A/N: Here's chapter 3! More shenanigans from our girls, a shocking revelation, and a little bit of heart to heart. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Lotte

Izetta was the one of the most fascinating additions Lotte had ever seen in the castle.

She wasn't royalty, she wasn't a hired worker, she wasn't married into the family (although that's disputable), and she was not even an ordinary human.

Although Lotte never witnessed her powers first hand, she knew Izetta was invincible in the battlefield.

But if someone was to look at Izetta in her daily life, nobody would ever guess that this was the witch who was able to wreck tanks and warplanes like they were a child's toys.

Izetta remained humble and meek throughout her whole stay, and although Izetta's interpersonal skills still needed a lot of work, Lotte had never seen Archduchess Finé being this fond of anyone else.

But of course, the person who initially opposed to Izetta's arrival the most was none other than the Commander of the Royal Guards herself, Bianca.

Bianca had always been protective of the Archduchess, and Lotte understood that the commander took her job very seriously, even moments after she was introduced to her.

At least that was what Lotte convinced herself to think.

She had known Bianca for so long, they spent a lot of time around each other while doing their respective jobs for the royal family.

In a way she admired Bianca's dedication and sharpshooting expertise, while at the same time she found it cute that Bianca was actually a maiden at heart who still loved to cherish fairy tales. Lotte often accompanied Bianca sharpening her skills in the yard with the rest of the royal guards.

Finé always loved watching it, although Bianca secretly didn't want her to.

For some reason, she only wanted the Archduchess to see the perfect side of her.

Which was a bit strange for Lotte, because Finé never minded Bianca's flaws at all.

That was when Lotte noticed Bianca's slight blush, awkward mannerisms, and endearing commitment might hide deeper meaning than it seemed to be.

However, it was all but an intriguing, passing feeling.

Everything changed when Izetta dropped the bombshell that she and Finé were secretly dating right under their noses.

Lotte thought Bianca would be overjoyed about this news...but she didn't, and it confirmed Lotte's suspicions.

However, when she watched how much Bianca tried to help Izetta and make Finé happy, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Why is Bianca doing this to herself...?

It kept Lotte wondering...but Bianca wasn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon.

Lotte and Izetta were waiting for Bianca in one of the rooms in the castle, and Lotte just finished combing her hair. The maid just stepped down from her stool and Izetta was in the middle of recounting Finé's reaction to her move the night before when they heard Bianca's distraught voice getting louder and louder.

"I know you are here with the best of intentions... but we really don't need..."

"Don't mind it, don't mind, now where is that adorable little girl? ?"

"Elvira, you're...don't skip like that while wearing high heels, you'll trip!"

"I'm absolutely thrilled! My baby Izetta is all grown up! I can't wait to see her! Izetta...!"

The door of their room opened with a loud bang.

Elvira was there, the bespectacled Atlantian wrapped in a low-cut black dress, stockings, and boots, all of which emphasized her aura of sexual maturity.

If only the person herself was mature though.

Elvira, with her legs as far apart from each other that her miniskirt would allow, opened her arms wide open and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Izetta...! I can't believe this...! You actually interest yourself in adult stuff! I knew you are growing...! Come here and let me measure you again...!"

Izetta's first reaction was to flee.

Lotte saw how her expression changed from pure horror to full-on calculating like the one she usually showed in her pictures in the battlefield. Lotte thought it was beautiful...at least until the three of them saw Izetta made a decision to grab Lotte's stool from the floor and freaking climb up a windowsill.

"Izetta-sama? ?" Lotte exclaimed.

"Izetta...! ? This is the third floor...! !" Bianca screamed.

"It doesn't matter! I can-"

"Are you out of your mind! ? LANDSBRUCK DOESN'T HAVE LEY LINES!"

"Maybe if I will it hard enough I can...! Grandma said the first witch can fly without ley-"

"Izetta...!"

A familiar concerned voice called her from the garden outside the window.

"What are you doing there...?"

The distracted, lovesick Izetta, with one leg already extended outside of the window, raised her arms and waved them in an enthusiastic attempt to greet the Archduchess.

"Princess...! Good afternoo-whoa! !"

