Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
I started walking around the city. I didn't have anything important to do. I just wanted to see how things were progressing in the city. It had been at least three weeks since I founded it, and everything was going great.
The city felt alive as the Devils moved throughout. To my surprise, everyone waved and smiled at me. It wasn't something I'd ever expected in my life. Before, I was practically invisible, and as Serena/Severus, looks of hatred and wariness were more common. I looked at the houses and could see the changes beginning to appear.
All the houses had been completely the same. It almost reminded me of Privet Drive in the Wizarding World, with all its identical, normal-looking houses. But it wasn't something I could avoid; it was the fastest way to get around the city.
But now, each house had gained a bit of individuality. Colors changed, decorations were updated, plants were strategically placed, and unusual items were used as accents. And I really loved the significance of that. The devils making the houses their own meant they were considering these houses, this city, their homes. Finally, everyone was settling down, and this seemed more than just an idea that came out of nowhere.
This seemed completely real.
Today, I had a free day, so I made sure to walk all over the city, through all the districts I'd created, and everywhere I looked, I could see how the devils who now lived there had taken over their part of the city and made it their own. And it didn't bother me in the least.
It just made me happy.
Even the red-light district had been modified to suit its residents. The district itself had been divided into three, not in a violent way or anything like gang-related. Instead, the houses around each brothel began to blend in or change slightly to create the same atmosphere.
Since the succubi lived around the brothels they worked in, and most of them were attached to the brothels, it's no wonder they started changing the houses like that.
Verdigris and its surroundings had a feel more like what I could identify as Chinese or ancient Asian. Even the houses had changed to that type of atmosphere.
Lavish Chateau was disconcerting; the houses were so out of sync, lacking a unified vision. It was an eclectic mix of cultures, homes, and buildings of different designs and vibrant colors that stood out from one another. However, the view was still pleasant.
And finally, Sheila's brothel, which I still didn't know the name of. It was the one that most closely resembled what a red-light district should look like. The area was filled with neon lights, and the houses had been transformed into modern architecture with a purple-based color palette.
Still, even with the houses and everything else firmly marked, every difference seemed to be clear. There wasn't conflict. I watched the succubi move back and forth without any problem through the three unimportant areas. They seemed completely at ease and happy walking.
What really caught my attention was something I could hardly believe I was seeing.
A damn statue of me in the middle of the red-light district, right at the triple intersection of the three micro-zones. The statue was me, me wearing the dress I wore to mine and Ravel's engagement party, so it was very revealing, almost lascivious. The statue appeared to be made entirely of bronze.
But the most disconcerting thing was seeing all the jewelry placed on the statue and the ground around it. Rings, bracelets, chains, necklaces, piercings—almost everything was easily noticeable.
"Oh! Lady Prince!" I turned around and saw Maria approaching with a large, empty box in her hand. "Admiring yourself?" She asked playfully. "I must say you did a pretty good job with this," she said, pointing at the statue and walking over to place the box on the ground.
"Why do I have a statue?" I asked simply. Maria looked at me, confused.
"Like, why? You're the founder of the city. It's obvious you'd have a statue. It was almost unanimous to say to place it in the red-light district with the rest of the succubi because of your heritage," Maria said as if it were obvious. I blinked.
"Everyone who?" I asked, confused. Maria's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh... you weren't aware?" Maria asked, terribly confused. I just shook my head. "There was an online vote two weeks ago to decide where to place it. Almost 95% of the city voted," Maria said simply with a shrug. My eyes widened slightly.
"I really had no idea. I was running around the whole time, and I only had time to explore the city today," I said tiredly. Maria smiled softly at me.
"We are all grateful for your efforts, Lady Prince," Maria said honestly. I looked toward the statue.
"I… didn't do much." I grimaced. Maria looked at me incredulously.
"Of course you did a lot, Lady Prince!" Maria said, almost indignantly, and I looked at her in surprise. "You built us a city! You gave us health! You asked your bishop to heal all of us with no exceptions and no cost. I've seen succubi who seemed destroyed begin to live once more, and all thanks to you!"
