Chapter 13

The Place She Truly Belongs

Several weeks prior

Valia’s face was contorted into a mess of rage and fury. All those years she’d spent as the dutiful maid, acting like she was okay and content with constant praises and tokens of appreciation. All the times she’d had to pick up the pieces, to ensure that Cherry’s reputation remained immaculate. And she’d been content to do so. To fulfil her duties, regardless of how it wore away at her soul. 

All of her efforts had been wiped away by another rich brat who wasn’t content to just live in the lap of luxury that Valia provided.

“But first, we need to figure out what to do with this one.” Zenith gestured towards her with one hand. Jinta stood underneath the sorceress’s wing, cowering in the safety of someone much more powerful. Which Valia had to admit, was probably safest for her. If she was freed from her restraints she’d show the traitor the full extent of her wrath.

“She always hated being a maid and serving others,” Jinta continued. There wasn’t a trace of guilt or regret in her voice. “She’s already wearing an appropriate outfit. Why not have her continue her job, but for new masters, and some more devious attire?”

Once again, Valia strained with all her might against the shadowy hands that were holding her back. She screamed at the top of her lungs into the ones covering her mouth. The only thing she could do was glare with unrelenting fury at the girl who sold her out. 

Zenith nodded, encouraging her new ally. “I like the way you think. You know, I have always had a bit of a thing for maids. I have just the idea in mind.” She walked over to Valia, deliberately swaying her hips with each step. “Think of this as your first test as my new protege. Go into as much detail as you like. If I gave you all the magical powers you could desire, what exactly would you do with your new maid? How would you train her and punish her?” Even though she was speaking to Jinta, she was holding direct eye contact with Valia. For her part, Valia refused to flinch and met her gaze with equal intensity.

However, Jinta was oblivious to the shift in body language. She was only growing more and more excited. “I’d focus on breaking her composure. She wants to act like she’s so proper and in control all the time? Let’s turn her into an absolute mess. See how she can keep working while forced to cum over and over again.” She was growing increasingly excited as she spoke. “Instead of just general cleaning, she’ll have to care for us personally. Worshipping our feet and eating us out. If she wants any kind of a break from the non-stop orgasms, she’ll have to obey.”

Every word just made Valia more furious. She had never been interested in revenge, or putting Cherry and her family down. It had been quite the opposite. Her goals up until now were just to do her job well enough so that she could leave them alone. But after hearing Jinta, listening to her mocking tone and ungrateful words, She wanted to get even. Jinta, Cherry, Meredith, and even Bellwyn. None of them deserved any mercy. The cruel irony of it was that for years she had plenty of opportunities to take them down, to hit them where it hurt. But now that she wanted to, Zenith was taking her freedom away.

“Very interesting,” Zenith purred. “I think I can work with that. You’ve convinced me Jinta, you would make an excellent aid. By my side, we could accomplish great things together. I believe you’ve been struggling with your magical skills?”

Jinta winced at the comment. “Yes, but you can fix that. You can give me whatever powers I need, or teach me how it works. I’ll be even better than Cherry!” Valia rolled her eyes. Even now, Jinta’s inferiority complex was on full display. No matter how she acted, Jinta’s deep rooted insecurities would stop her from taking charge. 

To Valia’s mild amusement, she noticed Zenith rolling her eyes as well. “Yes yes, it’s entirely possible for me to give you the skills you desire. To be blunt, there’s very little that’s out of reach of my capabilities.” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “However, there’s one slight problem. One issue that might get in the way of you becoming my lieutenant.”

Zenith’s tone had taken on a somewhat darker turn, but yet again, Jinta failed to recognize the signs. “What the hell do you mean? I’ve already pledged my loyalty, do you want a demonstration or something?” Despite all of her instincts screaming at her to be on her guard, Valia felt a spark of hope inside. She didn’t want to believe in the possibility only to get crushed again. And yet, she felt more calm than before in the grips of Zenith’s spell.

