Ethan’s body stiffened for a moment as Lilith’s lips collided with his.

He couldn’t understand why she was kissing him so suddenly, right after waking up.

"Chup, chup."

"Mmph, hmph... Uhh..."

"...."

Of course, Ethan wasn’t the type of man to stop everything just because of a sudden kiss, so he didn’t push Lilith away or react forcefully. He wasn’t driven by frustration to steal her lips, but the desire to kiss the woman he loved was always there.

Was it frustration? Was she mistaking the version of me from her dreams for the real me, or was she just weakened and craving affection?

The question could wait until after this kiss ended.

With that thought, Ethan leaned into Lilith and, for the moment, went along with her kiss. After nearly three minutes of intimate contact, Lilith’s lips slowly parted from his.

"Haa, haa..."

"What’s going on, Lilith? Why are you suddenly so forward...?"

"Haa... Ethan... you started it first..."

"What...?"

"You were just touching my body all over… How can you act so shamelessly, Ethan…?"

…I thought she was asleep, but she was awake.

I had tried to be careful, not wanting to wake her, but it seems I woke her the moment I first touched her sensitive skin.

At some point, she had even begun calling me by a nickname instead of my proper name. It was her silent demand that I see her as more than just my maid. She wanted me to take responsibility for touching her and arousing her while she pretended to be asleep.

Wait, then what about the sleep talk...?

Could she have been pretending to sleep, all while knowing I was touching her?

Ethan felt embarrassed just thinking about Lilith’s bold actions, but he didn’t question her. If he brought it up now, she’d surely hide under the covers, overwhelmed by embarrassment.

Having shared several intimate moments with Lilith already, Ethan had learned how to handle her more confidently by now.

"I’m sorry, Lily. I was just trying to clean you up; I didn’t mean to wake you."

"Haa, haa… Ethan, how can you be a man and not have any desires? How can you touch my body while I’m asleep and still remain so calm the entire time?"

"What...?"

"If you didn’t want to undress me or touch me, that would’ve been fine… but you undressed me, exposed my chest, and then just wiped me down like it was nothing... How could you do that so… mechanically?"

"...."

Ethan wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by "mechanically," but he could piece it together from the context.

And he felt cautiously certain of one thing. Even though he had carefully wiped her down, trying to be as considerate as possible, Lilith had wanted him to do more—to come on top of her while she pretended to be asleep.

Why Lilith had harbored such a desire became clear with her next words.

"Am I not attractive enough...? Or do I no longer excite you like I used to, now that you’ve already caught me...?"

"Lily, what are you talking about?"

"There’s no way you could see me naked and not do anything about it! Even if you held back from going all the way… if you had any desire at all, you’d at least… touch my chest, wouldn’t you?"

"...."

She had no idea how much restraint Ethan had exercised while cleaning her. How much he had wanted to squeeze her large breasts with both hands, suck on the delicate peaks with his lips, or even slip his hand lower while pretending to continue wiping her down.

She couldn’t possibly imagine how much of those dark desires he had held back.

It was only because she didn’t know that she could say something so ridiculous. If she could have seen into his mind for just ten seconds, she would’ve never misunderstood him like this.

"The heart of a woman is truly mysterious…"

I thought it was ungentlemanly to touch someone who was sick, so I restrained myself. But apparently, I was supposed to give in to my desires.

Ethan suddenly felt a begrudging admiration for that brave knight who could juggle the hearts of three women at once. Even if he still didn’t think they’d ever get along.

Of course, in reality, Lilith was just a particularly troublesome woman in his life, but unfortunately, Ethan had never loved anyone else, so he didn’t know how to handle it any other way.

"No excitement? That’s ridiculous."

"......."

"I’m still thrilled by everything about you, Lily. Ever since that first night we were together, I’ve been excited."

"Stop lying."

"I’m not lying. I’ll prove it to you. Ever since we first shared a bed, I’ve felt more excitement every day. Sleeping and waking up beside you, sometimes bathing together, kissing you and touching you… and even when you reward me after I win my duels with my father, I feel it even more. And each day, it only grows stronger."

"Uh, uh… what…?"

Lilith’s voice trembled, caught off guard by Ethan’s sudden and passionate declaration of love. Her face, already flushed, turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

Seeing her reaction, Ethan pushed even further.

"Even now, you don’t seem to fully understand my feelings."

"Uh... Ethan?"

"If you want it so badly, Lily, I’ll give you what you want."

And with that, he grabbed her arm.

"Kyaa?!"

Startled by his sudden grip, Lilith let out a surprised gasp.

Her voice only excited Ethan further, and he pulled her body back onto the bed.

"Lily, you brought this on yourself."

"E-Ethan?"

"You doubted my desire, so I have no choice but to prove it to you."

With that, Ethan’s hand reached out and squeezed one of Lilith’s breasts roughly.

"Ah?!"

"You said you were disappointed I didn’t take things further, right?"

"I-I didn’t mean… I just thought maybe you had no desire..."

"It doesn’t matter. You started this, Lily."

He continued to knead her chest roughly, using both hands this time. Lilith’s moans grew louder as he pulled her clothing apart, exposing her bare chest once again.

"Hmph, hmph... Ah!"

Ethan’s rough hands grabbed her breasts firmly, and Lilith gasped at the intense sensation. He wasn’t gentle this time—he was completely lost in his desire, abandoning all restraint as he massaged her with force.

"You wanted to know what happens when I stop holding back, didn’t you?"

"N-No, wait, Ethan...!"

Ethan ignored her protests, his hands roaming freely over her body. He pinched her nipples, pulling them roughly, eliciting more cries from her.

"You liked it when I pulled them like this before, didn’t you?"

"Ah, no... not so hard...!"

"Too bad. You wanted to see what I was holding back, and now you’re going to feel it."

Ethan’s hands moved all over her, squeezing her breasts, pulling at her nipples, and rubbing her body with an intensity Lilith had never experienced before.

At that moment, Lilith realized just how much restraint Ethan had been practicing all along. Now that he had let go of that restraint, the raw intensity of his touch overwhelmed her.