Elene looked up from the parchment she’d been working on, resting her chin on her hands. Her eyes betrayed her exhaustion, but a flicker of relief was there, too.

  “Any issues?” she asked curtly.

  “Nothing major, Mistress,” the maid replied. “The departure went smoothly.”

  Elene exhaled, allowing herself a moment to rex. Knowing the subordinates of those two Demon Kings, she wouldn’t have been surprised if one of them had tried to “accidentally” pack a few girls into their wagons as “diplomatic gifts.” Greed and Pride always went hand-in-hand with a total ck of restraint.

  Thinking of the girls who had served the guests during their stay, Elene narrowed her eyes.

  “What is the status of the girls who entertained the guests?” she asked, her voice sharpening.

  The maid hesitated for a fraction of a second, lowering her gaze before answering in a softer tone. “As far as the maids are concerned, everyone is in pristine condition. Their dignity and bodies remain untouched…” She paused, then continued with a tinge of sadness. “…However, the same cannot be said for the sves. Their condition is… serious, to say the least.”

  Elene scratched her forehead, feeling a surge of frustration. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief that those idiots hadn't dared touch the maids. In the hierarchy of Lilith’s castle, the division was absolute: sves occupied the lowest public rung, and it was upon them that guests vented their most perverted desires or their frustrations from the negotiations. They were treated as disposable objects.

  The maids were a different matter entirely. Even the lowest-ranking maid was not a sve - she was a direct subordinate of Queen Lilith. Messing with a maid, even the youngest one, was equivalent to challenging the Queen of Desire herself. Even the envoys of Greed knew that the price for touching Lilith’s staff would be higher than they could ever afford to pay.

  “Damned savages…” Elene muttered, rising from her desk. “Prepare spots for the sves in the Regeneration Chambers. Let magic handle their physical wounds. And tell the Soul Soothers to tend to their mental states immediately.”

  The maid nodded, understanding the gravity of the order. In a castle like this - home to thousands of women, mostly succubi and beings with incredibly high libidos and refined fetishes - it was impossible for everything to run without a hitch. The castle was like a living organism fueled by desire, and that birthed problems that couldn't be solved by a simple cleaning.

  Physical injuries, no matter how drastic, were handled by the Regeneration Chambers - advanced magical capsules that could knit bone and heal skin in a few hours. But psychological wounds were a much tougher challenge. A separate, isoted wing had been established specifically for this purpose, staffed by individuals with rare empathic and psychic talents. They "mended" the shattered minds of those who couldn't handle the weight of service or who had been treated too brutally by guests or superiors. Without them, Lilith’s castle would have descended into madness long ago.

  “I want a report on their status by tonight,” Elene added, dismissing the maid with a sharp, authoritative wave.

  The maid bowed, turned on her heel, and headed for the exit. The rustle of her provocative, short skirt momentarily filled the silence of the office. Just as her hand settled on the handle of the heavy oak door, Elene’s voice cut through the air like a whip.

  “Lily.”

  The maid froze mid-step and slowly turned back toward the desk. Elene wasn't looking at her papers anymore; her gaze was locked onto the girl’s eyes - cold and searching.

  “When was the st time you had an orgasm?” she asked bluntly, as if asking about the inventory in the pantry.

  Lily gasped, her ft chest tensing beneath the thin fabric of her uniform. The shock was so great that she couldn't find her voice for several seconds. In Lilith’s castle, desire was currency, but Elene rarely delved into such personal matters during duty hours.

  “Nearly a year ago… Mistress,” Lily finally answered, casting her eyes downward as a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks.

  Elene leaned back in her chair, a shadow of a smile pying on her lips - one that boded nothing good.

  “A year… That is far too long for someone serving in the House of Desire,” Elene stated, twirling a magical quill. “If you’re inclined, you may come to my private chambers of pleasure tonight.”

  Lily felt her legs go weak. The shock was almost physical. Everyone in the castle knew that Elene, the Queen’s right hand, practically never pyed with anyone besides Lady Lilith herself. She was inaccessible, stern, and entirely devoted to her sovereign. The thought that she - modest, ft-chested Lily - had been chosen made her heart race.

  Seeing the disbelief on the maid’s face, Elene chuckled softly, though a dangerous note hummed in the sound.

  “Don't look at me like that. I’ve had a lot on my pte recently… a certain little pet and our Lady’s whims have left me needing someone to vent my frustration on.”

  Suddenly, Elene’s expression turned grave, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

  “I advise you to think twice before crossing the threshold of my chambers, though. This won't be sweet pampering, Lily. This will be very… painful py. I have no intention of being gentle tonight.”

  Lily felt a shiver of fear race down her spine. Dark rumors circuted the castle about Elene’s fetishes - that her love was as sharp as her quill and as ruthless as her orders. She knew Elene knew no mercy when she held the tools of discipline. However, the thought of releasing the tension that had been building for a year tipped the scales. The vision of an orgasm at the hands of such a powerful succubus was stronger than any fear.

  Lily slowly dropped to one knee, bowing her head in a gesture of total surrender.

  “This maid, Lily… would be honored to entertain Mistress in such a way,” she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement.

  Elene nodded with satisfaction. The sight of her subordinate’s submission clearly improved her mood.

