The first thought I had when I found the cat maid headband inside Ethan’s bag was: Why is this here?

After all, the items we bought from the dungeon rewards market that day should have been in my personal luggage, meaning Ethan must have gone through my things without my knowledge.

When did he even do that?

Honestly, the cat ear headband itself wasn’t a problem. I personally thought it was quite cute, and most importantly, it was a gift from Ethan.

However, the other two parts… the collar and the tail, were a bit too suggestive, which was why I had purposely stuffed them deep into my luggage.

Even though they were that kind of item, they were still gifts from Ethan, so it wouldn’t feel right to just throw them away. …Not that I’m saying I want Ethan to catch me using them or anything.

Before putting the cat maid headband back in Ethan’s bag, I paused and focused on the sounds coming from inside the bathroom.

Splash, splash.

…Hmm….

It seemed like he’d still be in there for a while longer. Ethan was still a noble after all, and it tended to take him quite a long time to wash up.

Since I had found the cat maid headband anyway, I decided to try it on instead of putting it back immediately. I stood in front of the full-length mirror with it on my head.

Two black cat ears, almost the same color as my hair, poked out from the headpiece adorned with maid lace.

It wasn’t just any cat ears, but cat ears with maid lace. If this item were a piece of equipment from Luminor Academy, it would definitely be one of Lilith's exclusive items.

In any case, to cut to the chase, it actually suited me pretty well.

Frankly, which female character in Luminor Academy wouldn’t look good with cat ears? Even so, this accessory matched Lilith particularly well, so I could guess what might have gone through Ethan’s mind when he saw me wearing it.

…Oh, could it be that…?

Did Ethan bring this because he wanted me to dress up as a cat maid today?

Was his strange urgency earlier because he wanted to see me in this cat maid outfit as soon as possible?

Maybe renting this nice room was also part of his plan to get me to wear it?

And those odd questions he kept asking me… Was he worried I wouldn’t like wearing it?

Now that I thought about it, everything started to make sense. Ethan’s awkwardness today had been because of this headband.

When you think about it like that… it’s kind of cute.

Really, he didn’t need to be so nervous. If he just asked me, I’d wear it without any complaints.

It’s not like changing the design of a hair accessory would make any real difference. If Ethan got a little more excited than usual because of it, then it was definitely worth it for me.

Ah, I feel so much better. I was overthinking everything.

A cat maid, huh? Turns out he has the typical tastes of a young man.

I guess even noblemen from a fantasy world can’t resist cosplay. Since he was a guy in his previous life, I can totally understand.

…If I’m going to do it anyway, maybe I should go all out? Like, later in front of Ethan….

“M-Master, meow…”

“…….”

“L-Lilith is a maid, meow… T-to think Master would ask me to wear something like this, y-you’re such a pervert, meow…”

“…….”

“B-but it’s my duty as a maid to respond to my Master’s dark desires, so I’ll have no choice but to do my best, meow…”

“…Lilith?”

“Gyaaah?!”

As I was practicing in front of the full-length mirror, suddenly Ethan’s voice came from behind.

Startled, I quickly turned around and saw Ethan standing there, wearing nothing but a loosely tied bathrobe.

“E-E-E-Ethan?”

“Lilith? What were you just doing?”

“N-Nothing! I wasn’t doing anything! Really, I wasn’t!”

“…You weren’t doing anything? Just now, you were speaking in a really cat-like way…”

“No! No! No! I wasn’t! I don’t remember anything! Do you have proof? Proof that I was mimicking a cat and calling your name, Ethan?!”

“…I didn’t go into that much detail, Lilith.”

Even though it was obvious that Ethan had caught me doing something ridiculous, I had to act as if he hadn’t seen anything.

Admitting to what I did would destroy my pride and dignity. A maid standing in front of a mirror with cat ears, meowing? That’s crazy, even if I hadn’t been a guy in my previous life.

“…Alright. I didn’t see anything, so it’s fine, Lilith.”

Ethan blinked quietly and reluctantly nodded, deciding to let the situation slide.

…It was pretty clear he just didn’t want to watch me lose it any further, but as long as he didn’t bring it up again, I’d happily act like nothing had happened.

“But, Lilith?”

“Yes?”

“That thing you’re wearing on your head—where did you get it?”

…Oh, damn.

I had forgotten that it originally came from Ethan’s bag.

“…Did you take it out of my bag?”

“…….”

I should have just checked what it was and put it back immediately.

Instead, I’d gotten curious, tried it on, and now Ethan had caught me in the act. It would be more embarrassing to make excuses at this point.

“I-I’m sorry, Ethan. I was just a little curious about why you brought a different bag than usual…”

“Lilith…”

“…….”

“…Well, I guess I never told you not to touch my bag.”

Ethan, clearly softening as I stood there looking guilty, decided to let it go.

Even so, I couldn’t just accept his kindness without hesitation. It felt wrong to dodge punishment for what I had done. After all, I had betrayed the trust between a master and maid.

The thought of Ethan’s possible disappointment in me was more terrifying than any immediate punishment.

Especially since I didn’t want to be disliked by him. I had to bow my head and face the consequences.

“P-Please punish me…”

“What?”

“I-I touched your personal belongings without permission, so I deserve to be punished…”

“It’s fine. We’re not at the point where we’d need to hand out punishments for something like this, Lilith.”

“…No, I broke the trust between a maid and her master. Passing over this without punishment would mean I’m no longer worthy of being a maid.”

“…….”

Ethan listened to my words and hesitated, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He was probably trying to figure out what kind of punishment would be appropriate.

I assumed he didn’t want to be too harsh, but at the same time, he couldn’t outright refuse my insistence on being punished.

“…Then.”

After pondering for a moment, Ethan pointed at the headband I was wearing and his bag, proposing the “punishment” he had come up with.

“Then today’s punishment for Lilith will be… spending the night with me while wearing the items I brought.”

“Huh?”

“You already looked inside the bag, so you know what’s in there, right? I think that should be enough of a punishment for you.”

“…….”

That’s… a punishment?

Simply wearing the cat headband and spending the night with Ethan? That was a punishment?

Doesn’t that seem more like a reward than a punishment?

It seemed like such an easy task that I couldn’t help but feel suspicious, but Ethan’s expression suggested that, to him, this was quite a significant punishment.

And as the guilty maid, I wasn’t really in a position to argue with the punishment my master had chosen.

“I understand, Ethan. I will accept your punishment.”

“Alright then. Take your time getting ready. I’ll be waiting.”

“…Yes, Ethan.”

With those words, I quietly walked toward the bathroom where Ethan had just finished washing.

Submerged up to my neck in the warm water, I couldn’t stop thinking about the punishment Ethan had just mentioned.

…Is wearing a cat ear headband really enough?

I had broken the trust between a maid and her master, yet this was all it would take to be forgiven?

I finished washing up and left the bathroom, only to realize that Ethan’s “punishment” was far more than just the cat ear headband.

“I’m finished bathing, Ethan…”

Click.

“…Huh?”

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I heard the sound of something clicking into place.

A long, red collar had just been fastened around my neck.