Demon Queened (Remastered) - Chapter 1

Announcement: I have officially begun editing Demon Queened in order to create a remastered version, which will eventually be available on Amazon (and maybe a few other places) as an e-book. The epub will be available for free to any $5+ patrons - and I'm considering releasing the chapters as I go to those same tiers, to ensure that there's at least some benefit for joining when I'm not actively working on a one-shot. (Still need to finish the slime trilogy... cry...)

This chapter, however, I'm making free to all members (free and paid alike) as a preview of sort. So you can see what a "remastered" version of the chapter actually looks like. (I don't currently have FallingLeaf - or anyone else - editing these chapters, for the record, since I can't afford to pay anyone and I'm not sure how I feel about having someone edit something for free when I intend to sell the final product... So this is just me doing my best. Here's hoping it's good enough!)

Chapter 1 - Queened

“Just how big is this thing?” Jacob grumbled, glaring at his computer. The words ‘Tower Conquest’ were stretched across his screen in large golden letters. Beneath that was the tagline ‘Can you defeat the Demon Queen?’ and beneath that was a loading bar, which had been slowly filling up for the last fifteen minutes. It was still only at ninety percent, though it did tick over to ninety-one even as he glowered at it.

“...Maybe I should make a snack or something.” He sighed, glancing at the clock in the corner of his computer screen. It was only two in the afternoon, and the start of his weekend besides, so he didn’t have to worry about how late he stayed up. He would have plenty of time to play. He was just being impatient.

“Guess I’ll wait another minute…” 

***

“What is the matter with you!?” I screamed, snarling at the maid in front of me.

“Is something the matter, Princess?” she asked me, eliciting a harsh glower.

“You certainly have quite the audacity to ask me that,” I replied, looking my maid up and down. She was a succubus, a ‘true’ demon whose ancestors had settled in the mortal realm some generations back. She had dirty blonde hair, cut right above the shoulders, with a touch of curl at the end. A long wiry tail, with a spade at its point, poked out from beneath the skirts of her dress, and dark wings stretched out from her backless uniform. Her eyes, like all of her kind, were pure black, making it impossible to tell just where her pupils were focusing. It seemed to me like her eyes were directed downward though. I was pleased to see she knew her place.

“I-I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Princess,” the maid stammered. Her voice trembled, but the tray in her hands stayed perfectly steady. It was actually impressive that she managed to stay so composed in my powerful presence. Not that I intended to compliment a being who was so far below me.

“Your ignorance is part of the problem,” I told her, gesturing to the tray she was holding. “What do you see on that plate?”

“Eggs, bacon, and toast, Princess,” the maid listed, her brow furrowing. “Is that not what you ordered?”

“Of course it’s what I ordered, you dimwit.” My lips pulled back into a sneer as I spoke. From the look of confusion on the maid’s face, it was clear she had no clue what my issue was. Which, of course, only made me more irritated. 

“The toast,” I said at last, magnanimously deciding to indicate the problem for my incompetent maid. Despite my going out of my way to explain it, however, the maid’s brow remained furrowed. “Are you seriously such an idiot that you can’t recognize a problem even when it’s pointed out to you?”

“I’m sorry, Princess.” She cringed. “I really don’t know what’s wrong with it.”

“I don’t know how it could be more obvious,” I complained, letting out a sigh. “The toast is cut vertically; as my maid, you should know that I prefer it be done diagonally.”

“I… I see, Princess… In that case, I’ll go to the kitchen and get new toast immediately.” 

“That’s not good enough,” I informed her, narrowing my eyes. Was this woman new? I didn’t remember seeing her before, but that hardly meant anything. I never bothered to memorize the appearance of mere servants. “By the time you return to me with new toast, the rest of my breakfast will have cooled. Inform the head chef that I wish her to remake the entirety of my breakfast so that I can enjoy it all at the proper temperature.”

“Understood, Princess.” The maid bent her knees in a light curtsey and turned to leave.

“And if you bring me the wrong thing again, I’ll have you and the chef both thrown in the dungeon!” I called after her.

The maid didn’t respond, but I was sure she had heard me. Just as I was certain she would do as I asked. Unless she wanted to spend a few days in a cell, at least.

“Honestly,” I muttered, shaking my head. “You’d think they could at least get my last meal as a princess right…” I just hoped they wouldn’t make such a crucial mistake during dinner. If they got my first meal as Demon Queen wrong, even I didn’t know how I’d handle it.

***

A small ding rang out from Jacob’s speakers, telling him that the game had finished loading. 

“About time!” he grumbled, moving his mouse toward the start button. Despite the annoyance in his words, he couldn’t help but grin at the idea of finally getting to play. “Let’s see… Right, we start with the classic scrolling text for the game’s background. Lucy the heroine has trained her whole life to fight Devilla Satanne, the Demon Queen - well that’s a porn name if I’ve ever heard one. Lucy has made a solo trip to Dimona Tower, against the wishes of the church… Yada yada yada… Blah blah blah… Alright, so it’s like Alice said - a hundred and one floors, ten generals, and the Demon Queen as the final boss. Looks like there’s sex whenever you clear a boss, too.”

Jacob waited for the scrolling text to finish, then left clicked to start the game. Despite being porn, it had a surprising amount of combat. The heroine, Lucy, had to work her way through a spiraling narrow passageway, slowly climbing up the tower, defeating demons as she went.

