TorQ

  Neko followed Elene down the corridor, the silence between them so thick that the tinkle of the small bell on his tail felt unnaturally loud.

  When they reached his room, the succubus opened the heavy doors with a curt, mechanical motion, not even deigning to look at him. Neko stepped inside, clutching the alphabet and math sheets Bovina had given him. He felt exposed in his short schoolgirl outfit, especially under Elene’s frigid gaze.

  “Lady Lilith likely won’t be with you today, so you will be alone,” Elene announced in a dispassionate voice, turning to leave.

  “Mistress Elene!” Neko called out before she could cross the threshold.

  The succubus stopped and slowly looked back over her shoulder. Her gaze was cold, devoid of that spark of mischievous amusement he had seen before. Neko suddenly felt his throat go dry. He stood there, his hands fluttering nervously in awkward, disjointed gestures, not knowing what to do with them under the mounting stress.

  “I... I wanted to apologize,” he finally blurted out, his voice trembling. “I am so terribly sorry for what happened in that room.”

  He swallowed hard, recalling the moment when, instead of cleaning, he had succumbed to a maddening lust and rolled around on the tex bed.

  “I neglected my duties as a maid and behaved... horribly. I don’t want to make excuses, but I’m really not used to my new css yet,” he said, his words coming faster as tears began to gze his eyes. “My body just stopped listening to me. All those stimuli... [Ethereal Addiction] and [Hunger for Closeness]... they made me lose the st of my rationality.”

  Neko sniffled, casting his gaze down at his feet trapped in the stilettos.

  “I really didn't want this. I'm sorry for failing your trust,” he whispered, a tear trailing down his cheek. “I never wanted to spite you or intentionally disregard my duties. I promised I’d make everything shine, and I failed so miserably.”

  Elene looked at the trembling "kitten" before her. His defenseless sweetness and sincere tears finally caused her stern mask to crack. Though she had been radiating coldness only a moment ago, she now let out a slow sigh and approached Neko, gently lifting his chin. She wiped the tears from his cheeks with her thumb, showing a rare moment of tenderness.

  “I accept your apology, though don’t go thinking I’ve stopped being angry,” she said softly, the sharp edge leaving her voice. “You must understand the weight of what you did. That wasn't just any room; it was the bedroom of Elizabeth, one of Lilith’s Wives. By behaving like that, you put my reputation at risk. You showed everyone that I have no respect for the Lady Consort if I allow my charge to treat her chambers like a pyground for a frisky cat.”

  Hearing those words, Neko fttened his ears even further and mumbled another feverish apology, feeling the full weight of his mistake. Elene sighed again, but this time she gave a light wave of her hand, cutting the subject short.

  “Enough now. What’s done is done. There’s no use crying over spilled milk,” she tossed out the short idiom. “I will meet with Elizabeth myself ter to apologize personally for the oversight.”

  She turned on her heel to leave but suddenly paused as if remembering something. Her magical ring fred with a bright light, and in a fraction of a second, a bottle with a nipple, filled with a thick, nourishing liquid, materialized in her hand. She tossed it toward Neko, who, thanks to his new Agility, caught it instinctively with his free hand.

  Elene looked over her shoulder with a faint smile.

  “Lilith won’t be present for your feeding today, so you’ll have to drink this yourself,” she announced, before heading for the door.

  Neko stood in the middle of the room, clutching the bottle, and only then did he realize how exhausted he was. He couldn't even remember the st time he’d eaten anything solid.

  Is my increased Vitality making it so I don't feel hunger as quickly as I used to?

  “Thank you, Mistress Elene...” he called out softly after the departing succubus.

  Elene had already crossed the threshold when Neko’s voice cut through the silence once more.

  “M-Mistress... Elene...” he choked out, his cat ears twitching uneasily.

  The succubus stopped and slowly turned her head, fixing him with a cold, appraising look. Seeing the kitten starting to get nervous again, his hands moving fitfully as if he didn't know where to put them, she narrowed her eyes.

