Lotte herself was startled, instinctively touching her mouth.\

(What did I just say…?)

It wasn’t exactly an insult —but it certainly wasn’t something Lotte would normally say to Alisha.

“I’m, I’m sorry—”
“I, I… look like that?”

Before Lotte could apologise, Alisha cut her off.
　Hearing Lotte’s words, Alisha’s earlier composed expression vanished. She blushed crimson and looked down, embarrassed.
It seemed that despite asking to be pinned down, she hadn’t been composed at all.
Seeing her like this —something snapped inside Lotte.
Lotte placed her knees on the bed and moved closer to Alisha.
　Then—she touched Alisha’s hair and simply inhaled its scent.

“H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H

“Is that so?”
“Though I detect a hint of sweat too.”
“Hmph.”

Lotte’s unexpected remark —Alisha had only just moved and hadn’t changed her clothes.
Knightly duties involved considerable physical labour —sweat was inevitable, and no one would normally point it out.
Indeed, knights who protected people through sweat and toil were generally held in high regard.
　But —in the current situation, the implication changed slightly.
Alisha surely hadn’t been conscious of any sweat odour.
In truth, it wasn’t a smell worth worrying about —to Lotte, it even smelled pleasant.
She’d just thought pointing it out might make Alisha feel embarrassed.
That seemed to be correct —hearing it spoken aloud, the embarrassment evidently grew.
　Alisha instantly showed signs of agitation.

“W-well, I really ought to take a bath first! I’ll be right back—”

As Alisha tried to stand, Lotte forcibly pushed her back down.
Holding her hands down, Alisha lost her balance and fell onto her back.

“L-Lotte! What are you…!?”

Alisha immediately tried to struggle free and get up —but Lotte wouldn’t let her escape.
If Alisha resisted head-on, it would be nearly impossible for Lotte to pin her down.
But Lotte, raised in the frontier, had helped with heavy labour since childhood. Though she looked like a delicate girl, her physical strength surpassed that of the other maids.
　At the very least—once she had Alisha pinned down on the bed, even Alisha couldn’t easily escape.

“H-hold on, wait a moment!”

Alisha looked flustered, desperately trying to break free.
Lotte wouldn’t tolerate such resistance.
Soon, she ended up straddling Alisha.

“Please don’t struggle so much.”
“I-I said wait…!”
“But you said it, Miss Alisha. You said you wanted me to pin you down.”
“I did say that! But, I thought it would be better after we’d worked up a sweat…”

Lotte pressed down harder on Alisha, who was still trying desperately to escape.
She wasn’t thrashing wildly, but soon their bodies were pressed together, and a bead of sweat appeared on Alisha’s forehead.

“If you’re going to be pinned down anyway, you’ll just end up sweating again. Because you resist like this, don’t you? But if you absolutely insist on washing off the sweat, you only need to move me aside.”
“Th-this…!”

Faced with Lotte’s taunting words, Alisha looked desperate —yet she couldn’t rise.
　That Alisha, who effortlessly defeated burly bandits and hunted monsters daily —couldn’t best Lotte in bed.
Lotte watched Alisha thus, a bewitching smile playing on her lips.
Then —she murmured into Alisha’s ear.

“A knight princess, yet defeated by a mere maid —aren’t you ashamed?”
“…!”

Alisha’s already desperate face flushed even redder.
How much training must she have endured as a knight? Acquiring skill representative of this nation is no ordinary feat.
It surely required blood, sweat, and tears beyond Lotte’s imagination.
　And yet, she had been pinned down by Lotte, a mere maid, unable to put up much resistance.
It was merely a statement of fact, but for Alisha, that fact was unbearably humiliating.
So much so that her breathing grew ragged, and tiny tears welled in her eyes.
Was it the frustration of being unable to defeat a maid that caused it?

(Alisha-sama… how adorable)

Seeing her like that, Lotte found herself feeling this way.
Seeing Alisha, pinned down, unable to rise even as she struggled – shedding tears of frustration.
But this was what Alisha had wanted.
Lotte hadn’t done anything wrong – that’s what she thought, but suddenly, Lotte snapped back to her senses.

「――」

And so, Lotte immediately leapt off Alisha.