Most of the climb was fairly monotonous, with only the floor counter in the upper left corner telling the player how far they had progressed. Every tenth floor, however, the passageway would open up into a wide area; the boss room. From there, you could either try to seduce the demon general through dialogue or just jump straight into combat. Either way, victory ended with the demon general submitting to Lucy, having sex with her, and thereby giving her part of their magic power so that she’d be strong enough to fight her way through the next ten floors. The dialogue seemed to ignore the hacking and slashing Lucy had been doing, with everyone acting as if she’d simply incapacitated all the demons she’d met so far.

Jacob could see why Alice had recommended the game to him. The combat was exciting for him. So were the dialogue and sex scenes, though in a very different way. And all the demons were hot girls, which was a nice bonus. Jacob was almost as fond of lesbian porn as Alice was.

“Though it’s sort of strange calling them demons when most of them just look like monster girls...”

***

I held out my arms, allowing my maids to examine me carefully for any defects in my state of dress. My outfit was pure white, with a pleated skirt that stopped well short of my knees and a backless halter top that hugged my breasts and showed off my curves. All of it had been tailored to fit me perfectly, and they’d double checked the fit just the day before, so there was little doubt of it fitting right. This was my coronation though, so there was no room for error. 

“Everything looks wonderful, Princess,” one of my maids assured me. She was a lamia, a woman with a demonoid upper half, and a snake tail below the waist. 

“I have your shoes ready, Princess,” another maid said. This one was something of a rarity: a unicorn girl, with hair as white as my own, if only half as long, and a single pale horn growing from her forehead. She was holding out a pair of high heels, which of course also matched the white motif. I stepped into the proffered shoes without comment, slipping my toes through the open ends and allowing my unicorn maid to strap them on. 

“Your generals are ready, Princess!” yet another maid called, opening the doorway. I couldn’t see many of her features from where I was standing, but she seemed to have a faint green tinge to her skin. Perhaps a goblin? I didn’t care enough to check.

“Let them be ready,” I retorted. A faint tickling sensation spread across my back. I heard a gasp from one of my maids, and it brought a smile to my lips. They always reacted like this when I manifested my wings. I was sure they looked magnificent today, as always - each glossy feather as black as the void.

“I’ll make my way to the throne room at my own pace.”

***

Jacob let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He’d managed to seduce the final general, which was good. According to Alice if you entered combat with her it wouldn’t end until she was completely destroyed. In other words, there wouldn’t have been a sex scene.

“Though it’s not like I really have time to enjoy it, anyway,” Jacob groused to himself. It was almost seven in the morning. He had been playing nonstop since the night before, something he would never have done if it wasn’t his weekend. He desperately wanted to sleep, but he was so close to finishing the game that he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop playing. Still, he was numbly skipping through the majority of the dialogue at this point. He wasn’t even paying full attention to the sex scenes. The game allowed you to make a save file whenever you met or defeated a general though, so even if he didn’t have the energy to enjoy it this playthrough, being able to go through the best parts at his leisure was still worth it.

“Next up is the Demon Queen...” From what Jacob had bothered to read, the generals were only surrendering to the heroine because the Demon Queen herself was so terrible to them. Even Lucy seemed to view the demons as pitiable victims of that horrible villainess. It made Jacob wonder just how bad Devilla Satanne really was...

***

I walked into the throne room with a confident smile on my lips. The coronation was barely more than a formality to me, after all. I was already the highest authority in the tower and had been since I was a mere thirteen hours old. There was only one part of this ceremony that held any real importance to me, and that was the Rite of Insight: a holy spell that would grant me access to an archive of knowledge. It had been passed down from Demon Queen to Demon Queen, and now that I was twenty-one, it was finally my turn.

My generals were already waiting for me, naked and kneeling in a display of vulnerability and submission. A wooden stand had been placed in front of the throne, and atop it was a small box made of pure gold. It would open only for a member of the royal line, and it contained the spell that would cement my position as a great and powerful Demon Queen.

Of course, first I had to listen to the Doll narrate our history. Though technically one of my generals, she wasn’t kneeling like the rest. She stood in front of the others, her perfectly pert breasts on display, her pussy naked for all to see. 

Perhaps there were those who would consider her pretty, but the perfection of Doll’s skin always seemed artificial to me. That was only natural, however, considering she was a construct. The oldest of my generals, she was the only one left who had served under my mother’s reign. The others had all resigned, been fired, or died in the War, but not Doll. She’d been serving Demon Queens for who knew how long.

“We begin the story with the Fallen One, Luci, she who built Dimona Tower with her own hands as a fortress for our people…” Doll’s voice was completely devoid of emotion, and I found my thoughts drifting as she continued to drone on. I knew most of the story already. How long ago, humans and monster girls had warred over territory. How the angels above had declared humanity the goddess’s ‘chosen ones’, even though the goddess herself had long since left heaven behind to go on some sort of journey. The angels backed the church in labeling all non-humans as ‘evil demons.’ Nevermind that true demons had been living in the mortal world for over a century; suddenly the descendents of hell, such as succubi and vampires, and monster girls, like lamia and goblins, were one and the same. What’s more, the angels went and created the Heroine, a human woman who actually absorbed magic power from the demons she slaughtered. Even killing her was only a stopgap measure, as another one would simply be born nine months later.

