I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by James B. (2/14). For more bonus chapters, see my Ko-fi.

“Be careful on your way back, Miss Lilith. If anything feels off, please make sure to let us know.”

At the main entrance of the Academy Church, which also serves as the Theology Department building of Luminor Academy…

Saint Seriste stood there, holding both my hands in hers, repeating the precautions she had already mentioned several times. 

I simply nodded and responded to those words that I had heard so many times my ears could grow calluses.

“Yes. Thank you for taking care of me all this time, Saint Seriste.”

“Thank you for looking after Lilith, Saint.”

“No, it was my duty.”

After somehow giving an answer to Ethan’s confession and after Seriste returned to the hospital room…

The first thing Ethan and I did after talking with her was to proceed with the discharge procedures from the church today.

The weekend had already ended yesterday, and it felt uncomfortable to lie in bed while missing my classes and other duties.

In my previous life, I might have been happy about having a legitimate reason to skip school, but it took considerable courage to miss classes at Luminor Academy, where I was paying my own tuition.

Besides, considering things like group projects with Agnes and student council work, I couldn’t afford to rest like this indefinitely. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Fortunately, I was able to complete the discharge process safely, thanks to not having any major external injuries. 

…Although Seriste emphasized several times during the process that I had nearly died.

This is the second time I’ve been indebted to the Aurelian Church.

I was essentially resuscitated after nearly dying both times, so I found myself unconsciously hoping this would be the last time I visited the church.

“Well then, goodbye…”

“…Um, Miss Lilith.”

“Yes?”

“This might be a somewhat delicate question, but may I ask you one thing before you go?”

“What is it, Saint Seriste?”

“…Just a moment, could you bring your ear closer?”

Seriste gestured carefully toward me as if she was about to say something that Ethan shouldn’t hear.

I slightly tilted my head down to match her height, and Seriste asked me in a cautious voice.

“Miss Lilith… you are a noble, aren’t you?”

“…Pardon?”

“You are the only daughter of the Rosewoods, a quasi-baroness family, and a member of that family, correct?”

“…Yes, that’s right. But may I ask why you’re inquiring about this?”

“Ah, no… It’s nothing. I’m sorry for asking such a strange question…”

Why is Seriste suddenly asking about my social status?

As I’ve mentioned before, my current status is that of the only daughter of a quasi-baroness family created by Ethan and Seraphine.

Lilith Rosewood is the only daughter born between Luis Rosewood and Marianne Rosewood.

It was a fake identity with a fictional noble family that didn’t actually exist.

Only a select few, including Ethan and Seraphine’s associates, knew this fact.

It was such a closely guarded secret that even Isabel and Catherine believed I was a quasi-baroness lady from the beginning. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Although I knew Seriste wasn’t a villain, we weren’t close enough for me to carelessly reveal the secret.

‘She’s probably just curious about why a noble is working as a maid.’

As I’ve said before, it was extremely rare for a noble lady to serve as a man’s exclusive maid, even after entering the Academy.

I could fully understand the suspicious glances, and I wasn’t particularly bothered by them.

After all, I had been in her care at the church for three days, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to ask such questions.

With those thoughts, I waved goodbye to Seriste, and as we moved some distance away from the church…

An awkward silence began to linger between Ethan and me.

Step, step.

“……”

Tap, tap.

“……”

Perhaps because the kiss from earlier kept coming to mind, it felt strange for me to speak first, and Ethan seemed quiet, too, probably recalling what happened in the hospital room.

At this rate, it seemed the awkward atmosphere would continue not only on the way to the dormitory but also until tomorrow morning.

As the elder one here, I needed to clear the atmosphere.

“How is Princess Seraphine’s student council, Young Master Ethan?”

“It’s alright. There are some people you might know, and some you probably don’t.”

“Is that so?”

“You can see for yourself in the student council room tomorrow. The main activities are supposed to start from tomorrow anyway.”

“That’s a relief. It seems I didn’t cause any trouble while lying in the hospital bed.”

“No one would criticize someone who nearly died and came back to life for resting a bit, Lilith.”

…Well, I suppose that would be the case for people who catch Seraphine’s eye.

After exchanging this brief conversation, silence fell between Ethan and me once again, with only the quiet stillness and the sound of footsteps echoing.

Step, step.

“……”

Tap, tap.

“……”

…Damn it.

Feeling that any conversation would pointlessly return to an awkward atmosphere, I decided to address it clearly.

If we keep feeling embarrassed about things like this, we won’t be able to act like temporary lovers at all.

“Young Master Ethan.”

“…Ah, yes. Lilith.”

“If you’re worried about the kiss we shared in the hospital room earlier, you don’t need to be so concerned about it.”

“Ah, um. It’s okay, Lilith. I’m not really worried about that…”

“It was only my second kiss anyway. So you don’t need to feel burdened, Young Master Ethan.”

“…What?”

Ethan suddenly glared at me with fierce eyes as soon as I said there was no need to worry.

Instinctively realizing I had made some kind of verbal mistake, I opened my mouth to speak again, but Ethan interrupted me with a fierce expression.

“Did I say something wrong…”

“…Who is it?”

