Chapter 3: The Demon King’s [Gift]

“Demon King-sama loves these the most…” Gabriella murmured softly.

Memories from long ago suddenly surfaced.

She still remembered the very first time the Demon King took notice of her.  

It was because she had stepped in for another maid and cooked some desserts for Her Majesty.

Those sweets seemed to carry some kind of magic.  

They made Isabella look anew at this brainwashed human, and little by little their relationship shifted from sovereign and servant into lovers.  

That surprised, innocent taste of first love still swirled in Gabriella’s mind even now.

The reason she had stopped in front of the kitchen was simple.  

This place was where everything had begun.

She gently touched the black ring on her ring finger.

Originally, this ring had been the collar that controlled her power and thoughts; once a tool the Demon King used to punish her.

Now, that collar had been reforged into a delicate, exquisite ring.

Its surface resembled obsidian, or perhaps a piece of beautiful black jade.  

At the center was set a crimson gem that made the whole thing look even more gorgeous and refined.

“Phew”

Gabriella let out a long breath, trying to calm herself.

Yet she realized her body was only growing hotter. 

Every time Isabella’s figure appeared in her mind, her temperature rose, as though she had been cursed!

A ball of fire seemed to burn fiercely inside her chest, then that heat suddenly flowed down to her lower abdomen.

What on earth was happening?

Lost in thought, Gabriella suddenly looked down.

A semi-transparent black veil filled the diamond-shaped cutout at the abdomen of her pretty dress.  

Through the fabric, a faintly glowing purple-red lines could be seen.

Gabriella could hardly believe her eyes.

She stepped into the kitchen and stood before a full-length mirror, examining her body.  

Beneath the thin black gauze, her flat, flawless abdomen; white skin with just a hint of muscle definition; now bore a tiny diamond-shaped mark that emitted a purple-red glow!

The diamond was only the size of a fingernail, yet it gave her an ominous feeling.  

Around the mark, countless microscopic lines continued deeper into her fragile skin, as if silently corroding her from within.

This mark radiating sinister energy was none other than the sign of kin transformation.

Gabriella’s face went deathly pale.  

As expected, that kiss had been the problem!

She absolutely did not want to become the Demon King’s kin; an obedient, sweet wife who would be pinned down and ruthlessly punished!

“What do I do… nngh…”

She collapsed to her knees, clutching her pure white abdomen, face ashen.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind.

“Lady Gabriella?”

The one who appeared was a demon maid.

She was tall and slender.  

The maid outfit added a touch of seductive charm to her already lovely figure.  

Pure white thigh-high stockings traced the curves of her legs, and her little leather shoes made no sound against the floor.

Bat-like wings grew from her back, and a demon tail poked out from under her skirt, swaying left and right.

Her violet eyes were filled with confusion, but understanding quickly followed.

She helped Gabriella up from the floor while comforting her.  

“Lady Gabriella, what happened?”

This maid, who could only be described as adorable, was the demon girl named Liya.

She served as head maid in the Demon King’s castle; the highest-ranking maid after Gabriella herself.

When Gabriella had been brainwashed into a maid, Liya had been her friend.

She would take care of Gabriella, comfort her when she made mistakes at work, and the two gradually became friends.

Liya was a very gentle, communicative big-sister type.

Later, she became a standard high-ranking demon; one of the strongest fighters directly beneath the Demon King, and the most powerful maid besides Gabriella.

“Lady Gabriella, are you alright?”

“I’m fine…”

“Could it be… a little lovers’ quarrel with Her Majesty? Don’t worry, everything will pass.”

“We didn’t quarrel.” Gabriella hesitated before answering.

She felt terrible right now.  

The moment she realized she was about to be turned into a kin, her entire body had gone limp.

The perceptive Liya immediately noticed Gabriella clutching her abdomen.

“Lady Gabriella.”  

A look of sudden understanding crossed Liya’s face.  

“So… you’re pregnant?”

Gabriella’s delicate body trembled.

A glimmer returned to her eyes, and a little of her rationality came back.

“No! Liya, how could I possibly be pregnant after just one night?!”

“Then you fought with Her Majesty?”

“Not that either.”

Gabriella didn’t know how to explain.

She obviously couldn’t say she had regained her memories right before the defeat-and-corruption scenario was about to begin!

She could guarantee:

If she told the truth, not only would Liya not help her escape; she would deliver Gabriella straight back into the Demon King’s arms.

Yet if she just sat here and did nothing, she would still have no way out.

Gradually, Gabriella calmed down, though her voice still carried the softness of someone thoroughly spoiled.

“I’m about to turn into a demon.”

Hearing this, Liya smiled brightly, as if recalling a pleasant memory.

“Lady Gabriella, I told you before, didn’t I~?  

Demonification isn’t actually a complicated process. You just need to periodically accept the Demon King’s [Gift].”

“Gift? What’s that?”

“It’s the power a demon gives to their kin; the method that helps them complete the transformation into a demon.”

Gabriella was puzzled. She had never seen anything like a so-called Gift.

And if I simply refuse to accept this so-called [Gift], wouldn’t that stop the kin transformation?

Liya patiently explained at once.  

“Lady Gabriella, once a kin accepts the [Gift], their body grows feverish and they can never forget that comfortable feeling. Her Majesty must have given it to you tonight, right?”

At those words, Gabriella’s pupils dramatically widened, then shrank.

Wasn’t that exactly her current “symptoms”?!

Her body really had started feeling warm; just like Liya described.

But she and the Demon King hadn’t done anything special.

They had only kissed, slept together, and then she had been allowed to leave.

Wait!

Gabriella suddenly tensed.

Could the kiss itself have been the [Gift]?

“If you go too long without receiving the [Gift], you’ll grow physically weak, emotionally unstable, even go mad… and in the end die a miserable death…  

So my advice is: during this period, you absolutely must depend on Her Majesty.”  

“She will surely pamper you and keep giving you the [Gift] until you’ve fully become a demon~”

Liya’s gentle explanation became the final straw that crushed Gabriella’s heart.

Gabriella’s face turned deathly pale, as if her very soul had left her body.

She hadn’t even started running away yet, and already… she realized she probably couldn’t escape.