“Miss Lilith, have you ever thought about enrolling in the academy as a noblewoman?”

“…Pardon?”

 

My mind was momentarily confused by Seraphine’s absurd words coming from right in front of me.

To the academy? Me?

As a noblewoman at that? [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

As soon as I heard about a new route that I had never even thought of since coming to this world, I could only respond with a dumbfounded exclamation, losing my words for a moment.

As if she had been waiting for it, Seraphine latched onto my answer that had accidentally slipped out.

 

“You just said ‘yes,’ right, Miss Lilith?”

“No, that was just by accident…”

“But you did say ‘yes,’ even if it was by accident, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Can I take that as an agreement? Right, Miss Lilith?”

 

Seraphine was smiling from ear to ear while suddenly pressing me about my slip of the tongue.

Seeing her active response, it seemed that she was truly serious about enrolling me in the academy.

Moreover, it appeared that she had already consulted with Ethan to some extent and was preparing to enroll me in the academy.

The academy…

Of course, it would be great if I could enroll in the academy as a noblewoman, as Seraphine said. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Unlike entering the academy as a commoner, enrolling as a noblewoman would mean that I could also enter under the Magic Department, which was Lilith’s main strength.

It was a much better offer than entering another department of the academy, which I had mentioned before. 

However, I couldn’t readily accept Seraphine’s offer just because it sounded good.

…I still couldn’t clearly grasp her intention as to why she wanted to enroll me in the academy.

 

“Princess Seraphine.”

“What is it, Miss Lilith?”

“If it’s not rude, may I ask you one question regarding enrollment in the academy?”

“By all means, Miss Lilith.”

“May I know what you want from me after I enroll in the academy?”

“……”

 

Seraphine fell silent for a moment, as if my question had unexpectedly hit the mark.

Judging from her current reaction, it seemed that she was leaving open various possibilities for how to use me after I enrolled in the academy.

 

“When I make this kind of offer, people usually ask me ‘how’ I will make it possible.”

“Pardon?”

“Miss Lilith, you’re asking what I want from you after enrolling in the academy.”

“……”

“…As if you already know that I can easily make it possible for you to enroll in the academy.”

 

…Well, I do actually know that. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Seraphine had even created a fictional viscount family to send a letter without being cautious.

For Seraphine, creating a viscount family to avoid the eyes of others would be slightly more difficult than flipping her hand.

In addition, there were countless other ways she could use to enroll me in the academy from her position, such as creating a special entrance exam for me to take or transferring me after enrollment using her personal authority.

Honestly, as long as I could enroll in the Magic Department of the academy, I didn’t really care what method was used to enroll me either.

Luminor Academy was basically an academy-based game.

Like most academy games, there were some skills or magic that could only be learned by taking classes, so I also wanted to enroll in the Magic Department of the academy if possible.

It was just that I had temporarily given up on it because the current conditions were not very favorable.

If I could just fulfill that wish of enrolling in the academy, I was willing to accept a deal with Princess Seraphine.

Perhaps to the extent that I could gladly endure even if the price was a bit high.

 

“If it weren’t possible, you wouldn’t have proposed to me to enroll in the academy as a noblewoman in the first place.”

“……”

“Is it difficult for you to say, Princess Seraphine?”

“…No. I was just thinking that I chose the right person.”

“Pardon?”

 

Seraphine nodded her head calmly in response to my question.

…And she also gave me a meaningful smile as she delivered her answer.

 

“What I want to ask of Miss Lilith, who will enroll in the academy as a noblewoman in the future…”

“……”

“For now, I have nothing in particular.”

“…Pardon?”

“I just hope that as many talented new students as possible will enroll in Luminor Academy next year. That includes you, Miss Lilith, and Lord Ethan, as well.”

 

Isn’t it even more meaningful that she has nothing to ask of me? Am I overreacting?

However, seeing Seraphine’s response, it truly seemed that she didn’t want to enroll me in the academy because she wanted something specific from me; rather, she simply wanted to gather as many talented students as possible in the academy. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Considering the story that would unfold in the game, most of those gathered students would eventually suffer and run away here and there.

 

“You don’t have to be so suspicious, Miss Lilith. Although I don’t have any separate requests for you after you enter the academy, it’s not like I won’t receive anything from you at all.”

“No, I’m not doubting you, Princess…”

“Even you, who has never had proper magic lessons, showed the ability to defeat the King Serpent. If you learn magic properly at the academy, how much more can you contribute? And in the future, how many more lives will you be able to save?”

“…!”

“That’s what I’m thinking about and investing in, Miss Lilith.”

 

…Right, this was Seraphine’s personality from the beginning.

A person who unhesitatingly runs toward the possibility of saving even one more life.

I felt ashamed of myself for unnecessarily doubting a character that’s absolutely good. There must be a meaning behind every action Seraphine takes.

If I had heard the reason this far, it would have been rude to refuse instead. Of course, since Seraphine and Ethan had already been working on it, it might not be easily accepted, even if I refuse. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

 

“I understand, Princess Seraphine. Since you said you would grant me a noble status and help me enroll in the academy, I will gladly follow your proposal.”

