I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince - Chapter 155 [Date? (3)]
The current situation arose from Ethan taking me out of the academy for the weekend to grant his reward for winning the duel against Harold.
Ethan had taken me out not as his exclusive maid but as Lilith, a viscount’s daughter.
Since I wasn’t his maid for today, I couldn’t use titles like “young master,” nor could I use the extremely formal expressions I usually did.
Thinking about it that way, the atmosphere felt somewhat like a date.
Realizing this, I became a bit suspicious about Ethan’s intentions in taking me out.
‘…Could it be that he’s trying to create a subtle date atmosphere to confess again like last time?’
In truth, I had been sensing signs of Ethan’s strange feelings towards me for quite some time.
After all, just a few months ago, he had tried to create an atmosphere as if he was going to confess to me.
It was entirely possible for a boy his age to develop romantic feelings for a woman who looked like Lilith, who was constantly by his side.
‘He should know better than anyone that he’s the heir to the Blackwood Ducal family, so he probably won’t make the foolish choice of trying to make me his actual fiancée.’
However, I wasn’t sure if he had given up on the idea of a one-night fling or a casual romance.
The academy’s atmosphere was quite liberal compared to the outside world, and there were quite a few examples of positive relationships developing between noble and commoner students. [Axiomatic / Only on Galaxy Translations!]
So it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to want to enjoy a free romance while still a student, even if he would choose a different woman as his fiancée in the future.
‘I feel like I shouldn’t have agreed to this.’
Now that I was conscious of it being a date, I almost felt it would have been better to just have my chest touched once instead.
I absolutely couldn’t stand the awkwardness of a romantic atmosphere developing between a man and a woman.
While I could accept having my chest touched as a reward for Ethan’s efforts, I still had resistance to becoming lovers.
Although I didn’t think Ethan had any flaws as a man, I still wasn’t interested to enter in a relationship with a man.
‘I hope Ethan is thinking the same way I am.’
Seeing that he gave up even touching his favorite chest to ask for a date, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of things taking a strange turn.
At this point, there was only one solution.
If there was even a hint of a good atmosphere developing, I had to somehow break it and make sure he didn’t develop any romantic feelings for me.
With this in mind, I asked Ethan about today’s schedule as naturally as possible.
I needed to know where we would be going in advance so I could think of appropriate ways to deal with each situation.
“Um, Ethan…?”
“Y-yes, Lilith.”
“Where are you planning to go today, bringing me as a noblewoman rather than a maid?”
“…Even if you ask where we’re going, I didn’t really have a specific destination in mind.”
“Pardon?”
“I just wanted to go out of school with you as an ordinary noblewoman, Lilith. Until now, I’ve only seen you in your maid uniform or your school uniform.”
“……”
Ethan lowered his head carefully, blushing as if embarrassed.
For some reason I didn’t quite understand, I almost found myself swept up in Ethan’s atmosphere for a moment.
He may look normal, but still…
With such thoughts, I walked alongside Ethan with slightly awkward steps through the commercial district streets of the Island of Knowledge. Ethan’s steps slowly came to a stop in front of one of the stores. [Axiomatic / Only on Galaxy Translations!]
I quietly stopped as well, matching his pace.
“Shall we buy some new clothes first?”
“Don’t you have plenty of spare clothes in the dormitory?”
“Of course, I’m not talking about my clothes, but yours, Lilith.”
“…My clothes?”
“Yes. Looking at your current attire, I think we need to change your clothes first.”
Feeling a bit puzzled by Ethan’s words, I briefly looked over the clothes I was wearing.
It was just my ordinary maid uniform, no different from usual, so I couldn’t help but express my confusion once again.
“It’s just a normal maid uniform, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s ordinary for a maid uniform, but it’s hardly suitable for a noble young lady to wear.”
“…That’s true. But I thought it would be a bit strange to wear the academy uniform on a non-school day as well.”
“Right. That’s why we should buy you some clothes first. Aren’t you getting tired of only wearing the academy uniform and your maid uniform, Lilith?”
…I don’t really mind even if I continue to only wear my uniforms and my maid outfit.
However, I couldn’t refute his claim that it wasn’t befitting of a noble young lady, so I had no choice but to nod in agreement for now.
I was a person with at least some basic common sense, after all.
Even if that wasn’t the case, I found myself thinking that having a set of casual wear for going out wouldn’t be a bad idea.
From the start, I didn’t have the option of refusing, as I was here to fulfill Ethan’s “request.”
“Alright, Ethan. I was just thinking that I could use a set of casual clothes for going out.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page, Lilith.”
“But this shop seems a bit expensive, so maybe we should walk a bit further towards the island’s entrance. The prices here are a bit burdensome for my personal circumstances…”
Grab.
“…I’ll buy it for you, so don’t worry about it and enter with me.”
“…Okay.”
Before I knew it, Ethan had grabbed my wrist and forcefully pulled me into a clothing store that exuded an air of luxury.
As soon as we entered, several female staff members dressed in elegant Western clothing from head to toe came to greet us.
“Welcome. Is there anything you need?”
“Ah, no, well…”
The store clerk began to serve us without any hesitation despite the odd pair of a noble youth and a maid entering the store.
While I was briefly pondering how to respond to her, Ethan, beside me, responded in a way that felt natural.