That caused Luci, my ancestor, to grow angry with her sisters’ favoritism. Unable to turn them aside from their new path, she chose to fall from grace and descend to the mortal realm; to Solla. She gathered the monster girls and true demons both under her banner as the Demon Queen, helping them to fight back against the humans and their heroine. Yet despite wielding enough power to single-handedly win the war, she chose not to fight the humans herself, turning her power only on the angels’ aberration of a “Heroine.” 

Though she may have been made queen, Luci’s goal was to counterbalance her sisters’ influence, not to eradicate humanity or lead her people to victory. She regretted needing to influence the mortal world at all, and so held herself back as much as possible. Her descendants followed the same principle, only going to battle against the heroine, and only when the power of the angels’ had grown strong enough within her that conflict was inevitable.

Of course, that refusal to take part in the battle was a big part of why our territory had been reduced to a single tower. One in the middle of a wasteland no less, thanks to the devastating effects of holy magic used during my mother’s battle with the last heroine, Jodeyne.

The same Heroine who’d taken my mother from me, when I was a mere thirteen hours old. I hated the entire thrice-damned line of Heroines, but I hated her the most. It was all her fault that we were in such dire straits. It certainly wasn’t because of anything I’d done.

Try telling that to my people though. True, my mother could have defeated the Heroine earlier if she had not been pregnant with me, and yes, she likely wouldn’t have died in battle if she hadn’t been weakened from childbirth. But to blame me for the state we were in? It wasn’t my fault that we’d made no progress reclaiming our lands. I was constantly ordering the generals to do something about it, so saying I hadn’t been doing my part was just ridiculous!

“And that of course leads us to our current Princess: Devilla Satanne, she who will soon become Queen.”

The orator was staring at me. It seemed she’d finally finished droning on. My turn.

“My name is Devilla Satanne,” I said, taking to the podium with a flourish of my wings. “My mother was Grimmilla Satanne. My ancestor was the Fallen One, known as Luci, who took the name Satanne from her mortal wife. Right now, I stand before you as your princess. In mere moments, I will stand before you as your queen.”

With those words spoken, I reached out to touch the golden box. It was warm beneath my fingers, and I could feel something akin to lightning running through my skin as I touched it. Carefully taking each side of the lid into my hands, I looked about to make sure that all eyes were upon me as they should be. 

No one moved, or even made a sound, as I reached into the golden vessel to pull out a small scroll of delicate parchment. Opening it revealed three sentences, written in an unfamiliar language. I didn’t need to understand the words though; so long as I read them phonetically I would be fine. Once the Rite of Insight had granted me the knowledge of past Demon Queens, I would know the entirety of the holy tongue. I’d even be able to cast holy magic of my own.

Grinning, I thought of all the power at my fingertips and began to read the words.

“Aloosh verocka devort magnina foruus. Groona, sellis rone essel dorma dorfus noga gillar, divi woon yuul queel maka yota walla ipsiin ritell. Woon deen maka oon det devort ackella.”

Wait, no - that last word was supposed to be ackello.

***

Jacob sighed in relief, leaning back against his chair. He’d finally done it. He’d beaten the game. It had taken him all night, and most of the next morning, but it wasn’t like he had anywhere to go that day. 

“That last fight against Devilla was seriously hard though,” he whined to himself. Even with power from all ten generals, it still felt like Lucy had been at a disadvantage during the fight. The queen had been able to cast a seemingly endless number of spells, on top of having an intense physical attack that could shave away huge amounts of the heroine’s HP. To top it all off, if you actually wanted the sex scene, you needed to take Devilla down to the red and hold her there for ten minutes of real-time. 

“And she could heal herself, too… Ah, well, it was worth it in the end, though I can’t help but feel a little weird about that ending…” Unlike with the generals, Lucy hadn’t been content to let the demon queen off with just a promise to reform and make peace with the humans. Instead, Lucy had put a divine collar around Devilla’s neck. The enchanted item not only sealed the Demon Queen’s magic, but also forced her to obey Lucy’s commands. The once-powerful demon queen ended up as little more than a slave.

“Well, maybe I won’t do a replay of that particular scene… At least it’s over, and I can finally go to bed.”

It was just as he had started waddling towards his bedroom that Jacob’s phone rang.

***

My body began to feel unusually warm. A wave of light spread out from me, rushing past the kneeling figures before me and filling the throne room with its radiance. The light remained only for a moment before folding in on itself, converting in mid-air to a strange, inky darkness, which then rushed back towards my body and knocked me off my feet. Then it was over, gone as quickly as it had begun, leaving me on the ground in a moderately well-lit room.

“Wh-What?” I stammered. My mouth was dry. My head was pounding. What had just happened? I remembered casting the Rite of Insight and getting the last word wrong. Then there had been a phone call…? Yes, I had been called into work. One of the bag boys had called in sick, and my blowhard of a boss had absolutely insisted I come in. Except… except who in their right mind would call a princess in to work as a bag boy?

Something was off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something was definitely strange. I tried to think back to how my day had started. 

I’d been delivered breakfast, but the maid had brought me something unacceptable.

