After the fish Alice caught proved edible, and the chef expertly prepared a meal that I thoroughly enjoyed, I returned to my room.
Mashiro and the others were apparently having a girls’ night, so I couldn’t join.
So I was relaxing in my room for the first time in a while.
But I wasn’t alone.
With me was Alice, who had been restless since the private beach incident.
“Lord Ouga. My apologies for displaying such embarrassing behavior earlier.”
“I said don’t mind it. Thanks to you, we had delicious dinner. That’s good, no?”
“But……”
Alice’s loyalty to me is tremendous.
So she sees abandoning her role as an unforgivable failure.
…… Hmm, today’s Alice was certainly odd.
Come to think of it, before enrollment, the two of us spent a lot of time at this manor; lately I haven’t been able to spend slow time with her.
Nostalgic — clumsy Alice when she was learning maid work.
Compared to then, her current movements are refined.
She’s piled up effort that much — aside from being too sensitive to evil, I have no complaints…
…… Right. Got a good idea.
A maid, after all, calls for ear-cleaning.
I’d never had Alice perform that kind of service, so I’m curious how she’d react.
“Then this, Alice. Listen to one thing I say.”
“Understood. Anything, please.”
“You said anything?”
When I echoed it, her shoulders twitched faintly.
A faint blush spread on her cheeks.
”…… Of course. Whatever you wish, Alice will respond.”
“Good. Then — don’t resist.”
”…… Yes.”
I strode toward Alice and swept her legs out; as she began to fall, I extended a hand and scooped her up.
“L-Lord Ouga!? Th-this position……!”
“Hoh. Alice has a maiden’s side too. How is it? The feeling of being my princess?”
“Princess is impossible! Such acts should be for Miss Liche or Miss Lebetsenka……!”
“Weren’t you not going to resist?”
“That……”
“Hmm…… one lap around the manor like this might be fun.”
The moment I said it, Alice violently shook her head.
She, usually composed — though occasionally she breaks out — being so visibly flustered is fun.
“Heh heh heh, kidding. Sorry.”
Anxiety over when she’d find out my schemes and behead me — the teasing slipped out as a kind of payback.
I decided to regularly humiliate her like this going forward, and rather than to the corridor, I set her down on the bed — the original destination.
“L-Lord Ouga…… what should I……”
“Wait. I’ll prepare the tool.”
It should be in the desk drawer, the prototype I made years ago……
“U-understood. Then let me prepare first……”
“I’ll prepare, don’t worry. ……Found it. Right, Alice ——what’s wrong? Arms out?”
When I turned with the target in hand, Alice was waiting with both arms open.
The usually-firmly-buttoned top button had come undone.
“No, the Head Maid taught me that for a woman’s first time, to keep the man from feeling embarrassed, she should relax him…… A hug helps with that……”
”……?”
I’ve never heard of that practice for ear-cleaning……
But if Morina says so, it must be right.
“Embarrassingly, I have no experience and have never received practical training……. Only knowledge. Please forgive me.”
“Everyone starts there. You’ll learn.”
For mere ear-cleaning, that’s overblown……
The one nervous looks like Alice, not me…… in that sense, to relax her, let me grant the request.
A hug calms the heart — I’ve heard it in my past life too.
I gently slipped my arms in and wrapped them around her firm waist.
Alice accepted firmly; tight contact, our bodies.
She twitched, breath ragged.
At this rate, my hand might slip during ear-cleaning and pierce her eardrum.
I gently rubbed her back and waited until her breathing settled.
”…… How is it? Calm now?”
”…… Yes. Resolve set. Anytime.”
“Good. Then, please — properly.”
“Yes, then I’ll undress…… ear-cleaning?”
Alice stared at the ear-cleaner in her palm, dumbfounded.
“Yeah, Alice will ear-clean me — that’s my punishment.”
”…… I see…… I see……”
Her hand gripping the ear-cleaner shook.
Her face still slightly red, perhaps residual nerves.
Honestly…… can’t be helped, maid. Let me throw in a light joke.
“It’s handmade by me, so don’t break it from over-gripping.”
“Of course. ……Lord Ouga. Apologies. Could you give me a moment?”
“Hm? That’s fine……”
“Thank you. I’ll return immediately.”
Alice left the room with a footstep accompanied by katchin-kotchin sound effects.
“YOU FOOL!!!”
A shout, then receding.
What is up with her……
A bit dumbfounded by the maid’s outburst, I waited three minutes. The door opened.
“Sorry for the wait. Now, allow me to clean your ears, Lord Ouga.”
Fully back to normal, Alice was motivated.
I don’t know why, but something changed within her. Best to leave it at that.
Alice sat as if nothing happened; I rested my head on her thigh.
As expected of Alice. The thigh conveyed clearly the well-trained body.
But not just rigid muscle. That would narrow range of motion and lose speed.
She balances supple and rigid muscle to preserve speed.
Proof: this exquisitely comfortable lap-pillow.
The lower body is the foundation of all martial and sword arts.
…… This is where Alice’s strength sleeps.
“Lord Ouga? If you poke like that…… does it bother you?”
“Not that. It was good, so I did. Sorry, please begin.”
“I’ll go slowly; tell me if it hurts.”
“Understood. I trust you.”
“Thank you.”
The ear-cleaner touched gently, scraping away earwax from the entrance.
Carefully, mindful not to hurt — her consideration came through the motion.
Crackle, crackle…… clip, clip…… crack……
Oh, a big one came out.
She accurately extracts the wax; I was getting comfortable.
My guard was dropping; I might fall asleep.
Sleeping like this is bad; I should talk to ward off drowsiness.
”…… Skilled. You were being modest?”
”…… No, that…… this I’d practiced properly……”
“Heh. Ear-cleaning, swordsmanship — Alice excels at accumulating effort.”
“Over-praise. Just a foolish woman who only knows how to walk straight.”
“That’s too modest. Many can’t even put in that effort.”
”…… You’re truly kind, Lord Ouga. I’ve often prayed that all nobles would have your merciful heart……”
No, if everyone had my personality, the country would be much worse.
Because we’d all aim for unrestricted living as villains.
Squeezing taxes from the populace for max luxury.
I’d be first on Alice’s purge list.
We have a good relationship because I’m fooling her well; if my black plans were exposed, she’d swing her sword instantly.
”…… Speaking of which, you’re not wearing your sword now.”
“I returned it to my room earlier. Unnecessary right now.”
True. Would be in the way of the lap-pillow.
“That sword — you’ve used it since your Holy Knight days?”
”…… Yes. My treasure.”
“Hoh. To make Alice say that, is it some renowned weapon?”
“It has slain many monsters, but it’s not a famous blade. Just……”
“Just?”
”…… A precious person passed it to me, so I wield it carrying her will.”
A gentle tone carrying many feelings.
I sneaked a glance at Alice.
In that instant, she wasn’t looking at my ear — she gazed distantly with a tender expression.
“My apologies. Sharing such uninteresting personal stories……”
“I brought it up, no? I’d never heard about Alice’s Holy Knight days.”
“Fufu, you’re talkative today, Lord Ouga.”
“It’s been a while since we had time alone like this. I might be excited.”
“My, my…… then I must talk more.”
After that, Alice told stories as she cleaned ears.
A new recruit joining the Holy Knights, where pay was high and no schooling was required, to give her single mother an early retirement.
A grunt member battered by superiors every day.
A struggling Captain unable to handle paperwork.
The one thing that struck me——
”…… And after Lord Ouga picked me up, I came to be here. Meeting you makes me grateful to fate.”
…… Past-Alice as she described her hadn’t been the kind who fixated on justice as she does now.