“You…”
Ling Xiya’s voice was dry and hoarse, still trembling with the aftershocks of a scream born from pain that had yet to fade.
“What do you actually want?”
Isayat looked at her pale, unfocused face.
A trace of complicated emotion flickered through her eyes, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but it was quickly swallowed by a deeper, heavier desire for control.
She reached out, her icy fingertips gently brushing aside Ling Xiya’s sweat-damp bangs, the motion carrying a tenderness that was nearly cruel.
“What do I want?”
She repeated the words, her tone so soft it resembled a lover’s whisper.
“I just want to give you release, Xiya. But what happened instead?”
Her fingers slid to Ling Xiya’s chin, applying slight pressure and forcing her to look at her more clearly.
“In the end, everything betrayed you. Everything except me. Only me reached out my hand to you.”
Isayat’s words were like poisoned daggers, striking with precision at the most fragile, most painful places in Ling Xiya’s heart.
“No… that’s not… true…”
Ling Xiya shook her head desperately, trying to deny it all, as tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.
Isayat suddenly tightened her arms, pulling Ling Xiya into an even tighter embrace, almost suffocating her.
The power belonging to the Demon King, carrying a faint scent of sulfur mingled with roses, surged like a tide into every part of Ling Xiya’s body.
Cold and domineering, it sought to erode the last remnants of her will.
“Let go… of me…”
A wave of dizziness washed over Ling Xiya.
Her body grew heavier and heavier, and her strength to resist drained away at a terrifying speed.
She could feel her consciousness beginning to blur.
Those painful memories clung to her like parasites burrowing into bone, gnawing at her sanity.
“Let you go, so you can return and keep being hurt by those hypocrites?”
Isayat’s voice whispered at her ear, carrying a strange, bewitching allure.
“Or let you experience again the taste of being abandoned by everyone, of total despair? Xiya, stop struggling. It will only make you suffer more.”
Her lips drew close to Ling Xiya’s ear, warm breath brushing against its sensitive curve.
“Sleep, Xiya. Just sleep, and everything will be fine. Forget that unpleasant past. Forget the people who hurt you. In my arms, you will gain eternal peace. There will be no more pain, no more betrayal…”
Ling Xiya’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Isayat’s voice seemed to carry some kind of magic, endlessly tempting her to give up resisting.
She felt exhausted, exhausted like never before.
She had fought for so long, struggled for so long.
She was really… so tired.
“As long as I… fall asleep… that’s enough…?”
She murmured to herself, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible.
“Yes,”
Isayat’s voice was as gentle as a dreamlike murmur.
“Sleep, my little maid. When you wake up again, all those painful memories will be gone. You will belong only to me, always by my side, living for me. I will give you everything you want—calm, stability, and… my affection.”
“Affection…”
The word made Ling Xiya’s heart tremble slightly.
How long had it been?
How long since anyone had spoken to her like that?
Isayat sensed her wavering, a flicker of satisfaction flashing through her eyes.
She gently stroked Ling Xiya’s silky long hair, light flowing within her pink eyes, as an even stronger spiritual force quietly invaded the depths of Ling Xiya’s consciousness.
“Forget your past. You are only my maid, Ling Xiya. Your existence is to serve me and to please me.”
Ling Xiya’s gaze began to drift.
Reflected in her pupils were Isayat’s pink eyes, like a ship lost within a pink vortex.
Filling her mind were Isayat’s words, Isayat’s presence, and… the “duties” of a maid.
“I…”
Ling Xiya opened her mouth as if she still wanted to say something, but in the end only an incoherent whimper escaped her lips.
“You are mine.”
Isayat pressed a cold kiss to her lips, her tone filled with absolute possession.
“Forever.”
Those words became the final shackle, completely locking down Ling Xiya’s soul as it stood on the verge of collapse.
The light in her eyes went out entirely, leaving behind only hollow obedience.
Her struggles ceased.
Her tense muscles relaxed.
She slumped softly into Isayat’s embrace like a puppet that had lost its soul.
Isayat looked with satisfaction at the girl in her arms, who had completely lost all will to resist, and lightly licked the corner of her lips.
She lifted Ling Xiya in her arms, holding her like a precious trophy, and slowly walked toward the large bed deep within the room, soft and luxurious.
After gently placing Ling Xiya onto the bed, Isayat leaned down and whispered into her ear:
“Sleep well, my little maid. When you wake up, you will be a brand-new you, a perfect maid who belongs only to me.”
She tucked Ling Xiya in, then sat by the bedside, quietly watching her sleeping face.
Tear tracks still marked the girl’s cheeks, her brows faintly knit, as though she were still struggling in her dreams.
But Isayat was not worried.
Her power had already been deeply branded into Ling Xiya’s soul.
With every sleep and every round of conditioning, that brand would only grow deeper.
Time passed little by little.
Moonlight outside filtered through a gap in the heavy curtains, casting a cool, pale glow that illuminated a corner of the room.
The girl on the bed began to breathe steadily.
Her furrowed brows gradually smoothed out, and an expression close to serenity appeared on her face.
Isayat reached out and gently smoothed away the last crease between her brows.
A cold, satisfied smile curved her lips.
The process of corruption was nearly complete.
Her maid would soon belong to her entirely.
This existence that had once tried to overthrow her would ultimately become her most docile, most obedient pet.
Was there any conquest more entertaining than this?
She stood up but did not leave.
Instead, she sat down on the sofa beside the bed, patiently waiting for her maid to awaken.
She was very much looking forward to the moment when Ling Xiya opened her eyes again, and those eyes held nothing but obedience and reliance toward her.
But before that, she would eliminate every single threat to her existence…
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