Chapter 179

“Where did you go?”

“……!”

Ethan’s voice whispered into my right ear, clear and cold. The moment those words reached me, the exhaustion clouding my mind instantly vanished.

‘He wasn’t sleeping…?’

I thought something was off with his sleep talking tonight. His voice, filled with emotion, left me momentarily unable to think clearly. As my mind raced to figure out how to respond, Ethan’s voice whispered in my ear again.

“Lillis, I’m asking where you went.”

“…I’m sorry, Master Ethan.”

“Yes, you should be sorry. A personal maid sneaking out in the middle of the night without her master’s permission?”

“…….”

I had no excuse. What I did was clearly a breach of my duties as Ethan’s personal maid. While I might have had reasons, such as not wanting to disturb Ethan with unnecessary worries or not wanting to wake him up to take him all the way to the edge of the dark forest with me, the fact remained that I had overstepped my role.

“So.”

“…….”

“Are you not going to tell me where you went?”

Thump.

Ethan’s voice wrapped around me, squeezing my heart until it pounded in my chest. Was it the guilt of betraying his trust? The shame of failing in my duty? Or just fear of this situation where Ethan seemed to be doubting me?

“I went to the Dark Forest… and then came back.”

“…The Dark Forest?”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

“Were you training at this late hour?”

“…No, it wasn’t for training.”

“Then?”

“…I had someone to meet.”

Squeeze.

“Ow….”

The moment I mentioned meeting someone, the grip on my wrist tightened significantly. The pressure and anxiety radiating through my wrist made my voice tremble.

“…Who?”

“…Pardon?”

“Who called you out in the middle of the night?”

“N-no one… It wasn’t like that. We had an agreement….”

“An agreement? Was it Princess Seraphine? Or that girl from the Auguste family?”

“No… It wasn’t them….”

“…Don’t tell me it was that cursed Hero.”

Squeeze!

“N-no… Master Ethan….”

The pressure on my wrist increased further, reaching a point where it started to hurt. I had a bad feeling that if I didn’t explain things properly, this situation could spiral out of control.

Before the atmosphere grew any more tense, I hurriedly explained to Ethan about my spirit communication class, my connection with Agnes, the once-in-a-century planetary alignment, and her need to contract a spirit.

“…So, I just finished helping Miss Blaze contract a lower fire spirit and came back, Master Ethan. I didn’t stray or leave the area at any point.”

“…Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Miss Blaze herself. I can even introduce you if necessary.”

“…….”

Ethan seemed to find my explanation somewhat satisfactory, as the grip on my wrist loosened slightly. The intense pressure I felt earlier had eased, and Ethan asked me again, as if to confirm.

“I see… So, you didn’t meet with the Princess or Miss Auguste….”

“…That’s correct, Master Ethan.”

“And you didn’t go to meet that Hero who’s always surrounded by women….”

“I swear to the Goddess, I didn’t meet anyone else but Miss Blaze. The only other person I encountered was the dormitory warden.”

Sigh.

Finally, Ethan let go of my wrist, seemingly reassured by my repeated explanations. The murderous aura that had been emanating from him earlier seemed to calm down. Although he still pinned me down on the bed, making it impossible for me to escape.

“So, Lillis.”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

“Putting aside who you met, why didn’t you tell me you were sneaking out in the middle of the night?”

“I understand this might sound strange to you, but….”

“…Go on. I’ll judge whether it’s strange or not after hearing it.”

“I didn’t want to trouble you or make you worry, Master Ethan.”

“…….”

The moment I uttered the first sentence, Ethan’s face hardened again. Even in the darkness, I could clearly see the change in his expression.

Despite noticing this change, I continued to convey my thoughts and the reasoning behind my actions to Ethan.

“I was afraid you might worry and forbid me from going out alone at night, or worse, that you would be troubled enough to accompany me. That’s why I decided not to say anything.”

“…So you knew.”

“…Master Ethan?”

“You knew, and yet you still went out alone without telling me, Lillis?”

“…….”

Ethan’s face drew closer to mine, his voice thick with anger. Even in the dim light, I could see his expression clearly as he leaned in. At that moment, I realized that keeping this secret and sneaking out was a grave mistake.

“Lillis.”

Thump.

“…Y-yes, Master Ethan.”

“Are you testing me, Lillis?”

Thump, thump.

“T-testing you? I would never dare….”

“Then why do you keep provoking me like this? Always acting so secretive, constantly putting yourself in potential danger.”

“…It was just a night out, Master Ethan. As you know, I’m capable of handling a few thugs….”

“I’m speaking to you, Lillis.”

Thump, thump, thump.

“I-I’m sorry….”

Ethan was genuinely angry this time, his face serious as he berated me. His commanding tone sent my heart racing wildly in my chest.

‘I know I did something wrong….’

My intention had been to avoid causing Ethan unnecessary worry. If I had told him, he might have banned me from going out at night, which would have prevented me from keeping my promise to Agnes.

So, to handle the matter smoothly, I decided to sneak out while Ethan was asleep.

But now, seeing how things had turned out, it seemed like I should have told him upfront.

‘A simple apology won’t be enough to smooth this over….’

As I tried to think of a way to calm Ethan down, a rumor I once heard on an online community suddenly popped into my head.

Hoping to defuse the situation, I looked Ethan in the eye and cautiously suggested something.

“If more than just a few thugs attacked, what would you have done? There are plenty of people here at the Academy who are stronger than you.”

“…….”

“And have you already forgotten about what happened at the lake? The thought of nearly losing you still wakes me up in the middle of the night….”

“M-Master Ethan.”

“I’m not done talking, Lillis.”

“…W-would you like to touch my chest…?”

“Tou….”

Ethan, who had been ranting about my nighttime escapade, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and stared at me, clearly shocked by my suggestion.

‘Could this actually work?’

“…Lillis, are you joking in this situation…?”@@novelbin@@

“N-no… I didn’t mean it as a joke, or as a way to ask for forgiveness.”

“…Then what?”

“I-I read somewhere that when men touch a woman’s chest, it releases calming hormones in the brain….”

“…Hormones?”

“Yes, so I thought maybe instead of getting worked up, you could touch my chest and calm down a little, Master Ethan. That’s all I meant.”

“…….”

“And of course, this offer is only for you, Master Ethan.”

Will this work?

I really hoped this would help diffuse the tension. It wasn’t easy for me to suggest something so embarrassing. Even asking if he wanted to touch my chest was a mortifying thing to do.

But this was clearly my fault, and Ethan’s anger was justified.

If letting him touch my chest would help calm him down, it was a small price to pay.

…Though I was unsure of what to do if this didn’t work.

“…….”

“…….”

No matter how angry he was, Ethan was still a young man in his prime.

He hesitated, clearly conflicted, as I offered him this option. Finally, deciding to go all in, I took one of Ethan’s hands and placed it on my chest.

Caught off guard by my bold move, Ethan’s face betrayed his emotions as he realized what he was doing.

Soft.

“…Lillis.”

“Are you feeling a little calmer now, Master Ethan?”

“…….”

Ethan, who had been momentarily dazed by my unexpected offer, regained his senses, his hand still resting on my chest.

His eyes, glowing in the darkness, met mine.

After a moment of silence, Ethan’s face slowly drew closer to mine.

In the faint light, our lips met quietly.