Tina didn’t dare make a single sound.
After deciding to stay yesterday, she had bid farewell to Philina and come to the inner palace.
With Liya’s help, she changed into a maid uniform.
This was the first time Tina, the Ice Saint, had ever worn such an embarrassing skirt…
The dress was adorned with beautiful creamy-white lace and a lovely headpiece.
The blue-patterned corset perfectly matched her hair color.
The white silk stockings that replaced her heavy greaves felt not stuffy at all, but light and comfortable.
One couldn’t help wondering what luxurious fabric this was made of.
Yet a dress designed purely for cuteness—who exactly was it meant to please?
Tina stared into the kitchen.
Lady Gabriella was laughing and getting along perfectly with the demon girls.
She had originally imagined that Gabriella would now be locked in a basement or some hidden room, body bound in chains, eyes and mouth covered, reduced to a tool for the Demon King to vent her desires on.
She would gradually submit through endless teasing, her mind would shatter, and finally, she would completely fall.
But Lady Gabriella… seemed to be doing just fine?
In fact, her status here was remarkably high.
Of course.
The Silver-White Sword Empress had been “controlled,” so naturally these demons saw her as one of their own.
Yet what Tina absolutely could not accept were the horns on Gabriella’s head?!
Those were clearly the massive horns only high-ranking demons possessed, radiating an ominous aura.
The flowing magic in the spiral patterns made one’s blood run cold.
And after removing the silk blindfold, those vertical demonic pupils seemed to confirm her identity… Lady Gabriella had become a demon.
“Tina, you can join them anytime~” Liya said with a hand over her mouth, smiling.
Tina shook her head again.
What exactly was the head maid hinting at?
She had originally thought Liya was a scheming demon girl hiding behind a gentle mask and didn’t want to get close.
But ever since deciding to become a maid, Head Maid Liya had been nothing but attentive toward her.
Last night, after making her decision, Tina had been taken to the maids’ dormitory in the inner palace.
There were many demon girls there.
The difference between humans and demons was as vast as between different species of animals.
At least high-ranking demons, especially in skin tone and accessories, gave the illusion that
“they’re very similar to humans.”
Yet these maids didn’t reject humans at all.
Many even warmly checked on her or asked light, casual questions.
If one ignored the black-themed architecture and the blue will-o’-wisps, the atmosphere here was far better than in the knight order.
But.
Tina wasn’t here on vacation.
She had a [trump card] right now—one strong enough to rescue Lady Gabriella.
She had to tell Lady Gabriella and help her regain her senses.
…
After finishing breakfast preparations, Gabriella was the last to leave the kitchen.
The moment she stepped out and turned the corner, she ran straight into Tina, who had been waiting there for a long time.
Huh?
Who’s this pretty blue-haired little maid?
I’ve never seen her before.
She looks human?
Wait…
Isn’t this the Ice Saint?!
Gabriella distinctly remembered there was no plan for “Tina becomes a maid.”
So the new maid Elsa mentioned was actually Tina!
“Silver-White Sword Empress…?”
Tina’s voice was barely audible.
She was testing the waters, hands clasped together like a harmless little animal.
Though Tina’s expressions were never very animated, and a maid outfit clearly wasn’t going to change that.
Gabriella’s original plan had been to let the knights leave the Demon Domain and withdraw to the Church.
Once the time was right, she would head to the Church herself, lift the curse on her body, assess the internal situation, resolve the conflict between humans and demons, and after everything was perfectly settled, she could continue seducing Isabella~ Wasn’t that the best of both worlds?
She had considered that the two knights might do something irrational.
But Gabriella truly never expected Tina to come straight to the inner palace looking for her.
After a brief silence, Gabriella gave a warm smile and said:
“Tina? You actually became a maid? You look beautiful. What a pleasant surprise.”
“…”
Hearing those words, Tina was visibly moved.
During knight training, aside from Elsa, almost no one had ever called her beautiful.
But the very next moment, Gabriella’s expression turned deeply sorrowful.
“However… ‘Silver-White Sword Empress’ was a title that belonged only to the human me, wasn’t it?”
“Have you really forgotten everything?”
Gabriella simply smiled gently and patted Tina’s head.
“Those are meaningless memories. I am now Isabella’s wife.”
Tina’s face instantly flushed. She didn’t know what to say.
Lady Gabriella really had been controlled—she had become a perfectly loyal little maid.
But…
She still kept her old habits.
Teacher Gabriella used to pat her head all the time.
The feeling of being cared for by her strong yet gentle big sister was truly blissful.
It was as if Tina had gone back several years.
She still remembered it clearly.
Yet the moment she thought of Gabriella now being nothing more than the Demon King’s puppet and weapon, her feelings grew even more complicated.
In the years since, Tina had become a powerful knight, earned the title of Ice Saint, and been entrusted with heavy responsibility by the Holy King to protect humanity.
Even then, she had never again felt that kind of care.
Lady Gabriella really had been controlled by the Demon King.
The old her would never have shown zero rejection toward demons.
Suddenly, Tina looked once more at the two horns on Gabriella’s head and her demonic vertical pupils.
She was already transforming into a demon.
In the future, wings and a tail might grow too.
Still clinging to a sliver of hope, Tina probed again: “You used to be human. Why did you fall in love with the Demon King?”
“Lady Isabella is my everything.”
Gabriella placed a hand over her heart, a blissful smile spreading across her face as though recalling cherished memories.
“I love her. I would give everything for her.”
“Nn…”
Tina’s expression turned complicated.
“Miss Tina, shall I show you around and help you get used to the work here? Or would you rather find Liya?”
Gabriella asked enthusiastically. She wasn’t in a rush to go eat in the maids’ lounge.
“I’d rather learn from you. Miss Liya already agreed.”
Tina suddenly perked up and gave a small nod.
“It won’t be too much trouble for you. I can manage on my own. Back when I was at the duke’s mansion, I did housework.”
Gabriella felt herself practically petrify.
She knew Tina had “defected” precisely because she wanted to save her.
So Gabriella had been turning a blind eye, planning to let all the humans go anyway.
To make Tina understand that trying to save her was pointless, Gabriella was pretending to be the Demon King’s faithful servant, acting fully controlled.
Yet Tina remained completely unfazed.
Hmm, looks like stronger measures are needed.
Gabriella had her ways.
The only strange thing was…
She was clearly just pretending to have fallen, but the words she’d just said… didn’t feel any different from how she usually felt, did they?