**Chapter Four: Disguises and Discoveries**
The familiar stone streets of the citadel stretched out before June as she approached its towering gates. Her heart pounded in her chest, not from fear, but from the discomfort of her swollen belly and the weight she now carried. She felt eyes on her as she walked, though it was likely just her imagination—after all, she had taken precautions.
With a muttered incantation and a flick of her wrist, a shimmering illusion cloaked her body. Her figure, once again slim and composed, glided through the crowd. No one would suspect that underneath the magic, she was hiding a body that had swelled beyond recognition. Her belly, hips, chest, and thighs had all expanded since her journey into the dungeon, and she could feel her robes straining beneath the glamour. But for now, at least, she could move through the citadel without drawing unwanted attention.
Her first stop was the potion crafting guild, where she was to deliver the mandrakes she had gathered. As she entered, the head alchemist barely glanced at her. "Mandrakes?" he grunted.
June nodded and opened her satchel, carefully pulling out the bundles of the root she'd collected. Thanks to the ring, she had far more than she'd expected, and the head alchemist's eyebrows raised slightly as he inspected the haul.
"Well, this is more than we expected," he said, his tone still as flat as ever. "A small bonus is in order, I suppose."
June's heart lifted slightly. The extra reward wasn’t much, but it was something. She thanked him, eager to be on her way, and quickly left the guild. Her mind was already racing ahead to her next stop: the tailor’s shop.
As she walked, her hand instinctively rested on her bloated belly. Despite the illusion, she could still feel the heavy weight pressing against the seams of her robes. She needed new clothes, ones that could accommodate her growing figure. But she couldn't let the tailor see her like this—not as herself. She needed a new disguise, something to throw off suspicion.
Stepping into a quiet alley, she glanced around to make sure she was alone before muttering another spell. Her body shimmered as her pale skin darkened to a rich olive hue, and her blonde hair shifted to a deep, dark brown. She allowed her true size to show this time, figuring the tailor wouldn’t recognize her beneath the new disguise. Satisfied, she made her way to the shop.
The bell above the door chimed as she entered, the tailor from before, an older woman with sharp eyes, looked up. "Back so soon?" she asked, her tone friendly but businesslike. "Ah, I see... you've had a bit of... growth, haven't you?"
June flushed, her hand flying to her belly, which hung heavily over the waistband of her robes. She had tried to hide how much she had gained, but the weight was undeniable now. Her hips had widened, her breasts had grown heavier, and her lower belly—her fupa—had swollen even more, making her figure curvier and rounder than ever before.
"Y-yes," June stammered. "I’ve been... traveling. I need clothes that fit better."
The tailor motioned for her to step up onto the small platform used for fittings. "Turn around, let me see," she said, pulling out her measuring tape again. June complied, her heart racing as she felt the tape wrap around her waist, then her hips.
The tailor clicked her tongue thoughtfully. "You've gained quite a bit. I'd say you're around two hundred and twenty-five pounds now. Your hips and bust have really filled out." She paused for a moment, squinting at June’s chest. "In fact..." The tailor reached forward, tapping lightly on June’s blouse. “Are you... pregnant?”
June's face went scarlet. "No! No, I’m not!" she blurted out, mortified by the suggestion.
The tailor frowned slightly, her gaze drifting lower. "Well, you’ve certainly started... leaking," she said, her voice almost clinical.
June's eyes widened in horror as she glanced down. Sure enough, there were small droplets of milk soaking into the fabric of her blouse. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. *Milk? How... when...?* She hadn’t noticed it before, but now the evidence was unmistakable. her areolas dark, her nipples bigger then before. the wet fabric clings to her breast making them more noticable
“I—" June stammered, unsure of what to say. She’d expected weight gain, strange cravings, even the heightened sense of smell—but this? This was beyond anything she could have imagined.
The tailor gave her a knowing look. "Don't worry, dear. Sometimes magic has strange side effects. I’ve seen it before. I'll get you fitted into something more comfortable." She didn't press further, but June could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
As the tailor went to work, June's thoughts raced. The potion she had brewed—the one meant for the cows—must have done more to her than just increase her appetite. She remembered the way her body had changed at the farm, and how similar those changes were to the cows she had been working with. Her belly had grown, her breasts had become fuller, and now... now she was producing milk, like a cow.
She sat quietly as the tailor measured and adjusted, her mind spinning. When the tailor finally finished and handed her a new set of robes, June thanked her and quickly left the shop, her head down as she slipped into the busy streets of the citadel.
Her belly jiggled slightly as she walked, her hips swaying wider than they ever had before. She could feel the soft fabric of her new robes straining around her growing figure, and the occasional dampness on her chest reminded her of the strange new reality she faced.
The jug of alchemy and the ring of duplication had brought her power, but at what cost? As she made her way back to her quarters, she resolved to be more cautious. She had to figure out what was happening to her—and how to stop it before she lost control entirely.