This is the SFW version of the novel without the smol/l*li stuff (it will nuke this novel). For the NSFW version, please visit my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/SmallScribble.
"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 as a stammering blabber, her face now as 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.
######
"No! I don't want to! I don't want to have a monster baby!"
Rosalinda stumbled backward, crawling away with frantic urgency, her hands pushing against the cold stone floor as she tried desperately to avoid further contact.
In the corner of the cell, she huddled, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling herself into a tight ball, making herself as small as possible in a futile attempt to become invisible.
The woman watched her, those eyes calculating and cold.
"How about you tell me a little about yourself?" the woman said, her voice suddenly softer, almost gentle. "Since I have… some use to the monsters, perhaps I can tell them to leave you alone."
Rosalinda's eyes now 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 that their shoulders were almost touching.
"O-okay. Let me see."
Rosalinda gulped, her throat working to swallow a mouthful of saliva as 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 now stood, bowing low.
"The female situation has been stabilized and was secured for you to interrogate."
Silence descended.
Rosalinda's eyes went wide as 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 was sweating, sweat pouring down his green face as he trembled under her gaze.
"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.
The goblin had been talking to the woman next to her.
The woman who now turned to look at her with those vivid blue eyes.
"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 the woman as possible.
*'She can understand monster's tongue?'* Lyssandra thought.
"Oh come on, darling. Can we continue that previous conversation?" her voice suddenly became smoother, softer, like honey dripping from her lips. "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 as a scream, raw and desperate. Her arms wrapped around her head, pulling herself back into that tight ball.
Lyssandra looked at this display, her expression blank, devoid of emotion.
"So be it."
Lyssandra turned on her heel and walked toward the metal cell. The groaning of metal hinges filled Rosalinda's ears as the door creaked open and slammed shut again, the sound reverberating through the cramped space.
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 the prisoners.
As Lyssandra stepped 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."
Lyssandra 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 as she wrapped her translucent water body around Lyssandra's arm, seeking affirmation and recognition.
The bandages were indeed wrapped around Ysabel's 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 Ysabel, who was bound by heavy stone chains that restricted her arms and legs. Even her midsection was secured by a massive stone lock, the weight of it all pressing down on her form.
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 as 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 vivid blue 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, and with that, her thoughts were complete.
'What? How did she know? I didn't even tell her!'
The thoughts raced through Ysabel's mind, her eyes going wide as 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.