After getting Black Dragon Blood, Rebecca was overjoyed. On one hand, Maggie’s curse could finally be lifted. On the other, Black Dragon Blood is rare and pricey. She’d secured plenty this time. There was even surplus. Might come in handy later. So Rebecca generously handed that Goblin tribe a heap of treasure… She didn’t even stop to wonder what use treasure had for a Goblin tribe in the Flame Wasteland.

Rebecca returned to Rucadan in high spirits and headed straight to the Demon Potion shop.

“Hey~ Maggie~” she said with a smile.

“You’re in a great mood today, Rebecca~” Maggie set down the Demon Potion she’d been testing.

“Maggie, guess… what this is?” Rebecca pulled out the vial of Black Dragon Blood.

“Don’t tell me that’s Black Dragon Blood?” Maggie teased.

“Uh… how did you… know?” Rebecca blinked.

“Uh…” Maggie froze too. She’d been joking. “This really is… Black Dragon Blood??”

“Of course.”

“Where did you get it?” Maggie’s voice trembled a little.

“Don’t worry about… where it came from. Let’s break… your curse… first~”

Maggie closed her eyes for a long moment.

“Alright…”

Rebecca nodded. “Last time… you gave me three… curse-breaking formulas… but I’ve got a new idea today… Will you try it?” Then she explained the Demon Potion recipe she’d thought up.

Maggie listened and said, “By pharmacology, yours hits harder and acts faster. Black Dragon Blood is limited. I’ll go with your formula.”

“You sure? You’re not… afraid something might happen?”

Maggie shook her head with a smile. “You know Demon Potions better than me. I’ll follow your lead~”

“Good~ let’s begin~”

…

When Rebecca worked, her movements flowed like water. Her whole manner was easy and unhurried. Watching her brew for the first time, Maggie was stunned. Demon Potions are touchy; most brewers move with extreme care to avoid mishaps. Wasting materials is minor; a magic surge is serious.

What Maggie didn’t know was why Rebecca seemed so calm: she wasn’t afraid of a so‑called potion accident. An explosion that would kill most people wouldn’t even harm Rebecca.

Demon Potions brew fast. Unlike magic arrays, you don’t need to carve complex runes. With all materials ready, you can finish in about an hour at worst. Rebecca was faster. In half an hour, it was done.

When she dripped in the Black Dragon Blood, the brimming concoction shrank at once, down to about a tablespoon. A strong magic ripple swept out. The blood-red liquid floated in midair, glowing faintly with gathered magic.

Rebecca took a bottle and held it under the hovering potion. The Demon Potion flowed in, little by little.

“Alright… Maggie…” Rebecca brought the bottle over and handed it to her. “Have you decided…? No one knows… what happens after you drink this…”

A healthy flush rose on Maggie’s aged face like never before. She was excited, but her gaze was steady.

She took the bottle, looked at it, glanced up at Rebecca, then drank it in one decisive pull.

Rebecca watched, tense. She was ninety percent sure it would work. Curses come in many forms across the Demon Race; for Maggie’s case, Rebecca felt confident. But potions have accidents you can’t predict. Something that looks foolproof can still go wrong. So she stayed ready. If anything happened, she’d use her own power to suppress any unstable magic.

A faint black smoke seeped around Maggie. Rebecca knew it at once: the curse’s magic was bleeding out of her body. It was working. No accident.

The rest went smoothly. Rebecca couldn’t see Maggie behind the smoke, but she felt the magic around her staying calm and steady.

About five minutes later, keeping vigil at Maggie’s side, Rebecca sensed the curse power in the black smoke slowly pull free and scatter. It was almost over.

“Whew…” Rebecca let out a breath. A clean success.

After a bit, the black smoke thinned and drifted away. Rebecca saw Maggie sitting limp on the floor.

“Maggie…?”

Maggie lifted her head a little, and Rebecca was stunned—then knew it had truly worked. Maggie was young again.

“Maggie… you… you’re beautiful…” Rebecca had known the wrinkles came from the curse. Seeing her restored still hit hard.

