Chapter 166

“Please take care, Miss Lilith. If you experience any issues, don’t hesitate to contact me again.”

Standing at the entrance of the Luminor Academy’s church, which also served as the Theology Department’s building, Serista held both my hands, repeating the same cautions she had given me countless times before. I simply nodded in response, having heard them enough to last a lifetime.

“Yes, thank you for everything, Saintess Serista.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of Lilith, Saintess.”

“It was my duty, after all.”

After giving Ethan my answer to his confession, Serista returned to the infirmary. The first thing Ethan and I did upon her return was to arrange for my discharge from the church today. The weekend had already ended yesterday, and it felt wrong to miss any more academy classes and responsibilities while lying in bed.

In my previous life, I might have relished the opportunity to skip school legitimately, but paying for my education at Luminor Academy made skipping classes a daunting prospect. Additionally, I had group projects with Agnes and student council duties that I couldn’t neglect.

Fortunately, since there were no major injuries, I was able to be discharged without any issues, although Serista repeatedly emphasized how close I had come to dying. This marked the second time I owed my life to the Aurelia Church. Both times had been near-death experiences, and I hoped this would be the last visit.

“Well then, goodbye…”

“Um, Miss Lilith?”

“Yes?”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but may I ask you one question before you go?”

“What is it, Saintess Serista?”

“Could you lean in a bit closer?”

It seemed like something she didn’t want Ethan to hear. When I leaned down to her level, Serista asked in a cautious voice.

‘Miss Lilith, are you truly a noble?’

‘…Yes?’

‘You’re the only daughter of the Rosewood Baronet family, correct?’

‘…Yes. But why do you ask?’

‘Oh, it’s nothing. I’m sorry for asking such a strange question…’

Why was Serista suddenly inquiring about my status?

As mentioned before, my current identity as the daughter of a baronet family was fabricated by Ethan and Seraphine. I was Lilith Rosewood, the only daughter of Lewis and Marianne Rosewood. Although it was a fake identity, only a select few knew the truth, including Ethan, Seraphine, and some of their close associates. Even Isabelle and Katarina believed I was genuinely a baronet’s daughter.

While I knew Serista wasn’t an antagonist, I still wasn’t close enough to her to reveal such a significant secret.

‘It’s probably because she finds it strange for a noble to be a maid.’

As I mentioned earlier, it was highly unusual for a noble lady to serve as a personal maid at the academy. It was understandable that she was curious, and it didn’t bother me. After all, I had spent three days in the church under her care, so she had the right to ask a few questions.

Waving goodbye to Serista as I moved away from the church, a slightly awkward silence began to envelop Ethan and me.

-Step, step.

“……”

-Thud, thud.

“……”

Thinking about the kiss we shared earlier made it awkward for me to start a conversation, and Ethan seemed to be lost in his thoughts about the infirmary incident. If this continued, the uncomfortable silence would follow us all the way to the dormitory and possibly into the next morning.

As the elder here, it was my responsibility to break the silence and address the awkward atmosphere.

“How’s Princess Seraphine’s student council, Ethan?”

“It’s alright. There are people you know and some you probably don’t.”

“I see.”

“Check it out yourself tomorrow in the student council room. The main activities start then.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad I didn’t cause any inconvenience while I was bedridden.”

“No one’s going to blame someone who almost died for resting a bit, Lilith.”

…Well, anyone significant enough to catch Seraphine’s attention wouldn’t.

After that brief exchange, the conversation halted again, leaving only the sound of our footsteps in the quiet surroundings.

-Step, step.

“……”

-Thud, thud.

“……”

…Darn it, seriously.

At this rate, any attempt at conversation would likely lead back to this awkward silence. I decided to address the issue directly to avoid these moments in the future.

“Ethan.”

“…Yes, Lilith?”

“If you’re troubled by the kiss we shared in the infirmary, please don’t worry too much about it.”

“Oh, no. It’s not that…”

“Anyway, it was only my second kiss, so there’s no need for you to feel burdened by it.”

“……What?”

Ethan suddenly gave me a sharp look as if I had said something wrong. Just as I was about to speak, he interrupted, staring at me intensely.

“Did I say something wrong…?”

“…Who was it?”

“Pardon?”

“Who was the person who took your first kiss?”

“……”

…What?

I thought Ethan knew about the CPR. He was there when the hero performed it. Why is he reacting like this?

‘Could it be that he saw the CPR but not the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?’

Given that Ethan and I both nearly drowned, it’s possible his memory of the event was patchy. Maybe he missed that part.

I tried to ease the tension by explaining calmly.

“Calm down, Ethan. I understand why you’re upset, but that person is my lifesaver.”

“…Lifesaver? So, someone saved your life and then demanded your first kiss as a reward?”

“That’s not what I mean. He performed a life-saving procedure that required mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

“Who dared to use such an excuse to touch your lips? When…”

“It happened the day before yesterday, Ethan!”

“…Oh?”

Upon hearing ‘the day before yesterday,’ Ethan looked puzzled, tilting his head.

Taking this as my chance, I continued to explain about the CPR.

“I heard everything from the saintess. When I was pulled out of the lake, my heart had stopped temporarily, putting my life at risk.”

“…Yes, it was a close call. I thought I was going to lose you.”

“And to save my life, the hero performed CPR.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“And the process involved mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The procedure requires sealing the patient’s lips with your own and blowing air into their lungs.”

“…Wait, Lilith. Are you saying your first kiss was…”

“Yes. I considered that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as my first kiss, thinking you were aware since you were present.”

I didn’t expect Ethan, who hugged me as soon as I woke up, not to know about it. How could he not have noticed?

“Actually, Lilith… that wasn’t the hero.”

“What?”

“Your mouth-to-mouth resuscitation… I did it.”

…What?

Ethan did the mouth-to-mouth?

No way. How did he know about mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?

“How did you…”

“The hero told me what to do: pinch your nose, seal your lips, and blow air.”

“……”

“I thought you knew it was me, given how you woke up. I assumed you realized it.”

“…I see.”

“And the chest compressions… I did those too. I couldn’t bear the thought of another man’s hands on you.”

“…I see. You did well.”

“I didn’t have the right to touch you, but…”

…So, that’s what happened.

Despite being unconscious, my first kiss was with Ethan. No other man had touched me.

Feeling a sense of relief, I relaxed.

…At least it was Ethan.

“That’s good. That’s a relief.”

“…A relief?”

“…Oh.”

“Lilith, did you just say ‘a relief’?”

“…What do you mean, Ethan?”

“You said ‘a relief.’ Did you mean you’re glad it was me?”

“No, I didn’t say that. If I did, it didn’t mean what you think.”

“You definitely meant…”

“I didn’t.”

Ethan kept pressing, but I denied it repeatedly.

Eventually, his persistent questioning continued all the way back to the dormitory.@@novelbin@@

…Really, just because he found a small slip, he’s so smug about it.