Chapter 6: Gentle Lilith

The head maid Lilith knelt with her head lowered, her expression respectful.

“Lilith, take her down and help her wash up.”

“As you command, Demon King.”

Lilith responded softly, her voice calm and gentle.

“And one more thing—”

The Demon King stood up and glanced back with a smile before leaving.

“I want you to dress her in a pretty little skirt.

A cute one.”

“I will follow your instructions, Demon King.”

Lilith slightly raised her head and replied with utmost respect.

The Demon King cast one final glance at the petite body still twitching faintly on the ground, then turned away.

Her footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Only two remained in the prison.

Lilith stepped forward slowly and gently lifted Merorin from the cold stone floor.

“Mmm…”

Merorin struggled faintly, her blurred gaze turning toward the one holding her.

Black hair.

Black eyes.

A slender, girl-like figure, with a calm and gentle face.

She suddenly realized she was being held so intimately by another woman.

Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she instinctively turned her face away, not daring to meet her eyes.

Noticing her shyness, Lilith let out a soft chuckle.

“Don’t be shy, Lady Merorin.”

Her voice was gentle, yet left no room for refusal.

“In the future, if you need anything, you may give me orders freely.

I am your head maid, and I will also be your most loyal attendant.”

“I… I understand…”

Merorin replied weakly, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.

She kept her face turned aside, the tips of her ears burning red.

Lilith said nothing more and carried her through the dim corridor, entering a bathing room.

At the center stood a bathing pool.

She gently laid Merorin down on a soft blanket and reached out to undo her tattered clothes.

As the fabric slipped away, Merorin’s naked body was fully exposed to the air.

A slender waist.

A small yet sensitive chest.

Dried traces of fluid still lingered along her inner thighs.

Most striking of all were the old wounds covering her body.

Whip marks.

Brands.

Scars left by magical burns.

Some had already scabbed over.

Others were still seeping blood.

Lilith looked on quietly, a deep sense of pity flashing through her eyes.

She knelt down, her fingertips carefully avoiding the wounds, her voice so soft it nearly trembled.

“Lady Merorin… does it hurt?”

“Hurt?”

Merorin froze for a moment, then something stubborn flared up within her.

She gritted her teeth and snapped.

“It doesn’t hurt at all!

Not one bit!”

She lifted her chin, trying to maintain the last shred of dignity she had left.

“This is all what you demons did when you first interrogated me!

I don’t need your sympathy!”

Before she could finish, Lilith suddenly opened her arms and gently pulled her naked body into an embrace.

Warm.

Soft.

Carrying a faint, soothing fragrance.

“I’m truly sorry, Lady Merorin…”

Lilith whispered, her arms firm around her.

“For making you endure so much pain.”

Merorin’s body stiffened, her breathing stopping altogether.

She wanted to push her away, but found she had no strength at all.

She wanted to curse, but the apology was too sincere.

Too heavy.

She turned her head away, her voice muffled as it escaped from her chest.

“This… isn’t something you did…

Why are you apologizing…”

“But I am also the Demon King’s servant.”

Lilith replied softly, her hand slowly stroking Merorin’s back, carefully avoiding the injured spots.

“I did not harm you with my own hands, but I also did not stop it.

This sin, I am willing to bear together with them.”

She lifted her head and looked at Merorin’s delicate, beautiful face, her eyes as gentle as water.

“I just feel that… you should never have been treated like this.”

“You should not have… become Merorin in this way.”

Merorin leaned into Lilith’s arms, the sudden warmth tightening her chest.

She looked into the maid’s eyes, and the resistance born of shame slowly melted away.

In its place came an indescribable ache.

She lowered her head, fingers unconsciously digging into the edge of the blanket, her voice softening.

“Mmm… a defeated enemy deserves this, I guess…

Being tortured, being remade… there’s nothing to pity.”

She paused, muttering quietly as if to hide her wavering heart.

“Your Demon King… is really strange.

She could have killed me, but instead she toys with me like this.

Brainwashing, humiliating, destroying someone bit by bit…

What does she even want?”

Lilith listened without anger.

