“Erika, you’re later than I expected.”
Inside the specially prepared residence within the Great Temple of the Order, a languid and alluring Evelyn sat on the sofa, reading a book.
Erika couldn’t tell what the book was about, but it looked heavy and ancient, and the text within was extremely profound and obscure—perhaps a language from the Ancient Continent.
Erika lowered her head toward Evelyn.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. Because the students arrived in swarms, the waiting time was longer than expected. However, all the relevant enrollment procedures have been completed. Now, we only need to wait for the first day of school.”
“I see. Has the luggage sent by Noel arrived?”
“The newly hired Ogre employees are currently unloading the cargo. Circe is by their side counting the items, so you don’t have to worry about any mistakes.”
“Good work. Then, take a good rest. To that end, I permit you to massage my feet.”
*Rustle.*
The tea-colored hem of her skirt brushed against the fabric, and a calf emerged from beneath it.
Evelyn naturally extended one of her delicate feet toward Erika.
It was a fair, petite foot.
Her toenails were coated in a bright black polish that Erika hadn’t noticed before, creating a sharp contrast with her snowy skin that looked exceptionally glamorous.
While the feet of the beautiful girls around her were as exquisite as ceramic works of art, Erika had washed her own feet before.
She felt that a girl’s feet were just… well, feet.
But today, Erika realized she had been too naive.
Evelyn’s petite feet felt as if they had no bones, possessing an incredible allure.
‘Am I actually a foot fetishist? Is my threshold just unusually high?’
‘No, no. I’ve helped her with massages before. Is it really because my perspective on relationships between girls has changed after what happened with that big guy?’
“What are you waiting for? I specifically allowed you to relax.”
“Ah… yes. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Perhaps others would mutter, ‘Don’t make people massage your feet when they’re supposed to be resting,’ but to Evelyn, allowing someone to touch her flawless body was the greatest happiness they could enjoy.
And happiness was rest.
Therefore, massaging Queen Evelyn’s delicate feet was clearly the best way to rest—the equation held true!
**[Calm Situation Assessment! Through the talent , you have gained experience points. All class experience +5]**
Erika obediently grasped Evelyn’s soft, delicate arch, which felt as cool as jade.
She pressed down slowly with her thumb.
Since she had learned a bit of massage in the past, she was quite skilled at it.
“Mmh~ that feels… quite good. Erika, do you feel relaxed as well?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I can rest well. You are truly wise, Your Majesty.”
“Excellent.”
For some reason, Erika did indeed feel a sense of relaxation and healing from this tranquility.
However, there were other issues… namely, was Evelyn being too uninhibited around her?
Even though she was her maid and not of the opposite sex, because of the way Evelyn had extended her leg and leaned back on the sofa, her skirt had slid up.
Now, the hem only reached her knees, and with one leg bent, the view beneath the skirt was almost entirely unobstructed.
Having just done those shameful things with that guy, Erika’s mindset was nowhere near its usual state of composure.
Now, as she massaged the feet of a girl beautiful enough to be called peerless, all she had to do was look up slightly to see the smooth, delicate skin of Evelyn’s inner thigh and a glimpse of black panties.
Erika didn’t know if Evelyn was too focused on her book to notice, or if she simply didn’t care about Erika seeing such private sights.
One had to know that aside from the personal maid who had accompanied her since childhood and was now a middle-aged woman, no one was allowed to serve the Queen while she was dressing.
Erika certainly wasn’t an older woman, so did that mean Evelyn considered her someone close?
“Erika, your hands have stopped.”
‘Forget it, what does this have to do with me? I shouldn’t flatter myself.’
Thinking this, Erika began to seriously massage Evelyn’s ankles again.
“Good. You can use a bit more force.”
“Mmm… Hah, that feels so good. It’s warm. My feet have been a bit tired lately, and my body feels… sluggish… Hah, this is so relaxing…”
Evelyn’s languid moans, like whispers in Erika’s ear, felt like a cat toy scratching at her heart.
Why had things turned out like this?
In fact, Erika knew the reason very well.
It was because she had crossed that line with Emil not long ago.
That experience as a woman had caused her to let go of certain reservations.
She understood the feelings she had never realized—or rather, had been unwilling to admit.
Now, she had completely accepted her identity as a girl, and she also completely accepted that her lover was a woman.
That was likely why she felt suddenly uncomfortable seeing another beautiful girl she was close to making such intimate gestures.
“Erika, what have you been thinking about lately? You seem a bit strange.”
Evelyn seemed to notice the change in her.
Erika immediately felt incredibly awkward and decided to brush it off no matter what.
“Well, it might be because school is about to start… there are many things to worry about.”
“Is that also why you often meet Emil alone? Or are you two secretly plotting something behind my back?”
‘As expected of a bug-level player with a lie-detection talent.’
An ordinary lie would definitely be seen through by Evelyn in an instant.
The girl felt she had to push her skills as an Actor to their absolute limit!
“Pulling schemes behind Your Majesty’s back? That’s impossible. Master Emil and I were discussing how to show our loyalty to you and Lady Noel, and how to praise the Queen’s magnificent achievements.”
“Hmm.”
Evelyn looked down at the girl with her cold black eyes.
Her talent was as sharp and unreasonable as a spider-sense.
Could she have seen through a lie from a Level 9 Actor?
“Erika, I’ve always said that it’s enough for you to remain loyal to me as you are now. You don’t need to force yourself too much.”
