Aftermath

If there was more ****, he didn’t find it. Ma’am ordered an end to cleaning duties for the day and only a bare-bones service crew remained on duty made up of volunteers who were offered double pay. Gob stepped in and helped in the kitchen. Ma’am took on running the dinner service. A handful of maids stayed on duty but most retired to their rooms for the day.

Graff took it easy and let Gob do most of the heavy work. Gob was surprised at how much he had picked up over the years by just hanging around the kitchens. He peeled and chopped while Graff slowly moved around the kitchen, less sure on his feet than Gob had ever seen him. He was an old demon kin but it was hard seeing the powerful man so weakened. It was hard not to be cross at Leaf for doing this.

After the cleanup, he stayed in the kitchen as he began his usual duty. He half expected a summons as soon as it began but it was close to midnight before he heard the new female voice of the Maou in his head, “Gob, can you bring me coffee and a pastry please?”

“There aren’t any pastries. Graff was rather shaken,” said Gob. He tried to keep any attitude out of his voice but he failed.

“I see,” she sounded cold. “Then just the coffee.”

He made it as he knew she liked it. He was annoyed at her but that didn’t mean he was about to shirk his duties.

He knocked on the great wooden doors and let himself in. He had half expected the room to look different but it did not. The Maou was at her desk. Her long golden hair covered her face as she leaned over, writing. She wore a simple nightie with long sleeves that came to just above her knees. It was an item of comfort not style yet her new figure filled it out quite appealingly.

Gob placed the coffee on the desk beside her. She didn’t look up but said “You’re angry at me, aren’t you?”

“You hurt a lot of people today,” he said. He wasn’t afraid of her anymore.

“I’ve hurt many more than that before. In worse ways.” Her voice was cold and hard. “Do you think I wanted to do it?”

There was a pause. Gob didn’t know what to say. “You did it so casually,” he eventually got out.

“It had to look effortless. They had to know that it was me. They had to know what would happen to them if they didn’t do as they were told. I hurt them because if I didn’t then they would have doubted me and come for me. They may still do it and then I will have to hurt more people. I have to ****, I have to kill,” her voice cracked. “Because if I don’t it gets so much worse.” She looked up at him and her face was wet with tears and contorted with grief. “I didn’t want to hurt them, Gob. I just wanted them to accept me without having to go back to how it was when I took over.”

Gob couldn’t stay angry at her. It was easy for him to sit on his high horse when he wasn’t the one that had to do it. The palace was a sea of civility in an ocean of **** and brutality. He looked at her crying face and remembered that she did what she had to and nothing more. She didn’t relish what she had done. He held his hand to her and she shot out of her seat and wrapped her arms around his middle as she buried her face in his chest and bawled.

Gob wasn’t sure how long he held her against him. She pounded his chest in anguish. It was a curt reminder of how strong she was now. It was painful and she wasn’t putting much strength into the blows. After a while, the sobs turned to sniffles and she muttered, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Gob asked.

“For holding me and not judging me too harshly. For saving my friend. Just, thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he said, tucking his finger under her chin and lifting her face up to look at him. She smiled even if it was twisted by her emotions.

“It’s funny,” she said. “Before, I would never have let myself do this. I would have, it just didn’t seem right. I wish I had now, I feel much better.”

“I think I understand.” He stroked her hair out of her face where it was sticking to her tears. He then dipped down and picked her up into a princess carry.

“Gob,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“You are a mess. I’m taking you to the bath.”

“I’m fine. I can just magic myself clean,” she said but she didn’t try to free herself.

“Come on, a bath will be soothing. You can’t get that from a spell.”

“Okay, but… Do you have to carry me like this? It’s not very regal.”

Gob smiled at her. “Don’t worry about that right now. Just be Leaf for a bit. I’ve got you.”

Leaf looked worried for a moment and then she rested her head on his chest and a soft smile made its way onto her face.

Gob carried her into the royal bathroom. A splendid room of white marble and gold fittings. The bath was big enough for a party to swim in and it was kept permanently warm by magic. Gob put Leaf down and without ceremony pulled it over her head. Her naked body was exposed to him. It was a sight to behold with its uncanny perfection. Ripe, firm breasts, toned tummy and narrow waist. She was a far cry from the delicate frame of the maid but it fit her status better. It was a more womanly body and it would have looked powerful had she not been in such a cowed mood. Gob wanted to take her but he didn’t. Not least because he wasn’t sure if she wanted him. She was the only woman he knew of who was immune to his abilities. Looking at her, he wanted her but he would let her make the first move.

Leaf covered herself. She was aware of how ridiculous it was to be modest all of a sudden but she felt **** under his gaze. She wasn’t but she felt it. She felt a small flush of arousal and she hoped that her powers would hide it from Gob. She hurried into the water. It wasn’t the same in this body. She missed the feeling of heat. The slight sting on the skin that quickly faded as her skin adjusted to the temperature. It felt nice but it made her pine for her weaker body. Still, the steam-filled her nose and her body felt weightless in the water. It was still soothing.

Gob approached and put a folded towel on the edge so she could rest her head on it. She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Gob. I keep saying that to you tonight.”

“Don’t mention it. Is there anything else?”

She was a little taken aback that he was about to go. She nearly asked him to stay but she knew what would end up happening if she did. Maybe he did too. Maybe he didn’t want that to happen. She tried to not let the negative thoughts come in. “No, thank you Gob, that will be all.”

Gob bowed and left, leaving Leaf uncertain about how he felt about her. She wondered if the body wasn’t to his taste. She supposed she could change it but it would be a pain after showing herself to everyone. She slapped her cheeks to stop herself from thinking like that. She took a deep breath and relaxed.

A moment later she was aware that she was not alone. There was a presence that had worked its way into the room but its location was not clear. If anything it seemed to be everywhere. She tried not to make any outward show of readying herself in case she was being watched. In an instant, she knew where the presence was at the same moment a surge of water lifted up from the bath. Leaf was about to attack but she sudden;y realised who the presence was. A curvy blue woman shot out of the water shouting, “Leaf!”

A huge smile spread across her lips and she readied herself for the impact as Pip came crashing down on top of her. She found herself enveloped in slime with a familiar smiling face right in front of her. “I missed Leaf,” said Pip. “I came to visit.”

“I’m so glad you did,” said Leaf and she hugged her friend, her face pressing into Pip’s squishy one.