Lilia rubbed her head vigorously against Lilith’s thigh.
That sweet and soft cry of “Sister Lilith” made Lilith’s body stiffen almost imperceptibly.
She looked down at the little thing hugging her leg with a face that practically screamed ‘Feed me meat.’
Lilith silently helped Lilia up and quickly dressed her in clean, soft, casual clothes.
Lilia was incredibly cooperative, her mind completely filled with the words “dragon meat.”
‘Revenge, counter-domination, dignity — those could all wait in the face of dragon meat grilled by a Flame Demon Lord!’
When Lilia reached the obsidian table, she was stunned.
A silver plate larger than her entire body sat there.
In the center was a massive, sizzling, greasy piece of meat.
The skin was caramelized and drizzled with a layer of crystal-clear honey.
The scent of meat mixed with the sweetness of honey invaded her nose, making her stomach growl even louder.
“Then I won’t be polite! Meow!”
Lilia’s eyes shone as she climbed onto the chair with both hands and feet.
She grabbed the heavy knife and fork and used all her strength to plunge the knife into the meat.
*Riiip!*
The tough dragon skin was sliced open, revealing tender pink meat.
Piping hot juices surged out, flowing down the blade.
The even richer aroma made Lilia dizzy.
She cut off a huge chunk and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
It was delicious!
As the meat hit her tongue, Lilia’s eyes squinted with happiness.
The crispy skin carried the sweet scent of blood-honey, and the tender meat was bursting with juice.
It practically melted on her tongue.
A warm current rushed down her throat and into her stomach — and then, it exploded!
Pure, majestic magic energy surged to every corner of her body.
Her Mana Circuits, which had been forcibly expanded and injured after her recent promotion to Tier 4, were rapidly repaired and became tougher and wider under the wash of this energy.
Every cell in her body cheered.
The exhaustion and soreness from being crushed by the weight of the world were swept away.
Lilia felt alive again!
She buried her head in the meal, using both knife and fork until her mouth was covered in grease.
‘What even are grace and poise?’
All she wanted was to stuff this entire piece of dragon meat into her stomach!
Piece after piece, her tiny body seemed impossible to fill as the massive meat rapidly vanished.
The magic fluctuations on her body rose steadily, finally stabilizing at the peak of Early Tier 4.
The satisfying feeling of being full of power made even the tip of her tail wag gently.
Just as she was preparing for the final assault on the last piece, a voice came from above her.
“Eat slower. No one is going to snatch it from you.”
Lilia’s movements froze.
Her mouth was stuffed with a huge bite of dragon meat.
Her cheeks bulged as she looked up with difficulty.
Lucia was already sitting at the head of the table, resting her chin on one hand and watching her.
The dragon meat suddenly lost its flavor.
Lilia chewed stiffly, trying to swallow, but she was afraid of choking, so it stayed stuck halfway.
Lucia added another comment.
“Eat your fill. You’ll need the strength to work tomorrow.”
Lilia finally managed to swallow the meat, nearly rolling her eyes.
She didn’t even bother wiping the grease from her mouth as she looked at Lucia warily.
“Mmm… Work? Meow?”
‘What kind of dirty, tiring work does this pervert want me to do now? Clean the entire Evernight Palace? Or shovel manure for those Demon Beasts?’
She plucked up her courage and asked loudly, “What exactly am I doing tomorrow? Meow?”
Lucia didn’t answer directly.
“Tomorrow, an ‘old friend’ is coming to visit.”
“An old friend?”
Lilia was stunned. ‘
Does this female demon even have friends?’
“The Succubus Queen, Freya.”
Lilia didn’t react immediately, but beside her, Lilith’s body trembled slightly at the name.
Lilia’s senses, now sharp after her Tier 4 promotion, caught that tremor.
Her heart skipped a beat.
A name that could make a 5th-Rank Monarch like Lilith react like that definitely belonged to someone dangerous!
Sure enough, Lucia’s next words confirmed her suspicion.
“She heard I kept an interesting pet and is coming all the way from the Low Whisper Forest to see for herself.”
Lucia’s tone was flat, but the words “pet” and “see for herself” made Lilia’s fur stand on end.
‘A Succubus Queen! That sounds like an indecent profession!’
Lilia imagined being kept in a cage, being dissected, or worse…
Lilia’s face turned pale.
A delicate, tender-skinned little girl like her in the hands of a monster like that…
“What… What does she want? Meow?”
Lilia’s voice shook.
The knife and fork fell to the floor with a sharp clang.
Fear overwhelmed everything.
She jumped off the chair and hid behind Lilith, peeking out with only her small head visible.
“I’m not going! I don’t want to be made into a specimen! Meow!”
she screamed, her fear coming from the bottom of her heart.
Lucia laughed instead of comforting her.
“Don’t worry, she wouldn’t dare touch you.”
Lilia breathed half a sigh of relief before Lucia’s tone shifted.
“As long as… you can prove you are qualified to be my pet.”
Lilia’s heart jumped into her throat.
“If you perform too weakly and make me lose face,” Lucia’s voice turned cold, “then I can’t guarantee I won’t lend you to her for 2 days.”
‘Lend… you… to… her… for… 2… days…’
Those seven words smashed into Lilia’s nerves.
Being lent to a Succubus Queen for 2 days?
Would she even come back alive?
Even if she did, would she be in one piece?!
Lilia’s mind exploded.
‘This pervert! This demon! She doesn’t even see me as a person! I’m just a plaything! A toy she can lend to others at any time!’
Fury rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, overriding her fear.
‘Why! Why do I have to be manipulated like a toy! Why do I have to be “seen” by some queen!’
She rushed out from behind Lilith, her small body trembling with rage.
She roared at Lucia with all her might, “I… I won’t lose face! Meow!”
Her voice cracked with emotion, tearful yet filled with stubborn defiance.
“I am a Hero! Even if I’ve become like this, I am still a Hero! Meow! Who do you think I am?! I am a genius who just reached Tier 4!”
She puffed out her flat chest, trying to look imposing.
“No matter who it is, if they dare look down on me, I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget! Meow!”
After shouting all that, she panted heavily, her chest heaving.
‘So what if she’s a Succubus Queen? A 5th-Rank Monarch? Lilith is a 5th-Rank Monarch too, and I still call her “Sister”!’
Regardless, she wouldn’t back down.
There was no way she would let this pervert Demon King lose face in front of another pervert!
Lucia watched Lilia jump in anger, her cat ears twitching, and the smile on her face deepened.
This was what she wanted to see.
A creature that was scared to death but still bared its teeth in resistance — that was the most interesting part.
“Very well.”
Lucia stood up and walked to Lilia.
“I hope you can bring me a new surprise tomorrow.”
She turned and left, her figure quickly vanishing into the depths of the dining room.
The room went silent.
Lilia was still posing with her hands on her hips and her chest out, but her momentum suddenly vanished.
‘Was I… too impulsive? That’s a Succubus Queen! I just hit Tier 4; how can I fight her? With my head?’
Her face fell.
She looked back at the unfinished dragon meat and suddenly felt it wasn’t so tasty anymore.
She tugged at Lilith’s sleeve.
Looking up with a tearful voice, she whispered, “Sister Lilith… that Succubus Queen… does… does she eat people? Meow?”