“Are you absolutely sure about this, Ayano? I just think that-”

“That is *Lady* Ayano to you! We are not children anymore! You will address me with respect, and you will respect my authority, do you understand?”

“It’s simply just that-”

“You’re afraid, Ferdinand. I understand that. That’s all you need to say. But I have this under control. Soon there will be nothing she will be able to do to harm anyone. All I need from you is your obedience and your generous donations. Is that too hard for you? Give me the gold I need and this entire country will be saved, the world, even!”

My brother turned his head to the side, refusing to look me directly in the eye.

“... We save the world, then return the territory the Monstra took back to the Grisians? Return back to that world where armageddon was held over our head at all times? Where the world might end unless we play nice with those rat bastards? I just-”

“I’m getting frustrated with you. I’ve been over this, and each and every time, I think I’ve gotten through to your thick skull, but evidently there’s a reason why I’m heir to the throne and you’re the bottom feeder of our family. The Monstra are not going to sit pretty in Grisia forever. They’re an expansive force. We already know that they’re devouring their way across the oceans, biding their time for a massive attack. Once they’re ready, they could end the world in a day. The joint force of Terrestia’s militaries can only do so much to hold them back. Oh, or did you forget that, after you forced through a cut to the navy’s budget the last time you showed your face in parliament? Hmm? Or how about when you poached one of our top mages to serve as your personal bodyguard?”

I stand up and turn my back to Ferdinand and sigh as I look out of my office window. The gardeners are using scrolls to purify the corruption out front. The toxicity had already begun to spread across the front garden. I haven’t decided what I want to replace those pretty little flowers with. My heart still aches at the sight of seeing those lilies gone.

I glance back at him. He’s silent. Seething. He thinks he’s a victim because reality doesn’t work the way he wants it too. And I smirk to myself as I realise something. He’s a far more rotten entity, a more corrupting force of nature than Lilly could ever hope to be.

“Remember this- It’s always more advantageous to put your enemies into debt than it is to slaughter them. That’s why we return the country to the Grisians. And if you’re so worried about the annihilation spheres… Well, we’ve already recruited their top mages. Each and every one of them who was still alive after the Monstra invasion, that is. People who are capable of performing the Ars Nihil Sphaera ritual. So, the power of the annihilation sphere shall belong solely to our great nation… Ahh, and, of course, to the Zeers as well, or did you forget that they, too, have long been capable of wiping out our nation should they desire mutual destruction?”

He’s not satisfied. Of course he won’t be. He hates being wrong but he also hates agreeing with people. Me least of all. But at least I’ve shut him up, for now.

“Understood, Lady Ayano. I-”

“How about you cut your little visit short, hmm? It would be good for you to take a little break from all this, Ferdinand. Return home and fuck all those purchased wives who don’t love you. Should help you feel a little better.”

There’s a look of anger in his eyes as though he’s about to punch me. In fact, I see his intentions. His every angle of approach, of which there aren’t many, because he’s an oaf with no real combat training. I could neutralise him in about eighty different ways, even with my sword resting against the wall on the other side of the room.

Without another word, he storms out of the room, and the butler standing outside bows to him as he passes, before bowing to me and shutting the door behind him, leaving me alone in the room.

I sit back down in my leather office chair and sink into it, practically slumping like some uncouth slob. But it feels good. I need to let off some steam after that. Recenter myself for when Lilly arrives.

I think back to what happened merely an hour ago. Part of the reason I provoked her Monstra blood the way I did wasn’t just to convince the nobles of her authenticity, but also just to.. *Understand* her on some level. But as I met her for the second time both as a human, and in her monstrous form, I realised that there was a lot I had been overthinking.

