"..."

"..."

It was now late into the morning, and currently, Atsuko was standing in front of Edward as she wore the modified maid uniform of her servants handed to her by Mako. Its different appearance from the ones that Edward was more used to seeing, gave it a pretty charming uniqueness, as it combined the looks of a kimono with the versatility of a western maid uniform. Clearly, one of the devs was a maid weeb, as he put his likes into the game content because he could.

Atsuko's face was red from wearing such a thing in front of Edward, while he kept his usual calm fave while thoroughly analyzing Atsuko in a maid uniform from head to toe.

"H-Hmm... S-So w-what d-do you think, G-Goshujin-sama?"

"..."

Hearing such words from Atsuko made Edward's expression become even more serious, which caused Atsuko to feel confused, since Mako, who was the one who told her to call Edward like that, told her that those words would cause any man to fall to his knees. But Edward remained standing while looking at Atsuko with even more intensity.

"... *Gently smiles* Mm *Nods* You look really cute in it, Atsuko-sama"

"Fueh!?"

Receiving such praise as she got her hair caressed as well, made Atsuko feel as if her legs were about to give up anytime now, due to her embarrassment from wearing a maid uniform, but also from Edward's sudden pampering.

"E-Erm... G-Goshujin-sama, a-aren't y-you t-too close?"

"..."

Edward remained silent as Atsuko said the "forbidden" word, according to Lysette and Nanako, a second time. Then Edward made Atsuko raise her head by gently touching her chin, as she put no resistance against him, while also making an expectant expression as she closed her eyes.

Moments later, Atsuko felt a soft sensation on her lips just as she wanted, then after what felt like an eternity for her, their lips parted, however, she once again felt the same sensation on her lips a second time, then a third. Until she was finally unable to endure it anymore, after the fourth kiss, she pushed Edward away as her face turned beet red while she looked away from him.

"I-I-I Shall t-take m-my leave, E-E-Edward-sama!"

"Ah..."

Before Edward could stop her, Atsuko hurriedly ran away from the room, leaving Edward all by himself, which allowed him to reflect on his actions.

"... ... ... I really went a bit overboard, didn't I?... That word surely is something else..."

He said that to himself, but he also didn't plan on fixing that small problem of his.

"... ... ... Well... I guess I will go to the library, or... No, let's avoid working today, or else Nanako will get angry at me... Thinking about it, she said that she wanted to make something for me in the kitchen"

With that, Edward decided to go to the kitchen where he believed he would find Nanako and Lysette.

Meanwhile

"Eh? Saying 'Goshujin-sama' made him do that?"

"... *Nods*"

"... I-I see" <I was just joking about that though!... Huh? Does perhaps Sir Edward have a fetish for maids?"

Bingo. Mako was the first person to reach the correct answer by herself.

.

.

.

"Alright, Lysette-sama! Let's once again review everything we need to make a cake for Edward-sama!"

"Yes, Nanako-san!"

"Ingredients!"

"Check!"

"Utensils!"

"Check!"

"Equipment!"

"Check, Nanako-san!"

"Perfect! Now first of all!..."

The two were currently inside the kitchen, and one could see from their intense exchange, that they were pumped up, and as they were going to begin their tenth attempt at making a cake, Nanako grabbed both of Lysette's shoulders and said...

"Lysette-sama, please take a seat over there and don't touch anything! I beg you!!!"

"Y-Yes..."

With a pained expression that was almost on the verge of tears, Nanako begged Lysette to not help her in the kitchen anymore, because so far all of their previous attempts mostly failed due to Lysette messing up at some point in the process, mostly those were they had to use magic equipment, as she was reminded once again, on why she usually prohibited from using most magical devices by herself.

So with a depressed face, Lysette quietly sat down on the chair that Nanako pointed at, where she kept her head downcast due to her rare talent of being incapable of cooking something edible no matter what, and if it happened to be edible, it would be completely burned and bitter.

"Okay, first of all, I need to sieve the flour"

"Ah! Are you making a cake, Nanako?"

"That's right, Edward-sama!"

"I see, do you need help with anything?"

"Hmm... Could you make the cream for me?"

"Of course"

Having received her instructions, Edward went to the other counter with the rest of the ingredients Nanako was going to use, while Nanako continued to sieve the flour, now with a happy smile on her face at having Edward helping her make... A cake that she planned to make for him herself...

"... ... ..." <Huh!?>

<!?>

It took Nanako quite a few seconds to realize that Edward was helping her since it wasn't uncommon for the two to cook together from time to time, so Nanako didn't even properly register that it was Edward who was the one asking her if she wanted help, due to how used she was to hear that. Lysette also only noticed Edward now, due to how downcast she was until a few moments ago to notice his arrival.

"E-Edward-sama! W-Why are you here!? S-Shouldn't you be in your room with Atsuko-sama!?"

"Y-Yes, Edward-sama! I-Isn't Atsuko-sama supposed to be keeping you away from here!?"

