I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Two days have passed since I unexpectedly helped release Ethan’s sexual desires that had been pent up for half a year, in a way slightly different from what I had planned (it was somewhat forced). 

Currently, Ethan and I are staying at the Blackwood Mansion rather than the academy.

Around the time my treatment ended, our work in the Student Council was also wrapped up, so there was no reason to stay at the academy any longer. 

Also, there was a possibility that other Theology Department students at the academy might discover that I was a Saint if we stayed too long, so we hurriedly returned to the Estate as a result. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

For reference, because I stayed at the academy for a few more days after the evaluation duel, the timing of our return to the Blackwood Mansion coincided with Harold’s. As a result, we ended up returning home in a four-person carriage with Harold, just like last time.

…Harold’s storytelling of old tales during the carriage ride was an added bonus. What could a middle-aged man approaching 50 have so much to talk about?

After returning to the mansion yesterday with the Sword Master who mumbled tirelessly for nearly twelve hours, unable to sleep in the carriage, I woke up this morning in bed feeling somewhat tired and straightened the bedding.

“Ah, ughh…”

Even though I got up from a familiar bed after a long time, my whole body felt heavy as if paralyzed. 

My muscles also felt quite sore, as if they hadn’t relaxed properly.

It wasn’t particularly because of the change in sleeping arrangements. Until now, I had slept well regardless of whether it was at the Blackwood Mansion, the academy dormitory, or even the infirmary of the academy church.

If I had to pinpoint the cause, it was primarily because of that damn Machart, and secondly, because there was no one sleeping next to me.

Since the day I was threatened by Machart, I had several nightmares of being attacked in the middle of the night, but each time, I was able to fall back asleep thanks to the warmth I felt from Ethan beside me. After returning to the Blackwood Mansion, however, we used separate rooms, so I couldn’t rely on that.

Other than that, when I was staying in the infirmary of the academy church, Agnes was always there with me, so I felt somewhat at ease. However, last night was the first time I slept alone in a while, and I couldn’t fall asleep properly because I felt uneasy.

“Haaugh, mmm…”

“Lilith, are you alright?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’ve looked tired all day today. You looked that way this morning too, and you still do.”

“I agree with Isabel’s opinion, Miss Lilith. Perhaps you didn’t sleep well because of the change in sleeping arrangements?”

Isabel and Catherine asked me this during lunch, so I naturally had to wave my hand and dismiss their concerns, saying it wasn’t the case.

“No, Senior Catherine. My sleeping arrangements have changed frequently up until now, going back and forth to the academy. It’s just that last night I had a nightmare, probably because I was a bit tired.”

“Can you work like this? Should I ask Young Master Ethan if you can rest for an hour or two? I can attend to the young master in the meantime.”

“Thanks for worrying, but I’m fine, Isabel.”

To begin with, it would be ridiculous for an exclusive maid to take a nap while her master was wide awake. Especially in the middle of the day with the sun high in the sky.

After finishing the meal and having a short chat with my colleagues, which was only allowed at this time, I returned to my duties as Ethan’s exclusive maid.

“The position of Young Master Ethan’s exclusive maid is mine.”

It’s not like my condition would break down just because I didn’t get enough sleep.

It’s not that I didn’t sleep at all, just that I kept waking up repeatedly. I should be able to endure this much.

…There was a time when I thought that way.

Two days later…

When the cycle of waking up from sleep with tension due to nightmares flashing every time I closed my eyes had continued for about three days, my mind was already completely devastated to the point where even breathing caused fatigue.

“……”

“Um, Lilith…?”

“…Miss Lilith?”

“……”

“I-I really think you should rest a bit…”

“In your current physical state, even the young master would understand, Miss Lilith…”

Isabel and Catherine seemed to be saying something on either side of me, but to be honest, it took all my concentration just to keep my eyes open.

‘I’m dying…’

It was the moment I could understand why sleep deprivation became torture after just three days. No wonder the CIA uses this to extract information.

If someone told me right now that they’d let me sleep comfortably if I spilled the secrets of my past life, honestly, I didn’t have the confidence to refuse. No, I’m not even sure if I had enough mental strength left to understand such a request.