"And not only that! We're now in control of ourselves! Of our bodies! We don't have to be afraid of high-class devils anymore! We can choose our clients! We can choose our fees and keep most of our income. The defenses you put up are working perfectly! We all feel safer than ever!"
"You even opened schools that don't discriminate against us simply for being succubi! Our daughters can attend without any fear! And you did it without asking for anything in return! You did so much for us, Lady Prince!" Maria said almost fervently, and I looked at her in surprise.
"I... it was the right thing to do." I tried to say timidly. Maria snorted and smiled almost contemptuously.
"Yes... maybe, but that doesn't mean anything, does it? No one helped us, ever, not the Satans, not the pillar devils, not the reincarnated devils. You, only you." Maria said with disdain.
"I'm a succubus. I couldn't ignore it." I tried again, and Maria rolled her eyes.
"Again, it means nothing. Many of us are selfish, terribly selfish. Most succubi, if they were lucky enough to ascend to High-Class Devil, do you know what they would do? They would simply turn around and get as far away from all the trouble as possible while living a comfortable life. Maybe just taking their family with them."
"But you stayed and… did all this," Maria said, gesturing at the entire city. "A statue? It's the least you deserve from us," Maria said with a soft smile.
"I... that's what I'm seeing." I blurted out, almost incredulous... I... had never seen it that way, but this... was nice. Not the statue; I wasn't so narcissistic as to think I needed something like that. But the fact that everyone was so happy and comfortable enough to do something like this was simply incredible.
"I'm sure everyone will be glad you like it," Maria said, smiling slightly. "They've been dropping off jewelry since the statue was put up," Maria said amusedly.
"That's what I wanted to ask, too, why?" I asked, confused.
"Why do you like jewelry and metals?" Maria asked simply, as if it were obvious. I blinked slightly before suppressing a loud groan. That misunderstanding again! Ravel wasn't the only one to come to that conclusion, and I'm certainly sure that rumor wasn't helped by the dresses Ravel and I wore to the engagement party.
"So everyone's leaving... jewelry as a token of appreciation?" I asked, confused. Maria simply nodded as she walked over to the statue and placed the box on the ground. She slowly began picking up each one and placing them neatly inside.
"Exactly. Don't worry, though. None of them have jewels or gems. They're all made entirely of metal. Miss Sinclair was kind enough to tell us what metals you liked; all 16 metals are engraved on the plaque down there," Maria said, lazily pointing at the bottom of the statue.
"Although, well, cadmium and whatever Bendalloy is aren't possible to make, Miss Sinclair said they're toxic on skin contact. So, despite being one of the metals, they're not placed here," Maria added lightly.
I looked briefly, and yes, there were the 16 metals from my metal arts. Did Enid know about the statue, or was she simply asked about the metals?
"The good thing is that there are several goldsmiths and jewelers setting up shop in the city; they have plenty of work to do! Metal jewelry is in fashion! Even Miss Black is pushing the trend of using metal accessories on her dresses and suits!" Maria said excitedly.
I blinked again. What? There's some kind of cultural shift centered around me, and I hadn't even noticed?! What the fuck! I dragged my palm across my face tiredly.
"I see you've been collecting all the… offerings. Is this your first time, or have you been here before?" I asked again. Maria hummed.
"This is the third time I've come to collect things. Honestly, no one would dare steal them, but they'd start piling up in piles. So I'm saving them and sending them to you at the mansion… didn't you receive them?" Maria asked worriedly. I frowned slightly.
I didn't remember receiving anything... no... I remember Dobby bringing in a box just like the one Maria had. He didn't know what was inside, and since I was so busy running around and thought they were ingredients, I cast a Stasis Charm on it before putting it aside for the time being.
I moaned loudly.
"Yes, I received them, but like I said, I was so busy I didn't have time to open any packages that weren't urgent," I said apologetically. To my surprise, Maria just sighed in relief.
"That's good," she said with a small smile.
"I guess... I'll have to give some kind of public thank you," I said with a grimace. Maria hummed softly.
"If you want to do it, Lady Prince, you can. I'm no one to stop you. But everyone who leaves an offering in front of the statue does so only as a thank you; they don't expect anything in return," Maria said with a smile.