"Watch out...!"

Bianca lunged toward the window just in time when Izetta's foot slipped and she disappeared from Lotte and Elvira's sight.

The result of that whole panicked mess was Izetta dangling from the window with Lotte's stool, Bianca barely holding her hand as her butt nearly slipped past the sill, and the Archduchess of Eylstadt having the absolute weirdest day in her whole life.

After doing their best to explain to Finé that no one was drunk and nothing was wrong or intentional, the four of them was back to being sitted in the room. Izetta made sure she sat across from a mildly disappointed Elvira.

"Ahem," Bianca cleared her throat, she was yelling so much her voice was a bit hoarse, "Now that we have established that no one's touching anyone's breasts today... let me elaborate. Elvira here has...something that she wants to say to us."

"I heard about you guys and I want in."

"No," Izetta replied abruptly.

"Such quick refusal! But hey, I have inside information for the Archduchess's...bedroom preferences. How 'bout that...?"

Both Bianca and Izetta raised their eyebrows. They probably didn't realize how similar they were, and Lotte found it a little amusing.

"The Archduchess sometimes confides in me, and yes, despite being a ruler or a country, she's just like all the other maidens out there. She wants that touch of love. Izetta's touch," she said with a dramatic gesture, "However, the Archduchess is still too naive to understand that not everyone can have sex like they're a pair of intermeshing cogs. Hell, I bet noone can. There are upsides and downsides and sides you'd both hate to see of each other, but you have no choice but to shut your trap and lap it up because people have been telling you for centuries that sex is awesome and would never fail. That is so wrong...!"

"Um...and your point?" Bianca asked.

Elvira pointed her finger at Izetta. "Prepare for disappointments. Work on it. Don't just blindly eat it. Give her the orgasm of your life, while having one yourself. If that fails, don't just sit around and cry. Try again. And most important of all, have fun with it. Make her happy, and this is one of the best ways there is," she said, "Now that I get that disclaimer out of the way, I'm going to give you some tips on how to get closer to that goal. Rule number one is, good ol' confidence. You don't have to be a dominatrix, you just have to be sure of yourself! Your charms will shine naturally with that, and the Archduchess would love the sex and the orgasm that comes with it very, very much. Any questions?"

Izetta raised her hand.

"Yes, Izetta?"

"Uh..." she said, "What's an orgasm?"

Elvira stared at her, then at Lotte, who was smiling apologetically, and at Bianca, who gave her an uncaring "you-asked-for-this" shrug.

"...Thank goodness I remembered to give that disclaimer."

Lotte felt that it was probably ten years too early for Izetta to learn about all this stuff.

Lotte knew, sex education was important in this day and age, but their "lesson" was going nowhere, as Izetta kept interrupting the explanation to ask about every little bit of jargon that came her way. It wouldn't be too long until Elvira lost her patience and asked someone to interpret everything for her.

Visually.

"You two! Instead of just standing there uselessly, come and help me out!"

"Huh? Help what?" Bianca asked, flabbergasted.

"This witch has been living under a rock her whole life, it would take forever for her to understand positions, so be our mannequins and get to it."

"What the heck are you making us do? ?"

But before Bianca could protest further, Elvira had pulled Lotte by the hand and pushed her down on the couch.

"Elvira-sama? ? What..."

"Just lie down over there. Bianca!"

"What is it?"

"Show us the missionary position."

Both of their jaws dropped.

"I don't have much time, you'd better make it quick," Elvira tapped her foot impatiently.

"I...missionary position? ?"

"You know the drill. Bend over her, pretend to touch her, and done," she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Bianca and Lotte's eyes met for a moment, and they noticed each other's furiously blushing cheeks.

"I'm...I'm not doing it..."

"Why? Do you want to give a demonstration with Izetta instead?"

"No...! Finé-sama won't forgive me for that...! C-can't we just draw it or something? ?" Bianca blurted out as the color drained from Izetta's face.

"Oh, good point, why didn't I think of that?" Elvira said, and directly searched for a pen and paper, "I also have some lesbian erotica that might interest you, Izetta. You might want to read them."

