A Dog's Oath
Even under the dim light, the deep flush spreading across Rika's face was unmistakable. The Hypnotic Incense was working wonders. Or perhaps she had harbored these latent tendencies from the very beginning. The tip of my whip was already glistening with moisture. I twirled it slowly, using the slick leather to tease her sensitive folds.
"Hngh...!"
A wonderful reaction. The way her thighs tensed and trembled was quite a sight. At this rate, it wouldn't take long. She was on the verge of reaching the level where she could find exquisite pleasure within pain.
"Fufu... Do you have any idea why I came to see you today, Rika?"
"To... to ask about... Lady Carmel's curse...?"
"Of course, there is that. But I didn't expect much from you on that front anyway. The main reason I came... was to satisfy my desires."
Even as I spoke, I continued to toy with her wet heat using the whip. As I poked and prodded deeper, helpless groans escaped Rika's lips.
"To be honest, I intended to do this to Carmel. But she suddenly fell into critical condition due to the curse... so I decided to use you as her substitute instead."
Naturally, this was a blatant lie. Everything except the part about Carmel being cursed, that is. After all, I had thoroughly tasted every single inch of Carmel's body just a short while ago. Of course, there was no way for Rika to know that.
"What...?"
"It is a bit of a shame for me. I wanted to experience the pleasure of whipping the proud Carmel... But this is a good thing for you, isn't it? Aren't you glad you can offer your body once more for your master, Rika?"
"To... to Lady Carmel... you would do such a thing...?"
Bound naked and whipped—and in her most private, shameful place, no less. It was treatment fit for livestock. No, perhaps it was worse than that. This wasn't training or taming; it was performed solely for the perpetrator's sadistic amusement. Unable to even comprehend such an outrageous act being inflicted upon the revered Carmel, Rika cried out.
"N-no...! Anything but that... For Lady Carmel to suffer such degradation... that is absolutely unacceptable...!"
She didn't say, 'I won't forgive you,' or 'I'll kill you if you do.' This meant that in Rika's mind, I had already become an absolute existence she could never defy. Furthermore, she clearly feared that I was more than capable of doing such things to Carmel. The hierarchy between me, Carmel, and Rika had been firmly established deep within her psyche.
"Fufu, there is no need to be so surprised. Disciplining my stepmother is an important duty of mine as her daughter. If Mother strays onto the wrong path, I have no intention of sparing the rod."
The soaked tip of the whip stroked the inside of Rika's thighs. I painted her skin with her own slick juices, brushing it over the vivid red welts that had already formed there.
"N-no, please... Lady Carmel... she is not someone who should ever suffer such humiliation...! Such... such disgrace... is more than enough for me alone..."
"Fufu, what touching loyalty."
I paused after saying that. It would be easy to plant a direct suggestion. Under the influence of the Hypnotic Incense, Rika would follow any command blindly. But it was far more effective to let her arrive at the conclusion herself. No suggestion is more powerful than one born of one's own judgment and choice. It didn't take long for Rika to reach the conclusion I desired.
"I... I beg of you... I will take her place...! Even if Lady Carmel has done wrong... I will receive the punishment in her stead! So please, to her..."
"No."
It was a desperate plea that would bring tears to anyone's eyes, but I rejected it flatly. My voice was cold as I continued.
"I'm afraid you cannot replace Carmel. That beautiful face, that incredibly lewd body... Just imagine it. Vivid red whip marks carved into her pale, soft flesh... Your coarse, rugged body could never serve as a substitute."
"Ugh... t-that..."
She imagined it. How insolent of a subordinate to picture her master's naked body being defiled by a whip. But it was, without a doubt, the most captivating sight in the world. Rika had no choice but to accept that she could never truly be a worthy substitute.
"But I am not a monster, Rika. If you show me your sincerity, I might allow you to take some of Carmel's punishment upon yourself."
"S-sincerity? Of course! I will do anything...! If it means the pain and humiliation inflicted upon Lady Carmel can be lessened, even by a fraction..."
Still so desperate. I let a twisted smile spread across my face. It was a good thing she was blindfolded. Not that it would have mattered much if she weren't.
"Fufu, did you just say you would do anything?"
She couldn't see my expression, but she could sense the heavy atmosphere dripping from my words. Sensing it, Rika's voice shrank slightly.
