Unclear Feelings

Tap tap tap… Luna lightly knocked three times on the door.

“Come in.” Lilith replied casually.

The Demon Castle was huge, yet only three people were inside.

Obviously, she already knew who it was—just Luna and Allen.

She could sense them. Allen, without any magic or madness.

The other, with saint-level madness and mage-level magic, naturally, was Luna.

In this world, everyone possesses some amount of magic—even animals and plants.

But Allen had none.

The reason? The collar around her neck.

An enchanted collar mixed with obsidian powder.

Placed on the host’s neck, it absorbed all magic and madness, feeding them back to the item’s owner.

It was a forbidden artifact in alchemy. Obsidian was hard to mine, crafting such a collar costly—so no one would bother making one casually.

Only a handful of people in the continent possessed such collars.

And adding patterns for decoration? Only someone immortal like the Demon King would make a few for fun.

Anyone else wanting one likely had impure motives…

Click. The wooden door opened, revealing a girl with fiery red hair braided into a large plait, decorated with a black bow—only Luna.

Seeing Lilith, Luna clung to her like a spoiled child, hugging the seated Lilith and nudging her chest with her head.

“Master, the task you entrusted to me is completed!

Allen, stop staring and come in!” the girl laughed, calling out to the door.

Her animal ears twitched as she spoke.

Outside, Allen hesitated, terrified of Lilith.

From those first words to being starved until fainting yesterday, Lilith’s dominance was clear.

To her, she was only a parasite in this body.

One misstep, and Lilith could erase her completely, turning her into a mindless puppet.

That was not something Allen wanted—she didn’t want to become a memoryless puppet.

So she had to learn to read the situation, make Lilith feel she was valuable, and wait for the perfect moment to escape, even if it took a long time.

Luna grew impatient, pouting, leaving Lilith and heading toward the door.

Allen, still dazed, was suddenly grabbed by the chain and dragged inside by Luna.

The study was decorated with classical wallpaper, wooden flooring, and a patterned brown carpet in the center.

A desk sat atop the carpet, stacked with books, a magic crystal lamp, scrolls, and quills.

Around it were a few sofas, meant for guests.

Ironically, four sofas for only four people in the castle.

Bookshelves stored books brought from the underground library next door.

There was a lift to the right, activated with magic—but Allen couldn’t use it.

“You wear that outfit well. Looks like I measured correctly,” Lilith said with a faint smile.

“Thank… you, Master Lilith…” Allen hesitated, unsure how to face Lilith, unable to say the word “Master.”

She suddenly remembered Lilith saying she measured correctly.

Thinking carefully, she realized that while unconscious from Luna’s attack, her tattered nightgown had been perfectly restored—Lilith must have been watching over her the entire time.

The answer was obvious: Lilith had seen her nude body.

Allen’s face turned crimson uncontrollably.

Lilith now seemed slightly angry.

“I’ll ask you again—what should you call me?” Her gaze sharpened like a blade, piercing Allen.

Her hand lifted slightly, with the faint sound of crackling electricity.

Allen shivered, recalling being electrocuted a few days ago.

“Ma… ma… master…” she stammered, terrified, mispronouncing even “master.”

“Louder. Say it again!” Lilith commanded.

“Ma… Master.” Allen finally forced out the humiliating words.

Seeing Lilith lower her arm, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“If you ever miscall me again… hmm… I’ll erase your memories. I don’t need a useless maid around. You’d behave much better that way,” Lilith said with a strange smile, teasing yet serious.

Allen’s eyes welled up slightly—just as Lilith intended.

She wanted Allen to understand: as a s*ave, she must obey.

“Y… Yes, Master.” Allen held back tears, telling herself not to embarrass herself here.

Even as a s*ave, she vowed to one day return the favor.

Her mission now: endure patiently, until some unknown day.

“Your tasks are simple: clean everyone’s clothes, cook. Most importantly… attend to me in bed. Once done, I won’t interfere in your daily life,” Lilith said, smiling, terrifying Allen even more.

