Chapter 340

In most fantasy worlds, the higher you go in an inn, the more expensive the rooms become.

Unlike modern times, where technology allows for towering buildings with reinforced concrete, construction in this world is limited. Each additional floor on a building costs considerably more due to the lack of advanced building techniques. Of course, in a world with magic, wealthy nobles can hire earth mages to build tall estates or grand castles, but in regular commercial districts like this one, buildings max out at three stories.

Ethan and I found ourselves in one such three-story inn, staying on the top floor. Not only that, but we had rented the largest room available.

“This place is spacious,” Ethan commented.

“…Yes, young master,” I replied.

The room was almost as large as the private suite Ethan had back in the Blackwood mansion or his guest room in the royal villa. Seeing such a spacious room on the top floor of an inn made me wonder just how much they had invested into this place.

One thing was certain: it would be impossible to find a better room on the Island of Knowledge. The only rooms that could compare were probably the “VIP suites” in the royal dormitories of the academy.

‘A single night here costs one gold coin.’

Even for most nobles, staying here daily would be quite a burden. I’d heard that these rooms were typically reserved for visiting high-ranking nobles or parents of academy students during busy periods like the entrance season.

The fact that Ethan and I had rented one of these rooms just to spend a single night felt like a luxury beyond belief.

‘It’s not like I asked to come here, though. Ethan’s the one who paid, so I guess I can’t really say anything about it.’

Still, considering we’d likely be spending most of our time in bed, was it really necessary to rent such a spacious room? It was almost large enough to take a stroll inside. The room felt even bigger because it had fewer pieces of furniture than Ethan’s usual rooms.

Well, since Ethan had brought me here instead of just staying at the dorm, it was clear he had something on his mind. He probably wanted to do something special and was trying to set the mood by getting a nice room like this.

‘This just proves that I still hold the reins in this relationship.’

With that thought in mind, I sat down on the sofa to rest for a bit. Ethan, meanwhile, set down his sword and bag, then began undressing.

I was debating whether I should start taking my clothes off too or wait for him to undress me when—

“I’ll go wash up first, Lilith,” Ethan said unexpectedly.

His statement caught me off guard. I had expected him to rush into things as usual, but instead, he was headed for the bathroom to bathe first.

“Would you like me to join you, young master?” I offered.

“…I enjoy that too, but since we’re out tonight, I’d like to do things a little differently for a change.”

“….”

Well, I couldn’t argue with that. If we started getting handsy in the bath right away, it might lessen the excitement later in bed. Ethan’s reasoning made sense, so I nodded internally and replied.

“Understood. I’ll be ready to wash up right after you finish.”

“You don’t need to be so formal about it. Just relax and wait.”

“But I should at least heat the water for you—”

“There’s a magical device in the bath that controls the hot water. No need for fire magic this time,” Ethan said calmly as he finished undressing and headed into the bathroom.

Watching his composed yet slightly hurried movements gave me a strange feeling.

‘Why does Ethan seem so off tonight?’ Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

It was as if he was in a rush, trying to hide something from me. Of course, it could just be my imagination, but something about him tonight felt different from his usual behavior.

That odd question he asked before we entered the inn… Hmm….

‘Has sleeping with me become so routine that he no longer feels excited about it?’

After all, ever since Ethan’s victory over Harold, we’d spent quite a few nights together. Not to mention, there were a couple of times, like during the cold incident, when Ethan wanted to be with me regardless of any duel.

If our intimacy had become nothing more than a habit to him, and he no longer felt the same excitement, that would be…

‘It would be a bit depressing if that were the case….’

Could it be that Ethan now saw me as just a convenient woman he could sleep with? Was I no longer a challenge or something worth pursuing? Had I become the equivalent of a backyard hill he had already conquered?

‘Maybe I should’ve held onto my “Saint” title a little longer.’

Leaving one last goal or motivation for Ethan might have kept his interest alive. If I had done that, maybe he wouldn’t have lost his desire for me so quickly. At the very least, he would’ve kept fighting for my affection until the last moment.

Perhaps, on the final day of the academy, I could’ve gifted him my “first time” as a parting gift and disappeared from his life, leaving him with nothing but the memory of a fleeting summer night’s dream….

‘Wow, I’m starting to sound like one of those overly dramatic women.’

Honestly, even if holding onto his interest a bit longer made a difference, what would it matter? It’s not like the intensity of our relationship was everything. Spending more time together made things more meaningful.

And well… the truth was, I did enjoy being with Ethan, so it wasn’t all bad.

If I’d only discovered this kind of happiness two years later, I probably would’ve regretted it more. Everything has its pros and cons, I suppose.

With those thoughts in mind, I waited for about ten minutes, listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom. I sat on the bed, absentmindedly looking around the room, when something caught my eye: Ethan’s bag, casually placed on the table.

‘Wait a minute.’

There wasn’t really a reason for him to have brought a bag tonight, was there?

If we were just out for dinner and a night away, he’d normally only need his wallet. Carrying a bag was unusual for Ethan, who usually just wore his sword on his hip.

What could he possibly have packed in that bag?

‘What’s in there?’

As a maid, I knew better than to poke around my master’s personal belongings. But after seeing Ethan’s strange behavior tonight, my curiosity was piqued. Maybe there was something in that bag that explained his shift in attitude.

‘Don’t even think about it. You’re a maid, Lilith. You can’t just rummage through your master’s things.’

Even if I was planning to quit being a maid in two years, I still took pride in my eight years of service. I’d spent over six of those years as Ethan’s exclusive maid. Breaking such a basic rule now felt wrong.

Besides, there was no guarantee that whatever was in the bag would explain Ethan’s behavior.

What if I opened the bag only to find something mundane, like a swordsmanship manual or a grip strength trainer? Given how obsessed Ethan was with sword training, that was a more likely possibility.

I shook off the thought of the bag and tried to focus on waiting for Ethan to finish his bath.

‘But wait, isn’t that even worse?’

If I found out that Ethan had brought along a swordsmanship manual to read during our date, wouldn’t that be incredibly rude?

Sure, I wasn’t his real girlfriend or fiancée, but that would still be an insult. I had spent the entire day focused on him, only speaking to Agnes briefly. If Ethan had been thinking about swordsmanship training instead of me during our date, that would really hurt.

‘Of course, the bag might not contain a manual or a grip trainer….’

But now that the thought had entered my mind, it was all I could think about. I couldn’t get rid of the image of him sneaking in sword training materials during our date. The suspicion kept growing.

I couldn’t help it anymore. My hands moved toward Ethan’s bag.

‘I’ll just take a quick peek to see what’s inside and put it back right away.’

It’s not like I didn’t trust Ethan. On the contrary, I was confident in him. I just wanted to confirm it.

With that thought, I cautiously untied the straps of the bag and reached inside. What I pulled out was…

“…A headband?”

More specifically, it was a cat maid headband.

The last thing I expected to find in Ethan’s bag.