Gabriella stared at the fading afterimage of the mysterious girl, gently touching the black ring on her ring finger.
It was the wedding ring Isabella had given her.
She had forgotten to take it off before leaving, so she simply kept it on.
Who would have thought it would end up absorbing that girl’s shadow power just now?
Liya definitely knows something.
And that dark girl born from the demonic armor was, with extremely high probability, either a legendary apostle of the Evil God or a servant who had inherited a fragment of her power.
There was even a chance her appearance had been meant to revive the Evil God.
But what does that have to do with me?
Gabriella fell into thought, but now was not the time to ponder such things.
“Lady Gabriella!”
Tina staggered over, her ice-blue hair covered in dust, looking rather battered after the fight.
“We… we did it… As expected of Lady Gabriella. Fighting alongside you was truly an honor. Could it be… you are the legendary 【Divine Maiden】?”
Philina followed closely behind and nodded as well.
“I… I thought we were done for. You really are strong—just like Lady Elsa always described.”
Both girls’ clothes were somewhat torn, their bodies pushed to the absolute limit, yet their faces glowed with triumphant smiles, celebrating their victory.
Gabriella’s mood wasn’t bad either.
This had also been her first real battle since regaining her power.
The feeling of unleashing the strength within her and annihilating the enemy… it really did feel good.
But she might have gotten a little carried away and accidentally tore straight through the Demon King’s Castle defensive barrier~
Ever since the fight ended, that burning sensation had returned inside her body.
Her chest and lower abdomen began to itch faintly. Her body was desperately craving the Demon King’s 【Gift】 once more.
Gabriella’s cheeks flushed crimson.
Images from the last time she had satisfied that need involuntarily flooded her mind—being pinned down by the Demon King in the office.
Why does it feel so good…
Every time she recalled the precise sensations of being caressed by the Demon King—the initial slight ache that gradually melted into warmth and comfort—those feelings echoed through her mind.
Just remembering that scene made her head spin, like soaking in a hot bath after an exhausting day, wrapping her damp body in a warm towel, slipping into bed, and slowly drifting into drowsy, blissful sleep until fatigue swallowed her entire being, right down to the depths of her brain.
“…Haa.”
Gabriella let out a long breath, forcing down the instinctive desire surging through her body.
“Lady Gabriella?”
Tina noticed something was wrong. She had still been basking in the joy of victory moments ago.
She hurried to Gabriella’s side, worry in her voice.
“Are you alright? Did that demon do something to you…?”
Gabriella shook her head, trying to act as if nothing had happened.
“I’m fine.”
“Lady Gabriella, watch out!”
Philina’s shout snapped her back to full alertness.
A wave of overwhelming dark magic surged through the air as a black afterimage flashed down from the sky.
A beautiful demon girl descended—two massive curved horns crowned her head, and behind her unfurled black demonic wings adorned with golden patterns like the carvings on ancient murals, mesmerizing and magnificent.
Beneath her gorgeous dress, her legs—clad in black over-the-knee stockings—hovered above the filthy ground, suspended by dark magic.
It was Isabella.
Yet her deep, abyssal eyes were filled with remorse and guilt.
She gazed at Gabriella as though wanting to speak, yet remained silent.
Tina and Philina both sucked in a sharp breath.
“She’s… the Demon King?!”
“Why is she here?!”
The moment Gabriella saw her, every cell in her body cheered.
It’s Lady Isabella~
But she immediately sensed the two trembling girls behind her and realized—this was not the time to reveal her identity.
“Gabriella.”
Isabella’s voice quivered.
Though she maintained her regal dignity, Gabriella could still hear the sorrow beneath it.
“Gabriella… so you really remembered everything?”
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily drifted to the ground.
This wasn’t an accusation—it was penance.
Before the wedding, she had released the memory seal on Gabriella and returned all of her power.
She had waited to see what Gabriella would do.
Would she accept her love, or would she become once again the Silver-White Sword Empress who had come to slay the Demon King?
When she saw that silver light tear through the sky, her heart had stopped for half a beat.
That was the full might of Gabriella at her peak—the sacred power that cleaved darkness!
Seeing her standing shoulder-to-shoulder with humans, flanked by two knights, Isabella finally understood Gabriella’s choice.
“Why…”
Isabella’s voice was barely a whisper, as though asking herself as much as Gabriella.
So in the end, she still hates me?
Of course. How could she ever forget all the harm I did to her?
She raised her head again, eyes now a tangled storm of regret and anger.
“Gabriella… why have you betrayed me?”
Gabriella’s delicate body trembled.
Not from fear.
Not from being cornered by the Demon King.
She was shaking from pure exasperation.
What the heck is Lady Demon King doing right now?!
Before leaving, Gabriella had asked for permission to “deal with” the human knight order.
And Isabella had just… agreed? Just like that?!
To avoid suspicion and ensure everything went smoothly later, Gabriella had even sweetly told her right before departing:
“No matter what happens, I’m always on Lady Demon King’s side~”
She had laid the hints on thick! She was certain Isabella understood the plan.
The plan to use her human identity to lure the enemy deep inside and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
Yet everything that had just happened proved Isabella had no idea what she was doing!
Did she really just let me go out of blind trust?
Damn it! Idiot! Idiot!
If I genuinely wanted to betray her, why on earth would I go out of my way to march straight into the Demon King’s Castle?!
I’m literally leading all the humans right into the trap!
Left with no choice, Gabriella silently mouthed the words toward Isabella, hoping she would catch on.
Roughly: Play along with me. Defeat me.
Only then did Isabella’s eyes widen as if a lightbulb had finally gone off.
But no matter what Isabella was thinking, Gabriella had no intention of dragging this out any longer.
In the end, she had to lose to the Demon King and let these humans be taken prisoner.
All she needed now was a perfectly reasonable way to exit the stage.
Pretend to lose to the Demon King.
As Isabella’s former defeated opponent, losing to her again would be the most natural thing in the world, wouldn’t it?
“Yes… I remember everything now. Last time you only beat me by sheer luck!”
Gabriella gripped her silver holy sword and began walking toward Isabella.
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