“Cough, cough…”

Ah, it’s definitely a cold.

As soon as I woke up, feeling feverish and dry coughing, I instantly knew that I’d caught a cold.

‘I can’t believe I got sick from pushing myself for just one day...’

It made sense, though. I’d gone for a walk in the cold winter air while already sleep-deprived, had an hour-long sword sparring session outdoors with Harold, and worn my sweat-soaked clothes for far too long after depleting all my magic to keep myself warm. Any one of these actions in this season would’ve led to a cold, so it was inevitable. Honestly, getting off with just a cold seemed like the best outcome.

‘Back when I still had my Saintess powers, I could’ve handled worse than this and been fine...’

I remembered times like when Aeria and Alicia made me do all the kitchen work, or when I had just become Ethan’s personal maid and was constantly being called and worked to the bone. If I were going to get sick, it should’ve been then, but I never caught even the smallest cold. That was probably because, as Lilith, I still had some immunity due to my Saintess status.

I thought about asking one of the Blackwood family priests for healing, but unfortunately, illnesses like colds and viruses couldn’t be cured with holy magic. And even if they could, it wasn’t like a mere maid like me could ask a priest for help anyway.

‘I look a little flushed, but maybe if I wear a mask, it won’t be too noticeable.’

I couldn’t just skip my duties as Ethan’s personal maid over a simple cold. I’d gone to work even when I was sleep-deprived and exhausted from the Mackhart incident, so I couldn’t let this stop me now.

With that thought, I dressed in my maid uniform, put on a mask to hide my flushed face, and made my way to Ethan’s room for work about thirty minutes later.

“You’re burning up. What do you think you’re doing, trying to work in this condition?”

Ethan pulled me back to my room, where he practically forced me into my sleepwear and tucked me back into bed.

“But without me, who will take care of your duties as a personal maid, Master Ethan…?”

“It’s not like I’ll be leaving the estate today, anyway. Do you think I’m some spoiled kid who can’t survive a few days without a maid? Just focus on getting better, Lilith.”

“…Understood, Master Ethan.”

“Rest. I’ll have Isabelle bring you breakfast.”

“Yes…”

With that, Ethan left the room, closing the door behind him. Left alone in the servant’s waiting room, I spent my time idly, alternating between groaning and coughing.

‘Damn it.’

I regretted not refusing Harold when he asked to spar. Or better yet, I regretted even going for that walk in the morning. Lying in bed, I grumbled at my own misfortune of getting sick right after returning from the academy.

‘If this were my past life, at least I’d have a smartphone to keep me entertained. There’s nothing here, so it feels so empty.’

But they say the best cure for a cold is rest, so I just had to focus on getting better. On the bright side, it was like getting an unexpected vacation. Well, considering my role as Ethan’s maid, work was more like a vacation for me.

As I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the door opened, and a maid with vanilla-colored hair walked in.

“Lilith, how are you feeling?”

“Isabelle…”

“I brought you breakfast. Since you’re sick, I thought soup and salad would be easier to eat than bread or meat.”

“Thanks…”

I reached for the spoon on the tray to start eating, but Isabelle shook her head and stopped me.

“Lilith, you’re sick. Just stay still. I’ll feed you.”

“I’m not that sick…”

“Never mind that. Lie down. You need to conserve your energy and recover quickly.”

“…Alright.”

Not in the mood to argue while sick, I nodded. Isabelle was right—it was better to conserve my energy to recover faster.

As Isabelle fed me spoonfuls of soup, she casually informed me about something unexpected.

“Master Harold said you should rest properly. He even mentioned giving you some sort of injury compensation.”

“…Injury compensation?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure why either. That’s just what Master Harold said.”

…Was he feeling guilty about making me spar with him and indirectly causing my cold? That would be very unlike Harold. From what I knew of him, the Harold in the original story handled everything strictly by the book, especially when it didn’t directly involve his son.

Even considering that I was Ethan’s personal maid, it didn’t quite add up. In the original story, Harold hadn’t cared even when Lilith had been assaulted or mistreated by Ethan. Perhaps seeing how much Ethan had grown and matured differently from the original timeline had softened Harold’s heart a bit, but I wasn’t going to overthink it.

“…Later, Master… said he might stop by…”

“…….”

“Lilith? Are you listening…?”

“Oh, yes… I’m listening…”

The rest of the meal passed in a bit of a blur, with me responding sluggishly to Isabelle’s questions while she fed me. Afterward, as fatigue took over, I soon drifted back to sleep.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

How many hours had passed? When I opened my eyes again, I felt slightly better. My head was clearer, though I still had a mild throbbing headache. At least the sharp, pounding pain from earlier was gone.

Noticing someone nearby, I carefully turned my head. Sitting next to my bed, watching over me, was Ethan.

“…….”

Ethan was staring down at me with a serious expression, deep in thought. He didn’t seem to notice that I had woken up, as his gaze wasn’t focused on my face.

‘…What is he planning?’

I was curious as to why Ethan was in the servant’s waiting room, watching over me, but I decided not to reveal that I was awake just yet. The blanket covering me had been slightly pulled down… Was he planning something mischievous?

‘It’s been about two weeks since that night at the academy…’

Ever since Ethan had overcome Harold that one time, he had been able to win matches against his father more frequently. And on those days, we had shared “rewards” regardless of being at the academy. By now, we had been intimate four times, including our first experience together.

‘It’s a bit strange to be in a relationship like this and not have sex occasionally.’

For couples around our age, it would be normal to engage in physical intimacy almost every day, but we didn’t do it that often. The biggest reason was my lack of stamina, and I didn’t want to hinder Ethan’s growth as a swordsman.

Exerting all his energy in bed would leave him too tired to wield a sword the next day, so we maintained a healthy balance. Kissing and touching didn’t count as sex, so I allowed that to happen more often.

Anyway, considering that it had been a while since Ethan and I had last been together, it was likely that his desires had built up. And now… he might be planning to use my sleeping body to relieve those pent-up urges. After all, why else would he be in my room without permission?

Under normal circumstances, taking advantage of someone while they were sick would be disgusting, but thinking about Ethan doing something like that made my heart race instead. Maybe it was because I knew he still wanted me.

‘He hasn’t been as possessive recently, so this could be interesting.’

In case you’re wondering, I don’t have a fetish for being overpowered or anything like that. I just wanted to see how much Ethan still cared for me. Now that we had crossed the line once, if he stopped showing that level of desire, I’d be a little disappointed.

‘And if I let him think I’m asleep and he tries something, I can use it to tease him later.’

Even Ethan would feel guilty if I called him out for trying to have his way with me while I was sick.

As I mulled over these thoughts, pretending to stay asleep, I felt Ethan’s hand slowly reach toward my chest.