Chapter 42: Awakening the 【Shadow】 That Adores Her

Gabriella had originally planned to be a little more subtle, but she hadn’t expected Isabella to be the one who couldn’t hold back any longer.

In the eyes of demons, her horns were exactly what a peerlessly beautiful woman should have. 

Given Gabriella’s already outstanding looks and temperament, it was only natural that such gorgeous horns would grow on her.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Isabella’s neck and gently settled herself onto the thighs wrapped in black over-knee stockings, like a cat perching on someone’s lap.  

Only, this “cat” was far more seductive and clingy, practically a succubus.

She lightly tapped Isabella’s shoulder with one horn, silently inviting her to touch.

Horns represented a demon’s dignity. 

Their shape and appearance, to a certain extent, determined one’s power and status.

And in demon culture, allowing someone to stroke your horns was the ultimate symbol of intimacy.

It meant handing over all of your pride and dignity to the other person, entrusting everything to Her Majesty the Demon King~

Isabella’s tail trembled involuntarily, then coiled around the silk ribbon of the maid dress, slowly gliding along the ribbon and wandering over the floral patterns on Gabriella’s white stockings.

Gabriella’s little-devil voice lingered by Isabella’s ear.

“Your Majesty Isabella… if you pet me, will it make you feel much better?”

Gabriella gazed at the Demon King with eyes full of longing.

Isabella nodded. 

One arm circled Gabriella’s waist and slowly pulled her closer, while the other hand reached up to caress the glossy black horns sprouting from silver hair, fingers gently tracing the smooth ridges.

A tingling, electric sensation spread from her scalp throughout her entire body.

Like a pampered kitten, Gabriella half-closed her eyes, arched her back, and angled her head so the Demon King could stroke her horns more easily.

She let out a voice that was thirty percent seduction and seventy percent bliss, confessing exactly how it felt.

“So good… Master♡… haa~ I want… even more petting.”

Normally, Gabriella would never, ever call the Demon King “Master.”

That word was far too humiliating; it was the sound a proud slave made after being thoroughly tamed day and night.

But she said it deliberately, so Tina could hear.

That’s right. I’ve already fallen this far. Surely you’re ready to give up now, Tina?

If you don’t leave the Demon King’s castle soon… you’ll end up just like me, turned into someone’s obedient little slave~

“Gabriella…”

Isabella’s voice grew deeper.

She could see Gabriella’s coquettish behavior clearly, yet deep inside, she was still anxious.

She remembered what Gabriella had said yesterday. 

After the memory seal disappeared, fragments of the past were slowly returning to her.

But what exactly had Gabriella remembered? Gabriella hadn’t told her.

After they kissed, she knew Gabriella truly liked her.

Isabella felt happy, yet she still carried a lingering guilt.

She didn’t know what was really going through Gabriella’s mind.

Deep down, she hoped, she wished, that once Gabriella regained all her memories, she would fall in love with her, the Demon King, based on the complete truth.

The more she thought about it, the stronger that desire became.

She wanted a clear answer, yet she was afraid of reopening Gabriella’s wounds, so she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Because of that, Isabella had barely slept all night. She only drifted off near dawn.

She had pretended to be deeply asleep, hoping it wouldn’t worry Gabriella.

That was why her sleeping posture this morning had looked so peaceful.

Just what am I… to Gabriella?

Isabella didn’t know.

She felt she had wronged Gabriella, so she never pressed the question.

There was even a moment when she thought: even if Gabriella truly betrayed her, even if Gabriella left her, she would accept it gladly.

She would quietly protect Gabriella from the shadows and be her unbreakable support, just as Gabriella had protected her all those years she’d loved her.

Lost in these thoughts, Gabriella’s spoiled, playful figure once again filled her vision.

“Your Majesty~ it feels so nice♡ Hehe~”

Suddenly, Isabella felt she must never let go.

Gabriella was stronger than her, stronger than anyone in the world.

With a single strike that wasn’t even at full power, Gabriella had shattered the barrier around the Demon King’s castle, turning the supposedly impregnable defenses into a joke.

Her strength surpassed every previous Demon King in history.

Back then, if Gabriella hadn’t borrowed that power inside her body, I would have already lost.

And now, without that borrowed power, facing Gabriella who had reclaimed her true strength… if she wanted to leave, she could escape at any moment.

I love her…

I want her so much.

But I’m too weak.

Even though I’m the Demon King, I lack the power to possess her, not even the right to stand as her equal.

Power.

I need 【Shadow】 if I’m ever going to have her.

Isabella’s eyes grew slightly vacant. 

A voice seemed to whisper inside her mind.

The more she craved power, the darker the shadow that crawled up her spine.

Darkness pooled beneath her feet like a lake of black water, spreading across the entire dining hall.

The golden patterns on her horns shifted to deep violet.

A sinister cross-shaped star appeared in her beautiful pupils. 

She curled her lips into a wicked yet indulgent smile, gazing down at the girl acting spoiled in her arms.

Under the influence of that mysterious shadow, her originally golden hair turned into a more enchanting rose-gold, a twisted, corrupted kind of sanctity glowing within the darkness.

“Huu…”

Isabella exhaled. 

Shadowy streaks, like countless black vines or rearing cobras, slithered up the walls.

If I use 【Shadow】 to protect Gabriella… then there will be nothing left to fear.

At this very moment.

Completely unaware of what was happening, Gabriella was still drowning in the pleasure of having her horns stroked.

“Nn~”

She had never imagined that having her horns petted could feel this good.

Something she had never possessed before was now sending wave after wave of ecstatic signals to her brain, reminding her that these horns were truly part of her body.

But the touch was no longer gentle; it had become aggressively possessive. 

The hand that had been caressing her horns suddenly cupped the back of her head.

“Gu—!”

Gabriella was kissed.

She couldn’t speak, only able to make muffled little whimpers.

“Thank you… Gabriella.”  

Isabella’s voice brushed against her ear like velvet.

This time, however, there was no hesitation, only raw desire and intent.

Yet what Isabella did next made Gabriella certain something was wrong.

Without the slightest care for Tina watching from the doorway, the expensive, luxurious custom maid dress became wrinkled from their friction. 

The once-pristine satin grew disheveled. 

Even the patterned white stockings were tugged slightly downward, revealing more snowy skin.

Gabriella had only just recovered from that delicious near-suffocation when she was forced to straighten up. Isabella interlaced their fingers.

“Ah…”

Warmth bloomed in her chest, every cell in her body cheering and leaping for joy because it had once again received the 【Gift】.

But this time… it felt different from before.

The movements were deeper, heavier, almost like an obsession made manifest.

“I-Sa… Be… lla… Your Majesty…?”