PoV: Abigail

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

Or rather, I really wanted to imagine it, and in depth too, but probably not until I was off work. Getting my panties soaked in arousal while on the job was a big no-no for me. Professionalism was important, after all.

My question got a nod from Devilla, 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, instead, was actually a little concerning. Whatever happened at the coronation must have taken a lot out of her.

I wished I could offer her some sympathy, but I knew full well that it would just end up being thrown in my face. Again I wouldn’t really mind that, but it would all be over for me if the queen realized I liked that sort of treatment. There was no telling how she’d react if she found out a commoner was getting off to her.

After nodding, the princess went absolutely silent. Standing next to her, my head was still bowed but my eyes were no longer downcast. Actually I was looking right at her, but I was willing to bet she couldn’t tell. Since my eyes were pure black, it was nearly impossible to guess where my pupils were actually focused. Not that it was without risk. Thoughts of the princess feeling my gaze flitted through my mind, as I waited for her to command or dismiss me, and I couldn’t help but shiver in delight at the thought of what she might do. Oops. I hoped she’d mistake it for fear.

The silence dragged on. The princess didn’t seem to care about my shivering and at this point I was more or less staring at her, though I was careful to keep my head bowed so that it looked like I was studying the bed, instead. I was starting to wonder how long I’d be forced to stand there, in silence, when the princess’s frown suddenly morphed into an evil grin. I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but I could only hope that whatever plan she’d just concocted wouldn’t involve too many victims. Just me would be fine, though.

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

Grinning, and looking right at me.

“Hey you,” she said. “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. She’d either slap me for my insubordination, or take back the offer. Maybe both, which would be something of a double win.

She did neither. She just looked at me expectantly, as if she were honestly waiting for me to reply. But how exactly was I supposed to respond to this? In the first place, wasn’t such a position supposed to be filled by members of the upper echelons? Like, the daughter of a general, or at least the granddaughter 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, actually, considering she didn’t even know my name. She probably just assumed I was someone of some use. Then if I told her the truth, maybe I could get out of it?

I bowed my head, again, and then snuck a glance at Devilla’s face. She was staring at me, still, with a soft smile on her lips. It looked almost gentle, but I wasn’t fooled. She was definitely plotting to hurt me if I didn’t do what she asked.

Well, unfortunately for her, I actually enjoyed that kinda thing.

“I’m just the daughter of a prostitute, my queen,” I explained, keeping my voice soft and respectful. “I’m not worthy of such a position.”

I figured that would be enough to get me out of it. As much as I loved being abused, I didn’t think I’d be able to maintain my composure if I had to deal with it full time. Besides, while it was a joy to be punished, it was even better getting to dish out punishments to the naughty women who came to see me on my off days, during which I worked at my mother’s brothel. While they didn’t pay nearly as much as I got just from working as a maid to the princess, the lust they gave off was as much a part of my diet as the physical food I bought with my pay.

To my surprise, however, Devilla gave me a broad smile 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 I didn’t think she had anything good planned. It wasn’t like I could say no, though, when the queen herself was asking me to be her personal maid. My last hope was to get the queen to change her mind. For that, I only had one weapon at my disposal: honesty. Or partial honesty, at least.

“If I worked here full time, I wouldn’t be able to eat,” I told her, speaking slowly, as if explaining myself to a child. I knew that I was being insubordinate, but I’d pretty much accepted that I was going to be punished for this. As long as I didn’t actually get fired, everything was fine. “I’m a succubus, you know. I need to have plenty of 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 got hungry.”

“I…” Sleep with her? I didn’t want to sleep with her! For one thing, as far as I knew, the demon queen had absolutely 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 maid was worthy, but she was probably going to be bad in bed. And I couldn’t imagine her being open to tips on the subject, either.

“I’m really not worthy,” I said. “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?”