by Eric Vall
“I may not have known Ms. Josephine for long,” I broke in. “But she once told me that she feels lost at parties, she feels as if she doesn’t belong with other aristocrats, so I’m sure her meeting and befriending Valerie would make her very happy.”
“And me, too,” Rian echoed. “I’m going to stay with Ms. Josephine. She sounds like such a lovely person. I wish under different circumstances we could be close friends, but since we’re monster-women… this will likely be the only time we’re allowed to speak with her.”
“Yeah…” Valerie murmured. “That makes me really sad. I wish that Rian and I could be like Daisy, we can’t hide our horns, ears, or tails.”
“Hey now,” the brunette soothed. “Just because I look the way I do doesn’t mean that you two are any less. You should be thankful that you don’t have to go out in public. I love being with Charles outside of the house, but that also means that I have to deal with the aristocrats… It’s so hard to have to hear them speak about men the way they do, and the worst part is I’m expected to agree with them. I play along, pretend I think the same way as them, but all the while, I have a rageful fire burning in my belly. I know I’m the chosen delegate for the family because my ears and tail are easily hidden, but you two don’t have to see what I do. Yes, when we have visitors you hear it from wherever you’re hiding, but it’s different when it’s said directly to your face.”
“It doesn’t matter who has to go into public and who doesn’t,” I urged. “All of you are perfect in my eyes. Yes, your ears, tail, and horns may not be concealable in public, but that doesn’t make you any less than Daisy. We found Ms. Josephine entirely by accident. It isn’t as if we’ve been keeping her away from all of you, in fact, I’d love for you both to meet and get to know her… but if you’re going to keep hating on yourself, I won’t have it. Each of you, Valerie, Daisy, and Rian, are beautiful in my eyes. You are absolute perfection, dreams made into reality, and I adore you more than you will ever know. I only wish that you could see you the way that I do. I love you from the hairs on the top of your head to the tips of your toes. It doesn’t matter if I can’t dress you up and take you into town. If I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t want to take any of you down there. I only take Daisy because she’s my chosen ‘Mistress.’ If it were up to me, none of you would go into town and hear the disgusting rhetoric that the aristocrats spew everywhere.”
“You are such a good man, Charles Rayburn,” Valerie whispered. “We love you so much. You want nothing more than to protect us… even if it’s from the horrible aristocrats.”
“I know this is our first party together,” I breathed. “But all of you have to treat me differently than you do. You can’t act like you do when we’re at home. You’ve seen and heard how Daisy treats me in front of other aristocrats. I need you to treat me that way.”
“I-I… I don’t think I can do that,” Valerie shook her head. “I love you so much, Charles, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“It won’t hurt my feelings, my love,” I assured her. “I’m used to it at this point. I’ve heard it for so long that their words don’t bother me anymore. Sometimes I have to wonder if the consorts, servants, and workers are bothered by their rhetoric anymore… We’ve heard it every day since we’re born into this world, it’s almost as if we’re used to it by now.”
“I’m sure it would hurt me if I had to hear that females were terrible every day,” Daisy sighed. “Not only that, but to be talked down to, and treated like slaves just because you’re a certain gender… so horrible. I’m sure that they don’t pay their workers very well. Practically nothing to what their female counterparts bring in just because they’re aristocrats. It sounds like a horrible life. Why can’t we all be equal? I want nothing more than for men to be treated better than they are now.”
“Me, too,” Valerie muttered. “They didn’t do anything to deserve to be treated this way. I know it’s because women developed powers over time, but so what? They could’ve used those strengths for good, not evil. They’ve basically taken an entire sex and turned them into pack mules. It disgusts me.”