Instead, she smiled softly, dipping her fingers into warm water and gently wiping the grime from Merorin’s arm.

“Lady Merorin… do you know?”

Her tone was gentle, tinged with remembrance.

“The Demon King… was not always like this.”

Merorin froze and looked up at her.

“Back then, she was also very pure.

Very innocent.”

Lilith gazed into the pool, as if seeing a distant past.

“She would stay awake all night for an injured little beast.

She once said that demons should not be the evil humans claim us to be.

That we, too, could have love and protection.”

“Liar…”

Merorin puffed her cheeks instinctively, her voice full of disbelief.

“That Demon King who only uses magic to control others and makes people cry and beg her?

You’re saying she used to be innocent?”

“But it’s true.”

Lilith looked at her seriously.

“Many things happened later… that changed her.

But deep down… perhaps some of that kindness still remains.”

Merorin fell silent.

She didn’t want to believe it.

Yet she couldn’t completely deny it either.

“Hmph!”

She turned her face away, pretending to be angry.

“No matter what she was like before, now she’s just a bad person!

All she knows how to do is brainwash and torture people!”

Lilith was amused by her childish display and gently tapped her nose.

“All right, Lady Merorin.

Please don’t be angry.”

She scooped up some warm water and slowly poured it over Merorin’s shoulder.

“Let me clean you first.

Otherwise, the Demon King will scold me for neglecting my duties.”

“I… I can wash myself!”

Merorin struggled to sit up, her cheeks flushing as she refused to be attended by another woman like this.

But the moment she exerted herself, her legs gave way and her footing slipped.

“Ouch!”

She fell heavily onto the wet floor.

Her knee slammed painfully, and her arm scraped across the stone, burning sharply.

“Careful!”

Lilith immediately bent down and pulled her back into her arms, gently checking her injuries.

“See?

You can’t even stand, yet you’re still trying to be stubborn.”

Merorin’s face burned red with embarrassment and frustration.

She couldn’t say a single word.

She truly… was far too weak.

“You do it…”

She finally gave up resisting, her voice barely audible.

Her head hung low, long hair hiding her flushed face.

“Yes, as you wish.”

Lilith smiled gently, took a soft silk cloth, dipped it into fragrant foam, and began to carefully wash Merorin.

From her neck to her shoulders.

From her arms to her waist.

Every inch of her skin was cleaned with the utmost care.

When her hand slid to Merorin’s lower abdomen, her fingertips brushing against the twisted rune engraved there, she paused slightly.

That mark was deeply embedded in the flesh, glowing faintly with a dark red sheen.

Like a beating heart.

“The Demon King is really awful…”

Merorin looked down at it, her voice filled with disgust.

“Leaving something like this on me…

It’s like branding a s*ave.”

Lilith looked at her and smiled.

“Lady Merorin, don’t say that.”

Her fingers gently traced the rune, her gaze soft.

“This is proof of the Demon King’s love.”

She paused and lowered her voice.

“Even Sylvia… has never received a mark like this.”

Merorin’s whole body jolted.

What?

She lifted her head sharply, eyes wide with shock.

“You mean… Sylvia doesn’t have one?”

Her heart began to race.

If Sylvia had not been engraved with this kind of controlling rune, then it meant her submission might not have been complete.

Her consciousness might still be salvageable.

The Demon King’s alteration of her might not have been total.

A spark of hope quietly ignited in Merorin’s heart.

She immediately realized her reaction was too strong and hurriedly covered it up.

Her cheeks flushed as she turned her head away and pretended to be angry.

“This… this is obviously just a tool to control me!

What proof of love!

That Demon King is… is awful!”

“Shh…”

Lilith gently held her and rinsed her back, her voice soothing and calm.

“Lady Merorin, don’t think like that.

The Demon King’s love… may be different from ordinary people’s.

But since she carved this mark for you, it means that in her heart, you are unique.”

Warm water flowed over her body, washing away grime and exhaustion.

Yet Merorin’s heart could no longer find peace.

She closed her eyes and let the water slide down her face, her thoughts churning.

Unique…?