I gasped for air, waking up for the second time that day with the distinct feeling that my brain had been put through a meat grinder. All my physical aches vanished instantly, however, as my eyes locked onto the woman sitting right beside me.
She was breathtaking - a goddess who had somehow fallen from the heavens straight into this violet-hued room. Yet, the air around her radiated an aura of menace so thick and heavy that every instinct in my new feline body screamed at me to run.
Her hair was a brilliant, fiery red that contrasted sharply with her flawless, porcelain skin. But it was her eyes - two burning points of molten gold - that truly commanded attention. They seemed to pierce right through my soul, stripping away every ounce of my privacy.
Despite her divine beauty, I found her utterly terrifying. Her predatory, possessive gaze slowly crawled over my new curves, and her intimidating height made me feel like a defenseless mouse backed into a corner. My small, fragile frame practically vanished in her shadow. Involuntarily, I shivered and tried to yank the duvet up to my chin.
She wore a blood-red, strapless gown that perfectly complemented her hair and complexion. The cut was daringly bold, leaving little to the imagination and shamelessly exposing her ample cleavage and long, flawless legs through a high slit in the fabric.
I felt the blood rush to my face. Despite my paralyzing fear, my body reacted in a way I couldn't control. I felt the fabric of my tiny pink panties tighten dangerously at the mere sight of her - a reaction so absurd and humiliating that I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
"Wakey-wakey, my little kitten," she whispered in a voice like liquid honey, the vibration humming in my new ears. She reached out, her hand coming to rest on my head, slowly and rhythmically stroking my silky pink hair.
At the same time, her other hand - cool and confident - slipped under the covers without warning. I let out an instinctive moan as I felt her touch my skin just above my knee. Her fingers began a slow, deliberate journey up my thigh. I wanted to tell her to stop, to scream and demand to know what was happening and who she was, but the moment our eyes met and I saw that absolute, possessive glint in her gold irises, I froze. Primal terror choked the words in my throat.
"W-who are you?" I finally choked out, my voice a pathetic, stuttering mess.
The woman simply tilted her head, her smile turning sharper, more predatory.
"Still trying to piece it together?" she asked. Her eyes glowed with even greater intensity - the kind of light that, in a world of high-level magic, usually meant someone was actively probing your mind or emotions, leaving no room for lies.
I curled up even tighter, trying to physically merge with the luxury mattress just to escape her field of vision. She only laughed softly, watching my reaction with clear amusement.
"No... it seems you truly don't remember. A side effect of the spell, likely. It must have been too powerful for such a frail vessel," she mused, more to herself than to me. Suddenly, she pulled her hand from my hair and firmly gripped my chin, forcing me to look directly at her. "Well, it doesn't matter whether you remember or not. Your past no longer exists anyway."
Before I could react, she climbed onto the bed and hovered over me, her knees pinning me down on either side of my legs. I was trapped between the mattress and her body, which was now nearly crushing me. A massive shiver raced down my spine as she smiled at me as sweetly as if we were lovers.
Why is she so terrifying? She's beautiful, yet I feel like she's about to eat me alive... I thought, my tail coiling into a tight knot of pure anxiety beneath the covers.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I have no intention of damaging my own property - especially since I had to work so hard and spend a fortune to finally acquire you," she whispered, leaning in so close that her hot, damp breath brushed against my sensitive ear. It sent a wave of goosebumps across my entire body. Then she added with a light, blood-chilling amusement: "Unless, of course, you misbehave... But you'll be obedient, won't you?"
Before I could even think of a retort, her hand - the one previously resting on my thigh - slid with slow, decisive intent under the edge of my pink panties. When her fingers first grazed my small, shameful erection hidden beneath the thin fabric, a low, guttural moan escaped my lips that I couldn't suppress for the life of me.
My face felt like it was on fire, turning even redder than her dress. Her fingertips began to rub against my member with almost surgical precision, triggering an explosion of stimuli unlike anything I'd ever known in my previous life.
