When the monumental, double-winged dark wood doors yielded soundlessly under the pressure of Cordelia’s white glove, Lily took a deep, slow breath through her nose.
The cool air, steeped in the aromas of luxurious delicacies, filled her lungs, bringing a strange, refreshing relief after the long, emotionally exhausting trek.
Alright... Calm down, Lily. It’s just a stupid dinner, she repeated to herself in her mind with pure, pragmatic determination, taking awkward, tense steps on her lacquered heels.
At the end of the day, you’re going to eat.
I’ll just sit at the table, eat something exceptionally delicious, relax in a soft chair, and try to quietly ask the Mistress about some interesting details regarding the world and the palace.
What could possibly go wrong during a simple meal?
Stepping into the dining hall, Lily expected a traditional courtly scene: a massive dining room illuminated by chandeliers, buzzing with bustling servants, an orchestra playing in the background, and perhaps even a row of menacing demon wives glaring at their sovereign's new mascot.
Reality, however, struck her with a drastic, almost overwhelming contrast.
The hall was simply gigantic. Monumental arched ceilings vanished into the shadows, from which only soft, purple-gold streams of magical light cascaded, reflecting off the black, high-gloss polished marble.
The walls were adorned with grand silk tapestries depicting bloody battles and dynastic crests, and right in the middle of this vast expanse stood a monolithic table crafted from black oak, capable of easily seating at least fifty people.
Yet the space was completely, absolutely empty.
There were no servants carrying trays, nor were there guards standing by the pillars. And - what was evidently most bewildering - there was no sign of the promised seven demonic wives.
At the far end of that enormous tabletop, sitting in a solitary, high-backed ebony armchair cushioned in purple velvet, was Vespera alone.
The Demon Queen was neither busy reviewing documents nor sipping wine. She sat with her chin rested on her hand, leaning an elbow on the table, staring straight toward the opening doors with absolute, predatory focus - as if she had been waiting motionless for a good fifteen minutes solely for this exact, specific moment.
The instant Lily’s silhouette emerged from the threshold, a radiant, devilishly wicked, and terrifyingly sweet smile bloomed across Vespera’s voluptuous, breathtaking face.
“Aaaaah...” she purred low, her velvety, deep voice echoing powerfully through the empty hall.
“My sweet, tiny little thing has arrived at last...”
Lily froze in the middle of the floor, feeling all her confidence melt away in a fraction of a second. Her ears shot straight up, before wilting helplessly to cover her cheeks.
Vespera slowly straightened up in her armchair, her red eyes flaring with intense, predatory interest. The Demon Queen had not yet seen the results of her pet’s recent transformation - after all, she had left the bedchamber back when Lily was still a petite, somewhat boyishly contoured bunny.
Her gaze attacked the girl's body dressed in the bunny suit with pure, brazen precision.
First, she looked at the long, fluffy ears trembling in the air, then slid down the small black bow at the stiff collar, appraised the matte, corset-style bunny suit accented with silver embroidery, descended to the delicate, deeply nipped waist... and then her eyes froze.
Her carmine pupils dilated in a fraction of a second, registering the drastic anatomical alteration.
Lily’s hips were now terrifically, sensually wide. Emerging from the small, tight corset was a heavy, luscious mass of buttocks and thick thighs encased in black stockings, granting her petite frame the shape of a flawless, hyper-provocative hourglass. At the back of the suit, her white, fluffy tail stood out proudly, resting upon her newly sculpted pelvis.
A long, intensely heavy silence fell.
Lily began to squirm under that appraising gaze, shifting her body weight from one aching foot to the other and feeling her cheeks burn a scorching crimson as she stood in the hush while the most powerful woman in the world evaluated her appearance in a bunny suit.
Cordelia, meanwhile, stood beside her like a statue, arms folded over her stomach, staring impassively ahead.
“...What did you do to your ass, bunny?” Vespera finally asked, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes dangerously.
Hearing the question, Lily instantly forgot her embarrassment. Puffing out her small chest proudly, she lifted her chin and declared with deep satisfaction in her new, sickeningly sweet voice:
“I earned twenty Pleasure Energy points and invested them! I even increased my Attributes by quite a substantial number of points!”
She mentally pointed to her unique perk, [Heavy Hips], expecting the mighty ruler to appreciate her determination in raising her stat indicators.
Vespera shamelessly ignored the mention of Strength and Endurance points. To the Demon Queen, numbers in attribute slots carried not the slightest weight - what mattered exclusively was the visual and tactile result of that drastic modification.
“Cordelia,” Vespera called out coldly, her gaze never wavering from the girl's wide thighs.
“Your Highness?” the Head Maid replied stoically, offering a slight bow.
“Why was I not informed that my sweet bunny tripled the volume of her hips and buttocks in the span of a single hour?”
“The modification occurred immediately following Your Highness's departure from the private chamber,” Cordelia explained matter-of-factly.
“A tragic communication oversight...” Vespera muttered, a thoroughly satisfied, predatory smile slowly blooming on her lips.
“A true oversight...”