Attending her in bed sounded terrifying—but as a s*ave, Allen had no choice but to comply.

“Y… Yes, Master.”

“Good. The food must please me. Otherwise, your memories will be erased. I don’t need an incompetent maid. Here, read these books. You must understand them before dinner. Fail, and I erase your memories immediately. Also, certain areas are off-limits—the basement torture room and the warehouse. Understood?”

Lilith tossed two small booklets to the floor. Allen picked them up: both were cooking books.

Hearing about dinner, Allen tensed.

“I understand, Master. I’ll read them immediately.”

Lilith wanted to erase her parasite, Allen didn’t know, but she was certain Lilith followed through on her words.

Allen’s urgent priority: master these books.

Lilith… I can’t handle her. I have to obey… Allen thought.

“Understood? Go to your room and start reading. It’s already noon. And your memories…” Lilith teased.

Allen hurried to her room.

Too late, too late! Only three hours until dinner—impossible to learn everything in time!

Once inside, Allen sat on the floor, frantically studying.

“Master, why do you always scare her? She looks so pitiful…” Luna asked innocently, confused.

“Luna, don’t you think her reactions are entertaining?” Lilith said, stroking Luna’s head, smiling strangely, treating Allen like a toy.

Luna shook her head, then nodded, then shook again.

Two hours later, Allen, under Luna’s supervision, was brought to the kitchen.

Under the Demon King’s threat, she had learned most of the basics.

“Allen! Are you trying to burn this place down?!” Luna shouted.

“Cough… sorry, Luna… cough…” Allen coughed from the smoke, tears streaming.

“Allen! The pan… it’s on fire!” Luna exclaimed.

Quickly, she threw water onto the pan, spilling some on Allen—but the fire spread further, burning her.

“Ugh!!” Allen rolled on the floor.

Luna panicked, summoning a water element to spray her with a torrent.

…

Allen checked the burnt steak—blackened—and tried a small piece.

Pfft! She spat it out.

Desperate, she placed it on the table anyway.

…

Lilith felt conflicted.

Seeing Allen’s ruined clothes, wet from the water, made her laugh and cry at the same time.

Her carefully made outfit was ruined.

This… is human steak? So delicious? So scary… Lilith thought.

Allen stood silently beside Lilith’s chair, head lowered, knowing she had failed…

Lilith cut a small piece, tasted it—it smelled burnt, but having never eaten human food, she didn’t notice.

Is this what humans eat? Scary… she thought.

“Eh?…” Allen was surprised Lilith didn’t get angry.

“Tastes… okay…” Lilith pretended calm, hiding her inexperience with steak, assuming Allen, a human, would understand.

“Eh!!” Allen grew even more confused.

She watched Lilith methodically eat the steak, expression serious.

She’s never eaten human food! Definitely! Allen thought.

…

Allen also tasted the charred steak, relieved she hadn’t had her memories erased.

Luna didn’t want to eat, so she survived without food, including the Demon King.

Rushing to the bath, Allen washed off all the grime, feeling refreshed.

This day had been exhausting—threatened by the Demon King, rushing through books, almost burning herself—pure torture.

Then she remembered Lilith’s bed-attendance order and shuddered.

Allen changed into her nightgown, laid down, hoping Lilith would forget.

Late at night, she felt a presence touching her.

It felt like being lifted.

She opened her eyes slightly—Lilith was holding her in a princess carry, careful not to wake her.

Allen feared Lilith might erase her memory over the steak incident but dared not alarm her, pretending to sleep while occasionally peeking.

Soon, Lilith gently laid her on the bed, in her room, kissed her forehead, and fell asleep holding her.

Allen felt confused—did Lilith really like her? She quickly dismissed the thought.

It was because of this body. Her memory was just a parasite in this body, the torment was for that reason.

Suddenly, Allen felt like crying.

She stayed awake the entire night, Lilith holding her, seemingly asleep peacefully.

When… will I escape… Allen thought.