Gabriella had lost.
She had lost to the Demon King—not in strength… but because from the very beginning, Gabriella had never had the slightest chance of resisting her.
She had already been under the Demon King’s control.
This defeat had been decided eight years ago.
Tina had still clung to a shred of hope for the fate of the Silver-White Sword Empress Gabriella.
Especially when she had met her on the march, she had even believed she could make up for her past mistakes, take her away, and return everything to how it once was.
But now it was far too late.
Lady Gabriella truly had been brainwashed and controlled by the Demon King.
Her once-sacred figure had been defiled by the demon.
She was held by the waist, forcibly kissed, explored, and perhaps even…
Tina couldn’t bear to think further.
“It’s all my fault… Lady Gabriella, it’s all my fault. I’m the one who caused you to end up like this…”
“Even Lady Gabriella… couldn’t defeat the Demon King in the end?”
Philina murmured beside her.
Unfortunately, their limbs had long since been bound by a high-ranking demon maid.
Even the magic in their bodies was sealed.
What awaited them now was nothing but captivity and imprisonment.
After stripping them of their armor and weapons, Liya fastened shackles around their wrists and necks, then attached the chains to her own hand to ensure they could not escape.
They were surrounded by demon soldiers, cold blades pressed against the backs of the two human knights, forcing them to march into the Demon King’s Castle alongside the demon army.
Throughout the journey, Tina had not given up.
She kept observing the castle and watching for any sign of Lady Gabriella.
But Gabriella had been carried into the sky in the Demon King’s arms and had vanished from sight.
They passed through the impregnable outer walls.
In the distance rose a dense cluster of buildings as prosperous as an imperial capital.
After crossing the streets, the demons apparently decided ground travel was too slow.
Tina and Philina were bound again and lifted into the air, dragged along as the demon forces flew—prey in the talons of birds of prey.
At first the height made them dizzy, but once they adjusted, they had already crossed artificial rivers and another set of walls, finally arriving at the quieter inner city.
This place was different from the outer districts. Fewer demons flew overhead.
Ornamental gardens and towering, elegant structures lined the streets.
They were escorted into a tall spire—an edifice that seemed purpose-built as a prison for humans.
Yet Tina was surprised.
Inside the tower was no maze of cells or complicated corridors.
There was only a vast, dark chamber.
Countless chains hung from the walls, all converging on a single black cross in the very center.
Shackles of gleaming metal adorned the left, right, and top of the cross.
The floor was etched with sinister runes that pulsed with faint crimson light, oozing strange magic.
It felt as though the entire tower had never been meant to hold ordinary criminals—it had been built to bind a single person.
Liya, the maid who had escorted them, smiled gently at the two knight girls.
“Dinner will be brought by the maids tonight. There are temporary rooms over there with beds and daily necessities. It might be cold here, so please bear with it for a while.”
With that, she unlocked the chains around their necks and freed them from their bindings.
The tower gates had already sealed shut with a heavy thud.
Only the three of them remained inside.
“Where is this? Who are you?”
Tina demanded.
“This was the execution ground the Demon King once prepared for Lady Gabriella.
It has been abandoned for many years now.
Oh, and just call me Liya.
We won’t see each other often—I was only in charge of bringing you here.”
“What are you going to do to us?”
Philina growled.
“That’s not something the defeated should be worrying about.”
“…”
Philina fell silent after that.
“Liya… miss,” Tina asked, voice trembling, “what did the Demon King do to the Silver-White Sword Empress? Has she really been brainwashed all this time?”
“Loving the Demon King was Lady Gabriella’s own choice. She was never brainwashed.”
“You’re saying Lady Gabriella betrayed humanity?!”
“Wasn’t it humanity that betrayed Lady Gabriella first?”
“Lies!” Philina shouted.
The moment her restraints vanished, she lunged forward—only for her body to instantly go limp.
If she hadn’t caught herself, she would have collapsed to the floor.
A black magical chain had suddenly sprouted from the shackle around her neck, its other end tethered to the black cross in the center, sealing her power once more.
“Damn it!”
Philina dropped to her knees in fury.
Liya had clearly anticipated Philina’s outburst; she showed no surprise and calmly continued:
“Lady Gabriella and the Demon King held their wedding not long ago. At the ceremony, Lady Gabriella accepted the proposal, put on the Demon King’s ring… and had her power returned to her.”
Tina couldn’t understand.
She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came.
It was as if the answer had already been given.
Liya soon departed, leaving Tina and Philina alone in the cold tower.
The demon maid’s words echoed endlessly in Tina’s mind.
Lady Gabriella fell in love with the Demon King.
In all these years, it was the most absurd conclusion Tina had ever heard.
It had to be a trick—to sow discord among humans.
Yet she could find no flaw in the maid’s reasoning.
She walked to the simple bed at the edge of the tower and sat down, suddenly lost.
Fragments of the past flickered before her eyes, reflected on the dark floor.
Every memory filled her with bitter regret.
Right now, Lady Gabriella was suffering—bearing the sins born from humanity’s betrayal.
How much time had passed?
The tower gates creaked open again. Outside, dusk had already fallen.
A beautiful maid stepped inside, pushing a dinner cart.
Her long, silver-white hair gleamed beneath the white headpiece.
The food on the cart smelled so delicious that both knights unconsciously swallowed.
They looked up—and froze.
Beneath the pristine maid headdress was a face six or seven parts similar to Gabriella’s—stunningly beautiful.
A voluptuous, perfectly honed figure filled the maid dress with adorable charm.
Long legs wrapped in white stockings.
The once-hawk-sharp eyes of a warrior had been completely replaced by refined elegance and grace.
It was someone they could never mistake—Grand Commander Elsa.
Yet now, she no longer carried the aura of a knight.
She radiated the exact same presence as Liya—a perfect maid.
“Grand Commander Elsa?! Why are you here?!”
Philina’s shocked cry echoed through the tower.
Elsa gently lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a flawless curtsy.
“Let’s sit down,” she said softly.
“We have plenty of time to talk.”
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