I saw nothing but pain in those pretty green eyes, and even those horrific purple ones. And… When I noticed that, I saw pain in everything about her. Her voice, trembling. The way she moved. The way she restrains herself. In about three minutes, if she had really wanted to, this manor and everyone in it could have been reduced to nothing but blackish purple sludge. I don’t exactly have the mages on hand to neutralise or even kill a powerful Monstra like Lilly. I need them all at the capital, ready at any time to perform the Ars Nihil Sphaera ritual. If a Zeer spy catches wind that we’re vulnerable for even a moment, we could be annihilated as though my country of Selecia had only ever been nothing but a giant, crater shaped lake in the middle of a continent. Thus, not a single mage can be spared for the protection of my estate, because the country as a whole needs them. Especially with nobles like Ferdinand looking to steal away mages for their own selfish protection.

However, because I noticed that pain, everything else about her clicked into place. Her meek attitude is no act, even if she thinks it is. She’s afraid of inflicting harm, afraid of being feared and hated. She wants nothing more than to be a normal girl. But she has the heart of a Monstra, and Monstras want for nothing more than to indulge in sin to the most extreme extent. It seems she has a particular affinity for wrath and lust in particular. And… I had to admit that it is more than a little concerning that she seems willing to reign in her violence, but struggles more in holding back her sexual urges.

There’s no doubt in my mind that she was about to rape me. There’s nothing I could have done to stop her.

Which is why I knew that what I did was the only way to calm down the situation. Just like everyone else in my life, I have to show a force of authority. Pretend that I’m a strong person. That I’m not a feeble liar hiding behind so many layers of masks that I’m not sure who the real me even is anymore. I think she was confused that, for the first time in her life, she had met someone who hadn’t outwardly displayed any fear towards her.

I was afraid for a moment. Just a brief moment. But I remembered her pain. And I realised that, beneath everything, she’s just a wounded puppy. Unfathomably miserable, starved for real affection. When I glimpsed into that innocent core, my fear ceased, and I was able to muster the strength needed to calm her down.

