-Rustle.

"......"

"Haah, haah..."

"......"

In the darkness, I could clearly feel the subtle movements of the blanket. And hearing Ethan's increasingly excited breathing, which I'd heard countless times before, made my heart begin to race with tension.

'...Could it be?'

Was Ethan... pleasuring himself right next to me? When did he let go of my hand? I could have sworn we fell asleep holding hands—my right hand clasped with his left.

-Grip.

“Huh?!”

-Jolt.

"......"

...Wait, we were still holding hands.

Well, I guess as long as one hand is free, that’s enough to get the job done. Ethan is ambidextrous, after all, so it wouldn’t matter if it’s his right or left hand.

What mattered more was how he had reacted just now. As soon as I gripped his hand a little tighter, he quickly took a sharp breath, stopping whatever he was doing.

‘So, he really was doing it...?’

Not that I have any problem with Ethan indulging himself; I’d been a man once too. A young man's urges can’t always be controlled. I had even noticed traces of his habits in the bathroom or the toilet, which I’d quietly ignored.

But this situation... it didn’t sit well with me.

Here he was, lying beside me, holding my hand, yet taking care of things himself. I had no idea how to handle this.

‘If it’s that bad, he could have just asked...’

We didn’t have any monster hunts lined up tomorrow, and with necromancy class over, we had a few days of freedom. Even Professor Mamari had said we could stay at the villa another day. If Ethan had just asked, I wouldn’t have turned him down.

‘He’s so frustratingly disciplined...’

In truth, I found it rather admirable. He respected our arrangement as temporary lovers and didn’t want to risk bringing up anything that might make me uncomfortable. I felt a surge of affection toward him, drawn more to these qualities now that we were more than just a master and maid.

"...Lilith?"

"......"

"Are you awake?"

It seemed either my change in breathing or my firmer grip on his hand had tipped him off, so Ethan was cautiously asking if I was awake. I decided to keep up the pretense of sleeping, for his sake.

"Zzz, zz..."

"......"

...Honestly, I wasn’t sure if my fake sleeping was convincing. It’s not like I knew how I sounded when I slept. Ethan probably knew my sleeping habits better than I did.

This was my way of giving him a final chance—to wrap things up while I pretended to sleep.

"......"

-Slide.

"......?"

But instead of continuing, Ethan shifted, lifting the blanket and lying back to face the ceiling, as if he had suddenly lost interest.

"..."

"..."

...What?

Was that it?

He’d been so absorbed just moments ago, and now he was suddenly done? He hadn’t even seemed close to finishing.

Despite my surprise, it looked like Ethan had no intention of resuming his activity and was simply lying there, settling back into bed. It wasn’t what I’d expected.

‘Not going to lie... I was curious.’

It may seem odd to wonder how a man handles himself, but in Ethan’s case, I couldn’t help but be curious. Now that I’d given him the opportunity, he’d stopped, leaving me feeling somewhat disappointed.

Of course, I understood the embarrassment of being caught, but knowing the dissatisfaction of a man interrupted mid-act, I felt a bit guilty as if I’d intruded on his private time.

‘Then again, maybe I’m just imagining things...’

Given the many comments about being a ‘lewd maid’ lately, maybe my thoughts had strayed. To check, I turned onto my side and lightly placed my hand on his lower body.

-Shift.

"......"

-Pat.

“Hah…”

Ethan tensed slightly as my hand brushed against him. There was some firmness, but it wasn’t enough to tell if he’d been... indulging. I squeezed gently.

“Hah?!”

-Knead.

“…Lilith?”

...Hmm? Was I mistaken? As I felt his not entirely stiff member, it seemed less likely that he’d just been pleasuring himself.

But since he was calling my name, it was clear he was awake. Still, why had he stopped so abruptly?

‘Maybe he just got too nervous once he realized I was awake...’

That could be it. I couldn’t confirm whether or not he’d been indulging himself. So I slid my hand into his underwear, curious to find out the truth.

-Slide.

"Lilith?"

Ignoring his voice, I reached further inside, seeking the evidence I needed.

-Knead.

"Lili... th?"

Half-hard. Not fully erect, but definitely not soft.

-Rub.

“W-what are you doing…?”

A faint warmth remained, perhaps from friction or arousal.

And to confirm my suspicions, I moved my fingers to the tip, where I felt a familiar slickness.

-Sticky.

“Hah!”

‘...Just as I thought.’

The stickiness at my fingertips confirmed it. Ethan had been doing it, with me right beside him. Otherwise, there was no way this sticky fluid, unmistakably pre-cum, would be here.

-Slide.

“Ahh?!”

As that thought settled, I felt his hand slide into my underwear, too. Looking at him, I saw Ethan had turned to face me.

"Master Ethan...?"

"...What are you doing, Lilith? Didn’t we agree that I’d have to beat my father for us to do something like this?"

"I’m not sure what you mean, Master Ethan. I haven’t done anything inappropriate."

"How about removing your hand from my underwear and saying that, Lilith."

"...It may look like something inappropriate, but this is a misunderstanding, Master Ethan."

"Oh? Then what kind of misunderstanding would that be?"

"I was only checking if you had been pleasuring yourself, not indulging in any lewd thoughts about you..."

"From where I stand, reaching into my underwear to check looks like a lewd act, don’t you think?"

"......"

Well, he had a point.

If I’d confirmed he hadn’t been doing anything, I would have left him alone. But now that it was clear he was indulging, it seemed his desires had reached their limit... so...

Thinking it over, I had to admit it. What I was doing was indeed rather lewd.

"My apologies. I was so curious about whether or not you’d been pleasuring yourself that I lost control."

"Well, it’s been difficult for me, too, Lilith. With everything that’s happened, I’ve got a lot of pent-up feelings. And lying next to you... it’s hard to resist."

"I apologize for not noticing sooner, Master Ethan."

"So, what are you going to do now? Now that you know, are you going to deny me any satisfaction and scold me?"

"...No, of course not. As your maid, it’s not my job to control your personal affairs."

...If anything, it would be more my duty as a maid to help him relieve himself now and then.

"Then?"

"...As your personal maid, I believe it’s my duty to help you manage your needs."

"Weren’t you going to save any rewards for when I finally bested my father?"

"I don’t plan on any actual penetration, so this isn’t a reward. I’ll only be using my hands to help you."

I knew how absurd my words sounded.

But with all the external activities this semester, he and Harold had barely had time to duel. If I held back now, who knew when we’d get a chance to share any intimacy? I just wanted to help relieve his stress without crossing any major lines.

"So, as long as it’s only with your hands, it’s not lewd?"

"...Well, it is, but it doesn’t count as a reward."

"Then does that apply to you, too?"

"...What?"

"Like this."

-Press.

“Hah?!”

Ethan’s hand slid further between my thighs, teasing me at the entrance. His gentle touch and sly smile as he matched my words with his own lewd proposal left me breathless.

"How about we both help each other, then?"

"...What?"

"You’re probably just as pent-up as I am. So, while you help relieve my needs, I’ll do the same for you. Fair enough?"

"Understood, Master Ethan."

To be honest, I had no reason to refuse.