The morning after I caught a cold and had beast-like sex with Ethan in my room.

As soon as I opened my eyes at five in the morning, I threw off the blankets and sat up, gripping my head in shame and shaking it.

"......!!! .........!!!!!"

I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I simply opened my mouth wide, my face contorting as I remembered every embarrassing thing I had said last night, all of it flashing before me like a terrible history.

‘From the moment Ethan started apologizing to me while taking off my clothes, I was kind of expecting it.’

‘In bed, you don’t have to think of me as your maid or temporary lover; you can treat me like a sex maid.’

‘I already know how much Ethan loves me, more than enough.’

"......!! .........!!!"

Bang! Bang!

I kicked the bed in frustration as those ridiculous things I said as a “lewd maid” replayed over and over in my head, and I couldn’t find any outlet for my emotions.

I must have been out of my mind. What? I told him he could treat me like a sex maid? Seriously, what was I thinking?

But no matter how much I cursed my past self, I couldn’t undo what had already been said or change the fact that it had happened.

Kuuung!

"Hah, hah, hah..."

‘Well... it’s only two years…’

We’ve already crossed that line. It’s not like changing the way we have sex is going to make a huge difference. After all, once the two remaining years at the Academy are over, it’ll all be finished.

Yeah, this much is still within acceptable boundaries. And the deal we made, that I’d give him “rewards,” was still valid.

I only told him he could treat me like a sex maid during those rewards, not that he could demand it whenever he wanted. So, it should be fine.

‘And besides...’

To be honest, I actually liked it better that way.

I felt sorry for Ethan, who had always been so considerate while holding me, but I discovered that I preferred the rough, desire-filled kind of sex more than the gentle, considerate type.

I had learned that when two people’s bodies come together, sharing emotions is far more important than physical pleasure. So, in a way, I guess it was a decent realization.

‘At this rate, I really can’t deny the title of “lewd maid,” can I?’

Even during the act, Ethan had called me a “lewd maid.” If even he thought so, then it must have been true. There was no more fitting title for me than this.

And it’s not like anyone else can see it except for me and Ethan. As long as people like Isabelle or Agnes don’t know, I don’t really care.

Having sorted my thoughts out to some degree, I got ready for the day. No matter how awkward it felt, I had to see Ethan, so I made up my mind and knocked on his door around six in the morning.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Are you awake, Young Master Ethan?"

"......."

"Young Master Ethan?"

"Cough, uh, Lily... I’m awake..."

...His voice sounded a little hoarse.

As soon as I heard his voice, a bad feeling washed over me, so I opened the door without waiting for his permission and checked on him.

Creak.

"What’s wrong, Young Master Ethan?"

"Cough, uh... No, nothing, Lily..."

"......."

"It’s morning, right? I’ll get up soon, just wait a little..."

"Stop talking nonsense and get back into bed, Young Master."

"...Is it that obvious?"

"Yes."

The moment I stepped into the room and saw Ethan’s flushed, red face, I knew immediately that he had caught my cold.

...I had a feeling this might happen.

"Say ‘ah,’ Young Master."

"I can hold a spoon myself, Lily."

"I know, but there’s no harm in conserving your energy, right? Besides, didn’t I feed you even when you weren’t sick at the Academy?"

"That’s true."

With that, Ethan, looking a bit confused, accepted the spoonful of soup I offered him.

It was almost absurd. His personal maid and the young master she served had both caught the same cold within a day of each other.

It made sense, though, given how we had been all over each other yesterday, kissing each other nonstop.

‘And on top of that, I was the one who started it.’

If Ethan had been the one to initiate the kiss or the sex, I wouldn’t have felt as bad. But the fact that I was the one who initiated everything last night made me realize that it was entirely my fault that Ethan had caught this cold.

I didn’t have any right to complain, so I had to take care of him from start to finish as his personal maid.

Luckily, despite having a cold, Ethan still had enough energy to gulp down the soup I spoon-fed him.

Seeing how quickly he finished his breakfast, I guessed he would probably recover in about a day, just like I did.

"Huu..."

"If you need more, I’ll bring you another bowl, Young Master."

"No, I’m fine. Eating too much will make it harder to sleep."

"Should I prepare some warm water? Or would you like me to heat your blankets?"

"Heat the blankets?"

"I can use my magic to raise the temperature by circulating it through the fabric. Or we could just ask Sally to do it."

"Ah, I see... That’s what you meant..."

"......?"

I tilted my head, confused as to why Ethan was suddenly blushing and avoiding my gaze.

Seeing my confusion, Ethan hesitated for a moment before shyly explaining what he had just imagined.

"I thought... I thought you meant you were going to come into my bed to warm me up with your body..."

"Who do you think I am, some kind of lewd maid?"

"......."

"This is where you’re supposed to deny it, Young Master Ethan."

"Sorry, but I can’t. It kind of suits you, Lily..."

"......."

I let it slide because he was sick. If he weren’t suffering from a cold, I might have said something. Then again, I was the one who gave him the cold in the first place. So if Ethan wanted that, I couldn’t really refuse.

"If that’s what you want, I’ll do it, Young Master."

"No, Lily. I don’t want to get too close and risk you catching the cold again."

"Colds are caused by viruses, and once you’ve had it, your body develops antibodies, so you can’t catch the same one twice. Of course, there are different strains of the virus, so you could catch a different cold later. But since you’ve got the cold I had, there’s no need to worry about it..."

"Uh... Sorry, Lily, but I didn’t understand half of what you just said. Could you explain it more simply?"

"I’m saying there’s no risk of me catching your cold if I get into bed with you."

"...Are you saying you want to get in bed with me?"

"No. I’m just saying that I’ll do it if that’s what you want, Young Master."

"In that case, I’m fine. The blanket is warm enough already."

With that, Ethan lay back down in bed. I guess his body was too tired to deal with me getting under the covers.

Considering what had happened yesterday, that was understandable. After all, even though I had been on the receiving end of things, Ethan had done most of the heavy lifting.

"I’ll return the dishes and be right back. Please rest, Young Master."

"I’ll just stay in bed, so you can rest until lunch too, Lily..."

"What if something happens while you’re in bed alone? It’s not like there’s a nurse call button. I’ll be right back after returning the dishes, so please just rest."

"Okay... I don’t know what a nurse call button is, but okay..."

With those words, Ethan snuggled back into the blankets, drifting off to sleep.

Feeling oddly guilty, I quietly left his room to take care of the dishes.

About two hours later.

"Um, Lily..."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"I feel weird saying this as a man, but... aren’t you touching me a bit too much?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Young Master. I’m merely wiping the sweat from your body with a towel."

Even though I calmly denied Ethan’s suspicions, he didn’t seem ready to drop his strange claim.

"But you’re spending too much time on one spot..."

"You’re being too talkative, Young Master. A patient should just lie still in bed."

"You’re the one who isn’t leaving me alone. And anyway, you’ve already dropped the towel..."

"Are you saying you want me to clean you with my mouth again, like yesterday?"

"That’s not what I meant... Are you upset because I didn’t ask you to get into bed with me earlier?"

"Don’t treat me like a petty maid, Young Master. I’m simply trying to lower your fever."

"But it feels like it’s going up..."

Yesterday, Ethan had thoroughly teased me while I was half-asleep with a fever. So today, it was my turn. As I pretended to be wiping him down, I subtly played with him, using this chance to get back at him.

And the next night, after returning from his duel with Harold, where he had fought tooth and nail to win, Ethan was expecting his "reward." Naturally, I had to pay him back for the teasing I had done earlier, and the cost was twice as much as the prank I had pulled on him during his recovery.