"But I'm just like you, trapped in here, got raped every day, just waiting to be eaten after they're done toying with me." The woman sighed, leaning her back against the stone wall with an air of defeated weariness.
"W-what? They… they rape you, then eat you afterward?!" Rosalinda's voice came out like a stammering blabber, her face white as snow, all color draining from her delicate features.
Then Rosalinda's eyes dropped to the woman's midsection where a noticeable bulge protruded from beneath the black bodysuit.
"You're… you're pregnant with a monster's child?" The question came out trembling.
"Yes." The woman's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. She squatted down so that their eyes were at the same level, her blue gaze boring into Rosalinda's wide green ones.
"They will ravage you day and night. Abuse every hole on your body." Her hand rose to Rosalinda's face, long fingers tracing the outline of her delicate red lips.
"From your mouth," She whispered, her thumb gently caressing Rosalinda's bottom lip.
"To your breasts." Her other hand cupped Rosalinda's small, flat chest, fingers folding over the meager swell.
"Even your secret place." Her hand moved lower, lightly touching the young girl's vagina through the layers of the royal gown, the fabric doing nothing to hide the heat and softness beneath.
Rosalinda should have felt fear, she should have shrieked and recoiled. But something deep inside her was heating up, warming like embers in a dying fire as those slender fingers traveled lower and lower, skimming over the sensitive fabric covering her thighs.
Until they reached her private part, where a small damp patch had already formed.
"No! I don't want to! I don't want to have a monster baby!" Rosalinda stumbled backward, crawling away in frantic urgency, her hands pushing against the cold stone floor while she tried desperately to avoid further contact.
In the corner of the cell, she huddled, arms wrapped around her legs, curling into a tight ball in a futile attempt to become as small and invisible as possible.
The woman watched her, those eyes calculating and cold. "How about you tell me a little about yourself?" she said, her voice softer, almost gentle. "Since I have… some use to the monsters, perhaps I can tell them to leave you alone."
Rosalinda's eyes devoid of life slowly lifted from the floor to meet the woman's gaze.
Hope.
Yes, that was hope sprouting like a desperate seed in the wasteland of her terror.
"C-can you do that? For me?" Rosalinda asked, her voice barely above a whisper, trembling with fragile expectation.
"Yes, darling, tell me about you."
The woman closed the distance between them, sitting down next to Rosalinda so close their shoulders were almost touching.
"O-okay. Let me see." Rosalinda gulped, her throat working to swallow a mouthful of saliva when the woman's warmth radiated against her side.
"My name is… Rosalinda Aurelia Valencrest." Her voice was trembling.
"I'm sixteen years old, third prin..."
"Great One!" The interruption came from the cell door, where a swift goblin stood, bowing low.
"The female situation has been stabilized and was secured for you to interrogate."
Silence descended.
Rosalinda's eyes went wide when she looked at the goblin, then at the woman sitting next to her. The woman remained calm, composed, her blue eyes glinting with cold authority.
"Did anyone touch her?" the woman asked, her voice serious and commanding.
"No, Great One. No one dared even laying a finger on her." The goblin trembled under her gaze, perspiration streaming down his green face.
"Good. You are dismissed." The woman's voice was final, brooking no argument.
The goblin scurried away, the sound of his retreating footsteps echoing in the cell.
No.
The realization hit Rosalinda like a physical blow.
"Tch." Lyssandra clicked her tongue, standing up with fluid grace.
"What? You're a human, but why did that monster call you Great One?" Rosalinda crawled backward into the far corner of the cell, as far from this mysterious woman as possible.
'She can understand monster's tongue?' Lyssandra wondered. "Oh come on, darling. Can we continue that previous conversation?" her voice suddenly became smooth like honey dripping. "You can just forget what he said. I'm still the captive in this cell, remember?"
"NO! Stay away from me, you monster! I don't want to talk to you!" Rosalinda's voice came out high pitch like a scream, raw and desperate. Her arms wrapped around her head, pulling herself back into a tight ball.
Lyssandra looked at this display, her expression blank, devoid of emotion. "So be it."
She then turned on her heel and walked toward the metal cell. The groaning of metal hinges filled the princess's ears when the door creaked open and slammed shut again.
Emptiness claimed the air.
Rosalinda slowly lowered her arms from her head, peeking through the gaps between her limbs. There was no one there. She had been left alone in this dark, heavy prison cell, abandoned without anyone knowing.
Meanwhile, Lyssandra approached the swift goblin. "Lead the way."
The goblin nodded, leading her through the winding corridors until they reached another cell. This one was far from Rosalinda's, positioned according to Lyssandra's deliberate orders to prevent communication between prisoners.
Stepping inside Ysabel's cell, she saw Luna carefully wrapping bandages around the injured guard's wounds. Lyssandra had purchased these bandages from the System shop, they were medical-grade and far superior to anything that could be found in this resource deprived dungeon.
"I can't continue like this. I'll be poor before I even realize." she groaned, glancing at her meager LP count with mounting concern.
"Master, I finished what you instructed. Am I doing good?" Luna asked, her voice hopeful while she wrapped her translucent water body around her arm, seeking affirmation and recognition.
The bandages were indeed wrapped around the wounds, though in a rather messy and unorthodox pattern. However, they did their job effectively enough, so it wasn't a pressing concern.
"You did good, pet."
Lyssandra pat Luna on the head, her fingers sinking slightly into the cool, soft surface of the water slime. Luna grinned, practically basking in the affection.
"Now stay close but don't show yourself." Lyssandra's voice dipped lower, almost a whisper. She glanced around the cell before continuing.
"As you wish, Master." Luna nodded, her body squeezing through the metal bars until she disappeared from sight, blending into the shadows of the corridors.
Lyssandra stepped closer to the prisoner who was bound by heavy stone chains restricted her arms and legs. Even her midsection was secured by a huge stone lock, the weight of it all pressing down on her body.
Ysabel's eyes fluttered open, her hazel gaze focusing on the woman before her. "Why... are you doing this?"
Her voice came out struggling, barely audible over the clanking of chains as she shifted slightly under their burden.
"Who knows?" Lyssandra murmured, she circled around Ysabel, her footsteps echoing against the stone floor. "Maybe it was natural for someone to defend their home."
She paused, leaning in closer. "Or maybe it was normal for someone to fight off the invaders from their turf?"
Her face was now only inches away from Ysabel's.
"Y-you are a human," Ysabel's voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. "But why could you control the monster?'"
"No, no, no." Lyssandra's voice sharpened into a cutting tone. "You are not the one asking questions here. I am."
Her finger lifted Ysabel's chin, forcing the guard's gaze to meet her eyes. "Now tell me your name."
Lyssandra's question was direct, but her prisoner remained silent.
"Ysabel it is." She didn't mind the defiance, simply moving on.
"How about your age?" Lyssandra asked again, but the silence continued.
"Well, let me guess…" Lyssandra raised her face, looking upward as if pondering deeply.
"It is twenty." She stated it with such conviction that it sounded final.
'What? How did she know? I didn't even tell her!' The thoughts raced through Ysabel's mind, her eyes going wide while she stared at her captor.
"Let us continue, shall we?" Lyssandra stepped behind Ysabel, her hands tracing the curve of the guard's spine.
The armor had already been removed by Luna before she arrived. Now on Ysabel's body were only the cloth wrapping her chest and the white loincloth.