And now I know what it is I need to do next.

~~~

Ten minutes later Lilly was escorted into my room. She had been stuffed into the maid dress I had ordered to be tailored to her measurements. It suited her so well. A short skirted, short sleeved black dress, white trim around the hem of the skirt, and over top the skirt was a white little apron tied into a bow at the back. The chest area was white and frilly, and plenty of room was left around her neck and collarbones to highlight the cleavage of her smallish but pretty breasts. Her previously messy long, dark brunette hair had been washed, combed, and braided. It was still slightly damp, and little bows had been tied into her hair too. The outfit was completed by a set of black silk stockings, going up to just above her knees and below the skirt, so her lovely thighs could be admired.

It was the same outfit all my maids wore, although the head maid received a long sleeved version of the uniform, one which also had a skirt covering her knees. This uniform had been the traditional attire for maids serving the Belfonse family for centuries. I have the power to change it, but if anyone ever brings it up to me, I always use the tradition defence.

But I like it as is. Because in truth, I’m just a sapphic royal pervert.

However, no matter how good Lilly looks, I have to stay focused. She clutches the hem of her skirt, trying to pull it down lower in a useless attempt to hide herself out of embarrassment as she is shown to the chair directly opposite me, on the other side of my mahogany desk. She sits down. She’s blushing, and not looking in my direction. Her face is so red one could easily be fooled into thinking her blood really is the same deep crimson as everyone else’s. She really is a chameleon. It’s hard to think she’s the same person who harbours a Monstra within her.

I turn from her and glance around the room. None of my family members are here, and only one of the other nobles who had visited to negotiate agreements in exchange for gold decided to show up. The Duke of Bluewood, the head of the little estate that had neighboured the Leywood estate. I think he may have seen Lilly a handful of times over the years. He’s a big burly man built like a brick house, more the sort of person you’d assume to be a wrestler rather than a noble. His attire barely fits him, and it’s comical. Besides Bluewood it’s just a handful of maids and butlers, including Priscilla, the head maid. A silver haired beauty with a calm and almost ethereal presence. They were all watching quietly.

Under ordinary circumstances, I could simply dismiss them from the room. That would make what I was about to do much more simple. Of course, however, as was always the case, I was never allowed the opportunity to let my mask slip. Nearly anyone else would crack trying to remain calm under the pressure I was about to put myself under. But I was so used to navigating the un-navigable that it was second nature to me.

I don’t waste any time. I reach into my desk drawer and pull out an iron lock box. It has reinforced metal alloys on the interior, and even a carbon mesh designed to be a material tougher than diamond. Even if someone could break in, anybody stupid enough to try and be lucky enough to succeed would suffer a curse of sickness. I drew the arcane circle for the curse myself. I made sure to customise it to my liking, so that the first thing to happen to them is that their testicles or ovaries wither away into permanent uselessness. I’m mature like that. Not petty at all. The safe I normally keep this thing in has even worse curses protecting it.

It’s heavy, and a struggle to lift, but soon I slam it onto the desk. It doesn’t have any sort of lock that you would usually use a key for, in fact, it doesn’t seem to have a mechanism for opening it at all. That’s because only I can open it in the intended way. I place my hand on the top of the box. The enchantments work together to confirm my identity, utilising my bio-metrics and even reading my soul signature. After a few moments, the lid opens.

And inside is a stone tablet. It glows faintly blue. Text is written on it, but it’s written in a Grisian language that not even native Grisians themselves could read it. Only a handful of scholars in the world are capable of deciphering this text, and I paid them handsomely to confirm that this item is the real deal.

“... I see you’re um… N-Not just… U-Using any old slave contract…” Lilly mutters.

I can sense the fear in her voice. See it in her eyes, as she stares intensely at the tablet, imagining all the awful things she’ll be forced to do once this chunk of stone binds her to my will.

“That’s right,” I reply firmly, “This is an original slave contract, unearthed straight from the ruins of ancient Grisia. Extracted quite recently, in fact, after Grisian lands became infected by the Monstra. Many people died at the… *hands* of the Monstra just to acquire this for me. You were originally bound to an imitation contract. Written on paper, scribed in our native common language of Selecian. Such a contract attracts a young, greedy, inexperienced spirit who demands the consumption of far more gold each month in order for it to be willing to maintain the power of such a shoddy contract. And, as you well know, once the power of such a weak contract fades… The owner of the contract loses control over her slave. With this one, however, the gold price is cheaper, and the spirit will simply take a month off of my life each month if I do not feed it gold, in order to maintain the contract. It is able to do it because the spirits attracted to this tablet are far more ancient, more powerful, more experienced and patient.”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“... In other words, even if… Y-You should go bankrupt like… The L-Leywoods… You will… S-Still have control over me… I-Indefinitely…” Lilly stammers, finishing my thought.

