All characters depicted in situations are 18 years of age or older and of the age of consent, even if it looks otherwise. Acts depicted are all consensual. No real or fictional person was harmed in the making of this work
The Imperial Palace's training grounds had never witnessed such an absurd scene. Esdeath, the feared and all-powerful General of the Empire, was lying on the ground, blinking in confusion. Resting against her neck was the tip of a wooden sword held by Tatsumi.
"I can't believe it," Esdeath muttered, glancing sideways at the cause of her defeat. "A banana peel? I slipped on a miserable banana peel dropped by some guard?"
"A real fight has no rules, Esdeath. You lost," Tatsumi declared, trying to hide a triumphant smile. "And according to our bet, if I won, you had to choose: either we cancel this marriage madness, or you become my personal maid for a day."
Esdeath clicked her tongue. Her pride prevented her from backing down, but the idea of canceling their "engagement" was unacceptable. "Very well, Tatsumi. You won fair and square. I will be your maid. But I warn you, I am a woman of extremes."
An hour later, the atmosphere had drastically changed. In a private room, Esdeath sat in front of a vanity. She had traded her imposing military uniform for a maid outfit ridiculously adorned with lace, frills, and a white apron. She felt exposed and ridiculous, but Tatsumi was only just getting started.
"A good maid must be presentable," Tatsumi said, stepping behind her with a brush. "Your hair is too long for dusting. Let's try something different."
First, Tatsumi gathered the immense, silky ice-blue mane into a tight ponytail, then twisted it into a strict high bun. Esdeath sighed, feeling like a governess. Not satisfied, Tatsumi let the hair down and used a curling iron to leave it completely curly, giving it a comical volume.
"You look too... fluffy," he teased. "Tatsumi, if you keep mocking me, I'll forget my promise and freeze your hands off," she warned, though the blush on her cheeks betrayed her.
Ignoring the threat, he divided the curls into two braids, then undid them to tie childish twintails on the sides of her head, and finally opted for an elegant half up-do. As she tried to process the absurdity of the situation, Tatsumi pulled out a makeup bag. With clumsy but determined movements, he applied makeup: excessive pink blush and bright lipstick that brutally contrasted with her usual coldness.
"Perfect," Tatsumi said. "But the hair is still a problem. It will just collect dirt."
Before Esdeath could complain, the metallic snip of scissors cut the air. Tatsumi grabbed a thick front section and chopped it off. In minutes, he had sculpted a sharp hime cut, with blunt, heavy bangs over her eyes and step-layers on the sides.
"Tatsumi!" Esdeath exclaimed, watching her beloved mane fall to the floor. "What are you doing?" "Master's orders," he replied, playing tough. "Hold still."
The scissors kept snipping, destroying the symmetry to leave her with a messy wolfcut. Since it looked too rebellious, Tatsumi cut more, leaving her with a chin-length bob, and then worked his way up the nape to turn it into a messy, long pixie.
Esdeath breathed heavily, her blue eyes fixed on the mirror. Her heart pounded, torn between murderous fury and a strange sensation of absolute submission she had never experienced before.
Looking to humiliate her a bit more in her role, Tatsumi evened the edges, giving her a hideous bowlcut. "You look like a medieval pageboy," Tatsumi laughed. "You're going to pay for this..." she muttered, clenching her fists over her lace apron.
But Tatsumi wasn't finished. He pulled out electric clippers. The buzzing sound made Esdeath's eyes widen. Without mercy, Tatsumi shaved the back and sides of her head, as well as the crown, leaving only the long bangs and thin strips of hair in front of her ears. It was a humiliating Chelsea cut.
"You look... bizarre," Tatsumi admitted, looking at the contrast of the half-shaved skull against the maid outfit. "Just finish this already," Esdeath demanded, her voice trembling, unable to look away from her own degraded reflection.
Tatsumi nodded. He ran the clippers over her forehead and sideburns, eliminating the last vestiges of blue hair. The locks fell onto the white apron. In a few minutes, the strongest General of the Empire was left completely shaved down to the skin.
For the final touch, Tatsumi took a makeup brush and applied a pale powder and a bit of highlighter over Esdeath's bare, gleaming skull, touching up the intense blush on her cheeks and her lipstick to emphasize the roundness of her bald head.
Esdeath sat in silence, looking at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a frilly maid outfit, her face was made up like a porcelain doll, and she was completely bald. She ran a trembling hand over her bare head, feeling the chill of the room on her goosebump-covered skin. It was a total and absolute humiliation, but as she looked at Tatsumi through the mirror, the General formed a strange smile. She had lost her hair and her dignity, but, in her own twisted way, she had proven that her devotion to him was absolute.