Chapter 88

“…Me, as your dedicated maid?” (T/N: used ‘dedicated’ instead of ‘exclusive’ in preparation for the next chapter)

As soon as I heard the single sentence Isabel muttered in response to Ethan, I was overwhelmed by such a shocking sensation that I wanted to collapse on the floor.

‘Isabel… as Ethan’s dedicated maid…?’

An uneasy imagination flashed through my mind for a moment.

As soon as I thought of the possibility of her becoming Ethan’s exclusive maid, my head was filled with all sorts of complex emotions to the point where I couldn’t think straight.

Beyond the shock of Isabel taking the position that should be mine as Ethan’s exclusive maid…

I felt so stupid for not having predicted this simplest and most reasonable possibility until now.

‘Come to think of it, it’s just natural.’

Despite about three years passing since I became Ethan’s exclusive maid, how many times had I actually acted like an exclusive maid as his personal servant?

Making the bed and cleaning the room? Anyone could do this, not just an exclusive maid but any maid in the mansion.

Accompanying him during meals or outside activities? This wasn’t even something I did voluntarily, it was an obligation of an exclusive maid from the beginning.

However, as soon as I realized that there were countless possibilities for Ethan not wanting to keep me as his exclusive maid, my heart started pounding wildly.

What young master would want to keep a woman who tried to strangle him to death and whispered curses into his ear as his exclusive maid?

Moreover, there were even a few times when I acted impulsively, ignoring Ethan’s words, so it wouldn’t be strange at all if he was already sick of my very existence in his mind.

‘Could it be that every time I asked him to make me his exclusive maid for the academy, he kept avoiding it because…’

It was a moment when everything made sense if he really didn’t want to keep me by his side and was acting this way to get rid of me completely with this opportunity.

Of course, it’s not like putting on a brazen face and pretending to work properly now would work.

Ethan had already decided on Isabel as his next exclusive maid from around the time my contract period was ending.

And you know what’s even funnier?

If I put myself in Ethan’s shoes, I think I would have chosen Isabel over Lilith as an exclusive maid too.

Housework that a maid should do? In terms of skill, Isabel would probably do it a hundred times better than me.

And what about personality? Isabel’s kind and warm personality towards everyone was a thousand times better than someone like me who only thinks about self-preservation.

You might say Lilith wins in terms of appearance, right? …While it’s hard to completely deny that since it’s part of the game’s official setting, let’s call it a draw since Isabel is cute, too.

And even if I slightly win in terms of appearance, that wasn’t a virtue that an exclusive maid should have in the first place.

In short, if Isabel and I were to compete for the position of Ethan’s exclusive maid, my elimination was practically 100% certain.

This means that after giving up Ethan’s exclusive maid position to Isabel, I would have to enroll in the academy…

…with the ambiguous status of a viscount’s daughter in the Magic Department of Luminor Academy, where political maneuvering runs rampant.

“…Could you give me some time to think, Young Master Ethan?”

“Sure. But I’d like an answer as soon as possible if you can.”

“Yes…”

While all sorts of negative thoughts were going through my head as I hid behind the wall where Ethan and Isabel were talking, their conversation seemed to be ending. After making sure Ethan had completely disappeared upstairs while staying hidden until the end, I quietly approached Isabel, who was left alone.

I needed to somehow ask her to give up the position of Ethan’s exclusive maid.

“Young Master Ethan, really… Even so, to suddenly ask such a question without consulting Lilith…”

“…What were you just talking about with Young Master Ethan, Isabel?”

“Hiyaaa?! Li-Lilith?!”

Isabel was startled by my voice suddenly coming from a blind spot and almost fell backward.

I quickly grabbed her arms and waist as she was about to fall and hit her bottom on the floor, and thanks to that, she barely avoided falling while slightly leaning into me.

“Ah, th-thank you, Lilith…”

“I asked what you were talking about with the young master, Isabel.”

“Li-Lilith? Why are you suddenly…?”

“Answer the question, Isabel.”

“Li-Lilith… Your eyes look scary today…”

Isabel avoided answering by averting her gaze as if she didn’t know what to do in response to my firm question.

Come to think of it, asking like this must be quite a difficult question for Isabel.

A veteran maid like Isabel wouldn’t carelessly run her mouth. Keeping quiet about what happens inside the mansion is the top virtue a servant should have.

Then the only way is to press her with questions she has no choice but to answer. I could figure out the situation just from their last conversation anyway.

“It was about being a dedicated maid, wasn’t it, Isabel?”