**[Your acting is worthy of the people’s praise and a place in the history of cinema!]**
**[Gained ‘Performer’ class experience. +50]**
‘Great job, Erika!’
It seemed she had finally managed to muddle through.
“Now then, Erika, it’s been a while. Prove your loyalty to me.”
*Rustle.*
Evelyn withdrew her foot from the girl’s hands.
She sat up and lifted her thin top, revealing her flat stomach and… the ear-like indentation above it—her navel.
Though it was only for a brief moment, the slight shyness and ambiguity that had surged earlier had gradually cooled down.
What Erika had recently realized wasn’t just about her and her relationships.
Ever since she learned that she was actually a descendant of the Demon King Noel, a sense of rebellion and dissatisfaction had grown in her heart.
The Kingdom of Noel and this continent had been taken from her ancestors, yet she had to bow and scrape to the descendant of the usurpers like a female slave… all sorts of emotions swirled within her.
She thought this might not be the thoughts of her past life as a human, but rather the will or instinct of Erika Noel the enchantress.
Was she too deep in her role?
Or was it because she had experienced so much that she had truly become Erika herself?
In any case, Erika’s loyalty to Evelyn was no longer what it used to be. In a word, it had spoiled.
If biting the back of the neck was a gesture of intimacy, then signaling her to kiss her navel was undoubtedly a display of the difference in status—an act of pressure and submission.
Back when she had first been taken from Emil by Evelyn, the Queen had been far more arrogant and cold-blooded than Emil.
She had even demanded that Erika strip naked and lick the soles of her feet just to declare the absolute control of a superior.
At that time, Erika had retained the pride of a modern person and responded with a hunger strike, nearly sending herself to another world again.
However, after surviving that, Evelyn unexpectedly stopped making such outrageous demands.
But afterward, she still lowered the requirement to having the girl kiss her navel to swear fealty.
Perhaps it was the compromise effect at work; Erika didn’t risk her life to refuse again, but she still felt humiliated by the gesture.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since this had been brought up.
Why now…?
‘Did she really notice something? I can’t read her at all…’
Whatever.
At the end of the day, Evelyn was the descendant of a usurper.
One could say she was a thief who had stolen the legitimate rights Erika should have possessed.
But the current Erika was still powerless to take them back; she could only hide her fangs.
For now, it was best to continue playing the role of the loyal Erika.
“I am naturally Your Majesty’s most loyal servant.”
Swallowing her humiliation, Erika knelt on the floor.
She moved her face close to Evelyn’s belly and tilted her head up slightly, seeing Evelyn’s eyes looking down at her from above.
“Then, as a reward, you may begin.”
“…Thank you.”
Although her stomach was smooth and soft with visible muscle lines, it held no beauty in the girl’s eyes at this moment.
‘I’ll endure this bitterness now for the sake of future revenge…’
Erika comforted herself.
*Slurp~ slurp.*
“Erika, you’re a lot like a puppy I raised when I was little. It loved to lie on my stomach and lick like that. Ah, it was a female too.”
“Erika, why don’t you look as happy as you did last time?”
*Slurp~ slurp, mmm.*
Even though “dog” wasn’t an insult here like it was in some cultures, it still made Erika feel a surge of rage and humiliation.
‘That’s it!’ ‘I’ve decided! Just you wait. One day, I’m going to use my tail on you too, and I’m going to go all out!’
‘So Evelyn, you’d better stay alive. In the future, I will definitely discipline you and make you taste this humiliation, to compensate for all the frustration I’ve suffered because of you!’
‘Hmph hmph hmph—’ Erika snickered inwardly, planning a “wicked woman education” session where she would transform into a tentacle monster.
…But, well, how was that possible?
She couldn’t win in a fight.
And having recently started her own romantic history, she realized that romance was an incredibly complex and difficult mechanic—not simple like in a dating sim.
Furthermore, how could she easily handle the fickle and unpredictable wicked woman Evelyn, whose very thoughts were impossible to grasp?
Thinking about it now, Emil was like a free introductory tutorial for her. In comparison, the cold-blooded, distrustful, and peerlessly powerful Evelyn was practically the Final Boss.
And likely the Final Boss of a high-difficulty DLC.
At this thought, Erika felt both angry and amused because she really couldn’t find a more fitting description.
That’s right!
If Erika wanted to defeat the evil Final Boss, she had to work hard to level up and accumulate experience points.
The tip of Erika’s tongue brushed against her skin, causing the black-haired girl’s body to tremble slightly.
Pursing her lips, Evelyn said, “Speaking of which, I met a daughter of the Draco family in the temple yesterday. Her name was…”
“Do you mean Miona Draco?”
Erika stopped her movements and looked up, but seeing Evelyn frown slightly, the girl had no choice but to stop talking.
*Slurp slurp…*
“Yes, Miona Draco. Mmm, that was the name… Anyway, I have a meeting tonight. You and Emil should come along. After all, it’s a family gathering.”
“Will the Borbeck family be there as well?”
“That’s a secret.”
‘I see. A secret, huh…’
‘In short, it’s a gathering of your “families.”‘
But for Erika, this was also an excellent opportunity to see all the opponents she might encounter in the future at once.
She hadn’t expected Evelyn to be the one to create such a chance for her to infiltrate the enemy camp.
An unexpected gathering of the Four Great Families… was this also the butterfly effect of deviating from the storyline?
What could she say?
Erika had only one thought.
‘My tongue is so sore.’