Ah, come to think of it, there was one thing.

Finishing the handkerchief for Ashites.

“Hmm……”

But as soon as she thought about it, Penchev’s face automatically came to mind. It was an inevitable progression to remember his words about thinking that the handkerchief she was embroidering would go to Ashites.

Was this really okay? She couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The affection shown by the two men towards her was a bit burdensome, but also a little… no, maybe a lot, pleasing. Though it didn’t seem to be a rational feeling.

She fiddled with her lips, which were still slightly swollen, and then let out a deep sigh. But she had no choice here. Either she would succeed, or she would fail and die.

Lysith, unaware that Ashites knew of Penchev’s existence and had keenly noticed his feelings, finished her interrupted stretch, thinking it was fortunate that at least Ashites didn’t know about Penchev yet.

What saved Lysith, who was spacing out while sitting on the bed wondering what to do, was Eve who came as soon as the sun rose.

“Miss?”

“You’re early.”

“You fell asleep early yesterday. The butler moved you when you fell asleep in the study, do you remember?”

“No.”

I should have said I don’t remember either. It wasn’t just falling asleep while reading a book, but falling asleep from exhaustion after having s*x…….

Lysith, who had finished washing her face with Eve’s assistance, muttered while undoing her hair that had been braided when she woke up.

“This doesn’t seem like Eve’s handiwork……”

She saw Eve’s shoulders twitch slightly as she was tidying up after the face wash. Well, from Lysith’s perspective, it was something to be thankful for, but she was curious about why he would do such a thing. Eve’s reaction was also cute.

Looking at Eve innocently as if she knew nothing, Eve seemed to feel guilty at that face and started to speak hesitantly.

“Well, Miss.”

“Yes.”

“It, it’s too obvious!”

“What is?”

“The butler! It’s been quite a while since you’ve adjusted, so I can see it now. When talking to other people, his eyes are somewhat, how should I say, inorganic, but……”

Eve took a breath and then continued, like she’s spitting it out.

“When he looks at you, it’s like honey is dripping from his eyes.”

“Was it like that?”

She wasn’t pretending not to know, she really didn’t know. Thinking about it again after hearing Eve’s words, his gaze had certainly become somewhat peaceful compared to their first meeting. But wasn’t the look in his eyes just a comfort towards the only exception he had ever seen in his life?

“But that’s just, simply the look of an employee looking at their employer……”

“No, it’s not!”

A look that seemed to say ‘What are we going to do with our Miss’s love life like this?’ followed. Lysith felt wronged. No, I know he likes me, you know?

“So? Why did you tell me?”

“……Did the butler say something?”

“The other day.”

Eve’s face showed that she felt deceived by her answer. It seemed they had agreed to keep it a secret. Uncharacteristically, Eve sighed and nodded, explaining the reason.

“Just because.”

“……Just because?”

“Yes. Well, actually, I just hope that Miss can meet someone who can make her happy, regardless of their status or appearance.”

“……”

“In that sense, it seemed like the butler would be happy to serve Miss for a lifetime. So I thought, well, maybe this much is okay.”

After finishing her sentence, Eve fiddled with her hands before continuing.

“If it made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again……”

“No, it’s fine if you do what you want, Eve. You’re always doing things for me. This time too, it’s like you’ve given me another option.”

“……”

“I just thought, ‘Why is the girl who was pushing for me to get along with the Tower Master now doing this?’ So don’t be too down.”

“Miss……”

Lysith embraced the deeply moved Eve with a smile, realizing once again that she had already given too much affection.

Whether it was to Eve, Penchev, or Ashites.

Starting her morning earlier than usual, Lysith glanced at Penchev, who wore his usual calm expression, and then turned her gaze away. She thought to herself that she wanted to learn how to maintain such a poker face.

As always, it was the continuation of a day without any particular events or troubles. If she were an ordinary noble lady, she would spend time getting fitted for clothes or choosing accessories, but making a dress was too exhausting. From past experience, even getting one made drained her energy completely.

Even if she wanted to do a quest, she didn’t want to seek out Dietrich first, and she couldn’t meet the Emperor. Ashites was currently not in the Empire, and if she completed level 6 with Penchev, there would be another warning.