“Y-You heard, Lilith…?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“I-I see…”

As soon as I showed an attitude of having already heard the conversation, her reaction also softened a bit.

Meeting Isabel’s eyes, I asked directly about the offer Ethan had just made to her.

Beating around the bush wasn’t really my style, and above all, I didn’t have the mental composure to ask that way anymore.

“Are you going to accept Young Master Ethan’s offer?”

“Wh-What do you think, Lilith?”

“…Why are you asking me that, Isabel?”

“W-Well, because your opinion is important too, not just mine! I was planning to ask you at least once anyway…”

…Still, Isabel has some loyalty in the sense that she didn’t immediately accept becoming Ethan’s exclusive maid but tried to ask for my opinion first, who is currently his exclusive maid.

If this were Lilith in the original game, she probably would have given a positive answer, saying for Isabel to do as she wanted without caring about her own opinion, but unfortunately, the current me wasn’t in a good enough situation to act as ‘Good Girl Lilith.’

I conveyed my honest feelings to Isabel, who was waiting for my answer with a tense expression.

“Do you want me to be honest? Or should I be roundabout?”

“H-Honest…”

“I would like it if Isabel rejected Young Master Ethan’s offer.”

“…Huh?”

“I would prefer if you didn’t accept the offer related to being a dedicated maid that Young Master Ethan mentioned.”

“……”

“…I’m just saying it because you asked me to be honest.”

Isabel’s expression immediately hardened, perhaps because my request to reject Ethan’s exclusive maid position was somewhat shocking.

Seeing her disappointed expression wasn’t very pleasant, but it was an unavoidable situation now.@@novelbin@@

Even if it was Isabel, I also had a position that I couldn’t yield to anyone.

“I-I see… So you think it would be uncomfortable if I became a dedicated maid…”

“…That’s not exactly why I’m telling you to reject it.”

“Th-Then what is it…? Can you tell me why I shouldn’t be the dedicated maid…?”

“…I’m sorry, Isabel.” [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

“……”

“The position of Young Master Ethan’s exclusive maid is absolutely necessary for me.”

“…Huh?”

Isabel showed a strange reaction after I explained why I asked her to reject the position of Ethan’s exclusive maid.

For some reason, her expression, which looked like she was about to burst into tears, changed to something that seemed perplexed.

Not wanting to be hated by her, apart from not losing the position, I explained in as much detail as possible why I asked Isabel to give it up.

“I’m going to enter the academy next year, Isabel.”

“Ah, yes… I heard that from the young master just now…”

“Thanks to the young master’s consideration, I’ll be able to enter as a noble, albeit a lower-ranking one.”

“I-I heard that from the young master too…”

“Do you think the noble students attending other academies will leave a lower-ranking noble lady with no connections alone?”

“Ah, probably not…?”

“That’s why I need it. I absolutely need the position of Young Master Ethan’s exclusive maid. I’m honestly confessing this only to you, Isabel, without telling the young master.”

“Ah, umm… But Lilith, the position of the dedicated maid that the young master mentioned to me…”

“Please reject it, Isabel. I know it’s shameless and brazen to ask this, but I absolutely must be Young Master Ethan’s exclusive maid while attending the academy.”

“……”

Isabel rolled her eyes in confusion as if she didn’t know what to say.

Judging by this reaction, she seemed to be struggling with what answer to give.

After a moment of silence, Isabel’s answer was, fortunately, the happiest news for me.

“About Young Master Ethan’s offer for the position… I never even considered it in the first place…”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes. And I want to tell you something because it seems like you’re misunderstanding something. The offer about being a dedicated maid that Young Master Ethan made to me…”

“Isabel~!! You really are my best friend!”

“Wh-What?! Li-Lilith?!”

Unable to control my sudden emotions due to the overwhelming feeling of gratitude, I impulsively hugged Isabel with my whole body.

Isabel, who was unexpectedly buried in my embrace, called my name with a slightly bewildered voice.

“Wh-What…?! Li-Lilith, what the young master said was…!”

“Isabel, thank you! I’ll never forget this favor!”

“W-Wait, Lilith! Where are you suddenly going now?!”

“So that you don’t have to struggle with rejecting the young master, I’ll convince him for sure! I’ll convince him to take me, not you, Isabel, as his exclusive maid to employ at the academy!”

“No, Lilith! That’s a misunderstanding…!”

Deciding to check Isabel’s words coming from downstairs later, I quickly ran upstairs towards Ethan’s room for now.

Before Isabel’s resolved mind could waver, I had to somehow get a definite answer from Ethan that he would employ me.