"Mnnn~ P-please... Haa~!" I groaned. To my absolute horror, my body began to take on a life of its own. My hips started making small, instinctive thrusts, desperately seeking more of her touch instead of trying to pull away.
What the hell is wrong with me?! Why is this pleasure so overwhelming? She's barely touching me! My mind reeled in pure panic as I realized, with deep shame, that I was literally seconds and a few deft movements away from reaching climax right in front of this stranger.
What my foggy mind hadn't grasped yet was that my new body was now tuned like an instrument by the system talent [Submissive]. It ensured that every gesture of dominance from someone of a higher rank - especially someone like Lilith - was rewarded by my nervous system with a massive hit of dopamine, twisting fear into perverted ecstasy.
Lilith looked down at me with a possessive, triumphant smirk, pausing her ministrations only to resume stroking my hair. I almost reflexively purred with contentment like a real cat, but I bit my tongue at the last second, my heart hammering against my ribs.
God, why is everything so sensitive? Do I even have any control over this?
"Let me explain a few things, since you still seem completely disoriented," she finally spoke, her voice regaining that authoritative, cold edge that brooked no argument. "My name is Lilith. I am the Demon Lord of Lust. Although you, my little kitten, will address me as Lady Lilith - or simply Mistress - if you don't wish to test the limits of my patience."
As she spoke, she leaned down further and poked me unceremoniously in my small breast, a gesture that only completed my humiliation.
"And as for you... from now on, your name is Neko."
"You are my slave, Neko. From this moment on, your body, your mind, and even your soul belong exclusively to me. You must learn quickly. Your days will be filled with the work of a maid - scrubbing the castle floors, preparing meals to satisfy my palate and those of my girls, and receiving and entertaining my guests whenever necessary," Lilith announced. Her smile widened, becoming even more predatory as she added in a lowered voice: "And at night... well, at night you'll have slightly different duties. Duties that require much more dedication than holding a feather duster."
An icy shiver ran down my back that I couldn't suppress. While the worst-case scenarios for these "night duties" swirled in my head, I tried desperately not to visualize any of them. Meanwhile, as if reading my thoughts, she began to slowly pet my head again. Her hand felt strangely warm now, almost maternal.
"As for your charming new appearance, know that it comes with a blessing I personally bestowed upon you: the [Halo of Ethereal Transfiguration]," she continued, her voice sounding as proud as if she'd just handed me a high state honor. I listened with mounting disbelief, my foggy mind trying to process the fact that I was a victim of 9th-rank magic - which, according to Lilith, was the absolute peak of power in this world, a level reserved for beings capable of bending the very fabric of reality.
Lilith leaned even closer, her red hair tickling my cheek. Her golden eyes shone with that same possessive light that had paralyzed me earlier.
"The best part of the spell - and certainly worth mentioning - is that it's designed so that with every climax you experience, your body will attune itself more and more to its new form. You are moving inevitably toward becoming a true, one-hundred-percent woman," she added.
I felt the blood drain from my face, leaving only icy terror. This woman had just told me that every orgasm would be a nail in the coffin of my masculinity.
Before I could squeeze out a single word of protest, Lilith smiled in her peculiar, bittersweet way, as if playing with a particularly fragile porcelain doll. She suddenly remembered one more detail she'd apparently forgotten to mention.
"At least, that's how the spell is supposed to work in theory..." she murmured, giving a light shrug that, given her cleavage, looked almost comical against the gravity of the situation. "After all, you're the first person to actually survive the process without turning into a formless mass of flesh and smoke. So, consider this a great success, my little kitten."
She finished her tirade by pressing a gentle, almost soothing kiss to my forehead. Then she straightened up, her knees still resting on the mattress right beside my legs, and added with a smile:
"Now, go and wash yourself in the bath, darling. The Head Maid will be along to help you."