"Ahaha... Well, let's just say that I accidentally caused her to run away, after she called me with 'that' word"

" "..." " < <Why did you call him Goshujin-sama now out of all times!!!> >

Although the two remained quiet at Edward's explanation, they both screamed at Atsuko in their minds for calling Edward with the "forbidden" word, which they knew from first-hand experience how effective that was for spiking up Edward.

"Hmm... Edward-sama, could you go somewhere else, please?"

"Nanako, if I leave, I'll end up working and that will make you angry at me"

"T-Then how about you go spend some time with Lysette-sama?"

"But I also want to spend time with you, Nanako"

"Kuh!"

Nanako couldn't help but scrunch her face in embarrassment at hearing Edward say that to her, however, she still wanted to have him go somewhere else so that she could make a cake for him without him, because if he helped her, Edward would inadvertently end up doing most of the process, killing the whole point of it. So, she needed to find a way to convince Edward to go somewhere else now, and she came up with an idea that she liked and hated it.

Nanako deeply breathed in and approached Edward to hug him around his neck, then she slowly pulled his face closer to hers until their lips met. It was a short kiss that only lasted a few seconds before Nanako let go of Edward. She looked up at him due to their height difference, making her reddened shy face look even cuter from this distance.

"E-Edward-sama, c-c-could y-you g-go s-s-spend s-some time w-with L-Lysette-sama a-at the garden?"

"... Of course!"

"! !?"

This time around Edward accepted Nanako's request to leave the kitchen for the time being together with Lysette, after all, he couldn't say no to Nanako after she mustered a lot of courage to be the one to kiss him. And of course, he still gave Nanako another kiss for making such a cute pleading face to him.

"Lysette-sama, shall we go to the garden?"

"Ah! Y-Yes, E-Edward-sama!"

Lysette who had been silent all this time due to her surprise from seeing Nanako go on the offensive, answered Edward in a flustered manner, as she accepted the hand that he offered to help her get up from her seat.

"Hm! *Nods* Nanako, we'll be taking our leave now"

"Have a good time, Edward-sama, Lysette-sama"

Even as her face was still a bit red from the two consecutive kisses, Nanako still did her best to properly send off the two as she bowed down with a smile. She looked at the two walk away, and once they were out of the kitchen, Nanako returned to the counter where she was sieving the flour, but then she stopped moving for a moment, before covering her face with both hands.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Why did I do that!? I could've just pleaded to Edward-sama with a teary face!!! Why did I go and kiss him like that!?!?!?"

Nanako was now having a delayed reaction filled with regret about her choice of action from moments ago that was meant to convince Edward to do according to her wishes.

.

.

.

"Here's some tea for you, Edward-sama"

"Thank you, Lysette-sama"

The two were currently at a gazebo located in the back garden of the Neville estate, Edward was sitting at one of the chairs placed around a tea table located in the gazebo, while Lysette stood next to him as she did her best to serve Edward as he asked for her, and the other two, to do last night as his birthday present.

Not having much that she could help Edward with, that wasn't work-related. Lysette would've liked to make some sweets for him together with the tea, but with Nanako in the kitchen, and with herself being a disaster at cooking, Lysette had to settle down with just tea for Edward, which she could prepare on the spot with the help of a portable magical kettle, activated by Edward...

Yes, Lysette was the one who brewed the tea for Edward, and since it was just tea, there wasn't any way for her to mess it up, right?... Right?... Riiiiiiiight???

"*Sips the tea*... ... ... Lysette-sama, have you ever prepared tea before this time?"

Edward asked such a question as he kept his usual gentle smile while looking at Lysette with an innocent gaze.

"No, Edward-sama. This is my first making tea, but I've made sure to make it as good as possible for you, Edward-sama!"

"... I see... Its taste... is very unique, Lysette-sama"

"?"

Edward continued making a gentle smile to Lysette as he took another sip of the tea Lysette had made for him. But his eyebrows appeared to frown at each sip, which made Lysette a little confused since Edward called its taste unique.

"... Hm... Now that I think about it, I've never made you tea before, have I? Lysette-sama"

"Hmm... I am not sure, Edward-sama"

"I see... Then please let me repay you for the tea"

"Ah! Sure!"

With that, Edward pulled a chair for Lysette to sit down, as he went to change the water of the kettle to make a new tea for Lysette. As she waited for him with a happy smile on her face, Lysette began talking to herself about Edward's words about her tea.

"Ehehe... Edward-sama called the taste of my tea good... Hm?"

Then when she looked at the teacup that Edward was using, she noticed that there was still some tea in it, enough for a single sip, which she looked at as she realized something.

<Now that I think about it... I didn't make a taste test of the tea... Well, it doesn't hurt trying it now a bit later>

So without noticing the other implication that drinking from the same teacup that Edward had used could mean, Lysette fearlessly took a sip of the rest of the tea she had made.

"!"

And on the instant the tea touched her tongue, she felt a shock running through her body, after all...

"SO BITTER!!!"

Her tea was incredibly bitter, and she couldn't help but forget her manners as a duke daughter, as she spat it out of her mouth with a lot of force. But then, after her initial surprise had gone, what came next was sadness after realizing that her tea-making skills were just as bad as her cooking skills.

