Chapter 35

When Lilian heard about going out, she tilted her head and went, “Hmm, really?” She wasn’t quite in the know about the “current” Lilian, but it felt like she was thinking about something.

“Is there a problem…”

“Huh? No, yeah. Sure. It’s important to hang out with friends. But Catherine, you know you’re my maid, right?”

“Of course.”

“So why does my maid keep playing with other girls? Sometimes, just sometimes, I find myself wondering. Yeah, I’m curious.”

…Hmm.

There was something about her tone that felt “Young Lady”-ish. Every time I tried to make friends with others, she always tied me down with remarks like that.

“Well, Yulia should be fine. Yeah, it’s Yulia… go ahead.”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay because it’s Yulia. But that princess? Stay away from her. Got it?”

“Um, yes. Understood.”

No choice really. The master is Lilian after all. By the way, why is Yulia acceptable? I couldn’t quite get it. As I stared at Lilian for a moment, she let out a small sigh and gestured for me to come closer.

“Ugh, Catherine. Come here.”

“Yes.”

As I approached Lilian, she flopped down on the bed and patted the space next to her. Following her lead, I carefully lay down beside her, and Lilian wore a slightly satisfied smile as she looked at me. But really, she could only show me her profile. Feeling her gaze on my cheek, I turned to face her. Then, Lilian let out a huffy breath and quickly turned her head away.

“Young Lady?”

“Uh, um? Oh, it’s nothing.”

What’s with that? I turned my head back to stare at the ceiling of the room. The ceiling had a neat design etched into it. Unlike modern times, there were no lights hung up, which was quite noticeable. I found myself staring at the ceiling dazedly and slowly closed my eyes. Lying in bed with Lilian made me feel a sense of calm.

“Catherine.”

“Yes.”

“Will you always be next to me?”

I was about to answer, “Of course,” but Lilian continued speaking quietly.

“What if I got kicked out of my family?”

“…I believe that won’t happen, but you saved my life, Young Lady. If it’s to repay that grace, I could take care of you for even a penny-less Young Lady.”

“Hmm—okay.”

With a small snort, Lilian turned back toward me. As our eyes met, Lilian quietly opened her mouth.

“If Catherine wasn’t a maid and I wasn’t the master, what would our relationship be?”

“…I don’t think it would have existed at all. I would have probably died somewhere in that gap.”

“No, not that assumption. Um, okay. Let’s say, if in the future, I awarded Catherine the title of Baron, what would you do?”

“I don’t need a title.”

Nobles are those who take on responsibilities. For someone like me, struggling to manage just one Young Lady, a title would only be a nuisance.

“…I see.”

What did this series of conversations even mean? I had no idea, but Lilian nodded as if she realized something. Then, she turned off the light.

“Then, should we get some sleep now?”

“Goodnight.”

“Yeah, sleep well, Catherine.”

As Lilian yawned softly and waved her hand, I covered her with a blanket and returned to my own bed. Though I lay down, sleep didn’t come easily. The princess’s confession was one thing, and Yulia’s remarks were something else entirely. Moreover, why did Lilian seem to want to bind me like a Young Lady?

“Ugh…”

After tossing and turning for a while, Lilian came over to me with half-closed eyes. Then she wriggled her way under my blanket and hugged me. The scent of hyacinth unique to Lilian hit me like a wave. As I breathed it in, it felt like I might lose consciousness at any moment.

I tightly closed my eyes and began counting sheep. Unlike me, Lilian had quite a bit of volume, and I could feel her softness against my back. Though she usually wore a dress that concealed it, Lilian was actually quite endowed.

About a thousand sheep later, I let go of the slowly fading consciousness in an instant.

#

Lilian woke up blankly. The sound of Catherine’s breathing came to her ears. She had snuck into Catherine’s blanket pretending to look for her bed, but she didn’t have the courage to do anything more than just hold on quietly.

But this regulated breathing indicated that Catherine was completely asleep. Of course, she hadn’t been asleep for long, so she would have fallen into a light sleep, but in this condition, Catherine wouldn’t wake up easily. She had a habit of sleeping soundly once she drifted off.

This wasn’t something that occasionally popped up in her head; it was something she realized after observing Catherine all this time. Initially, she had just been watching Catherine as a game antagonist, but later, as her own feelings pulled her toward Catherine, Lilian suddenly thought.

Catherine, don’t you think there are too many women around? The princess is one, and so is Yulia. Though Yulia would eventually be fated to end up with the male lead, that seems fine. Even if many events in the game ended up twisted, the prince and Yulia had a good relationship.

Of course, while they weren’t close enough to be called “friends”, Lilian had seen with her own eyes that the prince was subtly looking out for Yulia. If it weren’t for the series of events during the last ball, the prince would have surely asked Yulia to dance. In fact, right after Catherine had asked Yulia for a dance, he looked quite disappointed.

Sure, he quickly composed himself, but Lilian saw it all. The prince must have been feeling some human affection for Yulia at that moment. Of course, since it was merely human affection, substantial romantic progress was still far off, but at the very least, Yulia could be considered out of the running as a rival.

In that sense, the biggest rival was the princess. Honestly, among the noble ladies attending the academy, every one of them wanted Catherine. The way she presented herself in social gatherings was probably exceptional. Not only did she hold the reins for that mischievous Lilian, but she was also quite knowledgeable about all sorts of social affairs and maneuvering.

Moreover, while those nobles all knew it, Catherine was tougher than most knights. If a strong woman like her trained regularly, she could easily avoid any considerable danger. The fact that Lilian had faced no threats as the jewel of the Portus family, even with as much political power as that, was thanks to Catherine’s presence.

The princess was probably attracted to Catherine for that very reason. It had nothing to do with falling for a noble’s character; it was more about recognizing a fellow strong spirit. With those thoughts in mind, Lilian gritted her teeth. Even if she couldn’t have Catherine, she couldn’t let such a superficial person have her either.

This was more an affection for a friend than anything romantic, Lilian thought. Being someone whose only experience with romantic relationships had come from a game, she pressed that point. The Lilian in the ‘memories’ also seemed to have never felt the sweet and bitter emotions of love even once.

Sighing softly, Lilian applied a bit of strength to the arm she had around Catherine. She could feel Catherine’s unique scent. Though there was some toned muscle present, wherever she touched, it was soft like a woman’s skin. While she felt a sense of wonder, she also thought this wasn’t right—and thus retracted her hand.

Though Catherine seemed to think of herself as an unattractive woman, Lilian’s perspective was completely different. There were certainly those in the mansion who showed her affection, but the Young Lady’s obsession was so overpowering that anyone who dared express such feelings was promptly chased off, regardless of gender.

In truth, the servants of the Portus family weren’t regularly rotated like this every few years. But as they kept chasing away those who showed any sexual interest in Catherine, the situation had come to this. Honestly, despite her self-image, Catherine was closer to a bewitching woman who could charm anyone.

At first glance, she seemed quite rigid, but once you got familiar with her, she didn’t just take care of you; she treated you with utmost sincerity. When dealing with Lilian as her master, Catherine was indeed quite stiff, but within that demeanor, one could feel her genuine affection. That’s why Catherine was quite popular.

Even at the academy, she seemed to charm the noblewomen around her, suggesting that her personality had not changed much after all. Ultimately, it was precisely because of her that Lilian was the only one who could protect her. The princess was unreliable, and Yulia seemed like someone who would get swept along with others.

With that resolution, Lilian slowly pulled Catherine back into her embrace and closed her eyes. Holding the warm body of Catherine felt rather turbulent, but forcing her eyes shut, Lilian slipped into sleep.