Raphael sat on the bed—or rather the sofa—staring blankly at her long legs tightly wrapped in black stockings.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting light on her profile.
Her purple eyes were dull, fixed in place, not even blinking.
She brought the purple bracelet on her wrist before her, her expression shifting slightly—but only a little.
At this moment, those eyes held only numbness.
“Ugh…”
Without warning, Raphael felt a wave of nausea.
As she dry-heaved, her soft pink tongue hung out into the air.
A long, glistening strand of saliva stretched from it.
She buried her head in her chest.
Thinking about what she had done last night, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted.
“It shouldn’t be like this… It shouldn’t be like this.”
The body wrapped in the maid outfit trembled slightly.
She lifted her head, and something seemed to have left those eyes.
Two voices tangled in her mind as she recalled the images she had imagined yesterday.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now that she had calmed down, she only felt a wave of revulsion.
She couldn’t accept it.
She really couldn’t accept something like this.
Even if she had once looked like a woman, back then she still had that thing.
She… she used to be male!
Why?
Why?
Why would she have thoughts about that kind of thing?
No matter how low she had fallen, she had once been a high-ranking demon.
She had become completely unlike herself.
If this continued, she would turn into someone even she wouldn’t recognize.
That demon named Emil La’an would vanish from this world without a trace, leaving behind only—
The human race’s top powerhouse, Sword Saint Rheinroye’s maid, Raphael.
She couldn’t accept it.
She was always La’an, from beginning to end.
No matter how her body changed, no matter how her personality changed…
Her soul was always her own.
She stared blankly as she raised her hand.
Black-purple energy gathered in her palm.
Raphael smiled.
It was a brilliant smile.
Her power had returned.
Even if it was just a little, it proved she still had hope of escape.
Even if she couldn’t beat him, at least there was hope, wasn’t there?
Raphael’s head began to ache again.
It felt like her skull was being split open and her brain stirred into a paste.
She raised both hands to her head, gently cradling it, and began to sob softly.
It seemed she had forgotten something.
She didn’t know what it was.
The pain in her head was excruciating.
It hurt so much that she cried out.
In the stillness of the night, it was somewhat frightening.
She curled up on the sofa.
The intensity of the pain was stronger than all the previous times combined.
Wisps of purple energy began to drain from her body.
The bracelet on her wrist, which had been glowing with black-purple light, now bore a faint, barely noticeable white glow.
Raphael herself was unaware of this.
She was about to pass out from the pain.
It really hurt too much.
Her body suddenly convulsed, and the white figure stopped moving.
If not for the rise and fall of her chest, anyone would have thought she was dead.
The black energy drifted around her body as the white glow grew more intense.
The two forces collided.
The black energy gradually weakened, eventually devoured by the white points of light.
The glow faded away.
The room was left with only Raphael’s unsteady breathing and the faint moonlight streaming in from outside.
“This place really hasn’t changed at all.”
Hayek remarked, gazing at the familiar building before him.
Memories of his time with Rheinroye’s parents in their youth came flooding back.
Rheinroye inserted the key into the lock, turned it slightly, and with a creak, the door swung open.
With a gesture of invitation, Rheinroye turned on the lights inside.
Sira and Hayek stepped in.
Hayek’s eyes scanned the interior decorations.
Though there were some changes, the overall layout was still the same.
Rheinroye walked toward the living room.
As soon as he entered, he saw Raphael curled up on the sofa.
He smiled helplessly and gently lifted her up.
She was very light—the weight was nothing to Rheinroye.
As he turned around, he saw the subtle expressions on Hayek and Sira’s faces.
Hayek looked at Raphael with keen interest, his eyes sharp and unabashedly piercing.
And Sira’s youthful face wore an expression of surprise and confusion.
Rheinroye sidestepped past the two of them, carrying Raphael into her room.
He laid her on the bed and covered her with the blanket.
Then he came out of the room.
Hayek sat on the sofa, his eyes fixed on Rheinroye.
Sira sat to the side, lost in thought.
“So this is why you didn’t want me to come?”
Rheinroye sat down on the sofa with a nonchalant air.
He slumped back into the sofa and said lazily, “What else would it be?”
Hayek sighed helplessly.
“You mean a girl? A demon? In the home of the great Sword Saint?”
Rheinroye gave a slight nod of his chin, as if acknowledging Hayek.
He said indifferently, “So? Is that not allowed?”
Hayek choked for a moment, then sighed again.
“Sigh… You’re just like your father. One likes elves, the other likes demons. Not a single one in your family is normal.”
Hearing this, Rheinroye retorted, “For the record, Raphael is just my maid. There’s nothing like ‘liking’ involved. And as for her demon identity, I have it under control.”
The corner of Hayek’s mouth twitched.
Rheinroye’s face gradually overlapped with the memory of his old friend.
That expression was exactly the same as his back then.
Unbidden, two familiar faces came to mind.
“Rheinroye, you really are just like him.”
He sighed.
After all, he was the child of an old friend.
Even if Hayek said he didn’t like it, the way he had looked at the girl in his arms just now…
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
He rubbed his forehead in resignation and said in a muffled voice, “Do as you please. I won’t interfere with your affairs. But she’s still a demon. You need to keep a close eye on her. You know what happens when a demon is discovered among humans.”
He stood up from the sofa, walked to the door, pushed it open, and was about to leave.
Rheinroye was a little surprised.
He had thought he’d have to argue more, but the Pope had just let it go.
Hayek turned back and said, “Sira will stay with you for now. I’ll come get her in a few days. Remember what I said. If you need help, you can come to me.”
Rheinroye still wore that indifferent expression, but his words were sharp.
“No need to trouble yourself, Your Holiness. Take your time, and don’t bother seeing me out.”
Hayek wanted to say something, but he hesitated.
In the end, he said nothing, just walked out and closed the door.
Rheinroye glanced at Sira, who was still sitting with her head down, deep in thought.
With a tired gesture, he pointed to Raphael’s room.
“You’ll sleep with her tonight.”
He waved his hand dismissively.
Sira just nodded and walked into Raphael’s room.
The living room light was still on, bright and clear.
Rheinroye looked up at the warm yellow glow, his mind somewhere else.
As for what he was thinking—only he knew.