She gulps. I nod in approval.

“Correct. It seems we have reached an understanding. Do my witnesses also understand?”

Bluewood, Priscilla, and the others all nod.

“Good. Then, once each of us have signed this contract in blood,” Everyone in the room recedes into themselves at the mention of ‘blood’, besides Lilly and myself, “You will be forever bound to my will. To the great spirit, I uphold my vow to forever return your kindness. I promise to feed you that which every man and woman desires for the rest of my life, gold, the useless metal, the ultimate symbol of power, the metaphor that upholds order across the world of Terrestia. You shall have all the gold you desire, you shall be fed my desires so that I may fulfil my greater, more important, more decadent dream of laying claim to another’s very soul. I, Ayano La Belfonse, willingly sign this contract.”

The air in the room became heavy, and the tablet began to glow even brighter. Almost everyone could feel it. Like the air had suddenly become twice as heavy, and infinitely more oppressive. The will of an entity far more powerful than anyone had ever known had its attention on this room. And it was listening. Lilly was, of course, cowering, and on the verge of tears, but I sensed that even the Monstra inside of her was receding in fear.

I took my quill, and pricked my thumb, covering the nib in my blood. The sound of a stone scratching echoed around the room as I scribbled down my name onto the tablet, before handing a different, clean quill to Lilly.

“There will be no mercy shown to you if you do not sign. You don’t need to write your name. Just a drop of blood will do.”

I hold my breath. I think everyone is. There’s a chance she might enter into a frenzy again, but I keep my faith. She’s shivering all over, tears are streaming down her cheeks as she shakily holds the quill up to her thumb. The way she’s shaking, it’s almost as if she’s fighting herself, as though her human and Monstra selves are in intense conflict. There’s a sudden twitch, and the quill does more than prick her finger. She drives it straight through it, in one end and out the other, piercing through her thumbnail.

She screams in pain as more than a few droplets land on the tablet. And on the desk, the carpet, and even Priscilla’s dress. Lilly’s blood is purple, of course, but she doesn’t frenzy. No tentacles, no teeth or eyes where they shouldn’t be, just blood. I think I see the blood squirming a bit. Dancing. It's trying to crawl off and away from the tablet, but it doesn’t have the strength nor the confidence. I was right. I had finally found the first thing that a Monstra had ever truly been afraid of. An ancient spirit. It must be the dead soul of a mage who died over 10,000 years ago. Or perhaps an amalgamation of many souls. Either way, it wielded magic and influence that the modern world couldn’t begin to comprehend.

This was a thought that frightened me to my very core. Especially given what I was about to do.

The air in the room slowly began to lighten, and the tablet ceased to glow. I put it back in the lock box and placed it back in its drawer, then watched as Lilly’s thumb healed itself. It seemed that even with the spirit gone, Lilly didn’t feel like going into a frenzy.

“Is it done?” Bluewood gruffly asked, his arms folded.

He was trying to keep his calm, but I could tell that the experience had frightened even him. As always, someone’s eyes always told the truth. He was ready to leave. They were all ready to leave. I was ready for them to go too.

“Yes, it is,” I reply dryly, “It is over. Lilly is now under my thrall. Humanity has successfully enslaved the first Monstra. This is a monumental moment in human history.”

My declaration was punctuated by a tired, relieved sigh. But simply declaring it wasn’t enough.

“Lilly, get on all fours and bark like a dog.”

Without protest, Lilly did as she was asked. It didn’t look like her movements were animated by an outside force. She looked totally natural and willing. Excited, even. Before anyone knew it she was on the floor, on all fours, crawling around the room like a dog.

“Arf! Arf arf arf!”

“No. Woof.”

“Woof! Woof woof woof borf borf borf!”

Eh, the arfs were cuter.

“I think you have proven your point, Lady Ayano-” Priscilla began, but I knew I had to drive the point home even further.

“Lilly, lick Priscilla’s shoes.”

Lilly crawled over and began to drag her tongue across the head maid’s pretty little Mary Jane shoes, licking across the strap, down the sides, licking and lapping like this was the best experience of her life. She even moved her head down to lick at the soles, which were partially caked in dried, muddy soil from when Priscilla had been helping out the gardeners just prior to arriving in my office. She gulped down the brown, foul substance like it was the tastiest treat in the world.

I hadn’t even ordered Lilly to enjoy it.

“I’m leaving,” Said Bluewood, and without even bowing, he left the office.

