Night —The grounds of the Zekrosia residence were vast, and within them stood the dormitory for the live-in maids.
Even at night, the task of patrolling the grounds rotated among the maids, so the figure of the maid on duty leaving the dormitory could be seen from the window.
　Upon returning to the dormitory, she encountered the maids who had summoned Lotte earlier.
The moment they saw her, they wore awkward expressions – yet none spoke to her.
For Lotte, being treated like a sore thumb as before was somewhat easier to bear than being suddenly forced into friendliness.
There was no need to strain for friendship – even if getting along better would be preferable, it wasn’t something she had to achieve.
　Returning to the mansion —so much had happened in such a short time.
Just when she thought she’d be working as an ordinary maid, Alisha summoned her —and demanded she be pinned down.
She’d thought it impossible, but momentum is a terrifying thing.

“…What expression did I have on my face?”

In the end, I never found out.
An expression that wasn’t entirely displeased —to push Alisha down and make such a face.
Unwilling to admit it, I added justification that it was because I was resented as a maid —and tried to flee this place once more.
But when Alisha demanded it, I ended up choosing to stay —was that indecisiveness, after all?

“What will happen now?”

She murmured softly, almost to herself.
What would Alisha demand of Lotte now?
A sudden wish to be pinned down —would she ask for something even more extreme?
Alisha’s reason for wanting Lotte to stay was utterly impure —she was her sole confidante.
　Indeed, it was precisely to protect Lotte’s image as ‘Alisha’s Princess Knight’ in the eyes of society that she was forced to accept her demands.
Truthfully, Lotte might be the only one who would even consider fulfilling such a wish.

“—”

Suddenly, her own face faintly reflected in the window seemed to be smiling.
But that expression quickly shifted to one of confusion.

“…Was I smiling just now?”

Was it because she was thinking about her future with Alisha?
Lotte shook her head slightly, turned off the room light, and lay down on the bed.
Tomorrow morning would come early —she had resolved to work hard as a maid from now on.

“…I’ll do my best, for Alisha-sama.”

With that resolve in her heart —that she would do whatever she could —Lotte fell asleep.

　　　＊＊＊

“…Hmph.”

Sitting on the bed, Alisha let out a small sigh.
Even within the mansion, a knight’s duties remained —compiling reports and such had taken her well into the night.
Feeling a slight stiffness in her shoulders, Alisha massaged the area herself.

“Perhaps I should ask Lotte for a massage next time.”

She murmured it almost without thinking, treating Lotte as if she were her personal maid.
Though Lotte herself had refused, Alisha hadn’t given up.
Still, she truly felt she should reflect on how she hadn’t been paying attention to matters within the manor.
If someone said she’d been too focused on her knightly duties and hadn’t looked around her, they’d be right.
The ‘perfect knight princess’ —it was merely a label others had arbitrarily bestowed upon her.

(…I’m not perfect.)

Had she truly been perfect —she would have noticed Lotte’s troubles immediately.
She was merely striving to fulfil the role others demanded of her.
To be honest —perhaps she’d felt the strain for much longer.
The pressure to be someone she knew she wasn’t.
　If only I could have laid everything bare —even when I thought that, I ultimately lacked the courage.
That’s why it escalated into childish behaviour like disguising myself in the frontier and picking up dubious books.
What would happen if I were found out? —I must admit, I even enjoyed that tension.
And then, Lotte discovered my true identity —yet she accepted Alisha just as I am.
　In that moment of discovery, I truly believed everything was over. Yet because she acknowledged me, a new ‘desire’ was born.
Could she be the one to satisfy the desires I carried within?
Though she carried an air of uncertainty, Lotte responded fully to Alisha’s needs.
Even now, recalling it makes my body tremble.
　If this sense of transgression was what Alisha truly sought, then what part of her was the ‘perfect princess knight’?
Or perhaps, had she not witnessed that act at the brothel that day, had she not met Lotte —Alisha might have remained the ‘perfect princess knight’.
After all, she had never once questioned that way of life.
But —now that she knew, there was no going back.

「……」

She touched her own chest, then slid her hand down towards her lower abdomen —this too was knowledge gained from books, yet doing it herself required courage.
If she asked Lotte —might she agree to even more extreme acts?
The mere thought sent a thrill through her.

“…Far from perfect. I might just be the worst.”

A low, almost whispered voice escaped her —Alisha said it with a tinge of self-mockery.