“Oh I have no doubt you’d pledge your loyalty. You have no issues following the winner, the most powerful person you can find. And right now, that’s me.” Zenith let the implication hang in the air. “However, given your eagerness to turn on your allies and join me, I can’t help but wonder what you would do if someone else were to come along and gain the upper hand.”

Jinta merely scoffed at her. “Oh please, I’ve seen what you can do. You just now start pretending there’s someone you’re worried about.”

“Of course not. My power in this realm is thoroughly unparalleled.” Zenith conjured a magical orb and spun it around in the air. “It’s just the principle of the matter. I’m not interested in some half-baked layabout who simply joins me from mere convenience. I need someone with strength of will, someone with determination and grit. A lieutenant fit for the throne who can embody my desires while I’m away. She clenched her fist and the orb erupted into a golden flame. “Is that something you think you can do?”

This time Jinta walked directly up to Valia and grabbed her chin, lifting it to force her to make direct eye contact. “I am. I’ll be the perfect disciple, and I’ll take my rightful place at her side, ruling over the Kingdom. And I’ll be sure to punish everyone who looked down on me before.” 

She was so caught up in her gloating that she failed to notice Zenith’s magical orb expanding into a fiery whip behind her. “That’s nice, but I wasn’t talking to you.” She lashed out with her weapon, binding Jinta’s arms to her sides and wrapping around her tightly.

“Hey, what the-” Jinta was caught off guard as she was yanked away from the maid. The whip popped into a burst of light, and it transformed into a bright yellow ribbon with a neat bow on the front. “What the fuck are you doing? I said I’d join you.”

“I’m well aware of what you said. But you’re not the one I’m interested in right now.” Valia could hardly believe her change in fortune. In fact, she still wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t just a trick of some sort. But Zenith waved her hand, and the shadowy hands holding her back faded away into nothing. Valia collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily and filled to the brim with emotional turmoil. Zenith extended a hand downwards. “What do you say? Will you join me as my second in command, and replace the royal family with a new ruling class?”

Jinta was trying to make her way back to them, but the ribbons expanded and fastened her to the wall. For the first time since her betrayal she was starting to look nervous. “Zenith, what the fuck? I thought we had a deal!” Her eyes darted back and forth between the two women in front of her. “Hey, Valia? You know I wasn’t actually joining her, right? I was just pretending to so that I could get closer and find an opening. You know that I wouldn’t-”

“Shut up.” Valia’s voice echoed through the room, a dangerous undertone abundantly clear. She stood up from the floor and dusted herself off. It was great to be free, but she was still wearing an absurd fetishistic maid outfit. “Zenith, I’ll be honest. I don’t know why you would want me by your side. My magical abilities are completely nonexistent. And I’m not sure what exactly I can bring to the table for you. But if you’re offering…” her voice trailed off as she glanced at Jinta. “I have no ties to this Kingdom anymore, nor anyone in it. I’ll be more than happy to work by your side.” She awkwardly tugged at the latex serving uniform covering her body. “But if you’re serious about taking me on as a protege, can you at least give me something more appropriate to wear?”

There was a snort of indignation from Jinta. “Are you really going to let her talk to you like that? She doesn’t even respect you!” The other pair glanced over at her, and Jinta immediately began to squirm. “I mean, um, she’s still our opponent and you should respect her. We should respect her power, if we’re going to somehow take it down.” It was clear her mind was spinning, and without a clear indicator of who was in the true power position, she was struggling to figure out who’s ass to kiss. Valia would’ve felt bad for her, if it weren’t for everything she had done up to that point. 

“I’ll speak however I like. I’m done with false pleasantries and pretending to be nice just for the sake of it.” She no longer felt afraid, or even concerned for herself. She looked to Zenith and for the first time, properly spoke to her as an equal. “If you’re going to punish me for not properly worshipping you, you might as well give up on working with me now. I’ll join you on my own terms and no one else's. Is that okay?”

Part of her thought that she’d overstepped a boundary, and Zenith would just enslave her again. However, she meant what she said, and she knew it was a risk worth taking. For too many years she’d been the kind maid who was always polite and stood up for her ward, no matter the circumstances. She wasn’t going to do the same thing again with a different title.

