Chapter 139
by Jessie@AFNCCI Became the Maid of the Lout Prince – Chapter 139 [An Unexpected Outing (3)]
Grainstone Village.
We arrived at our destination after two hours of riding north from the Blackwood Estate. I turned my head to Ethan, who was sitting behind me, and said:
âWeâve⊠ugh, arrived⊠Young Master EthanâŠâ
ââŠYeah.â
Ethan met my gaze for a moment, then blushed strangely and turned his head away.
Considering what had happened on horseback on the way here, his reaction was quite understandable.
Throughout the journey from the Blackwood Estate to here, Ethanâs hands had repeatedly brushed against or squeezed my chest, making the atmosphere awkward more than once or twice, even while we were galloping.
Well, it was unavoidable since I was controlling the horse, and Ethan was clinging to me from behind. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
Firstly, riding a horse requires moving your waist in sync with the horseâs movements, and Ethan didnât seem to be as accustomed to this sensation as I was.
In that process, it was inevitable that his whole body would bounce, and his hands would slide above my waist.
To begin with, Lilithâs chest tended to shake a bit excessively during intense movements, so in the process, my chest would often come into contact with Ethanâs hands holding my waist.
Moreover, I felt a strange aching sensation around my chest area, probably because it had been shaking quite a bit throughout the ride.
âMaybe I should wrap these with a binder or something.â
I didnât feel this way when I learned horseback riding from Dittmeyer last year because I changed into proper riding attire before mounting the horse.
It seemed like a mistake to have rushed to leave while still in my maid outfit.
I didnât know it would hurt this much.
ââŠMaybe I should ask Ethan to hold my chest with his hands when we return to Blackwood Estate.â
Heâs already touched me several times unintentionally during the journey here.
If heâs going to touch and make the atmosphere awkward anyway, wouldnât it be better to tell Ethan to hold onto my chest from the start?
My chest wouldnât bounce up and down because of the riding, so it would hurt relatively less than now, and Ethan would be able to stabilize his body much better than holding onto my waistâŠ
âNo, no, no. What kind of crazy thoughts am I having right now?â
I shook my head, quickly shaking off the insane thoughts that had momentarily crossed my mind.
No matter how much it hurts from the shaking, how could I possibly suggest to Ethan that he hold onto me the entire time weâre on horseback?
For some reason, lately, I felt like my senses were becoming loose when it came to Ethan. I need to pull myself together.
Even if Ethan had touched my chest more than a dozen times, asking him to touch me first was a whole different matter.
I wouldnât be crazy enough to make such a suggestion first. If I did that, Ethan would really think I was some kind of man-crazed, sexually frustrated person.
As I was hugging my aching chest and pondering unnecessarily after dismounting, Ethan carefully approached me, looking at my expression strangely.
ââŠUm, Lilith?â
âYes, Young Master Ethan.â
ââŠAre you mad, by any chance?â
âPardon?â
âI thought you might be angry because I kept touching your chest during the rideâŠâ
Heâs still being considerate about this.
As I said when we departed, I had no reason to be angry at Ethan for this level of contact.
From the moment I suggested that we ride the horse together, I should have been prepared for my chest to be touched during the ride. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
Of course, I hadnât anticipated being touched this frequently.
âŠI didnât think I had ridden the horse that roughly, though.
âNo, as I said when we left the Blackwood Mansion, itâs not a problem at all, Young Master Ethan.â
ââŠReally?â
âYes. And itâs not like you touched me on purpose, right? It was an unavoidable accident that occurred while riding.â
âTh-Thatâs⊠trueâŠâ
âOf course, Young Master Ethan, if by any chance youâd had taken advantage of my defenseless state to satisfy your lustful desires, I would naturally have despised you.â SŃarch* The NÎᎠelFirŃ.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
âWh-WhatâŠ?!â
âI donât like cowardly people who sexually harass and satisfy their desires as if theyâve found a weakness when a woman canât move or resist. Of course, Young Master Ethan, I know you arenât that kind of person, so I naturally believe your words that your hands touched me unavoidably and that it was an accident.â
ââŠâŠâ
âSo, young master, where is the blacksmith that youâve mentioned in Grainstone Village? I remember you visited with Master Harold last year, but this is my first time hereâŠâ
âAh, yes⊠Follow me this wayâŠâ
ââŠâŠ?â
Looking strangely dejected, Ethan walked ahead of me and led the way to the blacksmith in Grainstone Village.
