[Narrator's POV]
In a futuristic yet dark gothic castle, there was a spacious throne room that invoked awe and reverence. The gray stone walls were lined with highly advanced dim lights and gorgeous paintings. White and gray pillars scattered here and there that supported stability while looking amazing as well, having carvings of gargoyles and other mythological creatures.
A red carpet adorned the black and red marble flooring, which led up to a throne where an impossibly beautiful woman rested on. With her long, raven-black hair flowing down to her black silk dress that complemented her flawless pale skin, she held a glass filled with a crimson wine that matched her eyes that were looking down at the person before her.
This person is an average-looking young man with short brown hair and crystal-blue eyes. He dressed in a black outfit that fit him nicely while wielding a large steel sword, pointed straight at the woman with eyes filled with determination.
"Hah... how many times does this make it? 40? 50? No, it is the 69th time that you've come. Tell me, do you not have any shame?" The woman sighed with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.
She remembered the first time she had seen this young man standing before her. He wore the same outfit as back then, wielding the same steel sword, having the same determined look in his eyes. When she heard his confidence in his voice when he claimed that he was going to slay her, she found it amusing.
She knew that it wasn't possible for him, as he was just too weak. So with her amusement, the woman would defeat him, and again, and again. She beat him so many times that now, on the 69th attempt, it was starting to become annoying—frustrating, even.
However, despite this, the young man shouted as he was still filled with confidence. "It doesn't matter how many times I've failed. I will not stop until I achieve greatness, and slaying you, the Demon Empress, will do just that!"
Initially, the Demon Empress would've laughed it off and toyed with him until he buggered off. But she wasn't in the mood for that at the current moment. "Ugh, seriously. I wonder if there's a brain in your head."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you honestly believe that you have a chance against me? Haven't you realized that after all the times you came here and were defeated, I haven't even used a percentage of my power?"
When the young man heard this, he paused, realizing that she had, in fact, not gone all out. 'The Demon Empress is known for her magical abilities, but after all these attempts, she hasn't even... used any magic at all...'
'But, even so! I will not stop until I achieve greatness! To be looked up at, to be awed, to be remembered after I'm gone! I will not stop until I achieve that!' The young man shook his head and looked at her with the same determined look in his eyes, which furthered her annoyance greatly.
Sighing once again, the Demon Empress shook her head. "Honestly, you are more persistent than my daughter wanting to go to that damn magical academy—Wait a moment... I think I have a perfect idea..."
Suddenly, a shudder crawled down the young man's spine, and before he could respond, the Demon Empress claimed. "Fufufu~! For all the times that I could've killed you, I think you owe me an immense debt that you will pay... forever. You see, I've just now decided to let my daughter go to that foolish academy, but she is in need of a servant, and it just so happens that a position has opened up."
Standing up from the throne, she started to walk down the staircase connected to the platform that held up her glorious throne. With every step she took with her legs, an immense pressure weighed down on the young man, whose legs started to tremble and his arms becoming heavy.
When she was just a few steps away from him, the young man couldn't help but drop his sword as he fully, fully realized how stupid, how idiotic, how hopeless his chance was against the Demon Empress.
Soon, the pressure became unbearable, causing him to fall to his knees. He didn't even have the strength to lift up his head at her. Just when he started to think that he was going to cough up a mouthful of blood, the pressure disappeared in an instant.
Within this moment, he could see the Demon Empress bending down ever so slightly. Just enough to use her right hand to gently lift his chin, now having him look deep into her eyes. "I'm not a heartless person. I've put up with you all this time, but I'll give you a choice. Either accept your fate as my slave... or die."
The young man was at a loss for words. His dream to achieve greatness now crumbled away. His foolishness got the better of him, and now he's paying the price.
'I could now only serve the Demon Empress, or... I would be begone from this world...' Oddly enough, it wasn't that hard to choose between the two options. The young man knew that deep down, he wanted to live.
"I... accept." Were the only words that came out of his mouth before a soft, gentle chuckle escaped from the Demon Empress's mouth. She nodded and started to mutter something only she could understand.
Soon, a large ball of blood formed in the palm of her left hand. She stood up and took a step back, now watching as the formed ball of blood wrapped around the startled young man, encasing him into a deep, dark red cocoon.
The Demon Empress saw that the newly-formed cocoon was now in idle mode, hovering in the air while a soft blinking red light kissed the nearby surroundings. A moment later, she heard a sharp, professional voice.