“I only wish that one day…” Rian trialed off, cleared her throat, and then started again. “I can stand shoulder to shoulder with my mate, exchange vows, and be his wife and mother of his spawn. Those are the only things in this world that I want… but not only that, I want it for other men, too. All of these women are so angry all the time. The only memories I received from Ortensia are veiled in a scarlet haze of red. She was so angry, and it made no sense. She had money, prestige, a career, and yet she was filled with insatiable anger that nobody could extinguish. I have to wonder… what made her that way? Was it the possession of such power? But when I look at my sisters and I see the way that they react to the world around them, I know that can’t be true. Both Valerie and Daisy hold substantial power at their fingertips, but they’re nothing like Ortensia or Edony. They’re happy with their lives… and I have to wonder, does it have anything to do with you, Charles?”
“I’ve thought the same thing,” Daisy nodded. “Delphine was never happy. She hated everything and everyone around her. It was like an unstoppable towering wave of hatred, and it only grew larger and larger within her until the day we killed her. There was no way that she would get past it, no way she could overcome it, and if she’d continued to live, it would’ve gotten worse. You think she would’ve enjoyed a little bit of her time with her consorts, but the only time she truly felt pleasure was when she was hurting them, and then that flash of happiness would disappear in a second.”
“That’s horrible…” the ash-blonde bleated. “I don’t understand how they can do such horrendous things to each other and the men they employ. It disgusts me.”
“Hey, now,” I soothed. “This is supposed to be a happy and exciting day. No more long faces, okay? We may be going to a party where there will be aristocrats, but I want you to forget about them for a little while, understand? This is about all of us and Ms. Josephine. Just a few minutes ago, you were bursting with excitement to meet her, what happened to that? I know you’re upset about the state of the world, but let’s enjoy this night together. Valerie and Rian get to dress up and go out for the first time in the eyes of society. It’s a cause for celebration! No more muddling over the things that we can’t change right now. Yes, I’d love to change the world, but we have to take it one step at a time.”
“You’re right, Charles!” Valerie cried. “This is our night, and I’m not going to let some horrible aristocrats ruin it! Alright, Daisy, Rian, let’s get started! I’m ready to get primped and powdered!”
“I’ll leave the three of you to it,” I chuckled. “I’ll make myself some breakfast and maybe trundle around the laboratory for a little while. Later in the afternoon, I’ll hitch up our wagon, get dressed, and then all of us will leave. Sound good to everyone?”
“Yes, Charles,” Daisy smiled. “It may take a while, but we’ll be ready to leave in a few hours.”
“It’s alright,” I chuckled. “I expected as much. Take as much time as you need. I can wait for you downstairs.”
I tucked my shirt into my trousers, placed my suspenders over my shoulders, smiled at my women, and then hurried out of the room. Right before I closed the door, all three of my monster-women grinned and waved excitedly.
I sighed softly under my breath, rolled my shoulders, and then hopped down the steps. It was going to be a long day waiting on them, but I didn’t mind, I had a few things in the laboratory I needed to tidy up before I got myself ready. As I headed toward the kitchen to fix myself something to eat, I heard their voices from upstairs behind the closed door. Despite the gloomy conversation we had, they sounded happy and they laughed loudly together. I could pick out each woman by the sound of her laugh. Valerie’s was hiccupping and loud, Rian’s echoed as the imp-woman threw back her head and belly-laughed, and Daisy’s was the softest, and most girlish.
I hastily made myself some
thing to eat, a thick sandwich and a tall glass of milk, and I sucked it all down at the small kitchen table. Once I was done, I placed my plate in the sink, dusted off my hands, sighed softly, and headed out the front door toward my laboratory.
I had to make a few repairs on my machine, a few broken pieces here and there from the last experiment, but the damage wasn’t as bad as it had been before. I needed to replace two panels, examine the electrical components, replace any of them that had blown, replace the panel, and lock it up tight. I needed to sanitize not only the examination table from last night, but compartment C needed to be cleaned, too. Delphine had rotted in there, Ortensia’s body had laid there overnight, and it wasn’t exactly clean.
“Alright,” I breathed, opened up the door to the laboratory, propped open the door, and then stepped inside. “Time to get started.”
“So, you’re back,” A.B. drawled. “How was your evening? Mine was fantastic if you’re asking. You may already know, but Daisy made paella last night, and it looked absolutely scrumptious. I’m sure you ate it later once you came up for air… four hours later with Rian in tow.”