"Um, excuse me!" a high-pitched voice interrupted us. My gaze fell to the ground, and I saw a devil girl. She must be at least 4 years old. A succubus, I could sense it instantly. She's staring anxiously at the statue, her small hands clutching something inside.
"Oh? You've come to leave an offering?" I asked curiously. The girl nodded determinedly, as if it were a life-or-death task.
"Yes! I've come to leave an offering for Lady P-" The words died in the girl's throat when she looked at me. "LL-Lady Prince!" the girl squealed in panic. I laughed lightly and bent down to her eye level.
"So? You said you have an offering for me?" I asked with a smile as I extended my palm. The girl's eyes were wide open as she stared at me in disbelief. Honestly… I never expected to be praised by a little girl.
"Y-yes-yes!" the little girl squealed as she robotically reached out with her tiny hand and dropped a ring into my palm. I looked at the ring; it was a simple iron ring, without any decoration, just flat and boring. It was perfect. I looked at her curiously before looking behind her. A few feet away stood what appeared to be the little girl's mother.
The devil woman saw me with the ring in my palm and was almost horrified before blushing in embarrassment. She seemed embarrassed that I'd found out she'd given me such a cheap ring. I glanced at her clothes briefly and finally.
My gaze shifted to the little girl who had been waiting, hopefully. I laughed lightly.
"I love it, thank you." I said with a smile.
"Really?!" the girl squealed excitedly. I laughed and nodded before giving her a sad smile.
"Really, but there's a problem. I don't have any more room on my fingers," I said regretfully as I held out my hands to demonstrate an abnormal number of rings. The girl pouted in regret. I laughed lightly and took out one of my gold rings. "But now I do," I said with a knowing look.
The girl practically gasped when I slipped the ring on my finger. I flexed my fingers a couple of times and showed it to the girl.
"Perfect, isn't it?" I asked with a smile. The girl simply looked breathless as she looked at my hand. "Now, I have one more ring," I said simply as I looked at the gold ring on my hand. "Want to take care of it for me?" she asked the girl.
"M-me!?" the girl squealed in disbelief.
I grabbed the ring and placed it in the palm of my hand. The girl's gaze shifted to the ring. I clapped lightly and quickly transformed the ring into a small, delicate bracelet, quite simple yet elegant.
"How does it look?" I asked with a smile.
"It's beautiful," the girl murmured, her eyes shining. I laughed lightly.
"I know," I said playfully before reaching out and gently taking the young succubus's small hand. The girl was practically shaking. I placed the bracelet on her wrist and cast a few small charms on it, one unbreakable and one so that only she could remove it. "Can you keep it for me? I think I have plenty."
I said with a smile as I shook my hands, making my metal bracelets jingle.
The girl stared at the bracelet in disbelief before gently touching it with her other hand as if it might disappear altogether, stunned. She was almost afraid she'd faint on the spot.
"Is everything okay?" I asked playfully. The little girl squealed and practically ran off in her mother's direction before stopping halfway and turning back once more.
"THANK YOU, LADY PRINCE!" the little girl practically screamed as she bowed for a split second before running back to her mother. I laughed lightly.
Once I saw the little girl run back to her mother, my gaze shifted to the older succubus. I smiled softly and nodded in her direction. The woman seemed surprised by the whole thing and simply took her daughter in her arms.
Finally, the woman gave me a shaky smile and a nod before quickly walking away with her daughter in tow. I laughed lightly and pulled out a small piece of paper. A small message appeared on it, explaining the bracelet's enchantments and telling them not to return it.
With a bit of magic, the paper flew off at high speed and was discreetly placed in one of the elder succubus's pockets.
"You're really good at that," Maria said amusingly from beside me. I shrugged.
"It was nothing," I said. I could feel Enid and Ravel cooing over my mind. Bella was also present, but I didn't want to understand everything she was sending me right now since half of it was inappropriate for now.
"You just made that girl's year," Maria said playfully. I rolled my eyes.
"Keep collecting my offerings," I said simply. Maria laughed lightly, but followed my order and began collecting the jewels once more.
I sighed lightly. This… I didn't know what this was, but this, this was good… more than good.
...…
...…
...…
Who am I kidding? This wasn't right! It wasn't right at all! Why the hell did they idolize me so much?! I didn't do anything!
