I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince - Chapter 292 [Strong Motivation (3)]

T/N: This bonus chapter is sponsored by Soothsayer (2/10).

The day after stimulating Ethan’s desires with my own form of encouragement…

Three hours had passed since the duel with Harold ended, yet I was watching in amazement at Ethan’s determination as he continued swinging his sword in the Training Grounds, unable to leave.

‘He really is amazing.’

Although today’s duel again ended in Ethan’s complete defeat, his determination in today’s duel seemed fundamentally different.

Even when Harold knocked away his sword, he would quickly pick it up and correct his stance, and even in situations where he would normally drop his sword, he kept a firm grip on it and continued swinging—his movements seemed to writhe with an almost manic desire.

Perhaps moved by this passionate atmosphere, even Harold reciprocated Ethan’s sword strikes for about two hours longer than usual during today’s duel.

Being a swordsman himself, Harold probably knew that intensive training would be most effective on days when motivation was high like today.

…Though I felt a bit sorry for Harold, who didn’t know that the true nature of this motivation was actually sexual desire.

Swoosh! Swish! Swoosh!

“Hah, hah, hah….”

And even after such a duel, Ethan’s sword continued to swing without rest. 

Despite having sparred for nearly twice the usual duration, he had actually increased his personal training time.

Dinner time had long since passed, but that didn’t matter. I had already told the chef to leave Ethan’s meal, saying I would serve it to him myself.

Ethan repeated a series of movements that looked almost identical on the surface. At first, I thought he was repeating the same movements to make up for mistakes made during the duel,

but I had figured out what he was doing for a while now.

Ethan was currently reducing the ‘time’ it took to swing his sword in the sequence. More precisely, he was practicing changing his stance with faster, shorter movements.

‘When he first started that movement, I think it took about 10 seconds.’

It was a display of continuous movements that seemed to showcase every possible motion with a sword. 

He had now managed to reduce the overall speed of that sequence to nearly 9 seconds.

I wasn’t tracking the speed of each individual movement, I just memorized the starting and ending positions. It was almost impossible to keep up with Ethan as he swung his sword five or six times in a second.

One might ask what the point is in changing a 0.20-second movement to 0.18 seconds, but when these shortened speeds accumulate, the overall movement naturally becomes faster.

If you can reduce the speed by just 0.1 seconds in consecutive movements, that alone can be a decisive factor in determining the outcome of a match.

…Or so it was written in the Luminor Academy settings. I’m not sure if it has such a significant impact on real swordsmanship. How would I know about that?

“Haah! Haaaah!!”

“……”

Watching Ethan swing his sword so earnestly, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

If I were in Ethan’s situation, and Lilith had made me the same proposal—offering her body if I could win against Father—would I be able to work this hard?

…I’m not sure. If I were in the same situation, I would try my best in my own way, but I probably couldn’t go this far.

Even though I reincarnated into this world for the trivial reason of not seeing ‘Lilith’s Virgin Ending’ in my previous life, if I had reincarnated as Ethan instead of Lilith, I don’t think I could have done this much.

Actually, thinking about it now, there was no real reason for Ethan to be so fixated on me.

Because he lost weight and learned noble etiquette after I got angry at him when he was young? Though it might have taken some time, anyone else could have corrected that behavior, not just me.

Because I believed in him when he was young and helped him find his mother’s keepsake? Whatever value Thanasia’s Necklace held in Ethan’s mind, he had already saved my life nearly three times, so if anything, I was the one indebted to him.

Just because I had a pretty face and large breasts? That’s the most nonsensical reason. There must be countless women in this world with pretty faces and large breasts, so there was no reason to go through so much trouble for someone with a bothersome personality like me.

Moreover, until Seraphine pulled some strings, I wasn’t even a noble but a commoner by birth. 

If he lowered his standards to that of a commoner level, there must be at least one or two women in the Blackwood Estate with a figure like mine. 

Just recently, Lara from the Witch’s Forest had a similar build except for height. …Though in terms of face, that’s a matter of personal preference, and I probably look prettier in Ethan’s eyes.

Anyway, seeing him work so hard to claim me despite not needing to put in such effort…

Honestly, at this point, I didn’t really care whether Ethan won or lost against Harold.

I was already somewhat moved by the fact that Ethan was taking our relationship seriously and working so hard.

