"Alice..." Noelle began, her voice shaky and unsure. "Why are you letting her do this to you? This...this isn't right. You're not some-"

  But before she could finish her sentence, Leopoldine cut her off with an icy tone, "You dare to question my treatment of my dear Alice? How dare you try to interfere?! She is mine, and I will do with her as I please. And if I choose to mark her as my property, then that is what I will do.”

  The girls stood in stunned silence, their faces a mix of disbelief and horror. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, how Leopoldine was openly claiming Alice as her property and asserting dominance over her like she was some sort of toy to be owned and marked as she pleased.

  Leopoldine's smirk deepened, seeming to revel in the girls' shock and horror. She pulled Alice even closer, her grip tight and possessive. "That's right, you all heard me. She's mine, and I'll mark her however I please. And there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Or me~”

  Alice's cheeks flushed even deeper, her thoughts swirling with a chaotic mix of emotions. She couldn't deny the thrill she felt from being claimed so openly, the way her body instinctively responded to Leopoldine's possessive grip. But at the same time, the shame and humiliation of being treated like a mere possession, of being marked and paraded before her friends, was overwhelming.

  Rachel rolled up the sleeves of her dress, stepping up to Leopoldine and looking up at her with those fierce magenta eyes of hers. "Let go of our friend or I'll whoop your ass right here!”

  Leopoldine raised an eyebrow, sizing up Rachel with a smirk. "Oh, you've got some fire in you, huh? How cute~ But let me remind you, darling, your petite stature and adorable pout isn't scaring anyone, your height can't even pass my chin.”

  Rachel glared back, her fists clenching tightly. "I don't give a damn about your size. I'll still kick your ass for treating my friend like some toy!”

  Leopoldine chuckled, clearly amused by Rachel's defiance. "Oh, you're feisty, aren't you? But let me give you a little piece of advice. If you try to challenge me, you really don't stand a chance. In fact, I could break you in half like a twig if I wanted to, sweetheart~”

  Rachel gritted her teeth, her rage flaring up. "Try it! I might be petite, but I'm tougher than I look!" she retorted, her eyes narrowed into slits.

  Leopoldine raised an eyebrow, her smirk growing wider. "Oh, is that so? You think you can take me on, huh? Let's test that theory, shall we?”

  Rachel's knuckles turned white as her fists clenched even tighter, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. "You're on, you controlling nutjob.”

  Leopoldine's smirk grew wicked, her eyes filled with mischief. "Oh, I was hoping you'd say that~ But don't say I didn't warn you when I have you on the ground in seconds~”

  Rachel growled, her body tensing up as she prepared to fight. "Bring it on, you controlling freak! I'm not afraid of you! Ha!"

  Rachel threw a punch at Leopoldine. Leopoldine stepped to the side and grabbed Rachel's extended arm, leaping up and twisting her body as she flipped in the air. Before Rachel or any of the other girls could react, Leopoldine's thighs put her neck in a death grip before her whole body was slammed onto the hard floor, stuck in a brutal headscissor.

  Leopoldine chuckled, her voice dripping with satisfaction as she watched Rachel struggle beneath her. "Well, well, well...isn't this a surprise~? I told you you stood no chance against me, darling. And now look at you, helplessly pinned beneath my thick thighs.”

  Rachel let out a strangled gasp as Leopoldine tightened her grip, her face turning red from the pressure. "Le--let go of me..." she croaked, flailing her limbs desperately. "I--I can't...breathe…”

  Leopoldine smirked, keeping her grip tight. "Oh, it's a little difficult, is it? I'm quite enjoying seeing you struggle under my grip. You're such a feisty little thing, but it seems you've bitten off more than you can chew, darling~”

  Rachel's struggles were growing more desperate, her face turning an even deeper shade of red as air became harder and harder to draw in. "Let...me...G-go..." she wheezed, her movements becoming more sluggish as her body began to give out on her, her hands desperately slapping against Leopoldine's powerful thighs.

  Leopoldine's smirk widened as she felt the impact of Rachel's slaps against her thighs, only egging her on. "Oh, this is too much fun. Look at you, squirming like a little insect beneath me. You're not giving up now, are you, darling~?”