The others looked at me. They desperately wanted to be dismissed. I could see Priscilla looking down at Lilly with discomfort, but the maid was too afraid to move her feet from Lilly, like she so clearly desperately wanted. She knew that this was necessary for the demonstration of my newfound power over Lilly, after all, and also a punishment for trying to speak out against me.

I waited a few moments so that they may all stew in the discomfort. Let it sink in for them. That I had complete control over the single most individual who possessed the most raw, physical power of anyone else in this world. And that I was willing to embarrass her. Degrade her.

“... You are all dismissed. I wish to be alone with Lilly.”

The way I licked my lips after speaking as I stared intensely at Lilly, I tried to convey to them that I had depraved sexual intentions for the enslaved maid. That I was going to get my own back after she had tried to rape me. It worked. They were practically pushing past each other to get out of the door, and I didn’t even chastise them for forgetting to bow. Only Priscilla did, as she gently shut the door behind her.

And immediately… I breathed a sigh of relief, slumping into my chair. Lilly was still on all fours, crawling around in circles on the floor as though she were trying to chase a non-existent tail. Another thing I had not explicitly asked her to do.

“... Stop fooling around. Sit back down in the seat.”

I actually saw reluctance in her expression as she obeyed, crawling back up onto the seat and sitting back down. She stared at me intensely with a blank stare, saying nothing as she simply… Sat there. It was more unnerving than whenever she was frenzied.

I tried my best to ignore her and took the lock box back out of the drawer. I slammed it down on the table, opened it up, and held the tablet aloft.

“... Why are you getting it back out again?”

Her first spoken words since her enslavement. And they were going to be her last.

For I clutched the tablet with both hands, and began squeezing it with all my strength. It took everything, from my physical power to my latent magical potential, to crush the rock with everything I had. It took about thirty seconds, thirty seconds of pure agony as my hands began to blister and bleed. I began to glow each of the colours of the rainbow, all of them swirling around me as I drew upon the magical reserves in my soul and my ancient royal blood, as I poured everything I had, all of my will into crushing this stone. The room began to rumble, as though the manor were experiencing an earthquake. But I’m fairly sure only I experienced it. It became difficult to breathe, as though I were being choked. It was back again. The spirit was warning me not to go through with this.

But moments later, I did. One moment, the stone was intact, the next, it had crumbled into dust. I panted heavy breaths as I watched a blue mist waft away from the crumbled stone, the grey sand I had just created. In moments the stone was devoid of magical power. I used the remainder of my magic to telekinetically gather up all of the stone and poured it all back into the box, slamming it shut. The mist shouldn’t be able to escape from it, so anyone trying to read the aura of the box would still assume that the tablet is intact and working, even if a lot of the mana was able to escape. A layman wouldn’t notice the difference. I stuff the box back into the drawer and lay back in my chair. My heart began to ache, but I don’t clutch it, even though I want to. It has already begun.

“Why did you do that?” Lilly asked in confusion.

She still had the same intense, blank stare. She still looked like she was waiting for orders.

“I broke the tablet. Ended the contract. You’re free again, Lilly. Free to stay here as my maid, keep up the facade… Or free to kill us all and live a free life. Whatever you want to do. Every possibility has opened back up for you. Case in point- Lilly, I order you to kill yourself.”

She paused for a moment. I wasn’t sure how she was feeling. Neither the shy timid maid nor the frenzied beast, she simply sat in place. Eventually, her mouth opened.

“... No. Huh. I can actually say no. I guess you’re right. Um… So… Why are you… So stupid, again?”

The words cut through me like a knife. I didn’t know how to explain this to her. I don’t know how to explain that I badly want to protect her innocence. See her grow as a real person. To see her *Truly* understand what it is to be a human, not a monster or a slave.

But she will prey on weakness.

“Put simply, it’s because I don’t need it. You could have killed me. Raped me. Destroyed this entire manor. But you didn’t. You apologised. You stammered and tried to apologise to me. And the reason is…”

It’s because Lilly is truly a good person at heart. A good person with a curse. A good person who deserves a better life. Deserves something better than this hell. Something better than me.

“... It’s because you’re weak. We met you whilst you were alone on the Leywood estate, and we only discovered two corpses in the building, when you could have done a lot more. I was only there to claim their assets following their bankruptcy. You could have killed me back then, but you didn’t. You agreed to go through all the paperwork required to have me purchase you, then you got in a limo and stayed calm for a four hour drive. Then you could have killed me yet again not long ago. You could have even raped me. But you didn’t, you couldn’t. As soon as I indicated I didn’t want it, you stopped. You’re weak. And because you’re weak, you’ll submit to my strength. You know as well as I do that, contract or no contract, you’re my bitch.”

