Loyal Servant

The maid's pain became stronger the longer she endured.

As she struggled under the weight of the overwhelming energy coursing through her body, it felt as if her very being was being torn piece by piece at an incredibly slow pace.

At the same time, a shadow of a pitch black ring started to appear deep within the maid's left eye. The shadow was already slightly visible as of this moment, but it only became more visible the longer she endured!

In fact, even the maid herself wasn't aware of the changes in her eye. Her body was in too much pain for her to think about anything else; she didn't realize what changes this did to her body, but there were two who knew exactly what was happening: Lethia and Kazimir.

"She's at it again! I guess I'll need to hire maids again." Kazimir let out a deep sigh, not moving from his throne. He was going to keep his word until the end.

He couldn't simply go back on his words since he wanted to see just how strong his daughter was against the maids, but similarly to Lethia, he was disappointed. None of them could get a single glimpse of her movements or even land an attack on her.

In his eyes, they weren't worthy of keeping alive, as they weren't much. He could easily replace them with stronger and more competent maids who could at least land an attack on his daughter. If they couldn't do that, how would it even be possible for them to be of use to his kingdom, let alone someone of noble status?

****

'Endure… I need to endure. I can't let her win. It's the least I can do!'

The clearer the ring in her eye became under the immense dark energy of Lethia, the more burden her body was placed under.

Her lips were bleeding, biting, and being torn by her, keeping her conscious. Unfortunately, it wasn't as effective as she wanted it to be.

Her eyes were bloodshot while her face became paler and paler with each passing second. She felt as if she was on the verge of death, hanging from a thin thread that could snap if a single mistake was made. The pain she felt was too violent and extreme.

'You seem so focused, but there's one thing I forgot to tell you: even if you fail... the pain will not end. There's a reason behind the pain other than this fun game.' Lethia's voice fell directly into her mind, distracting her for a moment.

However, that moment was enough for a cry to escape her mouth!

"No more!" The maid felt that her body was at its limit. A little more, and she could die. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop Lethia either. Her body was frozen in place as the pain made moving impossible.

She slightly regretted her decision to become a maid and their hastiness in their attack on Lethia. However, it was too late for her to regret it.

The black ring in her left eye grew clearer...

"Stop!" She clenched her teeth, grinding her teeth with as much force as she could. She had lost the game, but for some reason, she didn't stop. It seemed she wasn't lying when she said there was another reason behind this.

Her teeth dug into her gums, causing her mouth to bleed, but the violent dark energy still hadn't calmed down. The grinding of her teeth only added to the pain she felt.

The maid's entire body was brimming with dark energy, a little too much for her body to handle. Cracks started spreading across her skin, as if her body had started breaking apart.

Her mind was slowly getting clouded. The pain she felt was overwhelming and endless. Her vision became somewhat blurry as her eyes turned blood red, painting the entire world red for her.

The black ring in her left eye grew so clear that one could see it even if they were standing one hundred feet away.

While the maid struggled to stay conscious with the turbulent energy inside her body, more kept coming.

The burden had exceeded her body's limits, and the cracks kept spreading even more, covering her entire body. It was as if her entire body was breaking apart. In some areas, blood could be seen trickling down from the cracks.

In the end, she couldn't take it anymore. Even if she were to die here, she decided to kill herself with her own hands. She didn't want to die at the hands of this demon.

Unfortunately, she soon found out that she couldn't do that. Her jaw just wouldn't move! In such pain, she couldn't even move her jaws anymore to bite her tongue.

That demon didn't even let her kill herself... She was at the mercy of a merciless demon!

Since she couldn't do anything, she only closed her eyes. Even if it meant certain death at the hands of Lethia, she was going to die fighting! She wouldn't let herself be killed this easily by her enemy. She would fight to the very end.

'It seems that's all you have... Too bad, but I guess you're more valuable than others. You possess higher compatibility than the maids I've killed here.'

Hearing this, she fell unconscious. The pain was too much for her to endure. As soon as she fell unconscious, the pain disappeared, and Lethia moved her mouth from her neck, putting an end to the maid's endless suffering.

"For a maid as weak as you were, your will was strong. Your future shouldn't be too difficult as long as you remain loyal. My little servant…" Lethia coldly muttered, disappearing from the hall with the maid.

….

It was late in the night. There was a dark blood moon in the sky, almost impossible to see as no light ever reached it, providing a sense of day and night in a world filled only with darkness.

The maid slowly opened her eyes as she saw a glimpse of the moonlight, telling her she had been out for at least half a day.

Strangely enough, her body felt light compared to before. Not only did her body feel light, but she also felt a sudden increase in strength, as if she had grown leaps and bounds in only twelve hours. She was amazed by her growth. She had never experienced something like this before.

She quickly sat up, observing the changes in her body. The pain from before was completely gone, replaced by a newfound strength. She realized that if she were to battle Lethia, she wouldn't fall so easily. She could at least hold her own against her.

"How do you feel? Do you feel as if you were reborn anew?" A calm, feminine voice fell into her ears from next to her. Even with strength that couldn't be compared to before, she was still unable to feel Lethia's presence.

"I'll kill you!" Her face was filled with anger, but before she could even cast a spell, she heard a single word that took control of her body.

"Kneel!"

As if obeying, the maid immediately kneeled as her head touched the ground.

"If you aren't aware already, you're now my loyal maid who can't ignore or disobey a single order of mine. Now tell me. Who was the fool that spread false information about me?"

The maid replied, "The elders! The vampire elders who were once knights told us of this throughout the years, engraving the thought that you were weak in our heads from our training."

Lethia didn't think the maid was lying; it wasn't that she trusted the maid, but that she simply couldn't lie to her.

This was the punishment she had given her—a life where she would remain alive but wouldn't be free from her. She was no different from a slave attached to a leash that wouldn't ever break.

"That's what it is? No wonder these brats needed to be taught! I'll also need to teach the old bats a lesson as well, but that'll have to wait." Lethia realized why the maids had attacked her before without realizing how much of a threat she was. "What an annoyance!"

Her problems didn't seem to stop increasing, as every day there seemed to be another one that appeared out of nowhere. For a princess, she felt she had too much work cut out for her with no end to it all.