Ignoring Maria, who seemed to be talking, I transformed into a crow and flew at full speed to the first place that came to mind: Narcissa's sewing shop. I used magic to open the door and entered without hesitation.
"A crow?!" someone squealed, almost panicking. I ignored her, my gaze focusing on Narcissa, who was working on a dress on a mannequin with dozens of needles floating around her.
"Narcissaaaa!!" I mentally panicked while squawking in real life. I flew around her and leaned against a nearby mannequin.
"What's wrong, dear?" Narcissa asked with a smile without taking her eyes off the dress.
"You know what? They're idolizing me like some kind of heroine or something worse!!" I squealed in disbelief, panicking. Narcissa giggled lightly.
"Yes, I saw it," Narcissa said, her eyes shining.
"Why are they doing that?!" I asked in a panic. Narcissa finally looked at me and raised an eyebrow in my direction.
"I'm sure Maria already told you exactly why," Narcissa said. I croaked indignantly once more.
"U-uh, Miss Black, are you... are you talking to a raven?" asked one of the devils around the shop. One of Narcissa's assistants, she had several from what I could see, and to my surprise, two of them were succubi.
"Don't worry, it's just Sera," Narcissa said nonchalantly. I shook out my feathers before jumping off the mannequin and changing into my human form. All the attendants' eyes widened.
"L-LADY PRINCE?!" they all screamed at the same time. Narcissa sighed and clapped loudly, getting everyone's attention.
" It's almost lunchtime. Why don't you take a break and get something to eat? Come back in an hour." Narcissa smiled as she said this softly, though it sounded almost like an order. All the helpers squealed, and with one last glance in my direction, they all ran out of the tent. "Now, you, since you scared my helpers off, I need more metal flakes like these." Narcissa said as she handed me a thin piece of... brass?
"Can we get back to my dilemma?!" I asked indignantly. Narcissa snorted in amusement.
"Darling, you have nothing to worry about," Narcissa said amusedly without concern.
"Wait... you already knew that?!" I asked incredulously, seeing almost no surprise from Narcissa. She laughed lightly.
"We all knew it, dear," Narcissa said with an amused glint in her eyes. "We even made a bet to see how long it would take you to realize you were famous," Narcissa said amusedly. I gasped indignantly. Even more so when I heard the others' snorts and giggles in my mind. Even Ravel sent a small apology.
"Traitors, all of you!" I exclaimed indignantly out loud, in my head, to everyone else. Narcissa burst out laughing.
"Really, you have nothing to worry about. They're completely harmless. Yes, you practically have the almost unconditional loyalty of succubi. But they're not dangerous in any way. Lucy already inspected them," Narcissa said softly. "Just... enjoy it, be yourself." I let out the breath I'd been holding for a while.
"I... I didn't plan for this to happen." I pouted. Narcissa just laughed once more.
"No hero seeks to become famous," Narcissa said with a wink. I wrinkled my nose.
"I'm definitely no hero," I said tersely. Narcissa shrugged.
"I don't know. Your new position reminds me of Dumbledore. You've become like him," Cissy said with a mocking smile. I gasped indignantly.
"No one has ever insulted me so much!" I exclaimed, completely and genuinely offended. Narcissa burst out laughing.
"I'm sure the Marauders will be sad to lose their place," Narcissa said mockingly. I wrinkled my nose. She rolled her eyes but smiled slightly. "Well, well, you're nothing like the Headmaster," Narcissa said amusedly.
"Thank you!" I exclaimed with a grimace. Narcissa laughed lightly.
"Now, if you've stopped panicking, I still need my metal scales." Narcissa pointed at the piece of brass in my hand. I rolled my eyes, but did as she asked. I pulled out a piece of metal, clapped my hands, and transmuted it into metal before creating thousands of scales of the same shape. "Good work. Now, why don't you sit down and tell me about your walk around town? I'm sure you saw some interesting things," Narcissa said with a smile.
I snorted, but did as she told me. I grabbed one of the nearby chairs, sat down, and started chattering away. It was nice to have a friend like Narcissa. A family like Narcissa, more accurately.
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