  “Excellent. You may go.”

  Lily stood and headed for the exit, her movements suddenly more confident, even defiant. Her hips swayed boldly with every step, a fact that did not escape Elene’s notice.

  “One more thing, Lily,” Elene called out as the maid reached the doorway. “Remember to keep the key to your chastity cage tucked nicely between your teeth all the way there. I wouldn't want you to lose it prematurely.”

  Lily flinched but didn't look back. Elene’s words were a clear signal of what awaited her tonight. The office door closed with a heavy thud, leaving Elene alone with her pns and a mounting, dark desire.

  Once Lily was gone, Elene leaned heavily against the carved back of her chair. The silence allowed her a moment to reflect on the complex machinery of the Queen of Desire’s castle.

  In this pce, saturated with the energy of succubi, men were a rarity. Those granted the honor of residing within these walls rarely resembled the warriors or sages of the human nds. They were selectively chosen for their delicacy - feminine facial features, smooth skin, and androgynous silhouettes that allowed them to practically blend into their female-dominated surroundings. However, their existence was defined by one ruthless rule: The Total Prohibition of Pleasure.

  Every male in the castle wore a chastity cage 24/7. Their only role was to serve and accumute the frustration that fed the castle’s aura. Exceptions to this rule could only be granted by the two highest ranks. The first, of course, were Lilith’s Royal Wives - the few powerful beings who shared a bed with the Queen. The second rank, just below them, was the Great Matrons of Sin - the elite management group to which Elene belonged. Only they had the right to decide if one of their "charges" deserved a moment of relief, an event that occurred less often than an eclipse of the astral sun.

  Elene sighed, gncing at the wall clock whose hands were fashioned from the bones of the damned. Time was slipping away.

  I need to get moving, she thought, gathering her scattered documents. Time to assign Neko his next rooms and tasks for the rest of the day.

  Under normal circumstances, a matter as trivial as assigning chambers to a new maid would be handled by the lowest-ranking administrative clerk. But Neko wasn't a normal case. Elene knew that Lilith’s eyes were on that cat pet almost constantly. One mistake in the schedule, a room that was too stuffy, or a task that might ruin the "aesthetic" Lilith had envisioned for Neko could draw a wrath Elene preferred to avoid.

  In the castle’s structure, where the Queen’s whim was the supreme w, even a Matrona like Elene had to tread carefully. Neko, though officially low-ranking, had become a living artifact in Lilith’s hands.

  Elene picked up the heavy, golden key to the "Special Residences" section and left her office, her heels clicking against the cold marble of the corridor.

  ***

  POV: Neko

  In the luxurious bathhouse, a long, nearly reverent silence fell. After the sudden burst of pain and Lilith’s stern warning, the tension slowly began to give way to an overpowering rexation. I sat in her arms, submerged to my neck in the pearly surface of the water. Lilith washed me with extraordinary thoroughness - I felt her hands, now soft and slick with oils, glide over my shoulders, back, and thighs.

  It was paradoxical. On one hand, I was relieved her fingers were avoiding my "little friend," giving me a moment of respite from her perverted games. On the other... the mounting frustration from the night before still flickered beneath my skin. The ck of touch in that one crucial spot made every other sensation ten times more potent.

  The blindness, though initially terrifying, was becoming an ally in experiencing pleasure. Undistracted by the sight of her dominant face, I focused on the warmth of the water, the scent of vanil, and the soothing purr that had once again - more quietly this time - begun to vibrate in my chest.

  The warmth of the foam, the oils, and her steady hands were making me drift toward sleep.

  Suddenly, I felt strong hands slide under my armpits.

  “Alright, sweetling, time to move,” Lilith murmured, breaking my blissful daze.

  I gave a soft groan, instinctively trying to brace my legs against the bottom of the tub, but Lilith brooked no dissent. She hoisted me out of the hot water in one fluid motion. The moment my wet body left the safety of the pool, I was hit by a sudden, icy bst of air against my skin.

  I jerked violently. Yet, in that same moment - despite still being shrouded in the absolute darkness of the curse - a familiar golden system light fred directly into my consciousness.

  [CONGRATULATIONS!]

  [New Passive Skill Unlocked! ]

  [Skill:Perfect Skin]

  [Description: Your skin has been saturated with the astral oils of the Queen of Desire. It is now fwlessly smooth, resistant to minor contaminants, and exceptionally sensitive to external stimuli. ]

  [Effects: Charisma: +5 , Agility: +5 ]

  I froze. My heart beat faster, but this time, it wasn't out of fear.

  I read the message a second time, analyzing every letter. The blindness clearly didn't block the system interface, which seemed burned directly into my brain.

  My stats... they went up! I thought, a sudden rush of adrenaline hitting me.

  Five points to Charisma and a full five to Agility. Those weren't small numbers. I looked (in my mind's eye) at the notification and felt something I hadn't felt since my transmigration: hope. If this was a real LitRPG world, it meant I could evolve. I could grow stronger.

  This is it... I thought, clenching my wet hands into fists while Lilith began to dry me with a soft towel.

  The System... This must be my "Golden Finger."

  If I can get strong enough, if I can gain the right skills, then maybe eventually I’ll be the one calling the shots.

  This might just be what saves me from this nightmare...