No, that wasn’t right - I… I had stayed up all night playing a game, no? And then I got a phone call… It was my boss, demanding I come into work. Something about one of the other bag boys quitting? He’d insisted, refusing to listen to any complaints, and I’d reluctantly agreed... 

Who in their right mind would make a princess come into work on her coronation day, though? What would he have done if I’d been late to the ceremony as a result? I was just lucky that I’d finished my shift in time.

Did I finish my shift, though? I remembered being so sleepy that I could hardly keep my eyes open while driving, but I didn’t remember actually arriving at work, let alone finishing the day.

I was starting to get a headache. No, not starting to - I had one. It felt like someone was trying to break my head open from the inside. It took every ounce of my willpower not to scream, even as I drove my black nails against my scalp and desperately tried to hold myself together.

Around me, the generals stayed in place. Even as I laid there on the floor, clawing at my own head, they waited for the signal to rise. A distant corner of my mind wondered just how much these people hated me to show such little concern, and what I had done to deserve it. True, I had a tendency of throwing tantrums. Yes, I tended to bully any girl who seemed like she might think herself prettier than me. If I were to be truly honest, I perhaps sent a few too many people to the dungeon unfairly, even if their stay had not been indefinite. But surely none of that was uncalled for from a Demon Queen? Surely they wouldn’t just leave me to die, for lack of an order? Yet still, the kneeling generals around me refused to move.

The pain was getting worse. My vision was starting to go dark, and my nails were digging deep enough into my scalp that I worried I’d draw blood. With no other recourse, I managed to swallow my pride and whisper, “Help,” a moment before finally passing out. Yet, even in the darkness, there was still that splitting pain.

***

I sat upright in bed, gripping the black comforter tight enough to make my knuckles white. Before I could even open my mouth to call for help, a maid standing by my bed voiced her concern, “My Queen? Are you alright?”

I gave a slow nod in response, not trusting myself to speak. The pain that had been threatening to tear me apart was gone, but in its place was a maelstrom of confusion and scrambled memories that I could hardly piece together. The Rite of Insight… It was supposed to give me the knowledge of my ancestors. Despite my flubbing the last word, it had apparently worked - if you were willing to stretch the definition of “ancestors” to include past lives. It was having nineteen years of new memories shoved into my head that had given me such a terrible headache and caused me to pass out. Even now that things had settled there was still a lot to sort through.

I had apparently been a man in my last life, for one thing. My name had been Jacob Divington. I was, at the time of death, a high school graduate. I’d worked as a bag boy, trying to save up some money, and held a vague plan about going to college one day. I’d lived in my parents’ basement, and died in what I could only imagine to be a car crash, having fallen asleep at the wheel on my way to work. 

It was rather strange to know that I had died once already, but since I had recovered all my past memories in this new life it hardly seemed to matter. It was even stranger, though, knowing I had once been a straight human male rather than a lesbian fallen angel. I wondered briefly whether this would have any effect on how I identified, but honestly I didn’t think it would be a problem; I’d lived for twenty-one years as a woman so far and had no complaints whatsoever about it. 

There was something else worrying me though. That game Jacob had been playing before death, Tower Conquest, had taken place within Dimona Tower, where I now lived. It had involved defeating ten demon generals, all of whom I recognized from my own life. And the Demon Queen who was treated to such a cruel fate at the end of the game had been named Devilla Satanne.

For a moment, I was desperately tempted to deny it. I wanted to roll about screaming and crying, like the brat I had been this entire life. At the same time, I wanted to curse my past self for being such a terrifyingly detestable being that even my own demon generals would turn against me. 

In the end, though, I had no choice but to accept the truth. I had been reborn as the villainess of a porn game. Not only that, but I was already the same age as the Devilla in Tower Conquest.

Anger and despair both welled up within me, fighting for dominance, but I squashed both down deep. I desperately wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but there was no time for that. I had less than a year to find a way to save my people from extinction, defeat the Heroine, or simply escape the tower. 

The first option seemed impossible. Even with two lives to draw on, I was still only working with the combined experiences of a spoiled princess and a bag boy. The second option, meanwhile, felt pointless. If my generals all ended up supporting the heroine, then it would hardly matter whether I won or not. My life as Queen would already be over.

In that case, wouldn’t it be best to simply escape the tower? It seemed selfish at first glance, but it wasn’t as if my presence was actually helping my fellow demons. Most of the time I only managed to get in the way. If I left, my generals would be free to run the country as they wished. They might even be able to find a way to defend against the Heroine and maintain sovereignty.

...Though, that would only be delaying the inevitable. There’d still be another Heroine after all, and the next one might not be so compassionate as Lucy. If we ended up with a particularly vicious one, and there wasn’t a Demon Queen there to face her, demons really could end up extinct. 

Even if I wasn’t doing the best job of leading or even getting along with my people, I didn’t want to see them killed. If possible, I wanted those who’d been supporting me so far to live happy lives. Ideally, they would be able to achieve the same peace with humanity that they found in the game, just without the part where I lost to Lucy.

I considered the matter for several minutes, trying to examine the issue from different angles. I couldn’t run away. If my generals weren’t desperate to be rid of me, there was little chance they’d accept Lucy. Defeating Lucy, on the other hand, would leave me with ten weakened generals who hated me. Even if I managed to hold onto power and replace them all after the fact, it was likely that the church would take advantage of our weakened state whether they had a heroine or not. Replacing the generals preemptively wouldn’t do me much good either. Even if I could find powerful enough substitutes, who actually liked me and would remain loyal, there’d be no chance to train them for the job. Removing ten experienced generals in favor of ten inexperienced sycophants wasn’t going to do me much good in battle.

