I let out a soft groan as I colpsed onto the bed, the mattress yielding beneath my weight while the bell on my tail gave a pathetic, hollow clink. My hands instinctively flew to my calves, which were pulsing with a dull, burning ache.

  I began to massage them desperately, trying to loosen the cramped muscles, and shot a look of unadulterated hatred at my new white shoes. The gleaming patent leather reflected the light as if mocking my current suffering.

  Today had been infinitely worse than yesterday.

  Virtually every second had been spent scrubbing and cleaning the endless succession of rooms Elene had assigned to me. If the work had seemed tolerable yesterday, today - in these murderous three-inch stilettos - every single step had been transformed into a physical ordeal.

  Even my Ethereal Stamina Core, which periodically pumped fresh energy into my body, couldn't completely kill the pain in my legs. The mana gave me the strength to keep moving, but it couldn't protect my feet from the unnatural arch and the crushing pressure those shoes forced upon me. It was pure torture.

  Still massaging my calves, I pulled my foot closer to my face to inspect the small gold padlocks at my ankles again. I had tried to remove them dozens of times throughout the day whenever Elene wasn't looking, but it was futile. The locks were perfectly smooth; no keyhole - nothing to suggest a mechanical way to open them. I didn't understand how the magic worked, and it was driving me insane. I let out a heavy sigh, realizing that when Elene finished her shift today, she hadn't breathed a word about how to get these goddamn shoes off.

  A sudden, blood-chilling thought pierced my mind. Wait... does she actually expect me to sleep in these? The vision of a night spent with my feet forced into that arch made me want to howl in frustration.

  I buried my face in my hands and rolled onto my side, the stiff fabric of the pink maid dress scratching against my skin. Every touch of the cloth reminded me of my greatest shame that day.

  I had walked around this castle all day like a total slut, without even a pair of panties on. I had felt every draft of air, every swish of the skirt, agonizingly aware that I was completely exposed underneath. That humiliation burned me from the inside more than the muscle pain ever could.

  I stared bnkly at the side of the bed, muttering under my breath. "At least I didn't run into anyone in the wing I was cleaning..." I comforted myself. "Besides Elene, no one else saw me."

  That thought was the only anchor keeping me sane. However, exhaustion proved stronger than shame or the fear of sleeping in heels. My eyelids grew heavier with every passing second, and my body ftly refused any further activity. I didn't even have the strength to pull over the covers or loosen my outfit.

  I fell asleep exactly as I y - in the full, humiliating regalia of a maid.

  ***

  "Mmm~ You look just as delicious as ever, kitten..."

  That sweet, honeyed voice and the sudden puff of warm breath right against my ear made the st traces of sleep evaporate in a heartbeat. I bolted my eyes open, and the bell on my tail gave a short, terrified jingle. The first thing I saw were those familiar golden eyes staring at me from inches away - full of insatiable possession and such absolute dominance that, for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

  In a fraction of a second, a wave of irrational fear flooded me. Even though I’d objectively done nothing wrong, my mind scrambled for any excuse just to avoid this woman's wrath.

  "M-Mistress Lilith... I... I was a little tired after the cleaning, so I..." I started to babble, stuttering in terror as I tried to push myself up from the bedding. But she simply pced a cool, perfectly manicured finger against my lips.

  "Hush, kitten," she whispered, silencing me with a single gesture.

  She began to stroke my head, her hand moving softly between my cat ears. It was bizarre - one moment I was shaking in terror, and the next, under the influence of her touch, my instincts commanded me to settle. Quite involuntarily, as if my body no longer belonged to me, I nuzzled into her hand, feeling the panic slowly recede, repced by a sick, sve-like bliss.

  Before I could react, Lilith caught me under the arms and hoisted me up. I felt as light as a feather in her grip; she made it clear that I was no burden to her at all. She sat me on her p, and feeling the heat radiating from her and that intoxicating scent, I clung to her more tightly, seeking support.

  Then I felt it, and I froze in absolute horror at myself.

