I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

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“So, how do you plan to lure out Machart? Do you have a plan?”

After all five members involved in the operation to take down Machart had gathered, we began our meeting to discuss how to eliminate him in earnest.

There were two main things we needed to prepare for the elimination, and one of them was, as Gyeongmwajogyegigwat just mentioned, creating a trap to lure out Machart.

After all, the most important thing a hunter needs to start hunting isn’t a bow or a spear, but the prey itself.

“Prince Machart probably won’t fall for just any trap. He’s already failed once in targeting me, so he’ll likely be thinking that I know his identity and am prepared.”

“…That’s right. If he was the type to rush in thoughtlessly, he would have approached Lilith at least once or twice recently. The fact that he didn’t attack while I and Lady Blaze were frequently with you suggests he’s more cautious than he appears.”

“So, it’s crucial to somehow make Prince Machart believe I’m alone. More precisely, he’ll try to create a situation where Young Master Ethan, Miss Agnes, or anyone else won’t interfere. Among them, we’ve deliberately created a fake conflict with Miss Agnes, so he’ll probably feel somewhat assured that she won’t intervene.”

“What about me and Seriste? If he’s that cautious, won’t he try to keep us in check, too, if we’re nearby?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“He’ll certainly be wary of the Hero and the Saint, but he probably doesn’t consider you as threatening as Young Master Ethan. In your case, Hero Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, you haven’t really been seen socializing with me or Young Master Ethan outside. And Saint Seriste, apart from seeing you here in the church, we haven’t had any official meetings.”

From Machart’s perspective, the most bothersome were only Ethan and Agnes. After all, they were currently the two people publicly closest to me.

“Still, it’s not like the Hero or I have never met Lilith… If we’re nearby, wouldn’t it raise some suspicion?”

“Generally speaking, if a quasi-baroness claims that the Empire’s Fourth Prince is a puppet of the demon race, people would dismiss it as nonsense unless they had considerable faith in her. Especially if I were to insult Prince Machart, it would only look like I was a low-ranking noble lady, blinded by jealousy, taking revenge for failing to catch the prince’s eye.”

“I-I see…”

Still, in my case, it was fortunate that there were four people who would believe such an outrageous claim. Excluding Gyeongmwajogyegigwat, who was a fellow transmigrator, and Seriste, who came with the Hero, Ethan and Agnes were essentially believing my claim without question.

If I had asked only one among Ethan or Agnes to protect me, they would have tried to approach me at least once during the semester when I let my guard down. If that had happened, I would have had to face Machart again in an unprepared state, and entering battle in that condition would have resulted in my certain defeat.

Once awakened, I wouldn’t need to fight one-on-one with someone who was essentially a boss in Part 4. A raid boss should rightfully be taken down in a raid-style approach.

“I’ll use the Noble Exchange Meeting held at the Imperial Palace during the summer vacation as bait to lure out Prince Machart. As it’s an event where Prince Machart can expl— ahem, interact with naive noble ladies, I expect he will certainly attend.”

“I regularly receive invitations too, but I’ve always declined. Usually, these kinds of purposeless meetings often aim for impure interactions between men and women.”

Ethan’s guess wasn’t far off, as Machart was indeed using it for that purpose.

Meanwhile, Agnes, who saw the invitation Ethan brought for reference, suddenly gave a puzzled look.

“I’ve never received anything like that.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve never heard of such a Noble Exchange Meeting.”

“Of course not, Lady Blaze. Didn’t I just mention the purpose of the nobles gathering at this party? Lady Blaze… Well, you see…”

“…What is it? Speak plainly.”

“Since Young Master Ethan seems uncomfortable saying it, I’ll explain on his behalf. As Young Master Ethan mentioned earlier, this party is where thoughtless noble young masters and ladies gather for ‘impure’ interactions. I believe you, Miss Agnes, might lack the qualifications for such impure interactions…” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“…Wasn’t the fake estrangement operation over? Can I assume everything you say from now on is sincere, Lilith?”

“I’m sorry. I was only trying to explain why you didn’t receive an invitation…”

While Agnes’s physique might certainly have demand among modern people addicted to all sorts of erotic media, in this world, any man engaging in impure interactions with Agnes would generally have his taste questioned.

“For reference, I’ve received invitations, too. I’ve been invited to the exchange meetings once in a while since I started actively working as the Hero. I’ve declined them all due to being busy, though.”