I needed a way to secure my people’s future without sacrificing my own. It was a tall order, and for a while my brain was simply going about in circles.

Then it hit me. A smile began to spread across my lips, gradually transforming into a manic grin. If I wanted to secure a future for my people, I needed my generals to rebel against me. If I wanted to avoid meeting a bad end, I needed to run away. I had been looking at those two things as mutually exclusive, but did they have to be? Yes, I did need to be present for them to rebel against me, but I didn’t need to be present after they rebelled against me. So long as I was there when Lucy entered the tower, I could simply give a hysterical command for my demons to protect me, then run away in secret. Even when my people eventually realized I wasn’t there anymore, it would be too late for them to put together a better offensive, or designate a new leader. They’d have no choice but to take Lucy’s offer of peace.

But what would happen to me? Running away meant losing my place in this world. With all of demonkind hating me, I’d have no choice but to hide among humans.

That wouldn’t actually be impossible though. Since this world didn’t have photographs, no human should have any idea what I looked like. A little dye would cover up my pure white hair, I could pass my black nails off as painted, and avoid manifesting my wings. My violet irises might still catch attention, but since Lucy herself had orange eyes I didn’t think they would be a dealbreaker. The only real concern I had was how I’d manage to support myself. Perhaps as an adventurer? I could exterminate monsters, guard caravans, or perhaps gather out-of-the-way magical ingredients. Even hiding my inhuman strength, my magic capacity was high enough that I’d never once run out, so far. Surely someone who happened to be born with a high capacity would be easier to ignore than someone who’d built up incredible strength.

I only had one real concern about this course of action. Namely, I feared that I might be a little lacking in what this world viewed as common sense. I didn’t know how to cook, for example - not in a world without modern ovens or stoves. I also didn’t know how to wash my own clothes without a washing machine. I didn’t even know what local human currency was called or the price of common goods and services. I could maybe get past the last two by pretending to be a foreigner, but bluffing wouldn’t help to clean my clothes or fill my belly.

My preferred way of handling this would be to simply learn the skills for myself in the time I had left. Cooking was my main priority, followed by cleaning. Thankfully, I could already sew, if only barely, thanks to the Home Ec lessons I’d taken as Jacob. Still, I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to improve that either.

How exactly was I supposed to master these skills though? As Queen, I couldn’t exactly head into the kitchen and ask the chefs to teach me. I’d draw far too much attention - and far too many questions. I needed a private tutor. Someone who knew the profession, whom I could control, and trust to keep silent. Someone no one would raise an eyebrow at seeing, whether they were walking into my bedroom, or busying themselves in the kitchens...

It didn’t take me long to come up with an answer. Compared to trying to figure out how to save both myself and my people, this one was quite obvious. In fact, the answer was making a very big point of not staring me in the face.

Turning my attention to the maid who’d spent this entire time standing silently by my side, I gave her a quick once over. She was a succubus, with dirty blonde hair that had been cut right above the shoulders, and a little curl at the end of her tresses. I thought perhaps I recognized her, but it was difficult to say. I had never paid attention to my maids before now. That was about to change.

I let my thoughtful frown shift into a friendly smile. The maid seemed to stiffen under my gaze, and I thought for a moment that I was somehow seeing terror in those pitch-black eyes of hers. I hoped it was just my imagination.

“You there,” I started, wishing I’d bothered to learn her name. “How would you like to become my personal maid?”

***

“My Queen? Are you… feeling alright?” I asked. I was careful to keep my head bowed, and my eyes focused on the bed instead of the queen herself. Looking directly at Devilla Satanne was always a good way to get slapped, and that was when she was just a Princess. I didn’t even want to imagine what she’d do to me for looking at her now that she was Queen.

My question got a nod from the Queen, but nothing else. Usually, she’d spout some nonsense about how great she was, and then maybe threaten to throw me in the dungeon for doubting her. The fact that she just nodded was… actually a little concerning. Whatever happened at the coronation must have taken a lot out of her. I almost felt bad for her, but I knew sympathy would be pointless with such a spoiled brat. It would just end up being thrown back in my face. 

After her nod, the Queen went absolutely silent. Standing next to her, my head was still bowed, but my eyes were no longer downcast. I was looking right at her, but considering the coloration of my eyes I was willing to bet she couldn’t tell.

The silence dragged on. I was hoping that she’d either command me to do something or dismiss me, but she just kept staring off into space. I was starting to wonder how long I’d be forced to stand there in silence when the Queen’s frown suddenly morphed into an evil grin. I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but I could only hope that it wouldn’t involve too many victims. And I really hoped it wouldn’t affect me.

I expected her to give me an order after grinning like that, but she didn’t. Instead, her grin shifted into a frown; she seemed lost in thought. Had she hit a snag? It didn’t seem to last long, because soon she was smiling wickedly again.

Smiling, and looking right at me.

“You there. How would you like to be my personal maid?”

