3. sometimes ignoring is beneficial

Lysith, who had gone up to her bathroom on the second floor, quietly called out to Eve, who was busily preparing her bath with the other maids.

“Eve.”

“Oh, it’s almost ready!”

“Hmm…”

How should I bring this up? Should I tell her to leave because I’ll do it alone today? Using the Grand Duke as an excuse and activating the passive skill of appearing pitiful pricked her conscience. But if she undressed as usual, anyone could see that she had been through something.

“Eve, I’m thinking of doing it alone today.”

“Then we’ll finish the preparations and leave. Please call us when you’re done.”

“…Okay.”

Relieved that the conversation ended more easily than expected, Eve spoke again, as if to remind her that it was too early to be relived.

“It’s done. I’ll just help you take off your dress and then leave.”

“No, it’s okay. I can manage taking it off myself. It’s putting it on that’s difficult.”

Eve tilted her head, not understanding why, but soon nodded, not planning to question her lady further.

After Eve and the maids left, Lysith took off the robe and struggled to remove the dress before finally sinking into the warm water of the bathtub.

“Ahhh…”

An unintentional groan escaped her lips. She managed to maintain her usual posture and pretended not to be in pain, but a first experience was a first experience… Especially given the position.

The warm water made her feel somewhat better.

As she relaxed with her eyes closed, enjoying the bath, she heard a ‘Ding!’ sound.

Opening her eyes to check, it was, as usual, the system.

[Sub Quest preparation is complete.]
[A Sub Quest prepared for you]
‘LV.3 – Perform dirty talk to one of the male protagonists!’
TIP! Sometimes those words can enhance the mood.
[There is a special reward for quests at this level.]

“Sigh…”

She felt like biting her tongue off. The tip was even more absurd. What mood enhancement…

She pounded the water surface with her fist to vent her frustration and contemplated attempting the quest with Ashites tomorrow.

He seemed somewhat softened, but… his true nature wouldn’t change. That man’s attitude would undoubtedly be sarcastic. He would likely say things like, ‘Did you enjoy it?’ or ‘Can’t forget it, huh?’ Just thinking about it made her angry.

Thinking of Ashites, she suddenly recalled the moment just before she fell asleep last night. Although he said it was a contraceptive magic tool, she still felt uneasy, being more accustomed to a world without magic.

As if understanding her concern, the system displayed a window.

[There are restrictions on Lysith Gronevelt’s body.]
[Restriction: Unable to menstruate]

This meant she was always in a state of contraception. No wonder she hadn’t shown any signs of menstruation since her possession; the system had blocked it from the start.

‘Right, it would be awkward to stop because of that reason when the mood is set…’

With one worry resolved, her attention returned to the Level 3 sub quest.

If Ashites didn’t work out tomorrow, she could consider targeting Penchev, but Lysith thought it was early. Not to mention, she had to continue living under the same roof afterward, which made her twice as cautious.

And if she said such things during the act, what kind of perverted lady would she seem like? Just thinking about it made her face flush with embarrassment.

* * *

Eve, who had left her lady to bathe alone, noticed Serena and Penchev approaching her.

Serena, with a serious expression, seemed deeply troubled.

Contrary to Lysith’s hope that they wouldn’t notice, they had quickly grasped the situation.

“Eve, did you see it too?”

“Yes! It’s the crest of the Master of the Magic Tower, isn’t it? Oh my, our lady… I mentioned it before. She didn’t seem interested then, but now…”

“…What about the dress?”

“She said she’d take it off herself.”

Eve smiled excitedly while Serena looked worried, and Penchev remained expressionless.

“Aren’t you happy, Mr. Butler?”

“…Not really.”

The new butler wasn’t a bad person, and Eve knew about his eye condition from the lady, but she found his lack of facial expression a bit scary.

It was impressive how the lady always met his gaze and smiled at him without any discomfort.

“Anyway! I hope she puts the Grand Duke in his place.”

The thought of their beautiful, quiet, angelic lady marrying a cold, seemingly loveless man always felt like a waste to her.

Of course, she knew it was a political marriage and understood the benefits exchanged, but Eve wished her lady could be happy with someone who loved her dearly.

