I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

Chapter 292

The day after I had stirred Ethan’s desires with a bit of encouragement.

Even though three hours had passed since his sparring session with Harold, Ethan was still in the training hall, tirelessly swinging his sword. Watching him, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer determination men are capable of.

‘In many ways, it’s truly impressive.’

Though today’s duel had ended in Ethan’s complete defeat once again, there was something different about him today—his determination was on another level.

No matter how many times Harold knocked his sword away, Ethan would quickly retrieve it, adjust his stance, and keep swinging. Even in situations where he’d usually lose his grip, he gritted his teeth and held on, forcing himself to continue. His movements were filled with a kind of feverish desire, as if madness itself was driving him.

Perhaps inspired by Ethan’s fiery resolve, Harold extended their duel by an additional two hours compared to usual.

Harold, being a seasoned swordsman himself, likely knew that the more passionate the day, the more effective high-intensity training would be.

...Though I did feel a bit guilty, knowing Harold was unaware that this passion was rooted in sexual desire.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

“Hah... Hah... Hah...”

Even after the duel, Ethan’s sword didn’t stop. After sparring for nearly twice as long as usual, he was now increasing the time he spent on his personal training.@@@@

Dinner had already come and gone, but that didn’t matter. I had told the chef to save Ethan’s meal and that I’d prepare it for him myself later.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Ethan was just repeating the same actions over and over. At first, I thought he was trying to correct mistakes he made during the duel, but after watching him for a bit, I realized what he was doing.

Ethan was reducing the “time” it took for him to swing his sword during continuous movements. More specifically, he was practicing switching stances faster and making his movements shorter.

‘The first time he did that move, it took around ten seconds.’

Now, it looked like he’d shortened the time for those continuous movements to about nine seconds.

I wasn’t following the speed of each individual movement, just noting the starting and ending stances. It was nearly impossible to track each swing when Ethan was moving his sword six times in the span of one second.

You might ask what difference it makes to shorten a 0.20-second movement to 0.18 seconds, but if you can cut down time in repeated actions like these, the overall speed of your entire technique increases.

Shaving just 0.1 seconds off a continuous series of actions could be the decisive factor in a duel.

...Or so it was written in the lore of Luminor Academy. I’m not sure how much that applies to real swordsmanship. How would I know, anyway?

“Haaah! Haaahhh!!”

Watching Ethan work so hard at swinging his sword, I couldn’t help but wonder.

If I were in Ethan’s situation—if Lilith had offered herself to me if I won a duel against my father—could I be this motivated?

...I’m not sure. I’d try my best, but I doubt I could push myself as hard as Ethan.

Sure, I might have been reborn in this world because I didn’t get to see the "Lilith virgin ending" in my past life, but if I’d been reincarnated as Ethan instead of Lilith, I doubt I’d be able to work as hard as he did.

Now that I think about it, there’s really no reason for Ethan to be so obsessed with me.

Did he lose weight and learn proper noble etiquette because I scolded him when we were young? Sure, it might’ve taken some time, but anyone else could have taught him those things, not just me.

Does he feel indebted to me because I trusted him and found his mother’s keepsake for him? I don’t know how valuable Tanacia’s keepsake is to him, but Ethan’s already saved my life nearly three times now. If anything, I owe him more than he owes me.

“...Father.”

“Yes, Ethan?”

“...Did I just win a round against you?”

“...”

“...”

“...Yes. I can’t deny it. You won.”

Thud.

As soon as Harold admitted it, Ethan dropped his sword to the ground and collapsed, lying face down on the floor.

Harold, too, was so exhausted that he stood still, unable to move, quietly catching his breath.

“To think I’d lose a round to an Expert, even if he is my son. It might be time for me to retire the title of Sword Master.”

Despite his words, a faint smile tugged at Harold’s lips, as if the loss didn’t bother him much.

Even though it had been a battle of endurance, Ethan had managed to defeat Harold in that brief moment. Naturally, he was proud.

Once you broke through a barrier for the first time, it was always easier the second time. This experience would only help Ethan grow further.

No parent could dislike seeing their child achieve something with genuine effort. At least, not a parent who knew what it meant to truly care for their child.

“If you give up the title of Sword Master, I doubt there’ll be anyone in the empire left to claim it.”

“Still, a loss is a loss. Help me up, Dietmaier. I’m so exhausted I don’t think I can walk on my own.”

“Yes, Master.”

Watching Harold lean on Dietmaier for support as he left the training hall gave me a strange feeling.

Seeing Harold, who always appeared in the game with his inhuman stamina and combat power, on the verge of collapse like this was surreal.

Of course, the person who had defeated this monster, Ethan, was lying flat on the ground, unable to even lift a finger.

“Well done, Young Master Ethan.”

“...Thanks, Lilith.”

“You were truly amazing. I wouldn’t regret giving you everything I have, not after seeing that.”

“Hah... haha...”

“Shall I help you up? Or should I carry you in a princess hold since it looks like you can’t move a muscle?”

“...If I rest for a bit, I’ll be able to stand on my own. You don’t have to go that far.”

Ethan chuckled softly, shaking his head and looking up at the sky.

The look on his face was so cool and refreshing that it made my heart pound just looking at it.