Thankfully, Zenith didn’t sound bothered by her terms. “Awfully bold of you to be making demands here. But don’t worry, if I wanted a snivelling whelp who was constantly sucking up to me, I would’ve had one.” She clapped her hands, and a burst of magic washed over Valia, her clothes shifting in form. Tight latex hardened and expanded, becoming a firm suit of armour. The skintight material went from hugging her curves to a proper breastplate. Even though her heels shrank away, Valia felt larger than ever, with her increased presence more than making up for a lack in height. 

It wasn’t a heavy suit of armour. She moved her arms in experimentation, and to her surprise, there was very little resistance. It felt well suited to her nimble and dextrous fighting style. The polished black metal did bear a unique emblem on the front, a sort of rose that looked conspicuously similar to her genitals. But that was hardly an issue considering the circumstances. 

During all this, Jinta was still screaming into her magical gag. It gave Valia a deep sense of satisfaction seeing how their roles had completely reversed, merely on the whim of a powerful sorceress. She thought about just how cruel and unrelenting Jinta had planned on being, and how now that she was in a position of power, she had the tools at her disposal to make her pay.

“What was it you said you were planning on doing?” A cruel thought was forming in Valia’s mind as she turned towards Jinta. “Turn me into your kinky maid and force me to serve while overwhelming my brain with constant unending orgasms until I go mad?”

Jinta was starting to look nervous. “Mnnf, MNNNGH!” It was impossible to make out any of the muffled words, but Valia knew she hit the sweet spot. For a conniving backstabber and betrayer, it was only fitting to subject her to the same punishments she’d been planning to dish out. 

“That does sound wonderful,” Zenith said with a smile. “I think I have a perfect way to make this work. But first, I do still have some business to attend to. There’s a loose end who needs wrapping up. You girls can behave yourselves while I quickly visit the princess, can’t you?”

With everything that had happened, Valia hadn’t even thought of Cherry. She was going to be a captive as well. And if she was going to be working side by side with Zenith, it would be possible to give Cherry a good taste of how she really felt. Other members of the court as well.

But that would come later. For now, there was one specific person she was going to focus on.

“Yeah, I can behave myself. It’ll be a nice opportunity to get her acquainted with our new roles.” Jinta’s eyes went wide with terror at the words. With one last flourish, Zenith vanished with a cloud of dark purple smoke, leaving the two girls alone together. Valia coughed at the tainted air. “I swear to the gods, every time she casts a spell she does it with a different style.” However, the other occupant in the room was hardly in the mood for amusement. Now that they were alone, Valia went right up to where Jinta was bound against the wall. It felt good, moving around in her new armour, and she would have to try a proper exercise later. “Now, let’s see what we can work with here.”

Valia pulled at the golden ball that was silencing Jinta’s mouth. She was worried that it would be stuck in place, but to her relief, it popped right out, with Jinta’s stream of words shortly following. “Valia, please. You have to listen to me! I was just lying, pretending to be on her good side. I was never planning to join her, I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t! You know me, you know that my loyalty is to the kingdom, right?”

Although she wanted to yell and scream, to tell Jinta how insulting it was to assume she was so gullible. But she also knew there was a better way. A way that would truly make Jinta suffer, at least in the long run, and would be far more painful than any punishment she could inflict at the moment.

“Of course I knew,” Valia lied. “I was doing the same thing. I’m only pretending to be Zenith’s lieutenant to find a way to save everyone.” 

To say Jinta was taken aback would be an understatement. “Wait, you- seriously? That was all just an act?”

“You said it yourself. You know how deeply loyal I’ve always been to Cherry and the crown. Was there ever a time I wasn’t prepared to do whatever it takes to protect them?” The words were bitter on her tongue, but they were working. Jinta’s face relaxed as all the tension washed out of her body.

