My Mistress’s Breasts Make Me OP!

«Why do guys always have to be so complicated?! Ugh!» Kimberly exclaims, her face twisted with a mix of anger and nerves.

She's lying on her stomach on my bunk, pounding the pillow with her fist and kicking restlessly. She and Aron had a fight just before dinner—like always. That's why she came to my room. Probably… no, definitely… just to vent.

Did she take me for her best friend? Even though, to be honest, I didn't really get why they were fighting. Well, actually, I did—Aron forgot to wish her a happy eighteenth birthday—but Kimberly's reaction feels overblown and kind of misplaced.

«Honestly, you girls are the real mystery…» I reply, my voice heavy with resignation as my eyes wander uneasily to the small window overlooking the endless desert of sand and rocks around the Lunae Novae dormitory.

Tonight, something will definitely happen—I'm sure of it. But what?

Out there, everything looks normal. The moon shines in the dark night sky as always. The vampire soldiers stationed around the dorm, meant to prevent anyone from coming or going, seem a little more numerous than usual. Not enough to suggest a disaster, though. Their movements show no urgency or concern, as if it's just another patrol shift like any other.

«We're the mystery? No, it's you men—just a bunch of insensitive fools who don't understand anything about us!» she shoots back, biting into my poor pillow like she's ready to rip it apart. It's become both her punching bag and her outlet. Well… better the pillow than me.

«I guess, given the circumstances, he might have heavier matters on his mind,» I reply, trying to calm her down—or at least make her see that, considering the merciless fate waiting for us familiars, it's natural to forget some things. But my words only make her angrier.

«More important than his little sister's birthday?!» she snaps, lunging at the pillow as if to strangle it. Then her voice softens, turning melancholic as she suddenly stops moving on my bunk. «I know very well that Aron—like everyone else here—carries heavier burdens. I wasn't upset about the birthday itself, but about what his forgetfulness means. Since I was adopted, he never once forgot to wish me happy birthday—not even last year, when we were already here. As I've told you countless times, Aron wasn't always the rough and irritable guy you know. He became that way because of the violence and cruelty he's endured ever since he became the familiar of the cruel Count Lucius Dulcar. But even though he's changed, the affection I feel for him has never wavered.»

My eyes remain fixed on the window, alert, scanning for any hint of danger. Kimberly keeps speaking, her voice trembling with emotion.

«I know deep down he's still the sweet and protective boy I've always adored—the hero who pulled me out of despair. But day by day, I see that side of him fading, swallowed by the darkness this world awakened in him. That's why I said I wasn't angry about something trivial like a birthday. It's about what it represents—another step, yet another, away from me. I don't want to lose him…» she whispers, her voice cracking until it finally collapses into desperate sobs.

Her tears shimmer like tiny crystal streams under the moon's silver glow, her blue irises standing out even more against her reddened eyes. It's impossible to remain unmoved by the raw grief consuming Ginevra.

«Aron is… he's the person I care about most in this world, the only one who's always stayed by my side! In my life I've lost everyone I loved, one after another, until I was completely alone. I don't want to lose him too—I won't allow it—and I'll do anything to stop it! He has always been my lifeline, my beacon in the darkest storm, my home, my family… Without him—without the Aron I love and admire—I don't know if I'll have the strength to go on in this hell!» Ginevra cries out, her scream sending shivers down my spine.

Her voice squeezes my heart like a vice, twisting my stomach. Kimberly starts shaking violently, as if seized by spasms, then finally collapses into my arms like a lifeless body.

With the utmost care, I lay her gently on Gerard's bunk and sit at the foot of the bed. I know almost nothing about this whole affair—my knowledge of Kimberly and Aron's past is limited to what she just confided to me. All I can do now is stay by her side, ease her pain however I can, and let her vent her emotions.

My compassionate gaze meets hers, but it's as if I don't exist—her unbearably sad eyes, the saddest I've ever seen, so empty it's like her very soul has been torn away, stare at some indistinct spot on the damp, mold-stained wall.

«If there's anything I can do for you—anything at all—don't hesitate to ask,» I say softly after what feels like endless silence. «You were the only one here—besides Gerard—who looked past the rumors and cruelty aimed at me, making all this just a little more bearable. I can't stand seeing you like this…»

Kimberly's eyes don't move an inch, not even a blink—yet I suddenly realize she's looking at me, as if waking from a daydream. Slowly, she gives me a tender smile.

«I'm fine, really, but thank you for saying that—I appreciate it,» she murmurs, lifting herself up and sitting beside me. «Lyon… would you tell me about your relationship with Ayra? It's something that's intrigued me since the first time I heard about you two.»

Ayra… The moment I hear her name, the worry and fear I had set aside surge back with full force—though they never truly left. The seventh day is almost over, and yet… I clench my fists and lower my gaze as a wave of melancholy crashes over me.

Ayra promised me we'd see each other again soon—she swore it! So why hasn't she shown herself? Why hasn't she already appeared in my room, with that smug grin of hers, saying: «See? I'm still alive and well! And you doubted me… PFF! I told you, didn't I? I am a Volkom, after all!»

She would definitely say it in that proud voice of hers, without a shred of modesty, flashing that trademark smile—a perfect mix of mockery and arrogance. That smile I miss so much… too much.

«Lyon… are you okay?» Kimberly asks with concern, no doubt noticing my sudden mood shift. «If I said something wrong, please forgive me. I didn't mean to, I swear…» I shake my head.

«It's not your fault, or anything you said,» I reassure her. «It's just that—»

I freeze as a sudden shadow falls over the room, plunging it into near darkness.

Apparently, we familiars of the Lunae Novae dorm aren't considered worthy of electric light, unlike the rest of the kingdom. In an instant, I leap off the bunk and rush to the small window. My eyes lock on the sky—my body paralyzed with terror.