Fortunately, she managed to return to her room without being spotted, but

“…I told you it was dangerous, didn’t I?!”

Lotte snapped at Alisha the moment she opened her mouth.

“Don’t get so angry. It was thrilling and fun, wasn’t it?”

Thrilling it certainly was —though Lotte’s stomach had been in knots.
　It was Alisha who stood to lose everything if discovered, yet she dismissed it with a casual remark about enjoying the thrill.
Perhaps Alisha really did need to reflect on her actions a little.

“Right then, shall you untie me now?”

Alisha sat on the bed, turning her bound hands towards Lotte.
From her current position, Lotte’s expression was likely hidden from Alisha.
　Lotte wore a distinctly displeased expression and made no immediate move to untie her.
At the same time, it was painfully obvious that whatever Alisha did to her now, she couldn’t resist.

“…? Lotte, is something wrong?”

It was the instant Alisha glanced towards Lotte.
Suddenly, Lotte pushed Alisha down.

”!? L-Lotte…!?”
“See? When you’re tied up like this, you can’t resist even when someone does this to you, can you?”
“…!”

Even after Lotte pointed this out, it was unclear whether she was listening or not —or rather, she wore an expression that seemed almost expectant.

“—Why do you look like you’re expecting something?”

Lotte said this with an exasperated tone, and Alisha flushed crimson.

“I-I wasn’t expecting anything…”

She should have been doing something far more embarrassing, so why now? Lotte thought, but then realised they were in Alisha’s room in the mansion.
Truly, no one was watching, and there was no worry of being seen.
Pinned down, seeing Alisha’s expectant expression, Lotte said.

“Honestly, calling it a date while being so selfish has been rather troublesome.”
“Isn’t that what dates are for?”
“I don’t think being selfish is what a date is for.”
“If you’re my maid, you should at least indulge my whims.”

Alisha showed no sign of remorse whatsoever —Lotte found this deeply unsatisfactory, and her frustration had been building.

“…The Alisha I know wouldn’t say such things. But —you are ‘Alice’ now, aren’t you?”

　Yes, for now they were still alone —not master and maid, but Alice and Lotte, supposed equals.
Whether this situation could truly be called equal was beside the point; unlike outside, they were safe here.
Therefore, even if Lotte took some risks, it shouldn’t matter.

“You’re the princess knight everyone admires —yet here you are, bound, unable to resist as you’re pinned down… What are those expectant eyes for?”

　Far from angered by Lotte’s contemptuous tone, Alisha shifted her bound body slightly.

“D-don’t say it.”

Yes, she murmured just that one word, her voice barely audible.
Don’t say it —it should have been a refusal, yet as if proving Lotte’s words true, Alisha’s expression was filled with expectation.
　What a hopeless creature —anyone but Lotte would have given up on her long ago.
Yet to Lotte, even this sight seemed endearing.
Because she alone could witness it.
No one else knew —she possessed the perfect Princess Knight’s secret form.
That alone filled Lotte’s heart.
　Lotte ought to meet Alisha’s expectations —and yet, she rose silently and moved away from the bed.

“…Lotte?”

Alisha wore a puzzled expression.
And rightly so —she’d been anticipating what was about to happen, yet Lotte seemed intent on doing the exact opposite.

“I think Alice ought to reflect a little, after all.”
“Huh? Reflect? What do you intend to do?”
“I won’t do anything.”
“…?”

Alisha didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of Lotte’s words immediately.
Without another word, Lotte turned her back on Alisha —opened the door, and left the room.

“I’ll leave you to reflect like that for a while.”

　she murmured after stepping out —though Alisha surely hadn’t heard.

＊＊＊

“I never imagined she’d just walk out like that…”

Alisha, left behind, looked utterly dumbfounded.
Here she was, in a situation where Alisha couldn’t resist at all —where she could do anything and be forgiven. It should have been filled with expectation. Yet Lotte had walked out without doing anything.
　Admittedly, Alisha might have been overly demanding towards Lotte.
She was aware of that regarding today —she had said she needed to reflect—but what on earth was the meaning of simply leaving the room?

“…Oh, she forgot to untie me—”

Only then did she grasp the significance of Lotte’s actions.
Lotte had deliberately left without untying her.
　That was her punishment for Alisha —literally, doing nothing.
Whether such a thing could truly be considered punishment, Alisha still couldn’t say.
But having both hands tied up was certainly inconvenient.
She’d finally returned to the mansion, yet couldn’t even change her clothes —and if she called for someone, they’d see her bound like this.
So, she had no choice but to wait until Lotte returned.

(But when will she come back?)

The question flashed through her mind.
Instantly, a wave of unease washed over her.
Rising from the bed, Alisha approached the door.

“…Lotte, aren’t you here?”

She called out, but there was no reply.
—If she waited right in front of the door, someone might see her and think it strange.
　Therefore, Lotte was no longer anywhere near this room.
Because Lotte had been there, walking through town bound like this hadn’t bothered her.
But the moment she realised Lotte wasn’t beside her —suddenly, she felt uneasy, even in her own room.
Trying to untie herself now seemed pointless; the ropes wouldn’t break.
—To be precise, cutting these wasn’t particularly difficult.
　I couldn’t cut them with brute strength, but there was a sword nearby.
If I rubbed the rope against its blade, I could probably cut through.
Or perhaps —I could use magic.
Alisha is a swordswoman, but that doesn’t mean she can’t use magic.
Cutting through ropes like these would be a mere trifle.
I could be free anytime —but this was the punishment given to Alisha.
　Because she’d been so stubborn, Lotte left the room without untying the ropes.
In other words, forcibly removing these ropes would mean refusing to accept that punishment.

“…!”

When she realised this, Alisha understood she was being tested.
Lotte would return eventually —at the very least, definitely before the day was out.
　All Alisha could do was wait.
Accept the situation Lotte had prepared for her.
She returned to the bed and lay down, letting her body go limp.
Apart from the lack of freedom with her arms bound, she wasn’t particularly troubled.
She wasn’t thirsty, nor did her arms ache.
So it was fine —she took a small, deep breath to calm herself.
　When she returns, will Lotte do something for me?
She felt almost petty for even entertaining such a hope.
After all, this was her own room. If she were to be left outside, that would be one thing.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t really a particularly risky situation —or so she thought.

“…?”

For just an instant, or if she hadn’t paid attention at all, she might still have remained unaware.