"Hold it. You're not leaving yet."

Alquett blocked the only exit.

"W-What are you doing...? I-I'll report you for assault!"

The girl clutched her chest and stumbled back two steps, curling into the corner.

"Why so tense? We haven't even *started* anything—"

Lilith carefully removed her glasses and set them aside, then blinked with wide-eyed innocence.

"But, Miss Spy, you've caused quite the stir today~"

"S-Spy? I'm just a witch here for an interview! I don't know what you're talking about!"

A flicker of panic flashed in the golden-haired girl's eyes. Her mind raced for an escape plan. In desperation, she fumbled to activate her storage ring.

"Ah—that thing! Let me show you—"

Her movement toward her storage space only confirmed her resistance to Lilith.

"Careful! Pin her down!"

The moment Lilith shouted, Alquett shot forward like a released arrow. She seized the girl's wrist in an iron grip.

"Eeek—!"

A sharp gasp escaped the girl. Numbness shot up her arm from the impact, and the glow of her storage ring faded instantly.

Exploiting her night-form's enhanced strength and agility, Alquett wrenched the girl's arm behind her back. With a swift tackle, she slammed her face-first onto the cold floor.

"Guh—"

A choked whimper died in the girl's throat. Alquett drove her knee into the back of her neck, pinning her completely.

"Let me go!"

Crushed under Alquett's weight, limbs immobilized, the girl's vision blurred.

Sight, sound, scent—her senses faded as if her body were slipping away. She sank into boundless darkness, powerless. Like the caged rabbits she'd seen in the market as a child, the ones poachers trapped after she'd snuck out past the guards. Helpless. Toys for others to toy with.

*Am I about to become one of those pitiful rabbits too...?*

*I can't move...*

At the edge of suffocating darkness, an unfamiliar thrill surged through her—a mix of tension and exhilaration. The searing pain in her twisted arm sent shivers of primal euphoria through her soul, warmth pooling low in her belly. Yet every rational thought screamed against this strange new sensation.

"P-Please—I can't... breathe..."

*So this is... the taste of defeat...*

*It's finally come...*

*Maybe I shouldn't have been born at all—*

Icy dread crawled up her spine. Her body trembled, but her unfocused eyes burned brighter, feverish with a disturbing fervor.

*It hurts... Not enough... Hurt me more...*

As if spectral chains coiled around her limbs in the dark, she gasped hot breaths, soft whimpers escaping her lips.

Then, cold and merciless, the darkness dragged her under completely—swallowed like prey by a python, silenced forever.

...

"Hey, Xiao Te... aren't you being too rough? Loosen up—she's about to pass out!"

"Hmph. Mercy to enemies is cruelty to yourself."

Alquett grumbled but eased her grip on the girl beneath her.

"We don't even have conclusive proof yet. No acting on impulse—"

Lilith rushed over, flipped the golden-haired girl onto her back, and cradled her head on her black-stockinged lap.

"Hey. Still with us?"

"... ..."

Her eyes were vacant, unfocused, but her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. Soft, incoherent moans escaped her lips.

"Alive... Thank goodness."

"What now?"

Lilith frowned, chin in hand. Then her expression froze.

*Oh no... The Great Demon King specifically told me not to spook the snake prematurely—*

But the snake was already unconscious. No turning back now.

She glanced at the veiled witch on her lap and sighed.

"For now... lock her up for insulting the examiner. I'll report to the Great Demon King."

"Understood."

Alquett pulled enchanted chains from her coat and bound the witch with artistic precision.

Lilith scanned the room. Finding nothing to gag her with, she paused, then peeled off one of her brand-new black stockings. She rolled it into a ball and stuffed it into the girl's mouth.

"Perfect."

Lilith clapped her hands, satisfied with her handiwork.

"Xiao Te, take her to the dungeon. I'll find the Great Demon King. You know where it is?"

"Of course!" Alquett nodded confidently.

Reassured, Lilith turned toward the door. Halfway there, she glanced back.

"Oh, right, Xiao Te-chan..."

"Hm? More orders?"

Alquett had already hoisted the trussed-up girl to her feet.

"Thanks for your help today. Seriously. Without you... she might've pulled out some dangerous item. Things could've gotten messy."

Lilith flashed a sweet, grateful smile. "Really. Having you around is the best—"

She unlocked the door and slipped out.

Alquett stood frozen, one hand gripping the chain's end, the other supporting her captive.

*Having you around is the best...*

*You're the best...*

*You're just... the best...*

Lilith's words echoed in her ears like a lingering melody.

A shimmering mist gathered in Alquett's crimson eyes. The fierce aura she'd wielded against the spy melted into tender ripples.

*This Dragonmaid... Even if she likes me, must she be so blunt? So... heartfelt? It's embarrassing~*

Her heart hammered like a dragon rampaging in her chest. She pressed a hand to her fluttering ribs, a feverish blush spreading across her cheeks. Waves of bliss washed over her skin.

Only when Lilith's figure vanished into the distance did Alquett lower her head, whispering shyly:

"Mm~"

*What should we name our children someday...?*

Gazing at the drizzling night beyond the window, Alquett cupped her flushed cheeks, lost in daydreams.

...

...

Under a crimson umbrella, Lilith walked the path to the Demonlord's quarters. Her expression held no trace of triumph—only quiet tension.

She wasn't sure if capturing the suspected spy without the Demonlord's prior approval aligned with the strategy. This concerned stolen top-secret intelligence. If her rash action ruined everything... if the files weren't recovered... she'd face the full force of the Demonlord's wrath.

—The two werewolf captains who'd falsely accused her of letting the Hero escape were grim proof of that.

*If the Great Demon King gets angry... how do I explain this...?*

Cold rain pattered against her umbrella. Late autumn's bite deepened toward winter.

Lilith's transmigrated red dragon-kin body hated damp chill. Dressed in thin office attire and missing one stocking, she shivered uncontrollably, hugging herself tight.

*The Demonlord reads minds. And she's brilliant... No fooling her—*

Dealing with superiors had never been her strength in her past life. Now, reborn with a reset biological age, she faced not some petty manager—but the apex predator of Demonkind.

*Just... play it by ear. If she's pleased, great. If not... apologize sincerely. Maybe find a way to make it right—*

Heart pounding, Lilith slipped through the night into the grove. She found the Demonlord's solitary cottage and tapped lightly on the door.