Chapter 5: Gabriella Is Very Hesitant

Gabriella tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

“Isabella-sama, sometimes my friends tell me that I used to be human.”

“……”

Isabella’s gaze flickered away for a moment.

“Actually… I really want to know what the old me was like. They say the holy sword I once wielded still exists somewhere. Even though I can’t remember anything, if I could at least see it… maybe I’d understand who I really was?”

Gabriella smiled brightly.

“I just want the courage to love Isabella-sama properly. Um… what I’m saying might be a little too much…”

As she spoke, she felt her acting skills skyrocket.

Isabella had always spoiled her rotten.

A request like this? 

The Demon King would never refuse.

A flash of sorrow crossed Isabella’s eyes.

It vanished quickly, but Gabriella caught it perfectly.

Then a flower-like smile bloomed on the Demon King’s face.

“Of course I can give you that gift. But… can I make a wish to Gabriella in return?”

“Anything! I’ll grant every single one of Isabella-sama’s wishes!”

Gabriella nodded eagerly.

Yet suddenly, the triumphant feeling she expected didn’t come.

She had thought victory was already in her grasp.

Given her former identity, reclaiming the holy sword should have been an impossible dream.

After years of living together, Gabriella was certain this idiot Isabella could never say no to the request she’d just made.

What’s more, the Demon King had no idea the sword still contained her sealed power.  

She had no clue Gabriella had kept a backdoor.

But all of a sudden… Gabriella didn’t want to kill the Demon King anymore.

She suddenly felt incredibly sorry for her.

Isabella-sama hadn’t done anything wrong.  

She simply loved her.  

Yet here Gabriella was, planning to exploit that love, betray her, threaten her, even kill her?!

There had to be some better way to deal with the kin transformation.

Like… enduring it, or something…

After breakfast.

Gabriella helped the Demon King change into a gorgeous dress, then temporarily parted ways with her.

In simple terms, the job of a personal maid was just a slightly higher-class nanny.

She was responsible for the Demon King from morning till night.

Gabriella cleared the breakfast tray from the bedroom and brought it to the sink to wash.

Next, she began laundering the Demon King’s clothes.

Isabella didn’t have extravagant tastes in clothing, so everything was cleaned with water and a bit of magic agitation.  

Once washed, they looked brand new.

These tasks could have been handed to others, but Gabriella had always insisted on doing them herself.  

She didn’t feel safe leaving them to anyone else.

After washing, she used magic to dry the pretty little dresses instantly, then folded them neatly into the wardrobe; no need for sun-drying.

Then it was time to start preparing lunch.

Lunch preparation wasn’t a solo job for Gabriella.

By the time she entered the kitchen at ten in the morning, the huge dining hall was already bustling.  

More than a dozen maids were hard at work; the place was actually lively.

“Liya-sama, pass me…”

“This side’s done!”

“Put the spices back when you’re finished, okay?”

The moment they spotted Gabriella, nearly all of them paused their tasks, turned around, and bowed in perfect unison.

“Good morning, Lady Gabriella~”

“Morning, Lady Gabriella!”

“Gabriella~”

Most of these maids were like Liya; proficient in both combat and housework.

Four years ago, aside from Liya, every single one of them had been personally selected by Gabriella.

Back then, many demon spies had infiltrated the Demon King’s inner circle, plotting rebellion and usurpation.

As the personal maid, Gabriella had completely overhauled the guard system.

She purged the inner palace staff and established a strict maid hierarchy.

In the past, the concept of a “palace” didn’t really exist.

The Demon King’s residence had been guarded by powerful demon warriors.  

The stronger you were, the higher your rank and the closer you served; so the inner palace used to be filled with hulking, terrifying demon soldiers.

Now, they had all been replaced by diligent, capable maids.

Because they were elite personally chosen by Gabriella, every one of these maids was utterly loyal to the Demon King.

The radiant smiles on their faces proved it.  

They all trusted Gabriella completely; they were just a bunch of genuinely pure-hearted girls.

Yet today, something felt a little off about them.

They crowded around, peering all over Gabriella’s body.

Especially at her stomach.

Gabriella was speechless.  

She had no idea what these girls were planning, but the purple-haired maid at the front licked her lips and grinned.  

“It’s definitely there.”

Instantly, every maid erupted into cheers.

“Congratulations, Lady Gabriella!”

“I knew today would be a lucky day! We have to throw a celebration for Lady Gabriella!”

“Lady Gabriella, remember to eat more and stay healthy~”

Gabriella’s head throbbed.  

She didn’t know how to explain, so she instinctively looked toward Liya. 

Liya immediately understood, grabbed the two most hyper maids by the head, and forcibly dragged them back to their stations.

“You must not make wild guesses about Her Majesty and the Queen’s private matters! No fooling around!”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

“Sorry…”

Seeing thiswipe

Seeing this, Gabriella felt a bit bad and quickly smoothed things over. 

“Thank you all for your kindness~  

But I still have work to do. Everything I do is for the Demon King. How could I rest and leave her alone?”

Yet the moment those words left her mouth, the maids all let out a collective “Waaa~” of admiration!

As expected of Lady Gabriella; her love for Her Majesty is even deeper than we imagined~

Gabriella selectively ignored their sparkling eyes and slipped right into work mode.

She only washed and prepped the ingredients; the actual cooking was left to Liya.

During a lull, Liya sidled up to her and smiled.

“Don’t mind what the kids said. They just want you and Her Majesty to be happy.”

“I know…”

Gabriella nodded.

It seemed everyone around her was eagerly looking forward to her happiness with the Demon King; some even hoped for a child.

Yet here she was, plotting how to shatter that peace, how to regain her power and turn against the Demon King.

Was this really the right choice?

When the time came and these girls saw her pointing a sword at the Demon King… what would they think?

As these thoughts swirled, Gabriella’s head began to spin again.

A ball of fire seemed to be rolling back and forth inside her abdomen and chest, sending waves of scalding heat through her body.

The Gabriella who had been so certain of victory now felt nothing but worry about what was coming next.  

She could only wonder how she was supposed to face the Demon King from now on.