In Lilith’s dumbfounded stare, Lucy settled back into her chair, elegantly crossing her long legs. Her toes hooked the hem of her home slippers, swaying them lightly before slipping them off.

"Hold on. It’s a bit tight."

Lucy’s usually cool, haughty face flushed slightly as she frowned. With delicate pink fingertips, she gripped the silky white thigh-highs and slowly pulled them up from her bare ankle toward her thigh.

Her plump, porcelain thighs were snugly wrapped, the fabric leaving a faint ridge where it hugged her skin. Her dainty feet, dampened by earlier rain, glistened through the soaked toe of the stockings, smooth and rosy.

"There… done."

Her fully sheathed toes—like sweet, creamy snow cones—were thrust unceremoniously before Lilith’s eyes.

The graceful curve of her legs was mesmerizing, made utterly captivating by the white stockings. A mere playful wiggle, like a cat teaser, could trap anyone’s gaze, sparking an urge to cradle them gently in one’s palms.

"Your mother mentioned you adored this when you were little."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed the Demonlord’s face as she spoke—gone in an instant.

"Go ahead. You get exactly one minute."

"This…"

*Wait—what exactly did she tell you?! Why would you think this counts as a reward?!*

Staring at the "snow cone" before her, Lilith swallowed hard. Her mind conjured the familiar, mischievous smirk of her silver dragon mother—a queen of elegance and icy poise in public, yet utterly unreliable behind closed doors.

*Think calmly… Back when I first transmigrated from the real world… naive as I was… I did lose my mind over Mom’s white thigh-highs at first sight… even did some… extreme things…*

*Did she hold onto that memory all this time? No! Those childhood embarrassments—ugh!*

*Black history! Total black history! If Alquett and the others ever find out, how will I ever show my face again?!*

"Hm? Don’t you like it?"

Lucy’s expression shifted from faintly flustered to mildly displeased as Lilith remained frozen. Her brow furrowed.

"Am I… not as good as Feliana’s?"

Panicked by the shadow darkening Lucy’s eyes, Lilith waved her hands frantically.

"No, no! Your Majesty’s white-stockinged feet are number one in all Demonkind!"

"Then why aren’t you playing with them?"

"I—I just—"

*What kind of question is that?! How did this conversation get so weird?!*

Lucy blinked.

"Well… I usually wear black stockings. Or if you prefer… barefoot works too—which do you like?"

"I—I still prefer white… uh—"

Lilith’s words died as her expression stiffened.

*No, wait—that’s not the issue here!*

"Um… Your Majesty… I truly appreciate the reward… but could we perhaps choose something… normal? Something I can actually accept…?"

"Hm?"

Lucy withdrew her foot from Lilith’s lingering gaze with a sigh of regret.

"I… can’t think of any other good rewards."

"If you can’t decide right now, we could postpone it! Or—once funds are available—just give me a bonus later—"

Relieved to see Lucy nod in agreement, Lilith seized the moment.

"Actually, I came here today with urgent news to report to Your Majesty—"

As she steered the conversation back on track, a crisp system chime cut through the silence:

【Ding! Great Demon King’s Favor +1.】

"Go on," Lucy murmured. She leaned forward in her oversized chair, casually peeling off her stockings. The soft fabric whispered against her bare skin, revealing smooth, unblemished legs inch by inch.

"It’s about the possible spy hidden among the new recruits you mentioned…"

Lilith bowed deeply, hands clasped in Demonkind etiquette, carefully avoiding the view beneath Lucy’s thin nightgown as she chose her words with utmost caution.

"Oh? Found any leads?"

At the word "spy," Lucy’s eyes narrowed. Her voice dropped low, the earlier nonchalance replaced by sovereign authority.

"Yes, actually…" Lilith hesitated. "I didn’t just find clues… I… apprehended the suspected spy. She’s… unconscious in the dungeon now."

"…"

The Demonlord stared silently at the petite Lilith. An odd expression settled on her face. The room fell into a heavy quiet, broken only by the patter of rain against the window.

"Less than a day… That’s almost too efficient," Lucy muttered under her breath before clearing her throat. "…Well done. But why didn’t you inform me first?"

"It—it happened unexpectedly! When questioned, the spy revealed her cover and attacked! The Hero and I subdued her in self-defense before she could strike!" Lilith’s voice brimmed with earnest sincerity.

"A high-level spy from a rival nation… would never slip up so easily before you." Doubt still clouded Lucy’s gaze.

"We… did things differently this time. The Hero and I conducted interviews together—two interrogators against one candidate. We used a secret scoring system to pressure her, and then—"

Lilith recounted the process. Lucy’s skepticism melted into surprise, then outright fascination. She studied Lilith anew, her usually dull, shadowed eyes briefly alight with curiosity.

"This ‘two-on-one interrogation room’ tactic… truly innovative. Worthy of adoption. And those test questions…" Lucy paused, impressed by the younger generation’s ingenuity. "How does that clever little head of yours even come up with such ideas?"

Seeing the Demonlord’s approval, Lilith relaxed, scratching her head sheepishly. "Ah… I… read it once in a weird book I found on the street! Heh… never thought it’d actually work—"

*Can’t exactly say it’s ripped from modern corporate hell, can I? This is the victory of a seasoned office drone!*

"Oh? Where’s that book now? May I see it?"

"It… got lost. Sorry—" Lilith offered a weak smile under Lucy’s suspicious glare.

After a long moment, Lucy conceded. No other explanation fit. Perhaps the girl truly had stumbled upon a useful oddity.

"Very well. This is another great service to Demonkind." Lucy slumped back into her chair, her usual aloofness returning. Lilith’s heart leapt with relief.

"But—"

"B-But?"

Lucy gazed down at her, sighing. "You’re still too young."

"Your Majesty…?"

"Our Darklord Citadel’s security is impeccable. For a human spy to infiltrate and steal my classified documents… she couldn’t have done it alone." Lucy’s gaze drifted to the rain-lashed window, where endless night swallowed the horizon.

"Please enlighten me… I don’t understand…"

"Simple." Lucy turned back. "An outsider like her needed an insider’s help to bypass the gate inspections. Which means… there’s a traitor among us, colluding with her."

"By arresting her early, you’ve warned the other moles. They’ll hide deeper now… making them harder to root out."

"I… never considered that… Your foresight is unmatched…" Lilith’s panic flared. *So there’s more than one spy? This job’s way above my paygrade—*

"Hm… but it’s not hopeless." Lucy’s tone shifted. "Since we have her… we scrap the old plan. Use her as bait—understand?"

"Eh?" Lilith blinked.

Lucy shot her a *really?* look. "As an infiltrator desperate to blend in, she must know how to contact her accomplices. We might even extract enemy intelligence from her."

"And if she’s valuable enough," Lucy added, hopping down from her chair to pat Lilith’s shoulder, "the other moles might try to break her out."

"Now," she said, eyes gleaming with expectation, "this is where you shine, our newly appointed little warden~"

Trapped by that hopeful gaze, Lilith stammered, "Uh… y-yes? I… guess so—"

*Probably…*

"Go. Don’t disappoint me. And prioritize recovering the stolen documents." Lucy’s orders were crisp. "If they’re on her, perfect. If not… use her as bait. Cast a long line to catch the big fish."

"Understood! I won’t fail you—!" Lilith saluted sharply, then hurried to the door, trash bag in hand.

Before leaving, she glanced back at the Demonlord’s private chamber.