“Holy shit, you’re incredible! I was actually afraid that you’d joined her for real. Not that, um, I ever doubted you.” Valia thought about how satisfying it would be to slap her then and there. But although she was working with Zenith, she wasn’t quite the same. Zenith wanted to toy with her prey and force them into submission. To crush any and all hope until they had nothing left but to obey her. But Valia? Valia wanted them to suffer. By giving Jinta a thread of hope to hold onto, she would still be holding out hope for a rescue that was never going to happen. It would prevent her from fully giving in. And that, in Valia’s mind, was far more cruel than any simple punishment. Maybe one day she’d even reveal her full intentions.

But for now, she had an act to keep up. Valia began pulling at the magical binding that had Jinta pinned against the wall, although she wasn’t using any real strength. Maybe they were firm or maybe they were like the gag. In any case, her priority was to not give away any hints about her true intentions.

“Rgh! It looks like these things aren’t coming off.” Valia grunted as she gave one more false tug, and naturally, it did nothing to free Jinta.

“Hurry up! You know she’ll be back any minute, this might be your best chance to set me free. You can just say I escaped on my own or something.”

Typical. Even now, Jinta wasn’t considering the situation. If she really had been trying to help her then setting her free would only raise Zenith’s suspicion. But of course, it was all a moot point. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get you out this time. You might have to play the role of the captured slave for a while.”

A bead of sweat began to drip along Jinta’s forehead. “Wait, you can’t be serious. You heard what she was going to do to me. What you were going to do to me, right?”

Valia nodded. “I did. But if I want to keep her trust, I’ll have to keep up appearances. I need to make Zenith think that I really betrayed you. And unfortunately, that might mean dishing out some punishments.” She paused for a moment before delivering the line that would really twist the knife. “After all, that’s the same thing you were planning to do, right? Pretend to torture me in order to gain Zenith’s trust?”

Any doubts Valia had about her deception went out the window as she saw Jinta squirm in front of her. She was trapped in a web of lies that she had created. “Well, I mean, that was…” She couldn’t admit the truth. Doing so would ruin the only chance she might possibly have at escape. By committing to the notion that she was just pretending, there was no way she could protest against Valia doing the exact same thing.

Valia leaned in close, taking on the same blank and emotionless expression she’d spent so many years perfecting as a maid. “Listen. When Zenith gets back, I’m going to have to do some awful things to convince her that I’m on her side. I don’t know how often we’ll be able to talk for real, because she could have eyes and ears anywhere. But know that I’m not giving up on you. Whatever happens, however long it takes, and whatever I have to say or do, it’s all an act. It’s all to find her weakness so that I can set you and Cherry free, and rid Zenith from our Kingdom. Do you understand?”

She was laying it on as thick as possible. Because she wanted Jinta to believe. She wanted Jinta to hold onto that spark of hope, no matter how small it got, for as long as possible. 

Because as long as she still had hope, she had something that Valia could take away from her.

“I… I understand.” Jinta’s mouth opened and closed a few more times. It was clear she wanted to say something, but wasn’t able to get it out.

They were just in time as well. Zenith teleported back into the room, a wide grin on her face. “Now then, that wraps up this portion of our little game. I hope you’re prepared, because both of you have a fair bit of training ahead. Although the nature of your training will be very different.”

Valia nodded. “I am. And trust me, I’ve made sure that she’s ready as well.” She didn’t know whether Jinta would fully believe her, or what exactly it would be like as Zenith’s second in command. But whatever was on its way, it was a change from her past, and it was a change that she more than welcomed.

CRACK! The harsh sound of a whip on flesh echoed throughout the room. “Not bad, you have the strength, but your form still needs a bit of work. If you’re shifting your body weight to match the snap, you’re doing it too late. The whip moves in response to you, not the other way around.” Zenith remained composed as she spoke, as if she was giving advice on basic household tasks. Although Valia supposed that for her, whipping a slave for their failure was probably a household task.

“I’m trying. It’s still difficult to get the right feel for it though, and I’m not even hitting the right spot.” Valia stared down at Jinta’s exposed ass cheeks. Both of them were a bright red, but the various welts were spread apart and lacking in consistency.