“Yes, the paella was delicious,” I nodded. “I’ve heard that it’s a complicated recipe to master, but Daisy made it perfectly.”
“So, no reaction to my light ribbing? Boo, Charles, boo,” the brain chuckled. “What are you doing down here? Don’t you have a party to prepare for?”
“No, not yet,” I uttered. “The ladies have to get ready first because it takes them longer. So, I’m going to make a few changes with my machine to pass the time. Around six-thirty, I’ll go upstairs, hitch the horses, wash up, get dressed, do something with my hair, maybe slick it back, and then we’ll leave for the party.”
“I almost wish that I could go,” the brain sighed. “But, alas, I am a mere brain, unsuitable for such high society.”
“I’d gladly bring you along, but I doubt anyone would be happy with that,” I chuckled. “You know how Edony reacted every time she saw you. Imagine that but with an entire room full of aristocrats.”
“You said this party is basically all costumes, right?” A.B. asked. “Well, you could dress up like a mad scientist. Complete with wild hair, a few streaks of dirt here and there, maybe a ripped part of your shirt, and a brain in a jar. It’d be perfect!”
“That does sound pretty funny,” I smiled. “But a little too on the nose, don’t you think? People already think that I’m either some type of insane scientist or an alchemist. I can’t let them see me like that. Not only that, but you know how the Duchess treated you, you’d be getting that from all sides. The catty remarks, the harsh looks, the whole lot.”
“I would not like that. I’m too handsome and sensitive,” the brain bobbed. “But the Duchess did call me an ‘installment,’ that must mean I’m a work of art, right?”
“You’re a work of… something, alright?” I tittered. “Maybe a work of art, I’m not sure, but you’re definitely something.”
I chuckled softly, grabbed the new pieces of paneling, dragged them toward my machine, picked up my bag of tools, stepped toward the enormous metal contraption, and then got to work. I removed the first panel, peered inside with my handmade light, clicked my tongue at the burnt electrical components, and then grabbed the replacements from the side table. I hastily pulled the old ones out of their sockets, replaced them with the brand-new ones, and then replaced the paneling. Once I was finished with that, I put back all of my tools, crossed the room, opened up one of the larger cabinets, grabbed a cleaning solution I’d concocted for the machine’s metal exterior, and a few rags.
I stepped forward, opened up the second compartment, glanced in, and then grimaced. The small, closed-off room had a dank smell inside, and I already knew exactly what it was… death. So many men and a handful of women had died in this small space, and as I stepped in, I examined each of the walls. There were indents in the metal walls where the patients had pounded at it feebly with their fists, and when I turned toward the open door, there were scorch marks from the first female patient.
I sighed softly, gripped the rag in my hand, and sprayed all of the walls, ceiling, and floor with the cleaning solution. I wiped down the walls and then the ceiling, but when I glanced down at the floor, it had a bit of a greenish tint.
Delphine’s rotted face flashed back into my mind. My lips instinctively pressed into a firm line, I bent down, and wiped away all of the traces of the horrible woman away. I grunted as I stood, held the dirty rag loosely in one hand, and the bottle of cleaning solution in the other. I exited the compartment, glanced at the clock, nodded once, tossed the dirty rag into a wastebasket, replaced the bottle of cleanser in its cabinet, and then stepped toward the door. I hastily hitched the horses to the wagon, guided them out of the carriage house, and then tied them off in front of the manor.
I hurried upstairs into the manor, climbed the stairs, passed my bedroom where I could still hear my women’s voices as they giggled happily together, and I smiled to myself and headed toward the master bathroom. My suit was hung up on one of the hooks on the wall, and I examined it for a second, it’d been given to me by the Duchess when she wanted me to attend a ball, and I hadn’t worn it since. I was sure that the last time I wore it I had no idea that the next time I put it on, I’d be living in a house full of women who loved me.