Izetta sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you. ...Is 'Lesbian Erotica' some sort of guidebook?"

"...as long as you can separate fiction from reality..." Elvira groaned.

Throughout the rest of the lesson, Lotte couldn't bring herself to look at Bianca's eyes.

Bianca refuses it because it's embarrassing, right? This thought kept looping inside her head, There is no other reason...right...?

"Finé-sama won't forgive me for that...!"

Oh...

There's also that reason, she thought gloomily.

"Finé-sama is a romantic at heart. She's the kind of girl who would take her date to a ball and treat her like a queen. She knows how to steal a girl's heart. We just need to interest her in the perfect situation and let romance do the rest," Elvira suggested.

"And that is...?"

"Oh!" Lotte piped up, "I heard from Finé-sama that they didn't get to dance in Lord Redford's party. She looked so bummed out, maybe we can do something about that."

Elvira gazed at her curiously. "Why didn't you get to dance, Izetta?"

"That's...um..." she looked around nervously, "We just...didn't...?"

Now that she mentioned it, Lotte also found it very strange. It was true that Izetta never really mastered the intricacies of ballroom dancing, but...

"I heard it's a masquerade. How is it possible that you didn't...?"

"Uh...we...got interrupted," Izetta admitted.

"You mean someone tried to steal you away from her? You must be too stunning, Izetta-sama," Lotte said, half-joking.

When Izetta didn't reply and instead stared at the floor in embarassment, the three of them cried at her, "Someone did? ?"

Izetta flinched so hard in her denial she nearly fell off her chair. "No! I stayed with Princess the whole time! It's just that...this strange girl did something to me out of the blue and..."

"Did what?"

"She kissed me on the lips and..."

"SHE WHAT! ?"

"...bit my lip in front of Princess and..."

"OH MY GOD-"

"IZETTA, WHAT-"

"YOU KISSED ANOTHER GIRL THAT MUCH? ?"

"YOU CHEATED ON FINÉ-SAMA? ? RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER? ?"

The whole castle could probably hear their screams now.

"I didn't! She just suddenly- B-Bianca why are you pulling out your gun...?"

Bianca's eyes were flashing dangerously. "No one cheated on Finé-sama and lives..."

"Whoa, HOLD IT...!"

A simultaneous tackle from Elvira and Lotte later, Bianca was lying on the floor, and it took ten whole minutes of Izetta babbling out an explanation before Bianca stopped struggling and trying to reach for her gun.

"We must hold a dance party for you," a pissed-off Elvira said, "I don't care if it's just for the two of you. We must!"

After Izetta confessed that she had no confidence in her dancing skills, they decided that they should just hold a private evening dance session under the stars for Finé and Izetta.

They looked for the perfect night, when it was unlikely to rain, and made some simple preparations on the castle rooftop: some decorations and lighting, a gramophone, a table with two chairs for the candlelit dinner afterward. They asked Izetta if she wanted to wear a dress, and she just said that her white witch uniform was enough.

Lotte even put her handwriting skills to use by designing a cute little invitation for Finé, which she accepted joyfully like she just received a slice of her favorite pie.

Lotte was delighted to see the Archduchess so happy like that, but when she thought about Bianca, her feelings became messed up again.

She tried her best not to think about it when she was helping Bianca putting on the leafy decorations on the railings. The skies were an expanse of vast darkness with dots of sparkling stars intermixed with patches of grayish clouds. It was supposed to be a happy day, but a gloomy atmosphere blanketed them as they worked in silence. Or maybe that was just how Lotte felt, because Bianca still looked the same as always.

"Um...but will this be okay...? Finé-sama...she might have more important things to do..."

"I've rechecked it, her schedule today is free. Just relax, Finé-sama is interested in doing anything with Izetta-sama," Lotte replied.

"Is that so?" Bianca chuckled.

Lotte stared at her. Bianca seemed to be in a good enough mood to be humming to herself as she worked.

Lotte swallowed and braced herself.

"Bianca..." she started, "What do you think about Finé-sama and Izetta-sama...?"

Bianca gazed at her curiously. "What do I think...?"

"Yeah...are you happy for them...?"