Zenith shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry where you’re hitting, focus on getting a solid hit. You’re not going to be an expert right away. Once you have the proper form down, it’ll be easier to learn precision. For now hitting her anywhere is all you need.” 

It was strange hearing genuine and compassionate advice from Zenith. Especially considering their target, Jinta, was hardly in a position to protest. She was bent over at the waist across a padded stool, her arms bound together in a single sleeve behind her back. Her new uniform was somehow even skimpier than the one Valia had previously worn - shiny black with white frills, steep boots that went all the way up her thighs, and of course a classical maid’s headdress to make her new position obvious. Although the hem of her uniform barely covered her ass even while standing up, and now that she was bent over, it gave anyone behind her a clear view of what was underneath.

Not that her holes were getting a break either. On the front end, while Zenith was happily mentoring her new protege, she was holding Jinta’s head down between her legs. The maid’s flushed expression and moans of both arousal and suffering were hidden as she did her best to eat out her new Mistress. On the rear end, there was a strange set of magical implements around her vagina. A pair of clamps held her vulva open, each one with a glowing pink crystal dangling beneath. There was another strange device attached to her clitoris, and it was constantly providing a direct suction and stimulation to the nub. Valia had tried the clitoral stimulator once, out of curiosity. In just a few minutes she’d already climaxed and needed to take it off because it was too intense.

Jinta had been wearing it for the past five days.

“Now, let’s give it another shot. Take everything you’ve learned and whip her so hard that I can feel it.” Valia did exactly as instructed. She stretched her arm back, twisted her body, and snapped the whip forward with all of her might. 

CRACK!

There was an immediate cry of pain from Jinta as the whip smacked her left asscheek. Zenith pulled her face in deeper to her pussy in tandem with the hit, letting the muffled cry resonate directly into her. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. That’s the kind of hit you want to be doing every time if you want them to properly obey.” She pulled Jinta’s head back a bit, giving her a brief pause from her work. “And you need to learn how to multitask better. I don’t care what you’re feeling or how much, there’s no excuse for poor service. When someone tells you to go down on them, you have a responsibility to make them cum. I know you have the skills, but you’re too stupid to use them while being distracted, which is why we need to grind it into your soul.”

Jinta’s face was deeply flushed, and sweat was pouring down her body. She was constantly squirming in place. “I’m trying! It’s just, ah, there’s so much, oooh.” Her words trailed off as her entire body started convulsing, the telltale sign of another orgasm. “I’d probably be better if you gave me a break.”

“How dare you. Your Mistress gave you direct instructions, and your first thought is to ask for the exact opposite?” CRACK! Valia was unrelenting as she snapped the whip once again. “A maid is expected to be fully trained in all tasks, able to adapt on the fly to any new circumstances. She has to be prepared to fulfil her duties regardless of any inconveniences.”

Jinta’s facade of pleasantness crumbled as her face turned to a scowl. She craned her neck backwards to try and look at Valia. “What the fuck is your problem? Can’t you see I’m trying here? We get the point, you don’t need to constantly be such a hardass.”

Valia only stretched the whip in her hands. “The fact that you’re still willing to be so disrespectful is proof that you clearly don’t get the point. We’re going to stay here until you give Mistress Zenith the full orgasm she requested, and you learn to work through your distractions. I won’t accept anything less than absolute exceptionalism from one of Zenith’s maids. 

“Oh come on, we both know she’s climaxed multiple times already.”

Zenith had a cheeky grin on her face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Come now, you heard your Mistress. If she thinks you need more experience with avoiding distractions, in both pain and pleasure, then that’s what we’ll do. Now, get that tongue to work.” She pulled Jinta’s head back down between her thighs just in time for yet another crack of the whip.

The past couple weeks had flown by at a rapid pace for Valia. She had grown to love the feeling of being in control, and it felt natural to train under the Kingdom’s new ruler. Zenith hadn’t let her see Cherry yet, but she’d been assured that the training was coming along at a wonderful pace. She’d also mentioned an upcoming major event. A coronation, where the crown would formally be passed on. 

