Chapter 418

Two days had passed since my victory over Ethan in our sword duel. And now, there were just two days left before I could claim my reward. However, the desire that had initially consumed me on the first day had only grown stronger on the second, making it even harder to resist.

-Scratch, scratch.

“...”

-Scratch, scratch, scratch.

“...”

As I waited in Ethan's office, with no tasks to occupy me, my gaze was fixed on him as he worked. He seemed oblivious, engrossed in his duties, but I’d been watching his hands move across the desk for over an hour now.@@novelbin@@

...Just watching them stirred something indecent within me.

‘Considering everything we’ve done together, it’s not surprising...’

Ethan’s hands, with their rough touch, were always involved when he pleased me. Those hands that could grip my chest firmly, trace over my sensitive areas gently, or even move roughly inside me as they did back in that seaside cave...

“Haa... haa... haa...”

...No, I need to calm down. There are still two more days until our date...no, our time together.

If I let my mind wander like this, I might just drag him to bed as soon as the date starts, ignoring all the plans I had in mind. I wanted to avoid that, if possible. Unlike before, when I’d used our lessons as an excuse for fake dates, this time, I wanted a real, meaningful date.

‘…It looks like his coffee’s almost gone.’

Not wanting him to run out of caffeine while he was focused, I quietly prepared a new cup. Using the kettle I’d prepared earlier, and Sally’s fire magic, I brewed a fresh cup and brought it over to him.

-Clink.

“Here’s some fresh coffee, Master Ethan.”

“Ah, thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

“I’ll take the empty cup.”

After exchanging cups with him, I returned to my seat. I was about to use a cleaning spell when I noticed a faint mark on the handle of the cup where his lips had been.

“...”

It’s nothing. Just because he drank from this spot doesn’t mean it has anything to do with me.

The cleaning spell would erase the mark in an instant, but… well…

‘There’s still a little left in the bottom.’

...Wasting the remaining coffee would be a shame, so I carefully brought the cup to my lips where he’d left his mark, letting the liquid flow into my mouth.

-Sip.

“Hnn.”

-Sip, sip.

“Ugh, ah…”

Tilting the cup to catch every last drop, I let my lips linger where Ethan’s had been. I felt a bit more of his lingering essence there.

-Sip, sip.

“Hnn... haa.”

“…”

“......?!”

At some point, I looked up to find Ethan staring at me, his hands frozen mid-motion on his desk.

“...!”

-Snap!

Ethan, equally caught off guard, quickly looked away, pretending to resume his work as if he hadn’t seen anything. His silent gesture of ignoring my behavior only made things more complicated in my head.

-Scratch, scratch.

“...”

“M-Master Ethan?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, Lilith?”

“There was a bit of coffee left in your cup, so I drank it.”

“…You didn’t have to report something like that. Besides, I was so focused on my work that I didn’t notice a thing.”

“I see. But I still thought it was appropriate to inform you.”

“Well, fine. You brewed me a new cup anyway, so I don’t really care what you do with the leftover coffee.”

-Sip.

With that, he took a sip of the freshly brewed coffee and returned his focus to his desk. It was hard to tell if he believed me or just didn’t want to continue the conversation, but either way, there was no room left for further explanations.

‘Damn it, that was so embarrassing...’

…Just two more days. I only had to hold out for two more days.

On the day before I was supposed to receive my reward from Ethan, my emotions had become even harder to control, which was understandable, I suppose.

It felt like a child who can’t sleep the night before going to an amusement park.

Fortunately, last night I’d taken care of some of my desires on my own, so I wasn’t quite at the breaking point. Although my fingers couldn’t reach as deep as Ethan’s did, it was still better than holding back altogether.

After all, using carrots or cucumbers as substitutes didn’t sit right with me, even in my current state. No matter how desperate I felt, sticking anything shaped like that into myself wasn’t something I’d ever be okay with.

‘Just one more day, and then I’ll be with Ethan... Just one more day...’

With these thoughts, I watched Ethan as he worked through the paperwork that had arrived for the Blackwood estate.

Without a word, he moved his hands across the desk, reading a letter before carefully calling me over.

“Lilith, could you come here for a moment?”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

“This letter is from Count Priha, and upon closer inspection, it’s essentially a proposal disguised as a request for family relations.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. They’re not offering me the count’s daughter as a bride. It’s just a letter proposing that I meet a potential match.”

“…I see.”

I already knew Ethan wouldn’t be engaged to Count Priha’s daughter. Typically, letters concerning engagements were supposed to go through me, but someone had sent it without any marking, leading it to end up here instead.

“I don’t want to strain relations with the Priha family, so could you draft a reply that affirms the idea of relations but diplomatically declines the proposal?”

“Certainly. As your personal maid, I should be capable of handling that.”

“As my personal maid... Yes, please. You can draft the response on this paper, and here’s the pen…”

-Slide.

“Is there anything else you’d like included in the response, Master Ethan?”

“No, that should cover it. Just what I asked for.”

“Understood. I’ll draft it as you requested, and you can review it afterward.”

“All right, Lilith.”

After collecting the paper and pen, I took them back to the table. This was a typical task, but for some reason, my heart was racing this time.

Maybe because I held in my hand the pen he had just been using.

‘Good, he hasn’t noticed yet.’

It was an impulsive move. The moment I saw the pen he had been using, I grabbed it, leaving him to pick up a different one.

I knew it didn’t really mean anything, but… well, it wasn’t exactly theft.

I’d been handling these kinds of tasks for him lately. This level of indulgence seemed fair enough, especially given how much responsibility I was shouldering. It wasn’t embezzlement or theft—not as long as he never found out.

-Scratch, scratch, scratch…

Watching him work with his head down, I moved to the edge of the table, pretending to read while I discreetly lowered the pen toward my body, pressing it lightly against myself through my clothes.

-Rub.

“Hnn... haa…”

…Just a little. Just a tiny bit of relief.

I didn’t want to do anything too outrageous and make things harder for Ethan.

Just one more day. I could hold out for just one more day.