In the end, it was a day of idleness.

She took walks in the garden, chatted with Eve, and sometimes, when she woke up in the morning, she found Penchev there instead of Eve, and they exchanged a few kisses. There was even a time when things went wrong, and they ended up making love.

Even though the room was dark with the curtains drawn, Lysith was embarrassed by the fact that they had done it in broad daylight and covered herself with a blanket. Startled, he apologized, saying he wouldn’t do it again, and kneeled on the bare floor. She peeked through the blanket, got startled, and quickly got him up, which settled the matter.

Ugh…… Lysith let out a small groan, rubbed her forehead briefly, and then lowered her gaze to the handkerchief she was holding.

At first, she intended to do embroidery in the study, but once she sat on that sofa, memories of that day came flooding back, making her face flush. Unable to stay in that spot, she fled to her room to embroider.

He had embroidered flowers for Penchev, but in Ashites’ case, there was the Tower Master’s emblem, so she didn’t have to think much about the design.

Having seen the design when she wrapped his robe, it wasn’t difficult to outline it. She thought gold would be appropriate, so she was busily moving the needle threaded with gold thread.

Then, suddenly, she wondered why someone who seemed like they would stay by her side forever suddenly had to return to the Magic Tower. From his actions, it seemed like he intended to stay by her side for life. She stopped thinking for a moment.

‘No, I fell for him acting like a younger man again.’

He was indeed younger than her, but thinking back, he was a man who had risen to the position of Tower Master at that age and was amassing wealth. He had never been questioned for his qualifications with such a heavy title.

There were issues with his character, but not his qualifications.

Anyway, she felt a little embarrassed for thinking that such a person would remain by her side without any issues. But didn’t he say he wanted to stay by my side? Didn’t he say he didn’t want to go?

Pausing her embroidery, Lysith sighed softly as she resumed her work. It seemed she had gotten used to such displays of affection.

If it was a relationship based on emotions rather than power, and if those emotions were romantic, she hoped there would be no hierarchy or superiority. She didn’t want one side to be superior while the other had to grovel.

Thinking this far, the face of a man with darker blue eyes flashed through her mind.

That man……

Could she really say she wasn’t in a position of superiority with him? She couldn’t find an answer to the question she posed to herself. But at the time, there was no other choice. Would she cling to him as a subordinate, or would she predict the end of the relationship?

She expected that if she chose the latter, he would end up clinging to her. But whether that was romantic or not……

In fact, objectively speaking, he hadn’t wronged ‘me.’ What he did wrong was to ‘Lysith,’ but now it felt ambiguous to distinguish between the two. Her identity wasn’t shaken. It was more like, even though the boundary between the previous Lysith and her self was clear, ‘Lysith’s’ memories didn’t feel entirely foreign.

She didn’t know if it was because she had not only memories but also emotions, or if it was due to the passage of time.

Anyway, could she really say that neither side was more inclined? Perhaps they should have a proper conversation once.

……Though judging by his manner of speaking in her memories, she didn’t think they could have a good conversation.

Noticing that she had embroidered in the wrong place while lost in thought, Lysith furrowed her brows. It was difficult to undo, but fortunately, she hadn’t embroidered much. Deciding to empty her mind and start anew, she took out a new handkerchief.

She was preparing a handkerchief for Ashites, but it seemed she was thinking about Dietrich. She smiled at the thought, then realized she had become too accustomed to this reverse harem game and gradually stopped smiling, touching her forehead again.

Getting used to having so many men around, how could this be……

“I need to get a grip.”

Shaking her head, Lysith focused on her work again. She intended to concentrate and finish it quickly.

The next day, after having poured all her energy into perfectly completing the gift, Lysith woke up late in the morning as usual and tilted her head at the bustling and chaotic atmosphere of the mansion.

What day was it today?

The largest banquet to be held soon was the one hosted by the Imperial Palace, and that was in early July, so there was still some time left in mid-June.

Confused, Lysith wandered around the mansion and was caught by the hand of a maid.

“Miss, please come this way.”

“Is today an important day?”