“No taking it back later.”

“I’m not foolish enough to tell a lie in front of the princess.”

“I will let you know the details later by letter. It’ll contain the noble status you will have and the date of the entrance exam of the academy.”

“I am truly grateful for your consideration until the very end.”

“No. Compared to the many lives you have saved, Miss Lilith, this is really nothing.”

 

…That’s true.

As someone who knew the future where Agnes would’ve taken my role, her words resonated with me even more.

 

“For now, let me tell you what has been decided so far. You will likely have the status of a viscount’s daughter. If we had a little more time, I would have tried to make you of count status, but considering the rushed preparations, this was the limit of the status we could create without drawing attention.”

“Just having the status of being from a viscount family is more than enough for me, a commoner, to express my utmost gratitude.”

“And the main family will likely be the Blackwood family. I will send you the details later by letter.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“I should get going now due to my next schedule. Don’t forget to check the letters coming to Lord Ethan from Viscount Pereshina, Miss Lilith.”

“Yes, I will make sure to check them.”

“It was a pleasure talking with you, Lord Ethan, Miss Lilith.”

“I-I feel the same way!”

“I was also truly happy to be able to see your face, Princess Seraphine, and have a conversation with you.”

“Ah, you don’t need to see me off. I have to get in the carriage right away anyway.”

 

As soon as Ethan and I got up from our seats to see her off, Seraphine waved her hand as if to say it wasn’t necessary and made us sit down again.

Because Seraphine only moved her steps after confirming that we had sat down again, we had to let her leave without even being able to properly see her off.

In the drawing room where she had been, who had come like the wind and disappeared like dew, only Ethan and I were now left alone.

 

“Young Master Ethan.”

“…Yeah, Maid.”

“Was it your idea to give me the status of a viscount and enroll me in the academy?”

“It was, but…is it a bother?”

“Of course not. To you, Young Master Ethan, who has shown so much consideration for a mere maid like me…I can’t express enough gratitude no matter how much I thank you.”

 

This time, I conveyed my feelings to Ethan by bowing my head with a truly grateful heart.

Ethan quietly explained the process of how I came to be enrolled in the academy while accepting my gratitude.

 

“…I said that your talent would be wasted and asked for help in making you a member of a Blackwood branch family and enrolling you in the Magic Department of the academy. Since it’s impossible for a maid of commoner status to enroll in the Magic Department, I received help from the princess in that regard.”

“I see.”

“In the first place, if it’s discovered that a commoner maid can use magic, it will be dangerous in many ways later on. I also…oops.”

“…What is it, Young Master? Did you perhaps say something you shouldn’t have to me…?”

“…No, it’s just that I realized I shouldn’t call you a maid anymore, Lilith. Of course, you’re still my exclusive maid for now, but you’re scheduled to pay off your debt soon and be incorporated into the Blackwood branch family as a noblewoman. From then on, you won’t be my exclusive maid anymore.”

“Ah.”

 

…That’s right. If I gain the status of being from a viscount family, I’ll have to quit my maid job for Ethan.

No matter how lowly a noblewoman from a branch family is, it would cause many problems for her to work as an exclusive maid for a young lord.

There have been cases where lower-ranking noble families send their children to serve as servants in the main family or higher-ranking noble families.

They do so to demonstrate the bond between nobles or loyalty to the main family.

However, even among such servants, it was an unwritten rule not to send them to sensitive positions like being an exclusive maid for a man. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

As an exclusive maid for a man, you would often observe his personal life, such as his sleeping appearance, changing clothes, or before and after bathing.

No matter how lowly, they were still nobles, and especially for young ladies, it could hinder their marriage prospects, so it was common not to work as an exclusive maid for a man.

Moreover, sending a daughter of a branch family to be the exclusive maid of the young master of the main family could be seen as an act of the branch family seeking power from the main family.

 

‘…No, wait a moment.’

 

Come to think of it, isn’t this a bit dangerous?

Let’s assume that I quit being Ethan’s exclusive maid and become the daughter of some nonexistent viscount family and enroll in the academy.

Then, what happens next?

A lowly noble lady who’s a viscount solely in the title, with no power or connections and no personal network since she has never shown her face in social gatherings until now.

If I enter the academy alone in this state, surely…

 

‘I’m screwed.’

 

Only after thinking this far did I finally realize the situation I was in.

I realized the fact that simply receiving a “noble status” from Ethan and Seraphine was not enough to survive in the academy.

And that to survive, I couldn’t stay as I was now.

 

“…It will be a bit sad to think that you won’t be a maid anymore. Of course, you’ll continue to live with our family from now on…”

“…Young Master Ethan. This might be rude, but may I make one small request?”

“A small request? …Go ahead and tell me.”

“Could I continue to serve as your exclusive maid until we both graduate from the academy?”

“…What?”

 

Even though Ethan’s eyes widened at my sudden suggestion, my heart in making that request to him was more serious than anyone else’s.

Because to survive in the academy with an ambiguous status, like that of a viscount, it seemed that I still needed Ethan’s help.