Queen Lisette led Reina not to the second floor, but straight to the third. The corridor had only two doors, one at the end of the hall and another on the right which the queen unlocked herself. Reina followed quietly, waiting for the right time to ask her burning questions, but was astonished by the sight before her eyes.

"Go in," the queen ordered.

She stepped into what could only be described as an alchemy laboratory. Furnished with an idle cauldron, nets and shelves stocked full of rare ingredients, and glass vials waiting to be filled, this looked just like the labs in Grathir. It doubled as a bedroom, with a much larger bed than the one in the servant's quarters.

More surprisingly were the pulsating slimes of varying color in glass cages and an alraune of all things. The aberration was sitting in a clay pot filled with dirt up to the lip. She looked in Reina's direction and cocked her head sideways.

"Y-You're keeping such a dangerous thing in your manor? It could kill you at a moment's notice!" Reina warned.

The queen scoffed at the notion. She walked in fearless stride towards the creature and grabbed her by the chin. In a submissive fashion, the alraune's vines went limp to the floor and bowed her head.

"You have no need to fear. Daisy means no harm. Unless, of course, you mean to harm me?" Queen Lisette asked.

The vines crept across the floor to Reina, wrapping around her ankles and coiling up her thighs. 

"I wouldn't… dare," Reina said.

Daisy retracted her vines, relishing in getting her leafy hair stroked by the queen.

"I thought the human kingdoms of Talmora outlawed slavery of my people. Yet I see the one responsible for that progressive act going against her own word. Why?" she asked.

"Quite simply because I can. No one will suspect me after I was so vocal about ending demi-human slavery." The queen returned to Reina's side and squeezed her shoulders from behind. She could feel a hot breath at the back of her neck. "How could I not want such a beautiful thing as yourself? You elves with your slender limbs, high cheekbones, and petite frame… yet to possess a voluptuous figure."

Reina gulped as a shiver surged across the surface of her skin.

This woman is a pervert! There's no two ways about it, she thought to herself. No wonder she's surrounded herself with elven and beastborne maids.

Queen Lisette cleared her throat and with it the fantasizing reverie in her mind. "I assure you are neither a slave nor a servant here. I wasn't lying when I said you are an honored guest."

If what she wanted wasn't another elf to add to her collection, then it couldn't be anything else. There was only one trait that made Reina stick out from the rest.

"You wanted a personal alchemist," she said accusingly.

The queen giggled. "I expected nothing less from a student of Grathir's esteemed Witch's Academy. I have gone to great lengths to acquire you, because there is something only you can make for me— an elixir of life."

Reina stared in disbelief as a chill ran up her spine. "I see… No witch would risk breaking their covenant, so you had to kidnap the only demi-human alchemist to do it."

"You're smart. I like smart girls." Queen Lisette embraced Reina from behind. "The headmistress and Grand Alchemist must be very proud. It has come to my attention that philosopher's stones are appearing out of thin air. I have armies out searching for them, and you will make one for me. Don't worry about your routine reports, I have them taken care of. All you need to focus on is that elixir."

She shuddered as two hands caressed her belly and slowly moved downwards. A sharp chin came to rest on her shoulder. The subtle scent of mint and rose made her head hazy.

"J-Just in case you didn't know, creating an elixir of life is no easy feat…" Reina muttered, squirming in the queen's arms.

"That's fine, too. I look forward to having you with me for as long as it takes."

Suddenly, the queen's touch left her and the door closed shut.

Incredible. Queen Lisette couldn't be much older than Reina. To have accomplished so much at this young age, and treated the nobility no different than the servants under her… just who was this human?

Reina sighed and turned to the other resident.

"So… Daisy, right? Let's… uh… get along, shall we?" she said, keeping her distance

Over the next few days, Reina spent the early hours brewing potions and elixirs until the afternoon, and fulfilling her duties as a maid from then onwards. Queen Lisette was smart. She specifically did not provide certain ingredients that might give her a chance of escaping. Namely, ingredients to make elixirs granted flight or strength. Chances of escaping grew slim every passing day.

She no longer slept in the servant's quarters. Her place was in the alchemy lab, close enough to the queen's room and watched by two guards whenever she was inside.

"Have you gotten used to being here?" Patty asked as they hung bedsheets to dry behind the manor.

