Neko hurried through the castle’s high corridors, the chime of the small bell attached to the pink bow on his tail echoing against the stone walls, announcing his presence to everyone.

  Elene strode ahead of him, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her slender, demonic tail tipped with a heart-shaped spade, which shed the air irritably with every step. The sight, though fascinating, filled him with dread.

  She must be really furious with me, Neko thought, his cat ears fttening against his head from the stress.

  Only a few minutes earlier, just as Neko had finished struggling into his provocative new "schoolgirl" outfit - a tight blouse that accentuated his new breasts and a scandalously short skirt - Elene had entered his room. Following Lilith’s orders, she was to escort him to the hall where his lessons would now take pce.

  The succubus was dressed in her standard maid uniform today, which barely contained her massive breasts and just barely covered her hips. Neko stole a sidelong gnce at her, feeling a mounting sense of guilt.

  Honestly, I can’t really bme her... I completely blew it with that room, he mused.

  The memory of the incident with the vampire and her terrifyingly "big friend" pressing against his backside through her tex suit sent cold shivers down Neko’s spine. Instinctively, he tried to tug down the hem of his skirt, which refused to cover anything more anyway, while feeling a painful tension in his neck from the tight colr.

  They stopped before a pair of heavy, ornate doors in a less-frequented part of the castle. Elene stood still, not even deigning to give him a gnce. Her aura was cold and professional, which hurt Neko more than her previous corrective swats.

  “This is where you will have your lessons,” she announced dryly, staring at the corridor ahead. “Remember to greet your teacher politely.”

  Before Neko could respond, Elene turned on her heel and departed, the cck-cck of her heels quickly fading into the distance. Neko watched her go for a moment, feeling a strange void.

  She’s so cold today... I’ll have to find a way to apologize to her ter, he sighed heavily, turning back to the doors.

  He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to control his racing heart. His hand trembled slightly as he raised it to knock.

  Knock, knock.

  The sound seemed unnaturally loud to him. After a few seconds that stretched like an eternity, a calm, composed, and almost velvety woman’s voice drifted from inside.

  “Enter.”

  Neko took one st breath, feeling the fabric of his shirt strain precariously against his chest. He pced his hand on the handle, slowly pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

  As soon as Neko crossed the threshold, his gaze was immediately drawn to a sight that made him forget how to breathe for a moment.

  Standing before him was a tall, curvaceous woman dressed in a tight corset top with bck-and-white patches resembling a cow’s hide. The material was stretched so tight over her gargantuan breasts that with every movement, the bells pinned directly to her nipples were clearly outlined beneath the thin fabric. Around her neck was a thick leather colr with a much rger bell hanging from the center, and from the back of her skirt protruded a long cow tail that zily swept the air.

  The woman brushed back her thick hair and looked at Neko with slight surprise, narrowing her eyes. The boy instinctively tensed, his cat ears fttening.

  Despite her almost cheerful, if provocative, appearance, he knew all too well that in this castle, no one was what they seemed. Recalling Lilith’s letter and her specific sense of humor, he was certain that the term "kind teacher" in the Demon Queen’s mouth had to mean someone absolutely terrifying.

  “G-good morning...” Neko stammered, stuttering slightly as he tried to maintain the shreds of politeness he had been taught. “Lady Lilith sent me here... for lessons.”

  The woman remained silent for a moment, lusting over him with her eyes from head to toe. Neko felt sweat trail down his neck, his fingers nervously intercing as he struggled with what to do with his hands under that heavy gaze.

  The silence stretched, amplifying his nervousness, until Bovina suddenly broke into a wide smile. Neko froze, expecting to see sadistic joy or a perverse urge for dominance in that smile, but to his immense surprise, her expression was simply... warm.

  “Oh my, I am so sorry, sweetie,” she said, the bells at her breasts giving a soft cling as she took a step toward him. “I was just stunned into silence. I didn't think anyone could be quite this adorable in person. I frightened you for no reason, didn't I?”

  Neko felt his tail stiffen in a defensive reflex as the woman raised her hand. He closed his eyes, expecting a blow or a painful yank, but instead, he felt only a soft, soothing touch. Bovina began to gently stroke his head and between his ears.

  The boy's eyes flew open and he looked up, meeting her gentle gaze.