‘You’re my bitch’. That phrase made her eyes light up. I smiled knowingly, and so did she. There was a reason I had made her behave like a dog, after all.

“I see how it is…” Lilly looked down at her feet, and she lightly chuckled, and soon, it evolved into a quiet laugh.

It was such a cute laugh.

“You think you’re a good person, huh? Trying to treat a feral animal like a… like a h-human… Wanna see how well that goes for you?”

In an instant, she lunged onto the desk, crawling on top of it. Her eyes were purple, but she hadn't entered into another frenzy. Yet. I could see the blood squirming in her veins, bulging up from just beneath the skin. She grabbed the red tie of my suit and pulled my head close to her. I didn’t flinch.

“I could very easily make you my bitch instead…” She whispered, trailing a finger down my shirt, her sharp nail cutting through the fabric, exposing my cleavage, cutting through my bra.

My heart began to pound. I kept my cool. I pretended I didn’t care.

“I don’t like it when people enslave me… But do you know what I like even less? People who underestimate me… I stammer and bluster my way through the day, play the part of a sensitive maid, just so that people won’t try to kill me… But because of that, people think I’m pathetic. People who don’t know what I really am try to bully me or pity me. If only they understood… How *magnanimous* I am, for not ending their pathetic little lives… Don’t you think it’s about time I started indulging? That I started showing the world what I really am? Maybe then the world would respect me… Maybe then it would be you, the princess, licking *my* shoes… I could stamp my feet upon the faces of everyone on this worthless rock of a planet, forever. Join forces with the Monstra. Install a new order. And you know… Putting aside my old slave contract as a reason… You wanna know the only reason I don’t join them? It’s because they’re a hive mind… They assimilate everything into themselves… And I don’t bow to anyone… Hehehe… That’s why I’ll kill them… I’ll destroy them all, and I’ll become the sole owner of this power! I’ll become the immortal queen of this world, and rule over it for the rest of eternity! Terrestia shall be mine! And I think I shall start by making you mine… You’ll make for an excellent trophy…”

She leaned in to kiss me. Again. So chaste. It didn’t even feel like she wanted to devour me this time. She just wanted a cute little kiss. After all that bluster, and that was the only thing she could think to do. I sighed, and put a finger between my lips and hers. Her lips wrapped around my finger for a brief moment, and then she drew her head back, that confused expression once more on her face.

“Get on all fours. Bark like a dog.”

She looked at me for a few moments, confused. She honestly couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and, honestly, I was surprised that I had the confidence to say it. A scowl formed on her face. She remained exactly in place, as a single sound escaped her lips.

“... Woof.”

It was just as I thought. At the end of the day, she was still human. She may have been treated like an animal by the Leywoods, but she was far from feral. I wanted to keep my moral conscience intact. Freedom was the value I treasured the most. A slave contract was antithetical to my morals. Even if she is dangerous, even if it was deeply irresponsible of me, I simply couldn’t live with myself if I kept her as a slave. Thankfully, by woofing, she had also just proved that she didn’t need to be a slave to be safe to keep around. There was still a lot of work that would be required to truly civilise her, but, I think taking this difficult route is the right decision.

I looked her in the eyes, and smirked. Because even if she was free, she was still naturally submissive.

“Actually, I lied. I preferred the Arfs.”

“... Arf!”

With a sigh I gently pushed her off of the desk and stood up from my chair, doing my best to cover myself up. She really had to stop destroying my clothes if she was going to be my handmaiden.

“Alright… I trust you, Lilly. Please leave and go and find Priscilla. She’ll give you a tour of the place. Show you to your room. Starting tomorrow, we’re going to train you to be my handmaiden.”

“... I’m… Only playing along for now… Because you did something nice for me. The moment I receive unfair treatment, or even if I get bored, you and everyone here are *dead*. I’m through with suffering because other people are indifferent to my pain, or find it fun. Understand, Ayano?”

“That’s Lady Ayano to you.”

“... Hmph!”

With that, she left my office, slamming the door behind her. Thank God.

I returned to my chair and slammed my head against the desk. I finally had the opportunity to indulge and clutch my heart. The burning sensation had only gotten more painful over time since I had crumbled the tablet.

“So it begins, huh… I guess she was so set on looking strong in front of me that she wasn’t able to put two and two together. Oh well. It’s better that she doesn’t know anyway,” I muttered to myself.

I was paying the price for breaking the contract and angering the spirit. It doesn’t want my worthless gold anymore. Once a month, every month, it will take another month off of my life.

In other words, I have given up half of my remaining lifespan. Her freedom had better be worth the sacrifice.