Heat from the potion had left her drenched in sweat, glistening all over. Chestnut hair fell loose and sleek, a few damp strands clinging to her cheek, adding a hint of sultry charm. Her long, fox-like eyes, naturally lined, narrowed slightly. From Rebecca’s angle, her long lashes veiled those lovely pupils, leaving them hazy. Sweat beaded along her straight nose, gleaming, almost cute. Her lips parted a little, breathing a sweet scent.

What a dangerously charming big-sister type~~ Even Rebecca, who’d been stuck on her own problems her whole life, felt a flicker in her chest.

“Maggie?”

“Huff… huff… huff…” Maggie panted softly, giving Rebecca a strange look. Her eyes were beautiful, but a little unfocused.

“What’s wrong? Do you feel… bad anywhere?”

Her answer was a sudden lunge.

Rebecca froze as Maggie tackled her. Before she could question it, Maggie’s lips pressed to hers.

“Mmph! Mmm?!” Rebecca’s eyes flew wide. Maggie’s face was inches away. She was dazed.

What is happening? Offering herself? What?

Right—Black Dragon Blood. Dragons are born with a lustful, wicked bent. Did I… use too much?

Pressed together, Rebecca felt Maggie’s heat and racing heartbeat. She remembered what she’d overlooked.

She’d used too much. The Demon Potion had picked up an aphrodisiac kick. Now what? Rebecca lifted her hands to push Maggie away.

Then a warm, wet tongue slipped into her mouth. Rebecca’s arms went slack. She lay there, starfish-wide.

She thought, Honestly… this isn’t so bad, is it? Let’s give our morals a day off~

As a member of the Demon Race! As a princess of the Demon Race! Where’s your dignity? Letting a human woman pin you like this—aren’t you ashamed?

Fine… truth is, Rebecca was enjoying herself. A lot.

Their lips met and parted. Breath mingled. Soft, dizzying sounds filled Maggie’s room. Now and then, Maggie let out a kittenish hum, as if holding something back.

And of course, she wasn’t content with just a kiss. Her hands began to roam over Rebecca.

Rebecca jolted. It was the first time anyone had touched her like that. Her body fed a flood of unfamiliar signals to her brain.

A shiver. A tremor. A quick, nameless thrill. When Maggie’s hand reached higher, the feeling peaked for a breath.

“Ah…” A small cry slipped out before Rebecca could stop it. She realized a beat later how mortifying that tiny sound was.

How did I make that noise? Her heart wobbled.

Soon, she forgot that tiny, probably unimportant detail. Eyes closed, she let herself ride the moment.

Truth be told, Rebecca wasn’t the type to submit. And as a newbie, she had no idea how to take the lead. Maggie, too, was clearly inexperienced. The dragon-blood haze had her dazed, yes, but they kept circling the start line—just kissing and touching. Neither noticed they hadn’t really gone any further, clumsy and awkward, trading messy kisses and hesitant caresses. Wasting prime time, not even having real fun.

Snore—

All of a sudden, while Rebecca was kissing Maggie’s neck, Maggie’s head slumped onto her shoulder. Then came a soft snore.

“Huh?? What?” Rebecca blinked. Then she saw the last wisp of black smoke rise from Maggie’s body and fade.

“The last bit of the curse?” she murmured. She looked at Maggie, who’d passed out cold as the curse fully dispersed—and with it, the lustful edge the Black Dragon Blood had stirred. Rebecca’s mind went blank.

“What? It’s over? That was just temporary? In novels, doesn’t it say women hit with that kind of thing will literally die if they don’t, you know? How can it end like this?” Rebecca complained, and gave Maggie a little push.

Maggie slept like a log. Didn’t budge.

“Uuugh…” Rebecca cried on the inside. She was not happy. How could it end now? A sweet, gorgeous beauty lay on top of her, yes, but she was out cold. Rebecca had zero interest in doing anything to someone asleep. She wanted mutual sparks.

But what about the heat still burning through her? Rebecca winced. Not okay… and yet the urge to steal a couple more touches tugged hard.