CHAPTER 33
The passage to the demon realm was an expanse of crimson void.
Before she even realized it, Roziana had arrived in this unfamiliar world, cradled in Mephisto’s arms.
Amazingly, the place connected to the passage turned out to be the interior of a castle.
A beautiful and extravagant space, reminiscent of the imperial palace she had stayed in, unfolded before her eyes.
As they stepped into what seemed to be a drawing room, Mephisto gently set her down.
“My lady is not in her true form right now.”
Still holding her hand, Mephisto whispered softly.
Sensing something from him, Roziana quickly pulled away and asked sharply,
“What do you mean by that?”
It seemed he had felt something from her — perhaps the mana within her — while holding her.
Mephisto was the one who had brazenly entered the imperial palace and attacked Emperor Leodian.
The more such a man learned about her abilities, the harder it would be for her to escape the demon realm.
‘No matter how handsome he is, he’s still dangerous.’
Roziana changed the subject as she looked around.
“You live in a pretty fancy place, don’t you?”
Mephisto, who had been gazing at her, gave a casual shrug and chuckled.
“Ah, good. I designed this place to resemble the one closest to your memories. The real demon castle is much gloomier than this. I’m not too fond of bright places.”
“So this is just an illusion?”
Roziana ran her hand over the smooth, polished oak armrest of a sofa as she asked.
As he said, the beautiful sofa before her seemed familiar.
It wasn’t made of leather, but of silk, embroidered with luxurious gold and silver threads.
It was built with a soft-textured but sturdy wooden frame.
“It’s not an illusion, but think of it as your memories layered over real objects.”
‘My memories?’
That explained why this place felt strangely familiar — like somewhere she had lived.
But rather than the imperial palace, it felt more like the witch’s forest or the grand duke’s bedroom.
Just as she began to feel uneasy—
“Huh?”
Rip.
The seam at the shoulder of her dress suddenly tore with a popping sound.
“Wh-what!?”
Rip! Not just the shoulder — the back of the dress, which had been tightly fitted, split open too.
‘What the—!?’
Startled, Roziana instinctively clutched the dress tightly around her with both hands.
The fabric was constricting, and her perspective had slightly risen.
The problem wasn’t the tearing — it was her body that was growing.
“What’s going on!? What did you do to me!?”
She covered her chest with both arms and glared at Mephisto.
Her body had grown enough that the seams burst, and the dress barely hung on.
“You pervert! What did you do to my body?!”
“My lady looks even more beautiful when she’s angry.”
Mephisto gently removed the long cloak draped over his shoulders and wrapped it around her.
“As I said, you’re not in your original form. In the demon realm, powers other than magic are useless. Your body is simply returning to its natural state. I didn’t do anything.”
— Though I must say, your current form is very much to my liking.
Roziana heard him mutter under his breath and rolled her eyes.
“Ah, my lady, if you knew what thoughts those eyes provoke in me…”
Mephisto lifted her silver hair and kissed it.
“Mmm. If you realized what I was thinking, you’d never look at me like that again. So best I keep it to myself.”
“You’d better not have any dirty thoughts.”
*Chuckling softly*, Mephisto snapped his fingers toward the empty air.
Suddenly, a servant appeared in the room where only the two of them had been moments ago.
A green-haired woman in a maid’s outfit bowed deeply and introduced herself.
Her unique hair color, pointed ears, and pale skin made her identity clear.
‘A low-class demon.’
The maid, visibly excited, greeted Roziana with flushed cheeks.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I am Neor, the steward assigned to serve Your Grace.”
*Your Grace?*
Shocked by the title, Roziana’s mouth dropped open.
“Who gave you permission to call me that?!”
As she yelled at Mephisto, another *rip* came from her already-strained dress.
‘Ugh! What tore this time?!’
She was furious — but she was also grateful to Mephisto for wrapping her in that cloak.
“Well, she’s to be your future conso—mmph!”
With a loud *smack*, a flying rag silenced Neor mid-sentence.
“Pffft.”
As Neor spat the rag out, Mephisto muttered coldly,
“My lady is not yet aware of such things, so hold your tongue, Neor.”
“Y-yes, Your Highness! I misspoke!”
Now pale with fear, Neor trembled and looked completely lost.
“….”
Roziana quietly observed the two beings from the demon realm.
A frightened demon and a dark sorcerer served by demons.
‘So Mephisto isn’t even the Demon King, yet he’s treated like royalty?’
The demon had definitely addressed him as “Your Highness.”
Seeing it with her own eyes, she realized that Mephisto was truly treated as a ruler here.
‘But why hasn’t he become the Demon King yet?’
Was there something more required to become Demon King?
Something beyond just being acknowledged by other demons?
She hadn’t heard any news of a new Demon King being crowned.
Beelzebub of the previous era had been a powerful king, and four witches — all but Erika — had sacrificed their lives to defeat him.
Since then, Mephisto had seized power, but he hadn’t been crowned.
‘Why?’
Mephisto was sharp and clever — perhaps tricking Neor into spilling the truth would be fastest.
“If you summoned Neor just to help me change, then you can leave now.”
Roziana declared confidently.
Still smiling and never taking his eyes off her, Mephisto bowed gracefully.
Like a dancer concluding a performance.
“As you wish, my lady.”
The moment he spoke, he vanished without a trace.
‘If he travels like that, why bother with doors?’
And why does he keep smiling like that? It’s creepy.
With only the two of them left, Neor rushed over to Roziana, babbling excitedly.
“I’ve wanted to meet you so badly, Your G—no, Princess. Ahhn\~.”
Her breathy words and flushed face were strange.
Then she quickly removed the black cloak from Roziana’s body.
Looking in the mirror, Roziana saw a fully matured woman in place of the girl she had been.
‘My body grew again! It’s now about the same age as when I was Erika.’
The woman in the mirror looked very much like Queen Ariana — a striking beauty.
Aside from her deep, luminous violet eyes — reminiscent of witch Erika — she looked just like Ariana and Leodian.
“Haaah! Why would you hide such a beautiful body!? You should flaunt it, savor it, let others admire—ahhh!”
Neor blushed furiously, shaking her body with excitement.
Roziana watched her for a moment before raising a hand.
“Hold on.”
“Yes, Princess?”
“Are you… by any chance, a succubus?”
“Gasp! How did you know!?”
You’ve been screaming it with your whole body since you showed up.
“I never told you myself! You must be unbelievably perceptive, Princess! Aahhhn\~.”
She was practically glowing with *‘As expected of His Highness’s consort!’* vibes.
“Sigh.”
‘Still, a simple-minded demon like Neor is better.’
A cunning demon would have been far harder to deal with.
“I’ll get you into a dress that fits perfectly, Your Gr—no, Princess!”
“Neor, make it a proper one, please. I get your taste, but I want something modest and fully covering.”
“Oh my! You prefer the thrill of unwrapping the gift! How refined!”
“No, that’s not—”
“But why hide such beauty? It should be shared, admired, tasted—”
Yeah… normal conversation won’t work on her.
“Listen, Neor. I’m human, not a demon. I need appropriate clothing.”
“Aha! Got it! I am but a servant who obeys her master’s wishes. But Princess, you’ll change your mind soon. Once you visit the Cage, everyone awakens their hidden desires.”
The word *Cage* made Roziana flinch.
Finally — the moment she’d been waiting for.
“The Cage? Neor, tell me more about it.”
Roziana smiled sweetly and clasped Neor’s hands, making the succubus’s eyes sparkle as her cheeks flushed like a beet.