I quietly got dressed in the comfort of my master bath. When I finished, I had to admit I did look quite handsome in the outfit that the Duchess had purchased for me long ago. White silky fabric frothed at my throat on top of the white pressed button-down shirt. Over the top of it, I wore a black overcoat with two long tails at the end and a single scarlet stripe down both of the arms. The coat cinched in at my hips, and underneath it, my trousers were the same shade of black with the stripe of scarlet to match the jacket.
Hundreds of years ago, I would’ve been an eligible bachelor, and now to the public’s eye, I was nothing but a lowly consort indebted to my Mistress. I didn’t really care that they thought that about me, but I was more than that, I had accomplished so much in my lifetime. I wanted to be seen for that, but… I knew that wouldn’t happen any time soon.
I grunted, damped my fingers in the faucet, ran them through my messy black hair, and then leaned back.”Not too bad,” I chuckled after I had finished getting ready. “Could be worse.”
I shook my head, grabbed the handle to the bathroom, waltzed out, and trundled down the stairs to the front door. I reached for the handle right as the bedroom door swung open, and Valerie’s sweet voice called out to me.
“Chaaaarles?” the feline-woman giggled. “Are you ready to see us?”
“I have your mask, too, Charles,” Daisy interjected. “You’ll have to put it on before we get there, though. I’m not sure you could drive in it.”
“I’m ready,” I grinned. “And waiting to see my beautiful women.”
Chapter Eleven
Valerie was the first to float down the stairs. When I saw her, my heart pounded in my chest, my mouth felt dry, and I stared up at her in awe. Her dress wasn’t what I was expecting at all when we’d gone to the tailors. The feline-woman had specifically requested something in pink, but this was in a deep, royal blue that looked like the color of the ocean on a stormy night. The skirt of the dress was shorter in the front and longer in the back with overlays of frilly blue lace. The dress revealed her pale, beautiful legs to me, and from out behind her, her tail twitched excitedly. The top of the dress came down into a sweetheart neckline, while the sleeves were entirely made from the same blue lace and cinched at her delicate wrists.
Golden thread had been woven into the skirt, and when the cat-girl stepped down beside me, it glittered in the light from above our heads. Her long ash-blonde hair had been painstakingly curled into tight ringlets, and then half of it had been pulled up at the back to create something like a fountain effect. Her lips were a deep wine color, her cheeks were a dusted light pink, either from rouge or a deep natural blush, a
nd her blue eyes sparkled happily. The stunning cat-girl wore a half-mask over her features, and I could tell from the shape of it, it was supposed to be cat-related. Whiskers poked out of small holes at the rounded cheeks, two small fangs pointed downward into her cheeks, and the eyeholes were slanted slightly in a feline way.
“I thought you wanted pink?” I asked. “I thought for sure that Daisy had bought you a pink dress.”
“I did,” the feline-woman giggled. “But there must have been some sort of mix-up at the shop. I was sure if we sent a courier to tell them, the workers making the dresses would’ve been punished, and I didn’t want that to happen. I was a little upset when I first opened the box, but then I tried on the dress and it was so, so pretty. I love it so much.”
“You look… absolutely stunning,” I whispered. “I thought my heart would stop the moment I laid my eyes on you… How did I get so lucky?”
“I’m coming down!” Rian cackled. “Ready or not, here I come!”
I grabbed Valerie by the shoulder, pulled her tightly to my side, sighed softly, and then aimed my eyes back up toward the staircase right as Rian made her descent. I gulped loudly, almost choked, coughed for a second, cleared my throat, and then grinned up at the red-skinned imp-woman.
Her dress was emerald green just as Daisy had planned in the tailor’s shop, and all of the fabric was covered in intricate beadwork that glittered and glinted in the light. When she stepped down, I could almost make out shapes in the delicate beading, but when she moved, it changed, and I saw something else completely different. The imp-woman’s dress was more of a ball gown style, the bell of the skirt came down and brushed at the floor elegantly. It was completely sleeveless, and the neckline came down into a deep V-shape and revealed all of her enormous cleavage to us. The hem of the dress was bordered with intricate black embroidery, and I could pick out small slivers of golden thread there, too.