  Rachel's efforts began to diminish, her limbs growing weaker and weaker as her oxygen supply continued to dwindle. Her vision started to get blurry as her flailing became more futile, her hands struggling more and more to find purchase on Leopoldine's thick thighs, their surface becoming slippery from Rachel's sweat.

  "Let Rachel out of the headlock, Leopoldine!" Noelle yelled, standing over the two girls.

  Leopoldine turned her head to look up at Noelle, her smirk only widening. "Oh, don't you just look absolutely precious, trying to play the hero~”

  "I'm not kidding! Let her go right now!" Noelle exclaimed, her voice growing more panicked as she saw Rachel's movements become weaker and weaker.

  Leopoldine chuckled, her grip becoming even tighter. "Oh, listen to you, trying to sound all tough. I could snap her neck like a twig right now if I wanted to. Just a little twist of my hips~”

  "You won't!" Noelle exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with horror at the thought. "Let her go, you monster!”

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  Leopoldine giggled in response, not budging an inch. "Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, sweetheart. Which, speaking of panties, your friend here is getting quite a good view of mine in this position, how lucky~”

  Leopoldine shifted her thighs slightly, giving Rachel an even clearer view of her underwear, which was just barely covered by the skimpy, tight red skirt she wore. Rachel blushed, despite her struggle to breathe, feeling humiliated and embarrassed by her sudden and unwanted view of Leopoldine's attire.

  "Hah, well look at that~" Leopoldine chuckled, sensing Rachel's embarrassment. "It seems like your little friend is enjoying this little view she's getting~”

  Rachel managed to let out a ragged, yet defiant, response, despite her weakened state. "F-F-Fuck you…”

  Leopoldine let out a cruel laugh, her grip staying tight. "Oh my, you'd just love to do that, wouldn't you, my dear~?”

  "You're disgusting!" Noelle exclaimed, her face contorted in anger. "Listen here, you stayed here at our place for the night, now it's time for you to leave! Doesn't your organization need you, anyways?!”

  "Ah-ah-ah...no can do, darling~" Leopoldine cooed. "I have my reasons for being here...personal reasons~”

  "No! You said your organization or whatever needs you, so you're leaving! Now let go of Rachel's neck and get out!" Noelle demanded, taking a step forward, her stance growing even more aggressive.

  Leopoldine's smirk only grew wider in response to Noelle's demand. "Oh, you really think you're in any position to make demands~? I'm enjoying myself here, and I'm certainly not leaving until I'm done~”

  "You're done when I say you're done, you damn lunatic!" Noelle responded, her face growing even more impatient. "Now, let go, or I'll make you let go! You have my word on that! You and I will have our own little fight here if I have to, so let. Her. GO." She punctuated the end of the sentence with a stomp on the ground.

  "You want to fight, huh~?" Leopoldine cooed, her eyes filled with satisfaction at the challenge. "I'd love to test your little twig arms against my luscious thighs~”

  "That's it! I'm going to punch your lights out if you don't let her go right now!" Noelle hissed, her face growing even more red with anger. "I'm serious! I've had it with your nonsense, and you can kiss that stupid smug look off your face!”

  "Ohhh, you're feisty~" Leopoldine purred. "I can hardly wait to see your feeble attempts at even poking me, let alone knocking me out~”

  "You're going to regret that smart mouth of yours!" Noelle exclaimed, raising her booted foot and aiming for Leopoldine's face, slamming it down.

  Leopoldine's eyebrows shot up in response to Noelle's attack, but she effortlessly bobbed her head to the left, her smirk widening. "Oh, that's cute~ Is that all you've got, sweetie pie?”

  "Oh, just you wait!" Noelle exclaimed, preparing another kick for Leopoldine.

  Leopoldine chuckled smugly, her body remaining still. "And what are you going to do next, huh? Flail your arms around? Kick like a helpless little child? You know I'm stronger than you~”

  "...You know what," Noelle began, lowering her foot. "We can't make you leave, but we can leave you here. Good luck scraping up some rent for this room somehow.”

