Chapter 130: Of Fox Tails, Loose Tongues, and a Sewing Machine That Finally Behaved
Chapter 130: Of Fox Tails, Loose Tongues, and a Sewing Machine That Finally Behaved
They both turned at the same time.
Vaelory nearly jumped out of her skin.
Standing in the doorway was a young fox demon—with two ash-colored tails that flicked lazily behind her. Her ears twitched, sharp and alert, matching eyes the color of pale amber. She looked young, perhaps not much older than Rin, dressed in a practical servant’s outfit that had clearly been modified for comfort and movement rather than appearance.
But she was not alone.
Behind her, framed by the doorway like a deliberate sin, stood Seraphielle.
Vaelory’s brain stalled for a solid second.
Seraphielle looked... excessive. Even by Seraphielle’s standards.
Her purple hair cascaded down her back in flawless waves, not a single strand out of place. Her makeup was immaculate, emphasizing her sharp eyes and full lips in a way that suggested she had woken up looking like this—which was almost certainly a lie, but a convincing one nonetheless.
Vaelory did not understand how Seraphielle always looked pretty. To Vaelory, Seraphielle was competing for who was prettier between her and the queen.
Seraphielle’s dress, though, could barely be called a dress.
It covered her nipples. That was the most generous thing that could be said about it. The fabric dipped scandalously low, clinging to her torso as if afraid to let go, before splitting into a high slit that revealed nearly her entire leg. The material shimmered faintly, enchanted no doubt to stay in place despite defying every law of decency and gravity.
"I wasn’t expecting this," Seraphielle said coolly, her gaze sweeping over the room, lingering for half a second too long on the overturned chair, the offended sewing machine, and the scattered fabric.
Rin and Vaelory reacted instantly.
They bowed.
"Lady Seraphielle," they said in unison.
Seraphielle waved a hand dismissively.
They straightened at once.
She stepped into the room, heels clicking softly against the floor. The fox demon followed, closing the door behind them with careful precision.
"What are you doing?" Seraphielle asked lightly. "And more importantly—where is the Queen?"
Vaelory swallowed. "Her Majesty and His Majesty left the castle."
Rin nodded enthusiastically. "It’s an undercover mission."
Vaelory spun and smacked Rin’s arm without thinking. "Who told you to say that?!"
Rin hissed. "Ow! I was just telling Lady Seraphielle."
Seraphielle raised a brow, lips curling faintly. "Undercover."
Rin nodded. "They are in disguise too."
Vaelory pinched Rin. "You just told her that they are undercover, and now you are telling her that they went in disguise to the beast territory?"
Rin pinched Vaelory back. "I only told her that they went undercover," she said in a harsh whisper, the same way Vaelory had spoken to her.
"You told her they went in disguise. Undercover means no one is to know," Vaelory told her.
"But we do, and I’m not the one who told her exactly where they went to," Rin argued back.
While they argued, Seraphielle released a sigh, her wings dropping sadly. She had worn this dress especially for the queen, and now the queen wasn’t here. She wanted to know how the queen would react to seeing her dressed so sexily like this, because Seraphielle’s mission of seducing the queen hadn’t ended at all. She believed she still had a chance.
"It was a slip of the tongue," Vaelory told Rin.
"Well, mine was a slip too," Rin argued.
Vaelory rolled her eyes. "Just admit you have no idea what undercover is."
"You just explained it minutes ago, so I know," Rin argued back.
Seraphielle watched them with mild amusement. But then her gaze settled on Vaelory. She was wearing something different.
She took Vaelory in. Seeing Vaelory like this... she had to admit that she wasn’t bad-looking.
The gold dress. The way it flowed around Vaelory’s frame. The way Vaelory stood straighter in it, whether she meant to or not.
A pleased smile curved Seraphielle’s lips.
"Well," she said, "this suits you far better than that garbage maid dress you’re so fond of."
Vaelory flushed, heat rushing to her cheeks. She didn’t even argue that the maid dress had been made with Aelthryndivoryssalindria’s finest material. She knew the succubus demon was right after all.
"Th-thank you, Lady Seraphielle," she said shyly.
Rin beamed. "I picked it."
Seraphielle’s eyes flicked to Rin. "Did you?"
"Yes! Vaelory is interested in Naviel," Rin said cheerfully, as if announcing the weather, "and I’m helping her dress more like a demon."
Vaelory made a strangled noise. "Rin!"
Seraphielle’s purple eyes widened in shock.
"Oh?" She turned back to Vaelory. "Is that true?"
Vaelory hesitated, then nodded, fingers curling into the fabric of the dress. "Yes, Lady Seraphielle."
"How charming," Seraphielle murmured. "And... unexpected."
She wasn’t shocked that Vaelory had fallen for Naviel—he was pretty after all—but beneath that was the most insufferable demon Seraphielle had ever met. She preferred to work with Ignivar rather than with Naviel.
Rin puffed up proudly. "I was also trying to adjust her maid uniform, but the machine wouldn’t comply."
Rin said, gaining Seraphielle’s attention back.
"The machine hates us," Vaelory added darkly.
The fox demon cleared her throat.
They all turned to her.
"You don’t know how to use it," she said plainly.
Rin bristled. "Excuse you?"
Seraphielle lifted a hand. "Help them. I, for one, enjoy dressing people."
The fox demon inclined her head. "As you wish, Lady Seraphielle."
She stepped forward and picked up Vaelory’s maid dress.
Her nose wrinkled immediately.
"What kind of hideous material is this?" she asked, genuinely offended.
Vaelory winced.
The fox demon set it aside like something contagious and reached instead for a bolt of proper demon-made fabric—dark, supple, faintly enchanted.
Rin and Vaelory watched, wide-eyed, as she moved.
She seated herself at the machine, placed both feet on the treadle, and rested one hand on the handwheel, fingers steady and confident.
The machine sprang to life instantly.
The needle moved in a blur. Fabric fed smoothly beneath it, guided by magic and skill in perfect harmony.
Rin and Vaelory leaned closer.
"Ooh," Rin whispered.
"Aah," Vaelory breathed.
Within seconds, it was done.
The fox demon held up the altered dress.
Vaelory stared. "You didn’t even take my measurements."
The fox demon smiled faintly. "Put it on."
Skeptical but curious, Vaelory did.
The fabric adjusted the moment it touched her skin, tightening where it should, loosening where it must. When she finished, she froze.
It fit perfectly.
Rin clapped. "You look better."
Seraphielle frowned. Vaelory looked better, but she felt like something else could be done too.
"Something is missing," she said.