“I-I’ve received one too… Just once, during last winter break…”

“I’ve been receiving them consistently since enrolling in the academy. Before that, I hardly participated in social activities, so I never received invitations.”

“I-I’ve always been famous… and I’ve consistently participated in social activities, though not by choice… Why…”

It couldn’t be helped. The probability of being invited to this event was primarily based on one’s Charm stat. The chances of Agnes, with her low Charm, being invited were infinitesimally close to zero.

Of course, even if one participated, there were hardly any worthwhile items to gain, and it would only damage one’s reputation, so it was generally best not to participate. This time, we decided to participate because the attendees themselves were the objective.

For Agnes, who didn’t have an invitation, it was decided that she would attend as Gyeongmwajogyegigwat’s partner. Although Seriste’s expression momentarily turned bitter, she nodded as if she had no choice since it was related to the demon race.

“I’ll try to create a situation to lure out Prince Machart. I’ll set up a scenario where Young Master Ethan and I appear to be fighting over a romantic issue, temporarily distancing ourselves from each other. I believe Prince Machart won’t miss this long-awaited opportunity.”

“…The problem is whether such a simple strategy will work. The fact that he hasn’t attacked Lil…ith so far and has been waiting for the right moment suggests he’s cautious. Wouldn’t such a cautious Prince Machart think that an obvious situation right before his eyes is a trap?”

“Shall I demonstrate for you? You can watch my acting and judge whether Prince Machart would fall for it or not. Young Master Ethan, please play along with my act for a moment.”

“Wait, if you suddenly tell me to act, I need to know what to say…”

“You’ll figure it out once you hear it.”

These things tend to come out naturally when the moment arrives, so I started acting right away, leaving a confused Ethan behind.

I began with self-suggestion that I was no longer a noble young master’s exclusive maid, but a vicious noble lady.

“Ed. Let’s talk for a moment.”

“…Lilith?”

“My, you don’t even want to call me by my nickname anymore? Then I’ll do the same, Mr. Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“S-Sorry. I misspoke for a moment, Lili.”

“It doesn’t seem like it was just your words that slipped. I saw you staring intently at that lady over there just now. I think it wasn’t your mouth but your eyes that were misbehaving, don’t you think?”

“I-It’s a misunderstanding, Lili! How could I look at another lady when I have you by my side?!”

“Oh, really? Then are you saying my eyes are crooked and I saw wrong? I’m so sorry about that. I’ve turned you into a lecher with my baseless suspicion.”

“N-No, Lili. That’s not what I meant…” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“Well, I should have known something was off when you brought me to this party with such an obviously impure purpose. I guess you’re no longer satisfied with just me in bed? If you had told me in advance that you were looking for a lady to lick your long, hard, candy stick along with me, I would have earnestly searched for ladies with big mouths and long tongues for you.”

“D-Don’t say things that could be misunderstood, Lili! R-Really, that wasn’t my intention, and I never even looked at another lady…”

“I see. It’s not your fault, Ed, it’s all mine. If only I were a little prettier and more charming, I could have captured your gaze completely without losing it for a moment. Should I have worn a dress with a shorter hem? Oh, no. You like breasts, don’t you? I should have worn a dress with a lower neckline.”

“W-What are you saying, Lili?! You’re already pretty and charming as you are!”

“Enough, I’m going to get some fresh air now, so don’t follow me.”

“Lili, wait…”

“If you take one more step closer, it’s over between us. I’m warning you, Mr. Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Ethan showed quite a good performance for someone who had to improvise along with me, allowing me to present a fairly decent scenario.

Of course, in the actual situation, we’d need to start from a more natural setting, but this was enough material to convince the other three.

“I’m planning to act something like this in the actual situation. Do you think this might not be enough?”

As soon as I finished speaking, three heads, no, including Ethan, four heads shook from side to side.

“L-Lili.”

“It’s Lilith, Young Master Ethan. Thank you for playing along with my sudden request.”

“Y-Yeah. …I’m asking just in case, but you’re not actually angry with me, are you, Lilith?”

“Of course not. I’m always grateful to you, Young Master Ethan, so you don’t need to worry.”

“I-I see. If you ever get angry or have any issues, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll try to fix it right away if possible…”

For some reason, it felt like Ethan and I had grown a bit distant. I had clearly stated it was just acting before we started.

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!