  The ck of panties under the pink skirt meant our contact was nearly direct. Within seconds, just from the sensation of being in her arms, my "little friend" had turned rock hard. I was stunned and terrified by how violently my new nature reacted. The mere fact that this powerful woman was holding me made my system go haywire.

  Lilith didn't stop touching me; her hand moved to delicately caress my ears, teasing their sensitive edges. I felt a moan building in my throat. I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached, fighting with every fiber of my being not to start groaning under her seemingly innocent touch.

  Then, I felt her hand slide down my thigh until, without a hint of hesitation, it cmped over my burning erection.

  "My, aren't you impatient, my little sweetling~" she teased, her voice dripping with a tender cruelty that hurt more than an open insult. "You've only just woken up, and already you're welcoming your Mistress in such a... shameless way?"

  I felt like I was going to explode from the shame.

  Suddenly, her grip tightened just enough to be firm. She looked down at me, narrowing her golden eyes.

  "Tell me, why is my little kitten behaving like a common, cheap slut?" she asked, each word hitting like the flick of a whip. "Why are you parading around my castle without panties, announcing your sweet little ass and this hard, tiny clit to the whole world? Do you crave it that much? Do you want everyone to have such easy access to you?"

  My face was on fire, and my heart hammered so hard against my ribs that the bell on my tail rang in a frenzied rhythm. I wanted to sink into the ground, to vanish, to cease to exist - anything to avoid telling her what had happened with Elene this morning. But remembering the previous night, I knew that if I didn't answer immediately, Lilith would have no mercy.

  In a quiet, trembling, and unnaturally sweet voice, I began to deliver a report of my own disgrace.

  "M-Mistress... it... it's not what you think," I choked out, trying not to moan as I felt her hand on my erection. "This morning... Mistress Elene came for an inspection and... and she saw the mess we left st night. She said that since I ruined the only pair of panties I had, I had to work without them today... as punishment."

  Speaking it out loud was worse than the act itself. Every word felt like a confirmation of my total degradation.

  "Elene also made me wear these shoes..." I added almost inaudibly, gesturing toward the white three-inch stilettos still imprisoning my feet. "No one saw me all day, I swear... I only cleaned where she told me to... I didn't want to be so shameless, Mistress..."

  Hearing my confession, Lilith let out a sweet ugh, her breasts bouncing slightly beneath the thin fabric of her gown, which only deepened my massive confusion. She looked genuinely amused by my plight, yet there was something strangely soothing in her ughter.

  She withdrew her hand from my pulsing crotch and resumed the gentle stroking of my ears, her fingers trailing through the soft fur.

  "Mmm... it must have been a truly difficult day for you, my poor kitten," she murmured. Feeling a temporary wave of relief, I gave a slow, timid nod.

  Suddenly, Lilith went still. She tapped a finger against her perfectly shaped lips, peering thoughtfully at my white stilettos.

  For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the sudden, loud snap of her fingers.

  In that same second, I heard the sound of the gold padlocks that had imprisoned my ankles all day suddenly shattering into tiny pieces, falling to the marble floor with a metallic ctter. I froze in surprise, and then my heart leaped with pure joy.

  Finally! Freedom!

  Excited and completely forgetting where I was, I lunged forward with my hands reaching for my feet. I desperately wanted to throw off that white curse and give my aching, swollen feet even a second of respite - but then I felt Lilith’s strong, cool hands easily intercept my wrists and pull them back.

  "Easy, kitten... not so fast~" she whispered. I looked at her with total bewilderment and growing dread.

  Seeing my confused gaze, Lilith’s smile widened, and dangerous sparks danced in her eyes.

  "It would be boring if you just took those shoes off, don't you think?" she asked rhetorically, pulling my hands closer to her chest. "After all, they were a gift from Elene. And as you well know, gifts must be cared for and properly tended to. You wouldn't want to hurt her feelings by tossing them into a corner so carelessly, would you?"

  I went rigid, completely lost. I didn't understand what she was getting at. If she had removed the locks, why wouldn't she let me take the shoes off?

  I stared at her with wide eyes, realizing that this "reward" for a hard day's work wasn't going to come as easily as I’d hoped.