Near the ‘Forest of Rayli’, where Alisha was on expedition.
This area had recently seen confirmed sightings of powerful monsters, and the scale of the damage meant it was deemed a high-priority emergency —thus the task fell to Alisha.
Everyone surely thought Alisha would handle it without issue.
Even Alisha herself —she intended to complete the job without a hitch.
　Yet, Alisha was defeated by the monster.
Severely wounded, she lost consciousness. Thanks to her comrades, she was somehow evacuated —and her life was spared.

“Lady Alisha, are you truly alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine now. More importantly, we must discuss what comes next, mustn’t we? Leave my care to others and hurry along.”

Alisha replied thus to one of her subordinates in a room at the inn they were staying at.
　Many knights had gathered in this village, and some villagers still remained.
Several other knights, concerned for Alisha, had also come to visit her.
However, with the current troop formation, defeating the monsters without Alisha would be difficult.
After being left alone in the room, Alisha lay quietly on the bed.

(…I never imagined I would lose.)

　—She had never once made such a blunder before.
It wasn’t that she had neglected her training; in fact, recently —she should have been in good form.
There was no doubt the opponent was formidable.
Even so, defeat should never have been permitted for Alisha.

“……”

There was one thing that came to mind, however —the incident with Lotte.
Ever since Lotte had rejected her, Alisha had tried her best not to think about her.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered asking another maid besides Lotte.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it —because she’d used Lotte as a means of coercion, yet lacked the courage to actually do so.
She’d realised long ago that perhaps she herself was the one acting strangely.
　Lotte’s rejection —from the one who should have accepted all of that —had become a burden beyond Alisha’s imagination.
So much so that it was preventing her from performing her knightly duties properly.
But she couldn’t admit that as fact.
Until now —she’d managed perfectly well without Lotte.
Besides, she thought she absolutely mustn’t entertain the notion of shifting the blame onto Lotte.

“…I’m fine. Because I’m the ‘perfect princess knight’.”

Saying this as if to convince herself, Alisha smiled wryly.

“…You shouldn’t be the one saying ‘princess knight’.”

But —all she could do was tell herself that.
And she couldn’t possibly be perfect.
Just being rejected by Lotte had caused her to fail so easily.
　Even if she refused to admit it, that was the reality.

“…Lotte.”

She voiced the name of the girl who shouldn’t have been here.

“Why?”

She found herself asking the girl who shouldn’t have been present.
Precisely because she had trusted her, it was a truth she refused to accept.
Closing her eyes, she exhaled softly —just then, the sound of knocking reached her ears.

“…? Who is it?”

Her comrades from the knight order should already be discussing what to do next.
If they’d come back to the room out of concern for Alisha, she needed them to leave immediately.

“…Excuse me.”
“——”

But the person who entered the room was someone she hadn’t expected at all.
　There stood Lotte, clad in a maid’s uniform.
Why was Lotte here? For a moment, Alisha froze upon seeing her.
Lotte, too, seemed unable to meet Alisha’s gaze. Keeping her eyes lowered, she closed the door and remained silent.
How had she made it this far? Surely the bridge on the way to this village was broken, requiring a detour.
　Observing Lotte’s soiled clothes and shoes, it appeared she had indeed taken the longer route.
Had she come alone? Had someone brought her? – Such questions bubbled up, yet Alisha voiced none of them.
“…What brings you here?”
Yes, Alisha asked Lotte coldly.
　Her voice was lower than usual, surprising even Alisha herself —it was hardly the tone one would expect from her.

“I was dispatched from the manor to ascertain Lady Alisha’s condition.”
“…I see.”

The news of Alisha’s injury must have reached the Zekrosia family manor.
Which meant —Alisha’s failure was already known.
　That Lotte had been specifically sent… Alisha forced herself to remain calm.

“…As you can see, I’m fine. You should return now.”
“You don’t look fine.”

—Alisha had expected Lotte to nod obediently and leave.
Surely she disliked Alisha?
That’s what she had thought, yet Lotte clearly wore an expression of concern for Alisha.

“It’s true I was injured —and failed to slay the monster. But I’m alive. As soon as I can move again, I intend to return to the front lines immediately.”
“! With those injuries, you say?”

Bandages were wrapped around various parts of Alisha’s body.
Truthfully —she couldn’t walk without support right now. While it didn’t seem to be the kind of injury leaving lasting effects, it certainly wasn’t something that allowed for an immediate return to the front lines.
　Yet, that is precisely what is expected of her.

“I’ve told you, this is nothing. In any case, report that to the manor—”
“It can’t possibly be nothing.”
“!”

Alisha’s eyes widened in surprise, never expecting Lotte to interrupt her.
But she immediately fixed Lotte with a sharp gaze.

“What do you know about it? You’re not even a knight.”
“Even without being a knight, I can see that your injuries, Lady Alisha, are not minor.”
“…Even if that’s true, what does it matter to you?”

With an irritated tone, Alisha snapped at Lotte.
　—It shouldn’t concern me.
Lotte had rejected her, after all.
She didn’t want Lotte worrying about her now.
She’d spoken dismissively, almost spitefully, yet suddenly realised Lotte had come to her bedside.
Lotte pushed Alisha, who had been sitting up, back down onto the bed.

“What are you—”
“You’ve sustained injuries that mean you can’t even defeat me. What do you think you’re doing, pushing yourself like this?”

Lotte said this with an angry expression.
Alisha was taken aback.
She tried to sit up immediately, but pain shot through her—she couldn’t push Lotte away.
It was true, as Lotte said. Right now, Alisha truly couldn’t defeat her.
　She felt a pang of frustration at that fact —but it wasn’t the kind of frustration Alisha sought.

“…You said you wouldn’t indulge my whims.”

This was the only resistance Alisha could muster.
Lotte had rejected Alisha —so there was no need for this, and she didn’t want it.
　For an instant, Lotte’s grip seemed to weaken.
Now she could push Lotte away —just as that thought crossed her mind, Lotte’s tears touched Alisha’s cheek.

“What! Why are you crying?”
“…I’m sorry. I thought I was only doing it for Alisha-sama’s sake…”

　Alisha was simply bewildered.
What on earth had happened? Lotte stopped holding her down, and Alisha sat up again.

“…Lotte, what happened? Tell me the truth.”

It seemed Lotte had been hiding something from Alisha.
—In response to Alisha’s question, Lotte told her about the events of the previous day.