“The most important thing is that I gained a whole ten points in physical Strength!” Lily protested loudly, waving her hands around. “I can kick harder now and throw much more powerful punches!”
“Of course, darling... of course,” Vespera purred condescendingly, her expression clearly conveying that she couldn't care less about those Strength points.
Seeing that the Demon Queen was brushing off her point gains, and wanting to escape this awkward subject as quickly as possible while relieving the burning ache in her feet caused by the heels, Lily looked toward the table. Right next to Vespera’s armchair stood a chair crafted from dark wood, upholstered in soft black velvet.
The girl took a deep breath and, limping on her high heels, moved briskly in that direction.
“And where do you think you’re going, sweet-talker?” came the Demon Queen’s amused, halting voice out of nowhere.
Lily stopped mid-stride, turning her head toward her and narrowing her eyes adorably.
“...To dinner?” she blurted out, as if explaining an obvious fact to a small child.
“I see,” Vespera replied, resting her chin on her hand and trailing a finger along her wineglass.
Lily extended a trembling hand, pointing at the velvet chair beside her.
“So I just wanted to sit down and eat.”
The Demon Queen looked at her with an expression of genuine, absolute bewilderment, before her eyebrows arched high.
“On a chair?”
Lily felt an ice-cold pulse of panic shoot down her spine.
Oh no... Not again. She’s cooked up something else.
“Yes...?” she forced out uncertainly.
Vespera dissolved into a quiet, melodious laugh, relishing every second of her pet's bewilderment.
In this world, the traditions and strict code of the demonic court were ruthless - the only beings granted the privilege of sitting at the same table as the Demon Queen were her official wives. No one else, regardless of rank or lineage, possessed the right to rest on the same level as the sovereign.
Instead, right beside Vespera’s slender leg, resting directly on the marble floor, was a small, breathtakingly luxurious cushion crafted from plush black velvet, heavily embroidered with gold thread.
Vespera extended a hand with a lazy motion, pointing at it with her black-painted nail.
“Your place is right here, bunny.”
Lily stared at the cushion in utter astonishment.
“...No,” she blurted out instantly, shaking her head so hard her ears flapped in the air.
“Mistress! I’m not sitting on the floor by your leg like some dog!”
The Demon Queen did not fly into a rage at her pet's resistance. She didn't even raise her voice, slam her palm on the tabletop, or flare with threatening magic - instead, she did something infinitely worse. Her voice turned terrifyingly, overwhelmingly sweet, saturated with a quiet, absolute dominance.
“Bunny...” she purred low.
Hearing that tone and feeling those eyes locked onto her, both of Lily’s fluffy ears collapsed and plastered themselves tightly against her head in a fraction of a second.
“Over the last hour,” Vespera began laying out slowly, gazing down at her with a carmine, paralyzing stare.
“You were granted ownership of a luxurious room in my private wing. You received a custom-crafted outfit, the personal care of my Head Maid, the inviolability offered by my own crest, and an invitation to my private dining chamber.”
She paused for a split second, leaning gently toward her.
“Do not make me remind you at this table for what exact reason you receive all these things, my little pet...”
Vespera’s words struck Lily like a sledgehammer. She had laid it out without sugarcoating it: she was not an guest of honor here. She was not a princess, nor a conversation partner.
She was the Royal Pet - the Demon Queen's personal, living toy.
Being the ever-pragmatic creature she was, Lily looked at the cool marble, then at her aching feet, at the cushion, at the delicious food steaming on the table... and finally at Vespera’s dangerous smile.
“Mistress... Is it at least a comfortable cushion?” she mumbled resignedly, sniffling.
“The most expensive and softest in the entire palace,” Vespera offered radiantly.
Lily approached awkwardly, sank to her knees, and let her new, heavy rear fall into the plush velvet. The softness of the cushion was downright otherworldly, and the pain in her feet eased instantly, somewhat sweetening this brutal loss of dignity.
Sitting on the floor beside Vespera’s thigh, Lily lifted a pleading, despair-filled gaze to Cordelia, who stood by the doors. The Head Maid was her sole anchor of normalcy and sanity in this insane castle.
Cordelia looked down at her from behind her glasses.
“I wish you an exceptionally peaceful and pleasant dinner, Lady Lily,” she offered matter-of-factly, executing a light bow.
“Cordelia...!” Lily blurted out instantly, her sweet voice transforming the call into a quiet, heartbreaking whimper.
The maid paused her hand on the doorknob.
“Yes?”
Lily’s look said absolutely everything:
I beg you by all that is holy! Don't leave me alone with this lunatic!
She’s going to finish me off here!
Cordelia read that silent plea flawlessly. Across her cold, alabaster face passed a microscopic shadow of understanding. And yet...
“Good night,” the maid tossed out shortly, stepping through and soundlessly shutting the heavy oak doors behind her.
Traitor! You heartless, professional traitor! Lily screamed internally, staring at the empty doorway with her mouth open.
The Demon Queen settled back comfortably in her armchair, her hand descending onto the girl's soft hair, beginning to stroke it with slow, commanding strokes.
“Finally, we're all alone, bunny...” she whispered in vindictive delight.