“Prepare a few outfits that would suit this girl. If possible, we’re looking for something that gives the impression of a noble young lady.”
“Clothes befitting a noble young lady that would suit this young miss, correct? We’ll prepare them right away.”
With those words, several store clerks approached me with measuring tapes in hand and began to measure my body.
I quietly caught the staff members’ voices mentioning my chest size in hushed tones.
“100, no, 105 cm…” (T/N: 105 cm ≈ 41.3”)
“…There should be some larger sizes in the back of the store. Let’s look for something among those first.”
“Y-yes…”
“……”
While I pretended not to hear and averted my gaze, the store staff moved efficiently.
Less than two minutes after measuring my body, one staff member approached me with a Gothic-style dress that exuded the air of a noble young lady.
“Would you like to try this dress on first?”
“Ah, yes.”
…So they did have clothes that fit Lilith’s body type, after all.
Well, Lilith is a heroine in Luminor Academy, after all. It would be strange if there were no clothes for Lilith to wear in a game where dressing up heroines is one of the main features.
Quietly thinking such thoughts, I changed into a black dress with a high-waisted skirt in the changing room and walked out.
Since Ethan was buying the clothes for me, I formally asked for his opinion.
“How is it, Ethan?”
“……”
“Ethan?”
“Ah, u-um… I-it suits you well, Lilith…”
“Does it?”
To me, it seemed more like a noble lady’s outfit rather than a young noblewoman’s attire.
Well, young noblewomen do grow up to become noble ladies, so Ethan’s assessment that it suited me well probably wasn’t a lie.
“Then it’s decided. There’s no need to look at anything else, we can just go with this…”
“Ah, miss!”
“Whoa?!”
“P-please don’t say that, how about trying on this outfit next?! I’m sure this will suit you well, too!” [Axiomatic / Only on Galaxy Translations!]
“Please do try this one on as well!”
“Huh?”
The store clerks, who had suddenly become strangely enthusiastic compared to earlier, pushed new clothes towards me.
Feeling a bit flustered by the insistent clerks, I quietly turned my gaze towards Ethan, seeking help.
Unfortunately, what came back from Ethan was not salvation for me, but agreement with the store staff.
“W-why don’t you try them all on once, Lilith?”
“What?”
“…You never know, there might be clothes that suit you even better.”
“…Alright, Ethan.”
Well, since this was the store Ethan brought me to and he was the one offering to buy, I had no choice but to obediently try on what he told me to.
The impromptu fashion show at the clothing store continued for about 30 more minutes.
“How about this one, Ethan?”
“I-it’s pretty, but isn’t it showing off your figure a bit too much…?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
A midnight dress with a simple design flowing from top to bottom but clinging tightly to the body, emphasizing the figure.
“Even I find this one a bit embarrassing. I don’t mind the rest, but clothes that expose my thighs completely are a bit…”
“…Yeah. I think this is something that shouldn’t be worn outside, either. …Though, it is pretty.”
A fairy-style outfit made with layered sheer fabric, with a short skirt, resulting in quite a high level of exposure.
“…Personally, this one feels the most comfortable. I suppose it’s because I’m used to seeing this kind of outfit.”
“Dressed like that, you look every bit the noble young lady, Lilith.”
“There’s no need to flatter me with empty words, Ethan.”
“I’m serious, I really mean it…”
Finally, a classic noble young lady dress with abundant decorations and frills, spread wide in an A-line.
After changing into four or five different outfits in a short time, the impromptu fashion show at the clothing store finally concluded.
‘Changing clothes so many times is certainly tiring.’
Even in reality, trying on this many outfits would have been quite exhausting.
Given the medieval fantasy setting, most clothes used buttons instead of zippers, which inevitably consumed more time and energy in the process of putting on and taking off each outfit. [Axiomatic / Only on Galaxy Translations!]
Moreover, noble clothes mostly consisted of dresses with various flowing attachments, so there were many things to pay attention to.
After trying on various outfits, it seemed Ethan had quietly made up his mind about which outfit was best.
After I’d tried on the final outfit, the noble young lady dress, I asked for Ethan’s opinion.
Surely after trying on so many outfits, there must have been at least one that Ethan liked.
“So, have you made up your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Personally, the one I’m wearing now is the most comfortable. Of course, your opinion is the most important…”
“…We’ll take all of them, from the first outfit this young lady tried on to the one she’s wearing now.”
“…Pardon?”
“Yes, thank you!”
Ethan declared he would buy all the dresses, each of which looked like it would cost several gold coins.
I felt momentarily dazed as I watched several months’ worth of my salary being spent so casually right before my eyes.
“Let’s go, Lilith.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll carry the luggage…”
“They said they’ll deliver the clothes to the academy dormitory later, so we can just go. Are you a bit tired from changing clothes? Shall we have a meal first?”
“Ah, yes…”
I felt momentarily bewildered by Ethan’s casual bulk purchase of clothes that I wondered how many times I would ever wear in my life.
…Well, it’s not my money anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.
For some reason, the thought that I was being strangely swept along today began to creep into my mind.
Anyway, our weekend date continued, with me now changed from a maid uniform into a noble dress alongside Ethan.
…Or, to be precise, it wasn’t really a date…