"Do you think this wise, Your Majesty? I sense something unusual about that young man." The voice belonged to a beautiful and tall maid, with long brown hair styled into a bun and thin glasses adorning her sharp purple eyes. She dressed in a black, white, and red maid's uniform with long white gloves.
The Demon Empress looked over to the professional maid and gave a smirk. "Oh? You sense that too, Eleanor? Still, it doesn't matter. Whatever it is, I'll be able to deal with it should it become a problem."
After stating this, she added. "Anyway, please bring our new servant to her new room. And please, make sure she gets caught up to date with what's expected of her, as well as her training."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The maid, Eleanor, gave a nod and used her hand to bring the cocoon out of the throne room, leaving the Demon Empress all alone in her thoughts.
...
[??? POV]
Mmm... I feel like I should get up, but... I haven't slept this good in a while...
Resting my eyes for just a little while longer, the constant desire to wake up rose within me. It was so great that I forced my eyelids to open. I now stared up at a gray, unfamiliar ceiling that I didn't expect to see.
"Huh... I'm not home?" I asked myself aloud, trying to remember what happened before I fell asleep. However, the sound of a feminine voice that escaped my lips as I spoke shocked me.
"Why do I sound like this...?" I couldn't help but ask myself again, once more hearing the unmistakably feminine voice. Sitting up with shock and puzzlement, I was about to get up and off the bed before I noticed a heavy weight that rested on my chest.
Coupled with this and the feminine voice, a sudden thought sent shivers throughout my body, and so I flipped the blanket away, now revealing a sight that confirmed my suspicions.
Looking down, I saw that I was fully naked. However, the part that shocked me was both the large, soft breasts on my chest and a woman's slit between my legs, none of which should be here because I know full well that I am a man, or at least, I was until now.
"How... why... when..." So many questions filled my head that I just couldn't process what happened to me. Fortunately, while I was in the midst of my thoughts, I heard the sound of an indifferent, professional voice sound in the distance.
"It's a pleasure to see you awake, Oliver. Or rather, should I now call you Olivia, seeing that you are now a woman?" When I looked to see who the voice belonged to, I saw a gorgeous maid who stood tall with long brown hair styled into a bun and sharp purple eyes adorned by a pair of thin glasses.
She dressed herself in a maid's uniform, but judging by the way she spoke and carried herself, I could instantly feel that she isn't ordinary. Hah, I'm surprised that I could even sense something like this even after having the delusion of facing the Demon Empress—wait, I suddenly remember now!
Previously, I had trouble remembering where I was, how I got here, and why I transformed into a woman. There was something, a fog, clouding my memories, preventing me from making sense of my current predicament.
Now, trailing on this line of thinking, the fog dissipated, and I now understood that I had accepted to be enslaved by the Demon Empress. If I hadn't, I would've surely died.
"I see... I didn't expect that this would be my fate..." I said, trying to accept such a bitter reality. In all my twenty-three years of living, I never expected myself to be enslaved by the Demon Empress, much less become a woman as well.
Hearing my self-deprecating laugh, the professional-looking maid assured me. "While your future may seem bleak for you at the current moment, I assure you that your new life would surely be better than your last. After all, following the Demon Empress would allow you to achieve greater heights than before, therefore accomplishing your dream. Am I wrong?"
"I just... whatever. I can't really do anything about it now, can I?" I responded, honestly believing that I should force myself to accept this and move on. Moping around wouldn't do a damn thing, and I'm not the type of person to do that.
With a nod, the professional-looking maid said. "You're correct. I'd like to apologize for my rudeness, but if you have anyone to blame, it could only be yourself. Be thankful that Her Imperial Majesty was gracious enough to allow you to live, along with the honor of serving her daughter, the heir to the Demonic Empire. To be able to personally serve the future empress is already an impressive feat."
Hearing such a thing did not make me happy, but it did make things a little brighter, albeit a little. That being said, I only responded with a simple nod before asking. "...So, what do I do now? How do I 'serve' the future empress? I don't know the first thing about serving someone else."
The professional-looking maid gave a small smile before stating. "That's where I, the Head Maid, come in. You may call me Eleanor. I am tasked with making sure that before the Crown Princess goes to the magical academy, you are prepared to carry out all of your duties as her personal maid."
Once having said this, Eleanor lifted up her hand and a purple energy radiated of her hand. Then, in the next moment, my body was encased with the same energy as it lifted me up off the bed.
In just a blink of an eye, I saw how my bare body was now clothed in a black and white maid's uniform, resembling close to the head maid's uniform.
"Your training now begins."