Her eyes looked empty for a moment. "I should be happy for them, aren't I...?" she smiled, "What I think doesn't matter in the slightest."

Lotte's brows furrowed. "It matters for me."

"What?" she said, surprised.

"Bianca, why are you doing this? If Izetta-sama knows..."

"If Izetta and Finé-sama are happy then what else matters?"

It sounded like a statement of defeat.

Lotte understood, Bianca cared a lot for both Finé and Izetta. She didn't want to get in their way. Her feelings were doomed from the start...and Lotte had no right to intrude.

But she was just...so angry at Bianca.

"Nobody forced her you to help Izetta-sama to this extent. If you don't want to do this, you can just be honest."

"I..." Bianca said quietly, "...like Izetta and Finé-sama. I want them to be happy, just like you do. And it is interesting to see Izetta trying so hard like that. I am intrigued to know more about them."

Lotte didn't buy it.

"Will you stop acting like a tragic heroine or something?"

"What? Who are you calling a tragic heroine?"

"Anyone can see you sulking while putting on those fake tinsels on the rails! You're acting like you've done a noble deed or something, like this is one of your royal guard job, but guess what, it is not."

"Making Finé-sama happy is a part of my job!"

"Then what about yourself? ?"

"It's not important! Why do you care anyway?"

"Because it's annoying seeing you do this whole self-sacrificial thing!"

Lotte was practically shouting at her now, and although Lotte was much shorter and smaller than Bianca, her raised voice still made the royal guard flinch.

They were lucky Finé or Izetta was not around, but Lotte didn't think she would care much. She didn't know why Bianca's behavior had become intolerable for her. Her selflessness and loyalty was intrinsic to her character, that Lotte also liked very much.

"I know...that you would do anything for Finé-sama...and it's not just because of your job," Lotte said with a bitter smile, "You are always so obvious about it, Bianca...even Elvira-sama knows. Even I know."

Bianca refused to look at her, a blush filling her cheek with color.

"And this is not the right way to deal with heartbreak. You might be smiling, but Izetta-sama would find out about your true feelings sooner or later, and she won't be happy about that. She'll stop you from helping her."

"Then she doesn't need to find out."

"But-"

Bianca put a finger against Lotte's lips. "Just..." she sighed deeply, "Just think of this as my way to cope with it...okay? Please."

"Bianca..."

"Please don't tell Izetta or Finé-sama. I beg of you," she pleaded, "I didn't lie. I want them both to be happy. They deserve to be happy while they can. This moment might not last forever."

Bianca patted Lotte on the head and said, "Thank you for being worried about me. But I am honestly fine with this. Finé-sama and Izetta love each other...and it is my duty-no, my wish, to support them with everything I can."

Bianca's gloved hand felt so warm on the top of Lotte's head.

"You are a good girl, Lotte...you understand," she smiled, probably not realizing the tears that welled up in Lotte's eyes, "You're probably the only one who can understand."

"...because I'm your friend...?"

"Because you're my best friend who has served Finé-sama with me for so long," she chuckled, "She's basically our child already. And I sometimes think that little tomboy princess who lies to her guards and sneaks out of the palace in her spare time would never settle down with anybody. Do you remember what the old butlers said about how she would give flowers to pretty girls in the playground, or insist on becoming their prince when they play make believe? Maybe we should have suspected that she's into girls in a big way...but who'd expect that she would be this infatuated with a witch? If Finé-sama ever gives an honest interview about her relationship with Izetta, it would be national news."

Lotte looked at her, observing her expression.

She could swore that she saw a glimpse of a single teardrop rolling down her cheek, but Bianca was clearly beaming at her.

If...

If Finé-sama loves Izetta-sama because she is so selfless...

Why can't she fall in love with Bianca...?

"I'll be okay. I still have you, don't I?" she said with a naughty grin.

How could she laugh when she is in pain...?

Lotte felt like there was still a lot that she didn't understand.

However, she would learn eventually.

Especially...the hot heartbeat in her chest that appeared whenever their skin made contact with each other.

A/N: Next stop: Izetta, a chapter filled with lots of love! Please R&R!