I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince-Chapter 505: Misconceptions (3)

"Huff, haah... haaah..."

"Take it slow, Lilith. You'll get indigestion."

Isabel had managed to smuggle a loaf of bread for me, careful to avoid Ethan's eyes.

It was just a plain piece of bread, tasting only of flour and butter, but to me, it was as precious as rain in a drought.

'It's delicious...'

I hadn’t been able to stomach anything with flour or butter for a while because of the nausea. But hunger had a way of making things taste fine again.

After I wolfed down the bread Isabel had brought, I realized it was the closest thing to a meal I'd had in nearly a week.

"I'm sorry, Lilith. This is all I could sneak out from the servants' kitchen."

"Don't apologize. I'm really grateful for even this much."

"How are you holding up?"

"...More or less managing."

Isabel's gaze fell on my slightly swollen belly, her expression hesitant, as if uncertain what to say.

Being a maid in the Blackwood family, she couldn't speak freely, even if she wanted to console me. And the shock of my pregnancy had taken Isabel and Katarina by surprise, just as it had Ethan.

"Thank you for the bread. But you should get back quickly. If Ethan—or rather, the Young Lord of Blackwood—finds you here..."

"Lilith."

"Yes?"

"Have you thought of running away again?"

"...What?"

Surprised, I turned to see Isabel subtly holding a key in her hand.

Judging by the context, it looked like the key to the cell I was currently locked in.

"W-where did you get that, Isabel?"

"That doesn’t matter. Just answer me. Do you want to escape?"

"Why... why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"

"Well... at first, I tried to understand the Young Master’s actions. After all, you left the estate without a word, and when he finally found you, you were... well, you were like this."

"..."

"But no matter what, the way he's treating you now... I can’t accept it."

...Oh.

This expression on Isabel's face—I’d seen it before. Not in this life, but in my past life while playing Luminor Academy, where I saw her from the hero's perspective.

In that game, Isabel had a pivotal role, helping the hero rescue me by revealing the secret passage to the third floor and the location of my room. She'd decided to betray the family for my sake, wearing the same determined expression she had now.

In another sense, Ethan’s actions had evidently crossed a line for Isabel—a line even she couldn’t tolerate from someone as reckless as him.

"So, what do you say, Lilith?"

"What do I say? If I do escape, what about you?"

"I’ll run too. Though, I don’t have your skills with riding or magic, so it might be harder for me to get away."

"..."

"But I can't stand to see my friend suffer any longer. No matter how much he claims he loves you... I can't accept this."

It was clear why Isabel was my closest friend, both in the game and in this life.

Leaving her behind and fleeing Blackwood Mansion by myself had been foolish. Even after I left her with nothing more than a letter, Isabel still went out of her way to help me. She was truly irreplaceable.

But... escaping again was out of the question. Not just for Isabel’s sake, but also for Ethan's. Running away again was something I couldn't allow myself to do.

"I'll just take it as a kind offer, Isabel."

"Lilith...?"

"I can't just leave the Young Lord... Ethan... like this. And it’s partly my fault too."

"Lilith..."

"I’m sure, given time, his anger will fade. I’ll wait a little longer."

"...Alright. If that’s your choice, Lilith."

Isabel's expression turned somewhat bitter, but she respected my decision without pressing further.

At least she hadn't insisted on opening the cell door and attempting something dangerous.

"I’ll come back around this time tomorrow. Sleep well, Lilith."

"Thank you, Isabel. And thank you for the bread."

"...One more thing, though."

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me... whose child you're carrying?"

"..."

"I promise not to tell anyone. But if it’s too hard to say, I’ll understand."

After everything Isabel had done for me, I owed her honesty.

Isabel wasn’t the type to betray a friend’s trust by revealing a secret carelessly. She was a young lady who valued loyalty and discretion, so I felt it was safe to tell her the truth.

"The Young Lord of Blackwood."

"Sorry?"

"It's... Ethan's child."

"What...?"

"But you absolutely cannot tell him. This child... I took it upon myself to bear it without consulting him."

Isabel stared at my lower belly, her expression clouded with bewilderment.

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"...Isabel?"

"......"

Creak.

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the room, her vanilla-colored hair swaying with each defeated step.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

The following morning...

Grrr.

"...Ah."

The morning sunlight had woken me, along with my hunger. The piece of bread Isabel had given me last night had long since been digested, leaving an empty ache in its place.

After nearly a week of this, one piece of bread wasn’t enough to fix it, though it had helped a little.

Still, at least I could expect the bland porridge they served in the mornings. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

I could bear this... for now.

"Sigh."

After talking with Isabel, I wondered if I should tell Ethan too. Maybe he'd let me raise the child in secret, keeping it as a private thing between us.

Or, perhaps the people at Blackwood could work something out so the child would only be acknowledged as ours once he and Queen Rainy had their official firstborn. We could pretend it was born later.

Or, I could even ask Isabel to act like it was her own out-of-wedlock child... No, that would be a terrible thing to do. Imagining turning my friend into a single mother for my sake made me feel wicked.

But before I could continue scheming, an unexpected visitor opened the door.

Creak.

"...Huh?"

Ethan entered first, as he usually did. But behind him were two others.

One was Isabel, and the other... if I remembered correctly, was a priestess under Blackwood's service.

Clink.

"...Lilith."

"Yes..."

"Could you... step out here for a moment?"

"...?"

Something was different. Ethan's usual imposing demeanor was gone. He seemed to avoid my gaze, a hint of nervousness in his expression.

Isabel also looked away, as if she was embarrassed to meet my eyes. There was a strange tension in the air.

Obediently, I stepped outside the cell.

"We’ll begin the examination. Please take a deep breath and relax," the priestess instructed.

"An... examination?"

"Just relax. We have something we need to check."

I followed her instructions, breathing deeply, though I still didn’t understand what was happening.

"From the signs of life... I’d estimate around five months."

"Five months? But... three months ago, there was no sign at all..."

"That's normal for early stages of pregnancy, especially if the mother herself doesn't feel it. From my experience, the pregnancy likely started over four months ago, meaning it has been approximately five months since her last cycle."

Ethan's expression grew tense, as if he was starting to put the pieces together. He likely realized the timing, knowing it was when I had still been at Blackwood Mansion.

The approximate date of conception matched the night I’d shared with him. If he hadn't forgotten, he would know this child was his.

"Lilith."

"Yes..."

"This might be hard to ask, but... I need you to answer me honestly this time."

"..."

"The child you're carrying... the father is... is it... me?"

At this point, there was no reason to lie.

Though it seemed Isabel had given it away already, judging from how she avoided Ethan’s gaze. She was my friend, but I hadn’t expected her to reveal the truth so soon.

Feeling a mixture of betrayal and resignation, I responded.

"Yes."

"......"

"Yes, it's yours, without a doubt."

"...Really?"

"It’s unthinkable that I would ever... with anyone else. I could never do that, no matter what, even if it were under your command."

"......"

I could no longer keep quiet.

Should I beg, kneeling if ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) I had to, just to ask him to spare this child?