My head snapped up from its bowed position, and I stared at her in shock. I knew that I was asking for trouble doing that, but I didn’t really care. I fully expected her to either slap me for my insubordination or take back the offer. Maybe both. That would be fine, just as long as she didn’t make me take the job.

Queen Devilla did neither though. She just looked at me expectantly, as if she were honestly waiting for me to reply. But how exactly was I supposed to respond? In the first place, wasn’t that sort of job supposed to be reserved for members of the upper echelons? Like someone from one of the old noble bloodlines, or at least the daughter of a very wealthy merchant? I was just the daughter of a prostitute. Making connections with my family wouldn’t do anything for her!

Wait. Maybe she didn’t know that my family was poor? That seemed likely, considering she didn’t even know my name. She probably just assumed I was someone of use by my uniform. If I told her the truth, maybe I could get out of it?

I bowed my head again, but snuck a glance at Devilla’s face. She was still staring at me, though the smile was gone. Her calm gaze seemed almost gentle, but I wasn’t fooled. She was definitely plotting to hurt me if I didn’t do what she asked.

Well, I’d deal with it. Devilla wasn’t exactly imaginative with her punishments, or even particularly strict - it would probably just be a few days in a relatively well-kept dungeon cell, which was way better than having to serve her for who knew how long.

“I-I’m just the daughter of a prostitute, my Queen,” I explained, adding a little quiver to my voice. I always pretended to be scared when I was around Devilla - it was easier to fake than respect, and it honestly didn’t seem like she could tell the difference. “I’m not worthy of such a position.”

I thought that would be enough to get me out of it, but to my surprise, Devilla shook her head and said, “That is of no concern to me. In fact, knowing you come from a common background makes me want you even more.”

Well crap. I wasn’t sure why she wanted someone of common birth, but there was no way she had anything good planned for me. It wasn’t like I could say no though, not when the Queen herself was asking me. My last hope was to get the Queen to change her mind. For that, I only had one weapon at my disposal: honesty. Partial honesty, at least.

“If I worked here full time, I wouldn’t be able to eat.” I spoke slowly as if explaining myself to a child; Devilla was infamous for sleeping through her lessons, as well as ignoring any information that inconvenienced her, so I couldn’t be sure how much she knew about my species or that she’d even care to listen now. “My species - succubi - need to have sex to survive. That’s why I work as a prostitute on my off days.”

“I see,” Devilla murmured, much to my surprise. From the face she was making, you’d think she was actually considering what I had to say. I had mostly expected her to get mad at me for not agreeing off the bat, and to pull the offer back as ‘punishment.’

“Then, in that case… Would sex with me be acceptable? We could do it whenever you get hungry.”

“I…” Sleep with her? I didn’t want to sleep with her! The Demon Queen had no experience in sex whatsoever. Up until now, she’d always complained that there was nobody worthy of her attention. I didn’t know why she’d suddenly decided a common maid was worthy, but there was no way she was good enough in bed to make up for her awful personality. I couldn’t imagine her being open to tips on the subject, either.

“I’m really not worthy,” I insisted. “You’d definitely be better asking one of the other maids. I can introduce you to a good one? Rackeel’s mother is a wealthy merchant, so I’m sure she’d be a better fit for you-”

“No!” For some reason, Devilla sounded a touch frantic in her response, and it was hard not to raise an eyebrow at it. “I mean… I want you.”

“I’m flattered, your majesty,” I lied, trying not to gnash my teeth in frustration. “Can I think about it? My shift is almost over, and I’m growing quite hungry…”

“In that case, why don’t I feed you myself?” Devilla suggested, tossing off her comforter and slipping her feet into high heeled shoes. For some reason, she never left bed without the things. “...Unless you don’t want to, of course?”

Dammit! Why had I said I was hungry? I could have kicked myself. There was no taking it back at this point. Queen Devilla had looked almost hesitant with those last words as if she was actually concerned about what I thought, but I wasn’t fooled. She was pressing me slowly but surely into a corner. Reluctantly, I gave in, offering the Queen a little curtsy before moving to undress her.

The dress she wore was buttoned in the back. Most demon clothing is built with an eye toward easy removal, especially among us succubi, but this outfit was for the coronation so it prioritized form over function. Unfortunately, that meant the buttons weren’t only in the back, but were also really tiny and difficult to work with. It took me almost three minutes just to get them all off.

Once that was done, though, it was a simple matter of tugging the top off Devilla’s shoulders and then pushing the rest down to the floor. Within half a second of the final button being undone, I had a nude queen standing before me.

It wasn’t my first time seeing her naked, of course. I’d helped Devilla undress plenty of times. It was a little different though, knowing she was naked for me. I’d never appreciated just how fat her ass was, for example. It looked like a single slap would cause it to jiggle beautifully, and I had to physically grab hold of my wrist to hold it back.

The front wasn’t bad either. She had a slender waist, small enough that I could reach around it with a single arm. Her pussy was clean-shaven, but you could see just a touch of white stubble right above her tight slit. Her breasts were melons, the sort that would sit heavy on your palm, and her nipples were quite pronounced. They were stiff too, and judging from how warm the room was I didn’t think it was from the cold. Looking again at her slit I could see a faint glistening liquid reflecting the room’s torchlight.

“Does my form displease you?” Devilla asked. She sounded strangely hesitant. “I… I will understand if you do not wish to sleep with me.” Not just hesitant...nervous? It was… actually kind of...cute? I’d never thought of the Queen as “cute” before.