Leaving the excited Eve chatting with Serena about her lady’s romance, Penchev moved on to his duties.

According to the personal maid, the lady’s current state clearly pointed to a romantic affair. A normal servant would either be happy about her new love or indifferent. There were generally two reactions…

But he felt deeply unsettled.

Why? He felt helpless for not knowing the reason.

His lady was the only salvation he had encountered in his 24 years of life. The only person who looked at his cursed eyes with clear eyes.

He met her when he applied to a place that claimed to value only skill, not expecting much.

The moment their eyes met, it felt like a lightning bolt struck his brain—a sensation he would never forget.

Naturally, he should serve her with all his heart and be happy for anything that made her happy.

But now, he was clearly irritated.

“Mr. Butler. What should we do with what we prepared yesterday?”

“Just leave it as it is. I’ll ask her after she eats.”

“Yes.”

For now, he had work to do, so resolving his emotional confusion would have to wait.

* * *

After finishing a simple breakfast and leaving the dining room, Penchev approached Lysith.

“Miss.”

“What is it?”

“The servants prepared something for you last night for when you returned… Although it’s a day late, would you like to see it?”

Lysith had no idea what it could be. Still, curious about what the servants had prepared, she nodded.

Following Penchev’s guidance, she arrived at her personal parlor, a place where she often had tea and spent time, accessible only to those close to her. The sight of several maids eagerly trying to offer her drinks was quite bizarre.

In the prestigious and high-ranking Duke’s household, it would be considered disrespectful, but Lysith didn’t mind.

“What’s going on?”

“…It’s for the founding anniversary?”

It was an obviously made-up excuse. Offering drinks likely meant they wanted her to spill something, which she wasn’t foolish enough to miss.

If it were the original Lysith, meeting the Grand Duke at the banquet wouldn’t have left her in a good mood. They probably wanted her to drink and forget or vent.

Even though it was morning, she felt touched by their consideration.

“Still, it’s morning, so let’s not drink.”

“Yes!”

“Right, Miss can’t handle alcohol well.”

“True. Even three glasses of wine…”

“Please, be quiet…”

Like the maid had said, this body couldn’t handle alcohol. She has a hopeless liver that even three glasses of wine would turn her face red.

“Why don’t you guys drink the wine?”

“Can we?”

“Yes. I don’t particularly enjoy it. I just kept it stocked so it wouldn’t be empty…”

Leaving the excited maids behind, Lysith plopped down on the sofa.

Sinking into the plush sofa, her full stomach and the warm sunlight quickly made her drowsy. As her eyes gradually closed in sleep, the maids tidying up the wine bottles quieted down.

Just before falling asleep, Lysith barely opened her eyes and called Eve.

“Eve… I have to go… tomorrow…”

“Where to?”

Eve, who had rushed over at Lysith’s small call, leaned in, focusing all her attention on her words.

“The banquet… The Master of the Magic Tower…”

“Oh my.”

“…He told me to come… tomorrow…”

Eventually, she fell asleep mid-sentence, unable to fight her heavy eyelids any longer. But Eve, having heard everything she needed, silently cheered.

Roughly meaning, ‘It seems a new love is blossoming for our lady!’

Meanwhile, as always, the gray-eyed butler standing nearby silently swallowed something. Seeing Eve worry about leaving her to sleep there, he offered to carry her.

Watching her leave to choose a dress for tomorrow, he briefly glanced at her retreating figure before turning his gaze to the peacefully sleeping Lysith.

He reached out and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her to her room. Moving carefully to avoid waking her, he felt her even breaths against his shoulder and chest.

Passing through the open door, which Eve had likely left ajar, he thought he could sense Lysith’s characteristic soft fragrance. Although her room was typically off-limits to men, the unique nature of this household, where superiors were lenient and had good relationships with subordinates, meant no one paid much attention to such rules.

As though he was gliding over the surface of the water, he laid Lysith on the bed and listened carefully to see if anyone was in the hallway. Kneeling beside the bed, he gently stroked her face with his gloved fingers. Despite the gloves preventing direct skin contact, his fingertips tingled and itched. He wondered how much better it would feel if he touched her without the gloves. Succumbing to a mix of curiosity and desire, he gulped and was about to remove his gloves when he heard voices from the hallway.