"Y-yes."
"There is no falsehood in your heart, I trust? You must keep whatever promise you make here."
Any ordinary person would have backed down by now. But Rika spoke with the resolute, unyielding voice of a warrior.
"Of course. If it is within my power... I will do anything!"
"Then, Rika, become my dog."
"I will... Wait, what...?"
"You heard me correctly. A dog. Since you are female, I suppose I should call you a bitch. It's a pity, but the Luistie Kingdom does not permit keeping humans as slaves. However, if you renounce your humanity and become a dog, it would be a different story. Fufu, is that too much for you to handle after all?"
The Hypnotic Incense dulls conscious thought while heightening the subconscious. Rika might believe she was conversing and thinking rationally, but that was an illusion. Her mind was currently drifting much closer to the realm of the subconscious. Therefore, any words she used to define herself now would seep directly into her subconscious, embedding themselves at the very foundation of her psyche. No matter how unacceptable those words might be to common sense and morality, and even if they degraded her below the level of a human, stripping away her dignity—all she had to do was acknowledge it. To agree to become a dog for me.
"What will you do, Rika?"
Rika's hesitation did not last long.
"...I... I will become... your dog..."
Words that cast her down into the abyss. Rika's voice trembled violently.
"Fufu... If you have truly made up your mind, please speak more politely. Surely you know how to use honorifics?"
"Ugh..."
Rika began to speak, her tone stiff and awkward.
"I... I wish to become... Princess Sera's... loyal... d-dog..."
I couldn't answer right away. Hearing a declaration of doghood from the mouth of a proud, foreign warrior-knight filled me with an uncontrollable rush of ecstasy that threatened to break across my face. Barely managing to compose myself, I spoke.
"Very well, Rika."
I fetched the key and unlocked the restraints binding Rika's limbs. Though her eyes remained blindfolded, her body was now completely free. Yet, despite her freedom, Rika lay quietly on the bed, waiting for my instructions. The very concept of defying me seemed to have vanished from her mind entirely.
"This way. Get down onto the floor."
"...Yes..."
Despite her blindness, Rika quickly slid off the bed and knelt on the floor. I pulled out the item I had prepared from my bag. A red collar. But it wasn't a fashionable choker meant for a lady. Strikingly thick, it looked exactly like a dog collar. I fastened it around Rika's neck with my own hands.
"Fufu, it suits you well, Rika."
"T-thank you..."
Though Rika knelt politely and submissively, she could hardly be described as looking like a dog just yet. I commanded her in a low voice.
"Now, get down on all fours. You are a real dog now, after all."
The physical difference between kneeling and the posture I demanded was minimal. It was merely a matter of moving her hands from her thighs to the floor. Yet, the psychological weight of the transition seemed immense for Rika.
"Ugh..."
It was a simple movement, but she hesitated repeatedly. In the end, however, Rika lifted her hands from her knees and pressed them against the wooden floor. Though her eyes were covered, the expression on her face laid bare her profound humiliation.
"How does it feel, Rika? Your thoughts on becoming a dog."
"I do not know such... No, I-I do not quite know... yet..."
"Hmm... Then it seems you need to be made more aware. Slowly lower your head from that position. Yes, just like a dog eating its food."
"Yes..."
Following my command, Rika slowly bowed her head. She went down so low she was practically kissing the floorboards. Waiting for her there was my bare foot, freed from its shoe.
"Kiss my foot, Rika. A kiss of oath to engrave the fact that you have become my dog deep into your soul."
"A kiss of oath..."
Perhaps sinking deeper under the influence of the Hypnotic Incense, Rika's voice sounded utterly dazed. Just as ordered, she pressed her lips gently to the top of my foot. This ritual was not merely for my amusement. It was all designed to make Rika fully internalize her identity as a dog under the incense's sway. I lifted my foot, nudging her chin upward to tilt her face to an angle where I could see her clearly.
"Now, open your mouth and take it in. I will give you the chance to clean your master's foot."
"Y-yes..."
Remaining obediently on all fours, Rika opened her mouth. Her red tongue peeked out, and the combination of the blindfold and the collar made her look incredibly erotic. I slid my toes into her mouth. Starting with the big toe.