“You look gorgeous,” I assured her. “I just can’t believe I’m about to fuck a queen…” 

Ah… Maybe I shouldn’t be using such rough language in front of her? Queen Devilla was smiling though, so maybe it was fine? In fact, she was walking toward me for some reason. 

“Now it is my turn to undress you,” she declared, reaching out to gently grip my shoulder, pressing lightly to turn me around.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that!” I protested, trying to pull away. Her grip was light, so it should have been simple. It should have been, but it was like my shoulder was caught in an iron vice. I knew the Queen was strong, but, seriously?

“Please… I want to pull my own weight tonight.”

“I… If you wish, my Queen.” I yielded. I wasn’t entirely sure what else to say. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that the Queen was showing consideration for me. 

My response made Devilla smile for some reason, and she immediately turned me about. Was she looking for buttons? She wasn’t going to find any. 

That hardly seemed to be a setback for Devilla though, since my dress was largely held on by a loop around my neck. She took a hold of it and pulled it gently over my head. That alone was enough to let my dress fall to the floor. I wasn’t wearing a bra beneath, either; just a pair of black panties, which I expected her to go after next. 

Instead, the queen slipped her arms around my chest and grabbed a hold of my breasts.

“Eek!” I squeaked in surprise. My tits might not have been ridiculously huge, like the queen’s, but they were ridiculously sensitive. Just having my nipples rub against the fabric of my dress was often enough to make me squirm. Having my breasts groped like the Queen was doing was enough to make my knees go weak. And then her thumbs moved, ever so gently brushing against my nipples before tracing about the inner edge of my areola.

“Does it feel good?” Queen Devilla whispered, leaning in to press her bare breasts against my back. Her lips were less than an inch from my ear, and I could feel her warmth against my skin. Without warning, she leaned in to nip my earlobe, pinching and tugging with her teeth. That little bit of pain, mixed with the pleasure of her fingers, caused an embarrassing noise to slip from between my lips.

The Queen laughed, sliding her hands down my stomach and over to my hips. Her fingers slid into my panties, and with a swift tug they were off my hips and on the floor. Then she released me, taking a step back. I turned as well, wanting to be face to face with her so that she couldn’t pull off another surprise attack. The moment I turned to her though, she grabbed me by the waist and casually lifted me into the air, throwing me down atop her rather large bed. When I tried to sit up, she placed a hand gently on my shoulder. I say gently, but the strength her arms held was astounding; she was able to pin me down without any apparent effort.

“Forgive me if I’m a little rusty,” the Queen apologized, crawling into bed atop me. Her thighs squeezed flush against mine, and her face was right above me. She was leaning in close, and I realized with a start that she intended to kiss me.

Her lips, when they reached mine, were soft and sweet. Her hair smelled like the flowers that sometimes - rarely - came across the market. As surprising as it was to be kissed by her, it wasn’t at all a bad experience. I was actually starting to relax and lean into it when my defenses were breached by an unexpected attack. Her tongue had entered me. The slick muscle pressed against the roof of my mouth, slid across my teeth and teased itself against my own tongue for a moment, before pulling back.

She separated from me, a big grin on her face. I thought she intended to get off me, but instead she pivoted a hundred and eighty degrees. That put her pussy directly above my lips, hanging wet and tantalizing above me. It also put her directly above my own slit.

“Uh - my Queen? Are you doing what I think you’re doing?” I asked, hardly able to believe it. Devilla was a talented enough kisser, much to my surprise, but going down on someone was an entirely different matter. The taste and the smell were both pleasant to me, but personal tastes varied wildly and it could be a bit overwhelming for a newcomer.

“I am,” Devilla declared. She sounded faintly smug. “Is that a problem?”

“N-no… Not a problem,” I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. “I’m… honored to be your first, but are you really sure you want it to be me? I could just eat you out if you want. That’s more than enough to feed me.” While having sex was an easy way to get food, what I really needed was lust. There was plenty of that wafting off the queen. It was thick and surprisingly sweet.

“Nonsense,” the queen protested, giving a fervent shake of her head. I couldn’t actually see it from my current angle, but I could feel her hair shifting against my thigh. “I want you to feel good, after all.”

That last part caught me off guard; it was true that lust was only supposed to taste sweet when your partner was legitimately interested in your pleasure, but I assumed in this case that it was simply a result of her being an all-powerful fallen angel and Demon Queen. Like, of course she’d taste good. Having been told she actually did care, though, I could only stare at her in shock. And while I was staring, she made her move. Lowering her head to kiss my slit, she nipped ever so faintly against my inner thigh, before licking the spot and then biting it again. Using one hand to support herself on the bed, she used the other to begin rubbing up and down my thigh. Each rub seemed to take her hand a little closer to my center. I was already wet, but the anticipation of her finally touching me was making the juices flow faster.

Where the hell did Queen Devilla learn this? I wondered, too shocked to make my own move. I knew full well she was a virgin, and even succubi didn’t have a natural talent like this. While I was wondering about that, Devilla’s hand grew ever closer to its final destination. Not just her hand: her kisses and nips were also climbing up my thigh, and I couldn’t tell whether her hand or lips would reach me first.