Jinta was busy polishing one of the new decorations. A marble statue of a nude woman in a deliberately provocative pose. Although she was working, her body was trembling, and there was a slight buzzing sound that could be heard from all the way across the corridor. Valia took great pleasure in slowly walking towards her, watching her jump as she heard the now familiar heavy footsteps. “Everything going well, I presume? We need this place looking flawless for the ceremony.”

Although she was shaking, Jinta didn’t stop her work while speaking. “Valia! Um, Mistress Valia. Everything’s, ah, everything’s going well.” Every day that went by Jinta was making fewer and fewer complete sentences. Her hair was matted in sweat and she was constantly panting. Today she had an extremely large dildo inside of her, one that was constantly vibrating thanks to Zenith’s magic. She also had a massive buttplug in during her work. Valia had insisted on moving her up a size.

“As it should be. You know we don’t tolerate less than perfection. And make sure to clean up the juices you keep spraying everywhere.” As fun as it would be to just insult her, Valia was here with a specific goal. “Zenith has given me a new item to try out. Even if the mystical arts are beyond my own reach, that doesn’t mean magical items are out of the question.” 

Before she could demonstrate her point, Jinta blurted out her protest. “Wait, Valia, please!” She turned around, and her eyes nervously scanned the area. “Have you, um, found out anything about Zenith? About her weaknesses?” She spoke in a hushed tone, afraid of someone overhearing.

Valia responded in her own lowered voice. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, slave. We both know that Lady Zenith has eyes and ears everywhere. You can’t expect me to say something against her out in the open like that.”

Jinta flinched at the words. “Right, of course. I just meant, ah, that you’re the one who would know more than anyone else about her.”

Valia let out a deep sigh. Internally she was ecstatic at the outcome. Jinta was still holding onto that thread of hope for dear life, unwilling to throw it away, no matter how obvious it was that Valia had no intention of helping her. Still, she could always throw her poor victim a bone to ensure the dream stayed alive. “As you know, there’s a crucially important ceremony coming up. One with similar importance to the ritual we performed way back, the one that summoned her in the first place. The one where you summoned her. If she has a weakness, it’ll be on display there.”

That was vague enough to be plausible. It allowed Valia to switch back to her domineering mode. “This is a special talisman. It’ll allow Zenith and I to experiment with new ways to force you to orgasm without interfering with your work. I think you’ll find it quite pervasive.”

Valia was holding a replica of a human torso, completely blank with a magical rune on the back. She aimed it at Jinta and pressed down on the rune. There was a bright flash of light, one that encompassed both the talisman and Jinta, and both of the girls had to shield their eyes for a moment. 

Once it passed, the talisman Valia was holding looked a fair bit different. It was still shaped like a human torso, but it no longer was smooth and flat like a doll. Down by the pelvis was a pair of very real and very fleshy holes, each currently occupied by a massive intruder. Valia felt the rumble of the vibrator in her arms. The replica also had a real pair of tits, exposed and dangling in the air.

Jinta flew into a state of panic. She felt her chest and between her legs, her movements growing more frantic as she discovered they were now barren like a doll. “What… what the fuck have you done to me? Give me my pussy back!” 

Valia couldn’t help it. She laughed at the suffering of her former ally. “I don’t think so. Now I can use your cunt for target practice with the whip and it doesn’t even have to interrupt your work. Zenith’s experimenting with some even heavier vibrators, and we can see just how many magical tools can be shoved into one sopping wet hole.” She leaned in close to Jinta. “Forced to cum over and over again until there’s no will left, isn’t that right? Wasn’t that part of the plan?”

There was no response from Jinta. She was paralyzed in fear. “Get back to work, slave. This isn’t the only statue that needs polishing, and if I catch you slacking off you’ll be doing it with just your tongue.”

She turned away. Zenith was preparing the former Queen, but after that she was going to instruct her on running a proper court. As she walked away, a voice called out from behind. “Wait, Valia! What are you really thinking? Whose side are you actually on?”

Valia didn’t bother responding.