Last night and the night before, I tossed and turned in bed, trying to fall asleep. But every time I was about to drift into a deep sleep, I kept getting caught up in nightmares and was forcibly awakened. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

As a result, my peripheral nerves, which hadn’t even gotten proper light sleep for three days straight, were gradually reaching their limit.

‘Even in dreams, that fucking Machart keeps appearing and causing trouble… I really need to deal with him quickly somehow…’

At this rate, my head would explode before I could deal with Machart or anything else. The plan to subjugate Machart, which I had carefully crafted over more than a month, was on the verge of completely falling apart.

However, there were still three days left until the day of the operation, so if I spent three more days in this state, forget about subjugating Machart, I’d end up in a miserable situation where I’d be caught by Machart instead.

‘I absolutely cannot let that happen.’

Being captured by that bastard Machart and becoming a meat doll was far more terrifying than a future of being ‘trained’ by Ethan or running around the country for years with the Hero while having my future held hostage.

If I had to choose among the three, being with Ethan would be the least terrible option. After all, nowadays Ethan wasn’t like the trash Lout Prince from the original work. Even if I were to be ‘trained,’ it would still be better than being Machart’s meat doll or going on an unpaid world tour…

‘No, what am I thinking?’

My tired mind kept drifting to one-dimensional thoughts. I had already eliminated the possibility of such futures happening in the first place.

I had stuffed myself with garlic in the kitchen of the Blackwood Mansion to prevent such things from happening, so why was I compromising here?

It seems that when people enter the realm of the unconscious, they naturally seek out the method with the highest survival probability according to the survival instinct ingrained in their bodies. Maybe that’s why Ethan came to mind in that sense.

…But what does Ethan have to do with my survival instinct in the first place…

Clang.

“……………Ah.”

As I was bringing a spoon full of soup to my mouth, my grip weakened for a moment due to fatigue, and the spoon that had fallen right in front of my lips plummeted down below my mouth.

The falling metal bounced once on my chest, scattering its contents, and made a loud noise as it hit the floor.

Perhaps because my senses were dulled, I couldn’t feel the sensation of it touching my body or the heat of the soup very well. I just thought that since I had dropped the spoon, I should pick it up.

“…Ack?! …ss Lilith…!”

“…ng master! Help, Lil…”

The voices around me became increasingly blurred, and it became difficult to distinguish who was speaking. It could be Isabel, or Catherine, or just any maid.

Just as my body instinctively leaned from the chair with the thought of picking up the spoon that had fallen on the floor, my body swayed and tilted due to the weight of my heavy upper body.

Thud!

‘Ah.’

…If I fall to the floor like this, it’s going to hurt a lot.

To be honest, I didn’t care if it hurt, I just wanted to get some proper sleep. If I fell to the floor and passed out like this, I probably wouldn’t be able to wake up forcibly for at least a few hours.

However, contrary to my hopes, the sensation I felt on my falling body was not the hard floor but someone’s arms, and that warm feeling that seemed to envelop my body led me into the world of deep sleep.

Dark, pitch-black darkness. 

A complete darkness dyed in jet black not only in all four cardinal directions but also above and below.

As soon as I felt that the fatigue that had accumulated in my body had disappeared, I arrived at an unfamiliar space.

‘…No, it’s not unfamiliar.’

While it’s difficult to string thoughts together due to fatigue when awake, here in the ‘dream world’, my head worked to some extent. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Of course, even so, the direction of thought was limited as I couldn’t escape the ‘dream world’, and there was the disadvantage of not being able to think of more than two things at once.

The moment I realized that this was a space I had visited several times before, and that this was a dream, my mind naturally couldn’t help but anticipate what would happen next.

Step. Step.

“……”

The sound of footsteps of something emitting a faint light alone in the darkness approached me.

It was the sound of footsteps of that terribly persistent fellow that I had heard countless times in my dreams over the past few days.

“Are you coming to your senses? How does it feel to be left alone in the darkness, hm?”

‘Fuck.’

A sticky voice that sounded like something was about to come up from below pierced my ears. Of course, there was nothing to vomit since this was a dream.

The face of the guy who appeared with a soft light as if he was the protagonist in the darkness was revealed.

“It’s been a while, foul-mouthed miss.”

“……”

It was an encounter with the damned Machart, so many times that I couldn’t even count anymore.

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

I’m still not used to Catherine being confident; such a complete 180 from her original personality.

See you in a bit for the bonus chapter!