âIâm trash⊠Trash that takes advantage of Lilithâs weakness and only satisfies my own desiresâŠâ
Following Ethan, who was muttering incomprehensible words to himself timidly, Zeraon and I entered the village.
âŠI donât know why Ethanâs emotions are fluctuating a lot today.
The atmosphere of Grainstone Village, which I entered with Ethan, was subtle.
I donât know why, but the village lacked vitality, giving off a somewhat gloomy feeling.
First of all, despite it being midday, there didnât seem to be many people walking around outside, and the few people visible had an unmistakable look of fatigue on their faces.
They even had dark circles under their eyes, like Ethan when his sleeping place changes.
âI wonder if Ethanâs sudden gloominess upon arriving at the village is related to this?â
It wasnât just the people; even the livestock didnât seem lively. Even the village dogs looked somehow exhausted.
âNeighâŠâ
ââŠZeraon?â
For some reason, Zeraon, who I was leading, suddenly slowed down shortly after entering this village.
Seeing that it affects outsiders like Ethan and Zeraon, there might be some problems with the village.
In this depressing atmosphere that felt like entering a town of graduate students, Ethanâs steps continued forward, entering the village.
Sensing something suspicious, I quietly called Ethanâs name from behind.
âYoung Master Ethan.â
âI just wanted Lilith to see me as a man⊠To do such a trashy thingâŠâ
âYoung Master Ethan!â
âAh, y-yes?! L-Lilith?!â
âI have something to say. Could you lend me your ear for a moment?â
âS-Something to say?! R-Right now?!â
ââŠ? Yes.â
Was my having something to say such a surprising reaction?
For a moment, I was puzzled by Ethanâs sudden fear of my words, for some reason.
Thinking that I couldnât just ignore this strange atmosphere in the village, I quietly conveyed my observations to him.
âI-Iâm sorry, LilithâŠ! Earlier, when we were on the horseâŠâ
âThis village. Doesnât something seem strange, Young Master Ethan?â
ââŠâŠHuh?â
âPardon?â
What was that? I think Ethan just said something that caught my attention. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
âAh, th-the village? Youâre saying the village is strange?â
âYoung Master Ethan, could you please explain what you meant by that apologyâŠâ
ââŠYes, it is indeed strange. For some reason, all the villagers seem to lack vitality. Itâs not just the people, but the animals, too.â
ââŠâŠYes, thatâs right.â
As Ethanâs exclusive maid, I couldnât interrupt his words twice when he was deliberately changing the subject.
Forgetting the question that had popped into my mind, I continued the quiet conversation with Ethan.
âWas it like this when you visited with Master Harold last year?â
ââŠNo. It wasnât like this then. It was more lively, and the people were more energetic.â
âThen, this atmosphereâŠâ
âNow that you mention it, Lilith, it does seem a bit strange. I donât know the cause, butâŠâ
Well, usually, people in small villages that donât belong to any territory tend to have brighter personalities and are more affectionate.
Unlike in cities, where you can get everything you need without knowing who lives next door, in small villages like this, you need to know everyone to get the resources you need.
In that sense, the current atmosphere of this Grainstone Village was too alien, no matter how you looked at it.
With lingering questions, we moved towards the blacksmith, supposedly run by a half-dwarf.
âLetâs go to the blacksmith first, Lilith. The reason we came here today is to have your dagger made.â
âUnderstood.â
âEven if thereâs some problem in the village, weâll investigate after weâve had your dagger made at the blacksmith first.â
âYes, Young Master Ethan.â
Well, to be honest, I didnât really care about the atmosphere of the village as long as I could get my dagger made.
Why couldnât the residents and animals of this village shake off the strange fatigue from their faces?
Also, why were Ethan and Zeraon, who werenât from the village, affected by it?
Above all, why was I fine and didnât lose energy like Ethan and Zeraon? The village was very questionable as these anomalies existed. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]
Honestly, I prioritize my personal growth and equipment upgrades, and solving such mysterious problems was the Heroâs job, to begin with.
It wasnât something for a mere maid like me to be concerned about or involved in.
âŠThat was my mindset until just a moment ago.
I thought so until right before I heard at the half-dwarfâs blacksmith shop, which I visited with Ethan, that they couldnât forge my dagger.
0 Comments