Chapter 51

I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince - Chapter 51 [A Man is What a Woman Makes Him (1)]

T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by Kaden K. (3/14) See my Ko-fi if you want more bonus chapters.

A few days after causing a small commotion at the Blackwood Estate Guards…

Fortunately, the story of me having a mock duel with three new soldiers at the territory guards did not spread inside the mansion.

In the first place, there were only four people in the current mansion who had the possibility of knowing about that incident: the head butler, Ethan, Harold, and myself.

In other words, if just these four people didn’t go around talking about it, there was no chance of the rumor spreading.

Dittmeyer was originally a tight-lipped fellow, so he wasn’t a concern.

Harold and Ethan would have no reason to go around chattering about the mess their servant made outside the mansion.

In other words, as long as I kept quiet, I could somehow prevent what happened that day from spreading inside the mansion.

‘There’s no reason for me to go around blabbering about it. It’s not like I’m an attention seeker.’

There was no point in attracting unnecessary attention from others, as it would only lead to bothersome situations, so it was absurd for me to go around talking about it.

The guards also wouldn’t spread it outside, as it would be bad if word went around that three new soldiers were defeated by a mere maid.

In other words, it meant that I had succeeded in leveling up from level 5 to level 6 without any risk.

Thanks to that, these days, I feel refreshed and ecstatic at the same time.

At long last, I could finally use Mana Blast.

Of course, being able to use it and being allowed to use it were completely different, so it would still remain a secret skill hidden in my heart.

That alone was enough.

Just having a backup in case of an emergency was enough to make me feel reassured.

It was like becoming an office worker who still goes to work even after winning the lottery.

In that sense, after being able to use Mana Blast, the world felt joyful and new every day.

Back when I couldn’t use Mana Blast, I felt like I was desperately clinging to a fleeting life that could end at any moment.

But after being able to use Mana Blast, I no longer feared my future.

Who am I? A Mana Blast user.

“Good morning, Maid.”

“Yes, good morning to you too, Young Master! Did you sleep well last night?”

“…M-Maid…?”

Before, just seeing Ethan’s hateful face in the morning made me feel unpleasant, but after being able to use Mana Blast, it didn’t really bother me.

“Miss Lilith, there is a summons from the Master.”

“Yes, Head Butler Dittmeyer Collin Evercroft! I will go right away!”

“…Miss Lilith…?”

I could now remember and diligently recite the name of Dittmeyer, who always brought annoying news.

“You called for me, Master!”

“……”

Even when Harold, the final boss of this Blackwood family, summoned me to his office, I could face him anytime, anywhere, with confidence and without losing my spirit…

“Lilith, it seems you caused a small commotion at the estate guards.”

“…I’m sorry.”

…No, scratch that. Harold is still scary, after all.

The one who instantly chilled the soaring feeling I had these past few days was none other than the summons from the Lord of the Blackwood Estate.

The moment Harold mentioned the territory guards incident in his private office on the 3rd floor, I immediately bowed my head and spat out an apology.

…Well, there’s no way I could level up without any risk.

At that time, I was blinded by experience points and recklessly pushed forward with strange excuses, but thinking about it, there was no more eye-catching idiocy than that.

Moreover, strictly speaking, it was my personal actions that had overridden Ethan’s opinion, so naturally, most of the blame was on me.

The moment Harold mentioned that part and questioned me, I could only tremble like a candle in the wind.

Who am I? A commoner debt maid whose head could fly off at any moment with a single word from Harold…

“I didn’t call you here to demand an apology. I heard that the soldier over there was the one who was rude to you first.”

“…I have no words to say as my personal actions have caused trouble for Young Master Ethan.”

“It’s fine. Ethan is now old enough to take care of himself, so there’s no need for me to scold you for your actions as his exclusive maid.”

“…?”

What’s going on? Why is Harold like this?

I clearly messed up during the territory patrol with Ethan due to my personal actions, but he’s not questioning it and letting it go?

Are you really Harold? Is there someone else hiding under that skin?

‘…Come to think of it, he’s been acting strange lately.’

Before, when it came to matters related to Ethan, he would unconditionally side with and only think about his son.

But these days, for some reason, it seems like he’s become a bit stricter with Ethan.

Like suddenly increasing Ethan’s training load some time ago.

These days, instructors from outside even come in frequently to teach him various subjects.

I’m not sure why, but Harold himself seems to be slowly changing from a doting father to a stricter father.

Looking at what he’s been doing lately, it really feels like he’s trying to raise Ethan as the successor of Blackwood Territory…

But I still don’t know what caused that change.

‘…Did something change because of me?’

Actually, that possibility was the most likely.

After all, from my perspective, I was the only one who could change the original story.

It was an undeniable fact that I had done all sorts of weird things for a mere maid.

The problem was that I couldn’t really remember directly messing with Harold.

My actions probably didn’t have a direct impact on Harold, but there was a high possibility that something indirectly changed this doting father’s attitude.

‘It could be something like seeing Thanasia’s necklace that he thought was lost and strengthening his resolve again, something like that.’

It’s not like Harold would have realized something just by looking at my actions. Of course not.

In the first place, he wasn’t the type to listen to anyone other than his son.

While I was wrapping up my speculations and imaginations in my head with such thoughts, Harold suddenly asked me in a serious voice, looking into my eyes.

“Lilith.”

“Yes.”

“The reason I called you here is to ask about Ethan’s recent condition.”

“…Pardon?”

“Ethan’s attitude seems to have improved a lot lately compared to before. Coincidentally, it almost coincides with the time you became Ethan’s exclusive maid.”

“…Is that so?”

“Do you have any idea about what might have caused it?”

“……”

Any idea about what might have caused it…

If I had to guess, it would be…

…there have been many fucking things?

Each one of them was such an incident that it wouldn’t be surprising if my neck was beheaded the moment I spoke them out loud.@@novelbin@@

Come to think of it, I was really daring in many ways. How the hell am I still alive?

If Ethan had reported even one of the crappy things he had to endure from me to Harold, I would have definitely been a dead soul.

‘Should I be grateful for this or curse it?’

Should I be grateful that he saved my neck from flying off, or should I curse him because he’s the one who caused me to be scolded anyway?

As another concern naturally came to mind, Harold suddenly nodded his head as if he understood.

“I see. So you were the reason, after all.”

“Ah, no, Master. I didn’t really do anything to the Young Master…”

“It’s fine. There’s no need to publicly reveal what’s going on between you and Ethan. Anyway, the person you serve is not me but my son.”

As if he misunderstood my silence while thinking of what to say as a different kind of answer, Harold waved his hand and dismissed my explanation.

Inadvertently not answering and moving on, I felt a momentary sense of confusion.

‘Did he let it go?’

…Well, it would be something I’d welcome if he didn’t dig deeper. After all, I was the one who would be scared if he asked about the details.

Ethan himself seemed to not want to inform Harold about what happened between us, so it would somehow pass.

The likelihood of Harold himself letting go of what happened between me and Ethan was slim.

If I don’t want to die, I should take good care of what’s above my neck. I’ll be able to step down from being Ethan’s exclusive maid in just two years, anyway.

Just endure for two more years. Just two years…

“I’m glad to see you and Ethan getting along well. I look forward to your continued efforts.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Alright, then, you may take your leave.”

“Yes, I’ll be going, Master.”

Fortunately, thanks to Harold not digging deeper into the conversation, it flowed naturally that day without any issues.

And so, another year passed.