Chapter 404

"…Phew."

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I was greeted by the open sea view right from my bed.

A vast sandy beach. A clear sky.

And a quieter shore now that the once bustling Academy students had mostly left.

After seeing off the hero’s party, Prince Antonio, and the others as they headed back to their respective locations, Ethan and I remained at Plyana Beach to enjoy the last two days of our vacation.

We had even moved into the beach villa that the hero’s party had been using up until the day before.

‘By the way, where are Lord Ethan and Miss Rosewood staying now?’

‘Not far from here, on the second floor of an inn. The room is spacious enough for Ethan, myself, and one maid to stay comfortably.’

‘Is that so? I heard you’re staying a couple more days, right?’

‘Yes. We don’t get many chances to visit the beach, so we decided to take this opportunity to relax before heading back to Blackwood estate.’

‘Then why don’t you two use the villa from tomorrow? Seraphina made sure to book it for a few extra days, so it’s available until the morning three days from now. We’re all leaving by carriage tomorrow morning anyway.’

‘Hmm, would that be alright? I’d need to hear from Princess Seraphina first.’

‘She’s already agreed to it, Lord Ethan. I hope you and Miss Lilith enjoy your time together.’

‘Very well. Thank you for your generosity.’

…Thanks to the offer from the hero and Seraphina over dinner after we defeated the deep-sea Leviathan, Ethan and I were able to enjoy the rest of our vacation in the beach villa.

It was a lovely place, and the view was definitely worth it.

‘Staying in a place like this really does bring people closer together.’

It was no wonder this beach villa was rated as the top lodging option for the marine studies class.@@novelbin@@

With that thought, I headed down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast with the ingredients we bought yesterday, only to find Isabel already there, making stew and frying sunny-side-up eggs.

“Ah, good morning, Lilith!”

“Isn’t it still early? Why are you up so soon, Isabel?”

“I need to get up early to prepare breakfast for you and Lord Ethan, of course.”

“You don’t need to wake up before me. You just need to wake up earlier than Ethan.”

“Well, to me, there’s not much difference between you and him now, is there?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that, but since I’m up, I’ll help. You’ve boiled these potatoes to mash, right?”

“Yes! But you can rest if you want…”

“No, I’ll help. I can’t always assist with dorm chores at the Academy, so I’d rather not leave you to do it all here. Both of us are here to serve Lord Ethan, after all.”

Isabel looked at me with an expression that suggested she was thinking deeply about something. It wasn’t the first time she’d given me that look, so I simply ignored it and focused on mashing the potatoes. Every time I asked what was on her mind, she would just brush it off with a vague answer.

“By the way, Lilith, is there anything you want to do after you graduate from the Academy?”

“Something I want to do?”

“Yes. You’ve been at the Academy for two and a half years now. At first, I thought you joined just to serve Lord Ethan, but sometimes it seems like you’re even more dedicated to your studies than he is. Do you have a specific goal for after graduation? Or are you just learning all of this to continue being with Lord Ethan?”

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong to say I’m learning to stay by his side…”

The knowledge I’d gained at the Academy had helped me survive numerous dangers, and it certainly played a part in getting through this semester’s exploration classes, full of boss monsters as they were.

But if I thought back to my original reasons for being here, that wasn’t all there was to it.

From the moment I realized I was in a fantasy world, I’d harbored a certain dream.

“After graduation, it might be fun to travel the world for a while with no set plans.”

“…Huh?”

“Isabel, you’d never seen the ocean before, right? But once you saw it, it was thrilling. New experiences are always exciting, so while I’m alive, I want to see as many places and have as many adventures as I can.”

“…Lilith, you sound like a grandma saying things like that, you know?”

“Do I?”

“I don’t think Lord Ethan would let you do that, though. No matter how much you asked, I doubt he’d let you wander around without a plan…”

“Huh?”

…Why did she bring up Ethan all of a sudden?

Once I graduate, I wouldn’t be his personal maid anymore, so what was Isabel going on about?

‘…I guess I never mentioned to Isabel that I plan to stop being a personal maid.’

Maybe she thought I’d continue working for the Blackwood family even after graduation, just like she was planning to do.

It would be sad to disappoint her, but I didn’t think I could handle staying. I couldn’t imagine seeing another woman by Ethan’s side someday.

“I suppose Lord Ethan wouldn’t let me. But don’t worry, it was just a thought. It’s not a serious plan.”

Though the day would come when I’d have to say goodbye, there was no need to tell Isabel just yet.

She would understand when the time came, and I let her question slide for now.

⁂

The once lively Plyana Beach was now quiet, the crowd from the day before mostly gone.

Though the marine studies class was over, Ethan and I were still walking along the beach in our swimsuits, enjoying our final day of vacation.

“It’s so quiet. I suppose this is how it usually is here.”

“They’re all busy people. The hero party and the other students from the Academy too. It’s a shame that they can’t afford even a day or two to relax.”

“Well, I only managed to get this break after a lot of effort. When I go back, I’ll have to learn estate management and governance from my father and Dietmeyer. There’s a lot to be done.”

He’d had some free time until now, but as a third-year, it was time for Ethan to start learning about Blackwood’s estate management.

It was inevitable for a future heir. He’d probably be even busier in the second semester.

Other students had already returned for similar reasons, especially those from commoner backgrounds who were always busy.

“Thank you so much for spending this precious time with me, Lord Ethan.”

“That’s not why I mentioned it. I wanted to spend time alone with you, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“Even so, I know that the time of Lord Ethan, heir of the Blackwood family, is much more valuable than mine, a mere maid. So I’m simply expressing my gratitude.”

“I don’t think it’s a loss. Besides, in a few years, the difference in the value of our time won’t be that significant.”

“Pardon?”

“…Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Hand in hand, Ethan and I strolled leisurely along the beach. We moved closer to the water, letting the waves lap at our feet, and traced each other’s names in the sand with our toes.

With no hero party to keep an eye on us, we were finally free to enjoy the beach as a couple would. I held his hand tightly, leading him quietly toward the seaside cave I’d set my sights on.

“Lord Ethan, it looks like there’s a cave over there.”

“Yes, Lilith.”

“If it’s alright with you, shall we take a look?”

Ethan had graciously given up two days of his time to stay here, so I was determined to make sure he didn’t regret it.