It turned out to be a tie. Her fingers touched my outer labia at the same time as her lips reached the other side. From there, both moved closer to my inner folds, her teeth ever-so-barely pinching at them, while her fingers moved further in, rubbing at the very edge of my opening. I was sopping wet by that point, more than capable of taking a finger or two, and Devilla moved immediately to answer that call, sliding her forefinger right in. My walls squeezed down on the slender intruder, as if trying to prevent her access, but between her strength and my lubrication, it was a useless fight. She squirmed her way inside me, right up to the hilt.

Then she moved her thumb. Having expected an attack from her lips, I was completely unprepared for her to make contact with my clit. The way her short trimmed nail gently teased its way into the narrow space between my clitoris and its hood, I would never have thought that this was her first time having sex. She swiftly, expertly, coaxed my clitoris entirely out from under its covering. Then, to my surprise, she pulled her thumb away.

“My Q-” I started to ask what she was planning, but froze when her lips sealed themselves around my freshly exposed clit. Sucking softly at the oh-so-sensitive flesh, she made a point of bringing her teeth close enough to bite, even going so far as to let them brush against my clit. I shivered a little, thinking she might just nip me again, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anticipation. Regardless, the bite never came. Instead, her tongue darted out like a snake’s to touch my button, then retracted again. She did this several times, and each touch made me feel like lightning was shooting through my core. There was a heat building in my center, and it was threatening to overwhelm me if she kept it up.

Then her lips parted from my flesh and her thumb took their place, the flat of it teasing my nub in a slow circle before ever so barely pressing in. The contact and the pressure were enough to draw a soft moan from my lips. When she removed her thumb completely though, that turned into a whimper. I was getting close to the edge, so hot that I felt my insides might melt, and I didn’t understand why she was stopping! Was she messing with me? Was this entire thing some twisted form of punishment!? Was this because I didn’t want the job? I wanted to ask, to beg her for more, but I couldn’t. Devilla was the Queen after all, and I was just a maid. If this was what she wanted to do to me, there was no stopping it. 

I had to bite my lip to stop myself from whining. I was almost sure this entire thing was just some cruel prank, by this point. The only thing that confused me was the lust I still felt emanating from Devilla. It hadn’t gone down at all; in fact, it was getting stronger by the second.

With Devilla’s own pussy filling my field of vision, I couldn’t see what the Queen was up to, but I could still feel her hair sliding across my thigh as she moved her head. That was the only warning I had before her lips sealed themselves upon my sex, and her tongue pushed its way into my opening.

The movement of Devilla’s tongue was hesitant at first, in a way her other movements hadn’t been. She seemed to gain confidence quickly though, and soon she was taking long languid licks, pushing her tongue in deep. While her fingers had elicited electrifying pleasure from my body, her tongue had its own appeal. It was warm and soft, and its gentle attention caused the heat inside my body to swell. I was close to cumming, spiraling faster and faster toward the edge, and all she had to do was keep it up.

It seemed like Devilla wouldn’t be content with just that, though. She drew her tongue back from my pussy and moved again to kiss my clit. Her tongue pressed against it, a long lick that moved up to the hood and then even further, brushing against my sweat-slicked blonde landing strip. Then she lowered her head again, sucking lightly at my clit. I was so preoccupied, I didn’t even notice when her fingers moved to penetrate me once more. Not until she shoved two of them inside me.

The sudden entrance, combined with the long kiss to my clit, was enough to finally send me tumbling over the edge. The world went white as my head slammed back against the bed. I was only distantly aware of my body, and the fact that it was letting out a seemingly endless scream.

When I came back to my senses, Devilla was no longer on top of me. She was sitting on the bed with a smirk on her lips, and a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. It was only then that I realized I’d completely neglected to return the favor, and now I’d missed my chance…

“I’m sorry, my Queen,” I said, sitting up.

“For what?” Devilla asked, lifting an eyebrow. She sounded... confused.

“For not pleasuring you back?” I expected punishment to follow once I brought it to her attention, but what I’d done was honestly inexcusable. Failing to bring someone pleasure was a serious transgression.

To my surprise, the Queen shook her head. “That is fine. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for pushing myself on you so suddenly. I never even asked you your name…”

“...It’s Abigail, my queen.” I tried to get up so that I could at least give some sort of bow, but the queen placed a hand on my thigh to stop me.

“Abigail,” she said, looking me straight in the eyes. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my personal maid?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I’d figured it was a done deal. I’d already submitted to her in bed more or less, so I’d expected her to just override any complaints. Instead, Queen Devilla was asking me. Just what had gotten into her?

“If… If you’ll have me...” Maybe it was the delightful sex. Maybe it was the fact that she’d given me a choice. Either way, I honestly felt like there was only one answer I could give her. “I’d be honored.” 

***

Long after Abigail had left for the night, I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. I’d just had sex for the first time in my life. The first time in this life, at least - I’d done it plenty back when I’d been Jacob. It was a little different without a dick, but I thought I’d done at least a passable job of it. It had been enough to make Abigail say yes to my offer at least.

With that, I had secured a teacher for myself. Someone who could train me in how to cook, clean, and perhaps even sew. I hoped we could get along… but I wasn’t really expecting it. In fact, I was rather sure she hated me.

After all, regardless of what pleasure I had or hadn’t brought her, Abigail had not touched me even once.