Lily sat up straight on the cushion, attempting to preserve whatever dignity she had left, and surveyed the tabletop.
It looked impressive: dozens of silver platters stood laden with roasted meats drenched in thick sauces, exotic fruits, steaming vegetables, and freshly baked breads.
Crystal goblets filled with dark wine and intricately decorated golden cutlery gleamed under the magical light. Before Vespera’s armchair rested a large porcelain plate with a gilded rim.
Yet in the spot where Lily sat - on the floor right beside her chair - there was absolutely nothing. No plate, no fork, no napkin, nor even a small cup of water.
“Mistress...?” the girl ventured uncertainly, tugging lightly at her gown.
“Mhm?” Vespera purred, pouring herself some wine.
“Where is my place setting? Where is my plate?”
The Demon Queen looked down at her with an expression that clearly conveyed her little rabbit had just asked the most foolish question in the history of the universe.
“Why would you need your own place setting and plate, sweet-talker?”
Lily blinked, stunned.
“...To eat? Like a normal human being?!”
Vespera smiled slyly. She speared a juicy, perfectly seared piece of meat coated in rich sauce with her golden fork and raised it high into the air.
“You have me, my little pet. I shall be your plate and your cutlery.”
Lily instantly clamped her lips shut and leaned her head back, her ears twitching frantically.
“No! I can eat by myself! I have hands, and they're pretty strong now with 11 points in Strength!”
“I know you have hands,” the Demon Queen replied with absolute serenity.
“So give me at least one fork!”
“No.”
“Why?!” Lily squeaked in desperation.
“Because I feel like feeding you myself,” the Demon Queen explained, offering neither an excuse nor a deeper justification.
It was the pure, unbridled essence of her character: she did it simply because she wanted to, and because it brought her pleasure.
She leaned down from her chair, bringing the fork with the steaming meat right beneath the girl’s nose.
“Aaaah...” Vespera offered sweetly, parting her own lips slightly to demonstrate what Lily was supposed to do.
“Mistress... I am not a little child!” Lily huffed fiercely, burning with embarrassment to her absolute limit.
“Of course you aren't,” Vespera agreed, her eyes sparkling.
“You are my obedient bunny. Come on now... Aaaah.”
Stop saying 'aaaah'!
Lily screamed in her head, but the aroma of the roast was so overwhelmingly incredible that her stomach produced a loud, traitorous rumble.
She gritted her teeth and furiously opened her mouth, accepting the juicy morsel straight from the Demon Queen’s golden fork.
She closed her mouth, fully intending to swallow the food with the expression of a wronged martyr.
However, the moment her teeth cut into the tender, juicy meat and the rich, herb-and-wine sauce spread across her tongue, thousands of culinary fireworks literally exploded in her mind. The flavor was otherworldly - a pure, deep, melt-in-your-mouth delight unlike anything her former self on Earth had ever tasted.
In a fraction of a second, all her fury evaporated.
Both of Lily’s long, fluffy ears shot straight up in sheer ecstasy! Her large eyes sparkled with brilliance, and at the back of her suit - entirely beyond her control - her small, fluffy bunny tail began to wag wildly from side to side:
fufufufufu!
Vespera caught her bunny’s physical expression in a split second. The Demon Queen let out a quiet, thoroughly satisfied hum, staring at the vibrating tail.
“Does my pet like the taste?” she asked slyly.
Lily tried to regain control over her face immediately, adopting a detached, cool expression.
“It is... it is entirely mediocre and acceptable, Mistress...” she mumbled, striving to sound composed.
Meanwhile, the tail behind her wagged even faster:
FUFUFUFUFU!
Vespera looked meaningfully at the tail, then at Lily’s turned-away face, and back to the tail again.
Feeling the movement behind her, Lily flushed with monumental embarrassment and frantically grabbed the fluffy puff with her hand, pinning it against her thigh.
“Don't comment on it!” she hissed in shame.
Vespera couldn't contain herself and erupted into a loud, rolling cascade of laughter, relishing her bunny's utterly darling, helpless reaction. Seeing how insanely much her pet enjoyed the dish, the Demon Queen decided to move on to the real fun.
Her nail pointed to a small, gilded bowl filled with sweet, purple fruits resembling a cross between a strawberry and a ripe plum, drenched in thick vanilla cream. Lily scanned them greedily - they looked downright divine.
Vespera scooped up a single fruit onto a small spoon and raised it into the air. Automatically, like a well-trained puppy, Lily opened her mouth, awaiting the bite.
In that exact moment, Vespera pulled her hand back half a meter.
“Hey!” Lily sniffled, disappointed.
“How do we ask, bunny?” Vespera asked sweetly, tilting her head.
Lily froze. Her ears flopped in pure fury.
“...Please,” she forced through her teeth.
The spoon with the fruit remained unmoving.
“Please who?” the Demon Queen pressed relentlessly, a glint in her carmine eyes.
Lily knew there was no escape. If she wanted that divine dessert, she had to swallow her pride.
“Please... Mistress...” she mumbled softly, casting her eyes downward.
Vespera smiled radiantly and slipped the fruit straight into her mouth. The explosion of sweetness was so overwhelming that Lily closed her eyes in pure bliss.
DING!
A semi-transparent blue notification window suddenly popped up before her nose:
[Submission +1 (Total: 4/100)]
Lily nearly choked on the fruit, staring at the notification in absolute bewilderment.
“Even this filthy System is conspiring against me?!” she shrieked in panic.
Vespera, seeing the notification floating in the air beside her bunny, patted her head fondly with deep delight.
“The System simply knows how to appreciate good, submissive manners from my little pet.”
After fifteen minutes of feeding, once the initial wave of hunger had been satisfied and Vespera was serving her further pieces of roast and fruit, the Demon Queen settled back comfortably, resting her cheek on her hand.
“Alright, sweet-talker... tell me,” she purred calmly.
“Tell you what, Mistress?” Lily blinked, swallowing the cream.
“What was my little bunny up to during the entire hour I was away?”
Lily exhaled and began to coherently list her whole ordeal: she recounted her meticulous analysis of the sprawling skill tree, her methodical farming of Pleasure Energy points by kneading her own breasts, her purchase of the [Heavy Hips] perk and its effects, her initial encounter with the stern Cordelia, and being forced to put on the skimpy bunny suit.
And when she reached the moment she stepped across the bedchamber threshold...
“AND BESIDES!” Lily exploded suddenly, perking her ears and pointing a trembling finger straight at Vespera’s face.
“That whole terrifying illusion with the guards and maids in the corridor... that was your doing, Mistress!”
Vespera didn't even bother to deny it. The Demon Queen laughed softly and took a sip of her wine.
“Did you enjoy it, darling?”
“I THOUGHT HUNDREDS OF DEMONS WERE STARING STRAIGHT AT MY BARE ASS AND THIGHS!” Lily squeaked desperately, her face bright red.
“I know,” Vespera replied with radiant, predatory delight.
“WAS THAT YOUR ENTIRE GOAL, MISTRESS?! TO MAKE ME FREEZE FROM TERROR AND EMBARRASSMENT?!”
“Precisely that,” the ruler admitted without a shred of guilt.
“I wanted to secure the wonderful amusement later of knowing just how much your tiny, fluffy ears were trembling at the thought of being ogled while looking and acting like a whore.”
Lily gritted her teeth and began furiously muttering insults under her breath at her shameless, perverted antics, while Vespera, with stoic calm and a broad smile, continued enjoying the next courses.