"Duchess, how could you?!" the heiress cried, heartbroken and betrayed. "How could you use me like this?! I thought we were friends!"
"Thinking is far different than remembering, darling," the Duchess whispered, smirking, knowing the heiress wouldn't hear her. Although the memory loss was an unintended consequence of the Love Potion No. 69, as with all things, the Duchess knew how to make it work in her favor. The heiress didn't remember, but the Duchess had been seducing and using her for about a year at that point. Now it was time to make her next big move.
The Duchess wasn't driven purely by lust, but pragmaticism as well. One did not obtain and retain the title of "Duchess" with no skill. The heiress was quite a pretty little thing, but even more than that, her kingdom was one the dragons had their eyes on solely because of its location in the middle of one of their once-common migration paths. Dragon-hunting was a sport to humans, though, so the dragons hid in greater amount as their numbers slowly sank. The Duchess made a bargain with them, offering the heiress' kingdom in exchange for their help in overthrowing it, placing herself and the heiress as the new leaders while the dragons made out with the spoils of war.
It was slow-going, so that was why the Duchess had spent so long simply toying with the heiress. Though they were strong, dragons were slow, operating on time scales far longer and larger than humans. At last, though, the time was right for the dragons' strike. All of that pent up energy was released like a spring being set free, and the unsuspecting kingdom quickly succumbed. The dragons and the Duchess now led the ruins, using one another to rebuild their respective armies.
"This is for the good of the kingdom!" the Duchess taunted. It was clear she didn't believe her own words, she just knew she could argue her case if she wanted. "You are important too, ensuring a strong heir to the throne."
"What?" the heiress recoiled in disgust and horror at the implication.
"Both we and the dragons need heirs, after all," the Duchess enunciated. The heiress was speechless with rage and disbelief, but her eyes said it all. The Duchess reveled in her dumbstruck expression. "You cannot turn your back on this." She gestured behind herself, and a large dragon came lumbering out of the shadows. Despite herself, the heiress started.
Has he been there the entire time?! He was so big...
"You belong to me now, human," he growled telepathically. "You are mine to command, care for, and control."
A chill ran down the heiress' spine while the Duchess continued to look pleased.