal maid’s waiting room, careful not to disturb Ethan, who was sleeping in the adjacent room.

‘...Since I’m already awake, maybe I’ll take a walk.’

As a personal maid, I couldn’t wander too far, but a stroll around the estate grounds would be fine. With that thought, I descended the stairs and made my way to the first-floor lobby, where I spotted Dietmeyer bustling about early in the morning.

“Lilith?”

“Good morning, Head Butler Destroy.”

“...It’s Dietmeyer Colin Evercroft. It’s been a while since I’ve heard you call me that.”

“Yes, I know. I just thought I’d tease you a bit since it’s been a while.”

“......?”

Dietmeyer’s puzzled expression briefly registered on his face before he quickly regained his composure and said something that was neither a compliment nor an insult.

“You’ve truly become a proper young lady, Lilith.”

“...Is that supposed to be a compliment, Head Butler?”

“In another sense, it means you’ve become more like a noblewoman, so I suppose it’s not an insult.”

The way Dietmeyer responded so naturally with a calm expression reminded me why he was the head butler. As I quietly reflected on the meaning behind his words about becoming a ‘proper young lady,’ Dietmeyer elaborated on what he had just said.

“Becoming more like a noblewoman is a good thing, Lilith. While I greatly appreciate your dedication as a maid, in the future, it would be unsuitable for you to act like a servant forever.”

“...Pardon?”

“What I mean is, in a few years, you’ll find yourself in a position where maid duties will no longer be your concern... Ah, ahem.”

In the original, Ethan could sometimes hold his own in a duel with the warrior, so it wasn’t entirely impossible. And if I supported Ethan with buffs and assists, we’d likely be able to subdue him. But now, this was all just idle speculation.

As I continued walking, having circled about three-quarters of the estate, I spotted a familiar figure wielding a sword in the training yard. The silhouette belonged to the second most familiar man in my life in this world.

-Swish! Swish! Swish!

“Hm?”

The sharp sound of sword strikes, almost like the whistling of the winter wind, belonged to none other than Harold. As expected of a Sword Master, he immediately sensed my presence as I approached, turning to look at me.

“Hm, it’s you.”

“Did you sleep well, Master?”

“You’re up early. Are you here to train?”

...As if. I wasn’t a swordsman.

Misinterpreting my early morning stroll as a sign that I wanted to train, Harold—ever the Sword Master—asked, but I shook my head slowly.

“I woke up a bit earlier than usual and thought I’d take a walk, Master.”

“I see. If you had come to train, I was about to ask you to spar with me.”

“Thank you for the offer, but you know my skills are far below yours, Master.”

Indeed, throughout the entire last semester, I hadn’t won a single match against Harold in his swordsmanship class.

Of course, the curriculum had become much harder than last year. The secret tricks I had used before wouldn’t work twice. Besides, a longsword had significant advantages over a dagger in many aspects, so even if Harold fought with one hand, I still couldn’t guarantee victory.

“That’s true. But what if we sparred with me using only one hand?”

“...Pardon?”

“If you use both hands and I use one, that should make for a decent handicap. What do you think?”

“No matter what, I doubt I could win, even with you using one hand, Master...”

“If you manage to score even one point against my one-handed sword, I’ll raise your last semester’s grade from a C+ to a B+.”

“Please prepare yourself, Master. No backing out now.”

“I must say, I admire your attitude.”

And so, rather unexpectedly, a morning sparring session with Harold began.

Starting at four in the morning, our duel lasted nearly an hour. The result of my sparring with the Sword Master, in exchange for a grade increase, was...

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

The reason I spent the entire next day bedridden.