  Leopoldine's smirk faltered at the reminder, her grip on Rachel temporarily loosening. "H-Hey...you can't just leave me here!”

  "Oh, we sure can!" Noelle declared, her tone sharp and defiant. "And there's nothing you can do to stop us from doing just that! You've already overstayed your welcome.”

  Leopoldine's face twisted in annoyance, her grip on Rachel's neck slipping a bit more. "You're kidding me, right? You can't just leave me here all alone, without any way to pay for this room!”

  "Oh, that's too bad~ Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to torment us and assault us, huh?" Noelle retorted, her gaze filled with a mix of satisfaction and triumph.

  Leopoldine's smirk dissipated, and her grip loosened even more. "Ugh, you're so annoying... Do you really think I can survive here on my own without any money?”

  "That sounds like a 'you' problem," Noelle responded, her smirk mirroring Leopoldine's earlier smugness. "Maybe you should've thought about that before being such a horrible, despicable person for no reason at all. Have fun figuring out how to take care of yourself, psycho.”

  Leopoldine's grip continued to loosen, her expression turning sour. "Ugh, I...I can't believe you're doing this to me! I can't just fend for myself in this sweltering place!”

  "Aw, are you actually begging, now?" Noelle taunted, her smirk growing wider. "I thought you were supposed to be so big and strong, but now you're just a pathetic, useless girl who can't even take care of herself. How sad~”

  Leopoldine's grip on Rachel's neck became almost non-existent at this point, her face twisted in discomfort at being reduced to such a pitiful state. "You...you're so cruel...how could you just leave me here?”

  "You brought this on yourself, creep," Noelle replied, her voice filled with both satisfaction and irritation. "You had every chance to behave like a normal person, but you chose to be a bully and assault us. Now you get to deal with the consequences, all alone."

  She stepped forward, reaching down and pulling up the disoriented Rachel from under Leopoldine and surrounding her, Alice, and Zalgo in a field of her aura.

  "Good luck out here." Noelle said with a satisfied grin. And with that, the girls all disappeared in the blink of an eye with no trace, leaving Leopoldine all by herself in the hotel room.

  Leopoldine's mind raced as she grappled with her new predicament. She had never expected things to play out this way. "Damn it...no, no this can't be happening..."

  She looked around the room, her confidence shattered. "How am I supposed to survive here without any money..."

  And at 11 A.M., a knock was heard on the door. Leopoldine's heart raced as she heard the knock on the door. She knew what it meant - someone was here to collect the rent, rent that she didn’t have. Her mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this situation, but she came up empty.

  With trepidation, she approached the door and opened it slowly. On the other side stood a tall, intimidating figure, flanked by two even larger companions.

  The landlord stood before her, a burly dark elf man who exudes authority. "Hello, young lady," he said gruffly. "I see you're staying in this room. Do you have my rent for today?”

  Leopoldine froze under the man's gaze, her mind racing for a believable lie. "Um...y-yes, I do," she managed to stammer. "I...I just need a moment to get it…”

  The landlord's eyes narrowed as he studied her, his presence imposing. "I don't have all day, young lady," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "I'll give you five minutes to come up with that rent. No excuses, no stalling. Understood?”

  Leopoldine nodded, her heart pounding wildly. "Y-Yes, I understand. Just...just give me a minute," she said weakly.

  The landlord grunted, his eyes narrowing further. "Five minutes," he repeated firmly. "Not a second longer.”

  Leopoldine retreated back into the room, her mind racing as she frantically searched for a solution. She knew she didn't have the money, and there was no way she could come up with it in just five minutes.

  She paced back and forth, her panic growing with each passing second. "Think, think, think," she muttered to herself, desperation seeping into her voice.

  Leopoldine's mind raced as she searched for any possible way out of this situation. She thought of trying to fight them off, but creating a ruckus when she needed to leave the country wasn't the best option. Begging and pleading for more time came to mind, but she knew the landlord wouldn't budge. The thought of trying to charm the men then came to mind, which was easily her best bet, considering her Void Magic ability. With a smirk at her own genius, she pulled out her Connexus and turned it on, thinking to herself:

  …Let's dance.