“Pardon?”

“Who’s the bastard that took your first kiss, Lilith?”

“……”

…What’s this about?

Of course, my first kiss would have been with the Hero, and I thought Ethan already knew that…

Since he was present when I woke up after being revived by CPR, I assumed he had naturally witnessed Gyeongmwajogyegigwat performing artificial respiration on me.

I couldn’t easily understand this hostile reaction from Ethan toward the Hero, who was, in a sense, my lifesaver.

‘Perhaps he saw the CPR but didn’t witness the artificial respiration?’

Since Ethan had also fallen into the lake with me and barely survived, there was a possibility that his memories of that time were patchy.

Something like Lilith’s first kiss being taken might have been a memory Ethan wanted to intentionally erase, so maybe he had glimpsed it but immediately looked away…?

I might have made things worse by trying to lighten the mood…

“Calm down, Young Master Ethan. I understand why you’re angry, but he is the person who saved my life.”

“…Savior of your life? Are you saying someone saved your life and demanded your first kiss as payment, is that it?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m explaining that he had to perform an act similar to kissing to save my life.”

“What kind of guy would use such a ridiculous excuse to take your lips, when on earth…”

“It happened just the day before yesterday, Young Master Ethan!”

“…Huh?”

Ethan tilted his head in question at my mention of the day before yesterday.

For whatever reason, thinking this was the opportunity to explain, I quickly continued with supplementary information about my first kiss. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“I’ve already heard everything from the Saint. She told me how when I was brought back from the lake, my heart had temporarily stopped, and my life was in danger.”

“…Yes, it was dangerous. I really thought I was going to lose you then, Lilith.”

“…And I also heard that the Hero used CPR to save me in that situation.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“In addition, I heard that artificial respiration was performed during the process. And the act of artificial respiration that I’ve learned about involves pressing lips together and blowing air into the lungs.”

“…Wait, Lilith. So when you said first kiss, you meant…”

“Yes. I was referring to the artificial respiration that happened that day as my first kiss when I spoke to you, Young Master Ethan. I naturally thought you had witnessed it since you were present at the scene.”

…But I hadn’t expected that Ethan, who had hugged me as soon as I woke up, wouldn’t know about it.

How could I have thought that Ethan wouldn’t have witnessed the scene of my first kiss… well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a first kiss, but anyway, the artificial respiration in that situation?

…Of course, it’s partly my fault for casually mentioning it, thinking he obviously knew.

“No, Lilith. If that’s the case, your first kiss was probably…”

“Yes. Judging by your reaction, it seems you didn’t witness it. Anyway, if you wish, Young Master Ethan, I will also forget about that artificial respiration.”

“…That’s not it, Lilith. The person who performed the artificial respiration wasn’t that Hero you’re talking about.”

“What?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“…I was the one who performed artificial respiration on you, Lilith.”

…Huh?

The one who performed artificial respiration on me wasn’t Gyeongmwajogyegigwat?

No, wait. This doesn’t make sense. How did Ethan know how to do artificial respiration?

“Where did you learn about artificial respiration, Young Master Ethan…”

“The Hero taught me on the spot. He told me to block your nose, cover your lips with mine, and blow air in.”

“……”

“I thought you knew it was me since you woke up while our lips were pressed together, but you didn’t know I was the one who did it.”

“…I-I see…”

“I also did that car… whatever resuscitation thing. I didn’t like the idea of another man’s hands touching your body.”

“…I-I see. You did well.”

“Of course, it’s not like I had the right to touch your body…”

…So that’s how it was.

So, even though I was unconscious, it was Ethan who took my first kiss after all?

On top of that, no man other than Ethan had touched my body.

Perhaps because the part I had been needlessly worried about was resolved, I felt my tension naturally easing.

…Well, I guess it’s somewhat fortunate that my first kiss was with Ethan.

“I see. That’s fortunate, then.”

“…Fortunate?”

“…Ah.”

“Lilith, did you just say it was fortunate?”

“…Pardon? What are you talking about, Young Master Ethan?”

“You just said it was fortunate, Lilith. Does that ‘fortunate’ you mentioned possibly mean what I think it means…”

“No. I didn’t say ‘fortunate,’ Young Master Ethan. Even if I did, it doesn’t mean what you think it means.”

“No, you clearly said it with that meaning…”

“I did not.”

Ethan clung to me, pressing about the slip of the tongue that had unconsciously escaped me.

Fearing that if I admitted it, he would tease me endlessly about it, I denied it as much as possible.

Ethan’s persistent questioning continued all the way back to the dormitory.

…Honestly, he’s getting so confident just because he caught onto something small.

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Important T/N!

From now on, I’m setting Lilith’s noble status to quasi-baroness instead of quasi-viscount’s daughter for two reasons.

Quasi-baroness flows better than quasi-viscount’s daughter.
It better represents the idea that Lilith is of the lowest rank among the nobles (because barons/baronesses are the lowest ranked anyway), and why Seraphine’s original plan would have surely worked. 

I should have edited this much earlier, but unfortunately, I only realized how badly it inconvenienced me just now. Hope this isn’t too much of a change.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!