‘I’ve never really thought about marriage in this world, but…’

Lately, I often found myself thinking that if it were with Ethan, I wouldn’t mind. However, I quickly shook my head and gave up on the idea, knowing it could never actually happen.

Unless it was the Hero, who was free from status concerns and didn’t care whether someone was a princess or a commoner, the relationship between Ethan and me was impossible for various reasons. 

Ethan, the only son of the Blackwood Ducal family, couldn’t waste his marriage on a maid of commoner birth.

Even if I swallowed my pride and entered as a concubine, I wouldn’t be able to have the married life I wanted due to various pressures between the legal wife and her family. Before it came to that, having a playful relationship before parting ways would be the best future for both Ethan and me.

‘So well, at this level…’

It should be okay to act according to my desires at this level.

At most, two and a half years. Until our graduation from the academy, it seemed okay to live in this pleasant dream.

The next day…

In the same training grounds as always, Ethan and Harold crossed swords for hours again today.

A fierce exchange of attacks and defenses, using strikes several times per second that ordinary people could barely follow with their eyes.

Such exchanges continued for hours between Ethan and Harold’s swords. It was the kind of duel that made one’s chest burn just from watching.

Even the mansion’s priest and Head Butler Dittmeyer held their breath as they focused on the swordsmanship of the two.

Though their fighting styles were the same as usual, their attacking speed was different, and though they exchanged blows in the same pattern as usual, the way they were pushed back was different.

Everyone present must have quietly noticed in their hearts. Perhaps, today might be the day Ethan could defeat Harold in a true duel between swordsmen.

The two had already exchanged dozens of attacks and defenses just today. Both Ethan and Harold were exhausted to their limits.

Between the two, Harold was probably more tired. In a duel that wasn’t a literal fight to the death, when both sides were of similar skill, the one who consumed more stamina was usually the ‘winning side.’

Having won all the previous fights against Ethan by ‘the slimmest margin,’ even a Sword Master like Harold had his limits when it came to stamina in a serious duel.

‘…Just one match is enough.’

Even if there were dozens or hundreds of defeats before, winning just one match would be enough.

The condition only required winning a single match, not a true victory as swordsman against swordsman. For this moment, that alone was enough.

Several minutes passed since the two began tracing a different pattern with their swords than usual.

In the moment just before the final duel ended, the one who first brought their blade to the opponent’s neck was not Harold, but Ethan.

“Hah, hah, hah.”

“Huu, huuuu.”

“…Father.”

“Yes, Ethan.”

“…Did I just win a match against you, Father?”

“……”

“……”

“…Yes, I have to acknowledge it.”

Thud.

As soon as he heard Harold’s answer, Ethan put down his sword and collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Even Harold, perhaps due to fatigue, quietly caught his breath while standing in place, unable to move carelessly.

“To think I’d lose a match to an Expert, even if he is my son. Perhaps it’s time I put down my title of Sword Master.”

Yet seeing the strange smile on his lips, it seemed Harold wasn’t entirely unhappy about this defeat.

Even though it was a duel that had been drawn into a battle of stamina, for a moment, Ethan had defeated Harold. Of course, he would be happy.

Breaking through an insurmountable wall is only difficult the first time; it tends to become relatively easier from the second time onward. Ethan would probably grow even further using today’s experience as a stepping stone.

No parent who properly fulfilled their role would dislike seeing their child’s sincere achievement.

“If you put down your title of Sword Master, my lord, there probably won’t be anyone in the Empire who could be called a Sword Master.”

“Still, a loss is a loss. Help me up, Dittmeyer. I’m so exhausted for the first time in a while that I don’t think I can walk on my own two feet.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Watching Harold leave while leaning on the butler’s shoulder gave me strange feelings.

It was probably the first time I’d seen Harold, who always appeared in the game with ridiculous stamina and combat power, looking so exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

Of course, Ethan, who had defeated that monster-like Harold, was lying collapsed on the floor, unable to move even a finger.

“Well done, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Thanks, Lilith.”

“You were truly magnificent. So much so that I wouldn’t regret giving you my everything.”

“Ha, haha….”

“Shall I help support you? Or since you look like you can’t move a finger… should I carry you like a princess?”

“…I can get up on my own after resting a bit, so you don’t need to go that far.”

Ethan looked up at the sky while shaking his head with a laugh at my joke.

His expression was so refreshing and relieved that it made my heart flutter just looking at it.

T/N

Thanks for reading, see you next time!