Reina glanced around the walled-in garden with guards patrolling the area. Tall hedges made it difficult to speak frankly without risk of being heard. Moreover, the queen was on the third floor terrace meeting with a guest, close enough to the edge to watch them work.

"I'm being held here against my will. There's no getting used to it," she said, lowering her voice.

"I understand, but Queen Lisette treats us really well! I'm sure you'll come to— nnh…" The head maid put a hand to her cheek where she had been slapped.

Worried, Reina dropped the sheets back into the basket to check on her. When she peeled back the hand, Patty's cheek looked fine from the outside. The swelling had gone away after the first day, but it seemed she had some lingering pain from the inside. A cut cheek perhaps?

"Come here," Reina said, pulling Patty between two clothes lines. Hanging sheets obscured them from both the queen above and guards in the garden. She handed Patty a restoration potion hidden under her dress. "Drink this."

Patty did as she was told and gasped as soon as she started feeling better. "Alchemy? So this is what the queen has been having you do upstairs?"

Reina nodded. "Though it's probably best you don't tell anyone. I'm pretty sure my being up there is a secret. What does she tell you guys?"

"That you're her personal sex slave. Until recently, Queen Lisette has been asking me to her room… every night." Patty began to trail off with each word upon noticing Reina's confusion. "Are you… not?"

The two of them blinked absentmindedly at each other.

"I'm sorry… what?" Reina choked out.

The heavy metallic footfalls on the granite walkways approached, and they quickly returned to work as a guard dipped his head in to check on them.

Later at night when Reina was brewing a large batch of stamina draughts on Queen Lisette's orders, her majesty casually opened the door to her room.

"Enough of that. Follow me," she demanded.

Reina swallowed hard, wondering if the queen had discovered that she had given Patty a potion earlier. Could the head maid have tattled on her?

She followed Queen Lisette down the hall and into her room, a chamber large enough to be its own house. Coming in, Reina hesitated to step on the foreign rug with intricately stitched, geometric patterns. It looked more expensive than her life. In fact, that was probably true of everything in the room down to a hair comb at the mahogany vanity table.

The queen walked up to the foot of her bed and beckoned Reina closer.

"Help me with this. These straps in the back are so finicky."

Just as described , the straps were indeed difficult to tame. Worse yet, Reina's mind was too preoccupied about whether she was in trouble or not. It took some creative methods, but she stuck her nails through the hole to pop out the button holding the straps in. Just like that, the robes dropped to the ground.

The queen was now completely naked, seemingly defenseless and yet… not. She stepped away from the pile of fabric like it was nothing to her. Reina hastily picked it up, but a hand clamped down on her wrist and caused her to drop it.

"Leave it. I have grown tired of wearing that dreadful thing," the queen said.

Reina saw how the imprints from the dress straps had bit into her back. Judging by the pink and reddish skin, she must be in a lot of pain. Though unfazed, the queen faced Reina and slowly began to undress her from the maid uniform.

She wasn't sure where to look. Would it be rude to stare at the queen's naked body? Her breasts were small and nipples perky like mountain peaks, porcelain as smooth as silk, and had a trimmed stubble just above her crotch.

"I did not get to where I am by playing niceties in politics. Attempts on my life have numbered in the hundreds since I joined Ors and Juna into one. There will surely be more until I draw my last breath or until all my enemies are stamped out."

The maid uniform finally slipped down to Reina's feet, and now they were both naked. She gasped as Queen Lisette cupped her breasts and squeezed, kneading them with every intention to stimulate pleasure. But Reina had to remain vigilant, lest her penis slip out and anger the queen.

However, the hands stopped touching her too soon. She was almost disappointed. Instead, a hand raised Reina by the chin until their lips were within inches of each other.

"Tell me honestly, did you feed Patty a potion this afternoon?" the queen asked, staring into her eyes with a piercing gaze that saw through her soul.

"Y-Yes…" Reina answered. "She was in pain, so… I wanted to help…"

Queen Lisette walked behind Reina and embraced her the same way she did when they first met. This time, however, was more forceful. Two fingers slipped into her pussy, causing her to writhe in pleasure. Reina didn't even realize she had gotten wet. Her head was spinning.

"That won't do," the queen whispered sweetly into her ear. "You have to be punished. Tell your queen to punish you."

"P-Punish me… my queen," she replied obediently.