  “I... p-please...” Neko stammered, feeling his heart hammer against his ribs beneath the tight fabric of his shirt.

  “If you intend to say something, at least do it properly,” Elene clipped, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Neko was practically bursting with embarrassment, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks, but some new, strange force pushed him to speak the words.

  “M-Mistress... this kitten... was naughty and... and didn't perform his duties properly...” he murmured, casting his gaze down at his feet. “S-shouldn't... shouldn't he receive a punishment?”

  Neko himself might not have been fully aware of it, but after only a few days in this castle, his brain had begun to undergo a dangerous transformation. Subconsciously, he had started to interpret every mistake or poorly executed task as a fault that absolutely had to be redeemed through punishment.

  The System and the surrounding aura of desire were slowly "rewiring" his psychological mechanisms, making pain and humiliation feel like the only logical consequence of failure.

  Elene froze in pce. Her eyes widened, not expecting such a direct request from someone who had been sincerely apologizing with tears in his eyes just moments ago. Seeing his ashamed expression and trembling body in the schoolgirl outfit, she felt a sudden wave of heat spread through her. Her succubus instincts whispered only one thing: I want to eat him.

  He belongs to Lilith. I can't just punish him without her permission... the thought fshed through her mind, but she immediately found a logical justification. On the other hand... he took the initiative himself. Moreover, he neglected duties assigned directly by me, so I have every right to mete out justice.

  Elene’s imagination began to supply images of increasingly inventive punishments, making her body pulse with arousal. She took a breath, however, trying to steady her breathing. I can’t go too far. He won’t be able to handle much; he’s still just a weak, pink little puffball.

  “You’re right,” she finally said, her voice becoming low and thick. “Naughty kittens like you undoubtedly deserve punishment. Since you’re asking for it yourself, a simple spanking should suffice for you to remember this lesson.”

  Hearing this, Neko felt icy shivers race down his spine. Elene began to approach him with a slow, steady stride, the jingle of the bell on his tail growing more rapid as the succubus closed the distance between them.

  Elene slowly reached out and took the bottle and Bovina’s assignment sheets from Neko, setting them silently on the edge of the bed. She sat down on the mattress herself, smoothing her short maid skirt with her hands, and patted her thighs with a firm motion.

  “Come here to me,” she commanded in a voice that brooked no argument.

  Neko moved toward her with slow, hesitant steps, the cck of his heels on the floor mixing with the cheerful - though now almost piteous - jingle of the bell on his tail. He looked exceptionally vulnerable in that moment; the white, almost transparent blouse ended just below his petite breasts, exposing his trembling midriff, and the navy blue pleated skirt was so short it barely covered what it was meant to.

  As soon as he was within reach, Elene grabbed him firmly by the armpits and, with one swift motion, flipped him over, ying him stomach-down across her thighs. Neko felt a violent rush of heat to his head, and his cat ears fttened in shame.

  A shiver ran down his back as he felt the succubus's cool fingers slowly begin to slide his ce panties down to his knees.

  Elene stroked his exposed buttock for a moment, and a sudden surge of surprise hit her thoughts - she noticed that Neko’s buttocks, much like the rest of his body, had become somewhat fuller and more rounded. She leaned down low, whispering directly into his ear while he felt every millimeter of her touch through his unnaturally sensitive skin.

  “You will receive ten swats,” she announced in an incredibly quiet, predatory voice. “After each one, you are to say aloud: ‘This naughty kitten is just a useless toy who can’t even clean.’ If you don’t say it, the swat won't count. Do you understand?”

  Neko felt his face burn a deep purple, his heart beating so hard it nearly tore through the tight white shirt. He was paralyzed by embarrassment, but the influence of his [Submissive] talent allowed for no resistance.

  Though he feared the coming pain, he slowly nodded his head in confirmation with trembling ears. He gripped the sheets tightly, feeling a mounting terror and a strange, pulsing arousal deep within as Elene raised her hand for the first strike.