  “You don't need to worry or stress so much,” she whispered with a reassuring smile. “I’m here to teach you, not to punish or sh you. There are plenty of other girls in this castle who have much more enthusiasm for that than I do.”

  Neko stared at her in disbelief, as if she were speaking a foreign nguage. Bovina just shrugged, her gargantuan breasts bouncing violently with the movement. The boy couldn't stop his eyes from following the motion, feeling the crimson flush blossom on his cheeks again.

  “I’m not fond of inflicting pain or swinging a whip, you see,” she added, giving him a wink. “Let’s just say I have a slightly different approach to education than most people here.”

  She turned and headed toward the desk, waving a hand for him to follow.

  “Come along, sweetie... I mean, Neko, right?” she corrected herself, looking over her shoulder.

  Neko swallowed and followed, still in a state of shock. This meeting was going entirely differently than his dark expectations had suggested. Looking at the woman’s back, he gathered the st of his courage and asked quietly:

  “May... may I ask your name, Mistress?”

  The woman paused and smiled radiantly.

  “My name is Bovina,” she replied, and Neko thought to himself that with that tail and the pattern of her outfit, the name suited her perfectly. “But in this room, just call me by my name. No 'Mistresses' while we’re alone in here.”

  Neko walked further into the room behind Bovina, trying to ignore the irritating jingle of the bell on his tail that announced his presence with every step. Bovina, swaying her hips and shing the air with her cow tail, began to expin the rules of this dark establishment.

  “You must understand, Neko, that the title ‘Mistress’ isn’t a matter of choice here,” she began calmly, the bells on her breasts and colr punctuating her words with a rhythmic chime. “Lady Lilith built this castle with a clear hierarchy in mind. From the very beginning of its creation, anyone of a lower position must address those above them as ‘Mistress.’ It is the foundation of our order.”

  She stopped by a gargantuan, carved wooden desk, next to which stood a high chair upholstered in purple velvet. With a wave of her hand, she signaled Neko to sit, which the boy did hesitantly, feeling his unnaturally short skirt barely cover his thighs.

  “That is why it is required that you always keep it in mind,” Bovina continued, leaning against the edge of the desk, causing her massive bust to ripple slightly. “If you were to forget that title in the presence of someone of a higher rank, that person has every right to punish you. Of course, the punishment must be appropriate. For a minor infraction like that, you aren’t in danger of anything extreme - like being thrown to the Hounds of Desire, for instance.”

  Hearing that new, sinister-sounding term, Neko instinctively tilted his head, his cat ears twitching uneasily.

  “Hounds of Desire?” he repeated in a whisper, feeling a mounting anxiety.

  Bovina smiled gently, seeing his consternation.

  “They are mutated beasts, powerful hounds that know nothing beyond an eternal state of heat. All they want is to breed, without restraint and without mercy for the victim,” she expined, her voice still remaining strangely soothing despite the macabre description.

  Neko felt an icy shiver run down his spine, his delicate, hypersensitive skin breaking out in goosebumps. The mental image of those beasts made him feel suddenly nauseous. Bovina, noticing his reaction, waved a hand to quiet the bells.

  “There’s no need to worry, little one. That is practically the highest form of punishment in this castle. In its entire history, only a few people have earned such a fate. Just stick to the rules, and you’ll be safe.”

  Neko took a bored breath and nodded, trying to control the trembling of his hands hidden in his long gloves. He looked at Bovina with a curiosity that, for a moment, won out over his fear.

  “Mistress... I mean, Bovina...” he began tentatively, remembering her request for informality. “If everyone is obligated to call those of higher rank ‘Mistress,’ then why don't you do that to me? And why do you let me call you by your name?”

  Bovina shrugged, causing another bounce of her giant breasts that Neko couldn’t tear his eyes away from.

  “Meh, all those rigid rules aren't for me. I prefer a more rexed atmosphere, at least in the cssroom,” she replied, turning serious for a moment as she adjusted her cow colr. “But don’t make a mistake, sweetie. We can only do this here, when we’re one-on-one. In public pces, around other castle residents, you must address me as ‘Mistress.’ After all, I officially hold the position of Great Matron of Sin.”

  Neko tilted his head again, squinting in surprise. “Great Matron of Sin?” he asked, trying to grasp the weight of that title in the castle's complex structure.