"Uuuuuuhhh... But Edward-sama said that my tea tasted u-... Huh? Wait... ... ... So that's what he meant with unique!?"

And with her realization that her tea was bad, she finally understood what Edward meant by it having a unique taste meant... It was his way of being nice to her and the tea she had made for him. Realizing this fact, Lysette began to feel angry, only for regret to come right after as she realized that she had served such a bad tea to Edward, that he had to force himself to drink most of it. And as she was writhing herself because of the tea, Edward returned with the kettle.

"Lysette-sama, I'm back"

"Edward-sama!"

"!? Y-Yes?"

"Why didn't you say that my tea was bitter!?"

"? Because I didn't want you to feel bad about your effort, and because you did it for me, so I didn't want it to go to waste... Even though it was the bitterest thing I've ever had..."

"! *Shock*"

Hearing Edward say that last part was very shocking to Lysette, but before she could rest and finally decide on what emotion she wanted to be feeling, Edward sent a curveball her way.

"By the way, Lysette-sama. Did you perhaps drink it from my teacup?"

"Yes, I did. Why do you ask, Edward-sama?"

"Nothing. I just didn't think you would be bold enough to do that, since you usually only ask for me to do it, Lysette-sama"

"? What do you mean, Edward-sama?"

"Hm? I'm saying that I'm impressed that you're fine with an indirect kiss, Lysette-sama"

"... ... ... !?!?!?"

Lysette who was making a confused face at what Edward was saying, but once he said 'indirect kiss' her face immediately turned to shock as her cheeks also began to turn red. Unable to keep looking directly at Edward after realizing what she had done, Lysette stiffly sat back down on the chair she was using as her embarrassment began to consume her.

When compared to either Nanako or Atsuko, Lysette was the weakest one of the three, when it came to flirting with Edward. Even though she was his first fiancée and would be constantly trying to hug his arm, that was all she could endure hugs, and nothing more.

Atsuko was able to push Edward down on the bed and even attempt to kiss him if she got embarrassedly angry enough. While Nanako, on the other hand, could attempt to kiss Edward if the situation was just right for such a thing.

As for Lysette, all she was able to do was hug Edward or ask for a kiss from him, though this last one she would only do so when she felt jealous, which was the same reason whenever she hugged his head in-between her bosom when they slept together. Meaning that for her, doing an indirect kiss herself was way too much.

"There, there, Lysette-sama. Here, have some tea"

"T-Thank you, E-Edward-sama"

Edward who started patting Lysette's hair to soothe her spirit up, also offered her the tea he made for her in a new teacup, which she accepted and began sipping it. As she forgot about the entire reason they were here right now,

"... So nice... ... ... Hm?... ... ... !? Wait a minute, Edward-sama!"

"?"

"Don't make a look that you don't know what I'm talking about! I'm the one supposed to be serving you today! Not the opposite, Edward-sama!"

"But isn't it, fine?"

"No! Edward-sama! Please, just ask me to do anything! Please!"

"Even if you say that Lysette-sama... ... ... Ah! Then how about you sit on my lap then?"

"... ... ... Hah?"

"Didn't you say that I could ask you anything, Lysette-sama?"

"Well... Yes, but..."

"Then I'm asking for you to serve me by sitting on my lap, Lysette-sama"

"... ... ... Fine..."

With that, Edward then sat back down on the chair he was using before, with Lysette getting up from hers, only to almost immediately sit back down, this time on Edward's lap as she sat sideways.

"And now, a hug!"

"Myah!?"

Unable to escape, Lysette received a surprise hug from Edward which only caused her embarrassment from just sitting at his lap to skyrocket.

"..." <This is too embarrassing! Way too embarrassing!!! I-I-I need to get out of his lap before he starts kissing me as well!!! This... This wouldn't be happening if Atsuko hadn't called Edward-sama Goshujin-sama!!!>

"Lysette-sama?"

"! Y-Yesh, Goshujin-sama!"

"..."

"... Ah!..."

"..."

"..."

"... *Amusedly smiles*"

"E-Edward-sama, c-could yo- MMMMMMM!!!"

Sitting on Edward's lap while he hugged her made any chances of escape impossible for Lysette as Edward began to kiss her on the lips, and to make matters worse for her, few servants of her family's manor would usually come to the gazebo at this hour, and if they did, if it wasn't anything urgent for her, they would all ignore them and leave the two to spend their time together without interruptions.

This means that at this very moment, Lysette was completely at the mercy of Edward, who had the bad tendency of showering her with way too much affection and kisses, which became particularly worse whenever he was called that way by either her or Nanako. Still, Lysette tried to put up some resistance initially, but after a few kisses from Edward, she completely reversed and began hugging and kissing Edward back as her desires took over her.

The two would only let go of each other, when Nanako and Atsuko announced their arrival and forcibly separated the two due to the jealousy of seeing Lysette hogging Edward to herself like that for all this time, and of the two, Nanako was the most jealous one right now as she was the only one who hadn't sat on Edward's lap yesterday nor today.