by Eric Vall
“That sounds wonderful,” Daisy smiled. “But please clean up after yourself once you’re finished, alright? I don’t mind cleaning up after you, but it gets a little tedious.”
“Ooookay,” the ash-blonde grinned. “I’ll pick up everything I play with.”
“The library was covered in red yarn,” Rian chuckled, stepped into the room, and slid into the chair beside me.
“I found it in the attic,” the cat-girl admitted. “I couldn’t help myself, I’m part cat, you know.”
“But you could’ve rolled it back together once you were finished,” the imp-woman giggled. “It was a mess, it was all over the place! I even found pieces stuck on top of the shelves, I don’t know how you got it up there, but you did.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but a soft knock in the distance broke me away from my train of thought. All our heads turned toward the front door, Valerie and Rian froze, and a pained expression crossed over Daisy’s face.
“Who could it be?” the ash-blonde hissed.
The imp-woman and the blonde slowly stood from their chairs, their muscles tensed and ready to flee toward the other rooms where they couldn’t be seen.
“Could it be the Duchess?” Daisy asked. “Why would she be here? Ortensia only ‘died’ last night, you’d think she’d take a couple days before coming directly here.”
“You two, Rian, Valerie, stay in here,” I instructed. “I’m going to go check who it is. If it’s the Duchess, I’ll cough loudly, and I want you to take that as a sign to hide somewhere. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Charles,” Valerie nodded, hurried to the side of the room, pressed herself against the wall, and then peeked down the hall toward the front door.
Rian nodded, scurried over next to the feline-woman, ducked down, and peered out beside her. The red-skinned woman towered over her blonde sister, her black, spiraling horns scraped against the wall, but her orange eyes were wide. It would’ve been comical if my heart weren’t pounding and my palms sweating. I nodded to each of them, formed my hands into fists, and then stomped down the hall toward the silhouette against the glass of the front door.
My hand rested against the handle for a second, I took a deep breath, prepared myself for whoever was outside, and then opened the front door. Bright morning sunlight flooded in, blinded me for a second, and I blinked to focus my gaze.
“Good morning, Charles,” a familiar voice soothed. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Josephine stood in front of me, and I drank in her stunning appearance for a moment. The blonde wore a casual dress compared to the ones I’d seen before, the top was long-sleeved, pristine white with small black buttons down the front with a black bow at the throat, and the long, floor-length skirt was a light sage color. Her waist was tiny, but from the way she stepped forward smoothly, I knew that it was natural and not corseted like most of the other aristocrats’.
Her light blonde hair was naturally curled around her shoulders with small sections at the sides of her head pulled back and cinched together with a bow. I couldn’t tell if her cheeks were lightly rouged or if she were blushing at the sight of me, but her skin looked fresh and clean with a youthful glow. Her kind eyes glittered in the bright sunlight, she held a small envelope in her gloved hand, and then stepped forward with a wide smile.
“No,” I smiled. “You haven’t disturbed me, Josephine.”
I said her name loud enough for all of my women listening to hear, and I could’ve sworn I heard all three of them sigh out of relief. I was relieved, too, I certainly wasn’t in the mood to deal with Edony if it’d been her, or any of the other aristocrats.
“I’m sorry to have come so early, though,” the blonde admitted. “But I was just so excited that I couldn’t delay anymore. I spent most of the morning pacing the halls of my manor waiting for an appropriate time to visit.”
“What can I do for you today, Ms. Josephine?” I asked. “I wasn’t expecting a visit so soon after we last spoke.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking since we talked then,” Josephine shyly blurted out. “We mentioned balls, and ever since then, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I’ve decided that I wanted to throw one. It’s been a very long time since I’ve hosted anyone, and I’d like to very much, especially since you mentioned that you’d come. This invitation includes you and Ms. Browning, of course. If she would be interested in coming, so I hope that the two of you do.”
Josephine held out the envelope, smiled sweetly up at me, and then flushed an even deeper shade of red once I took it. I turned the paper over in my hands, noticed the wax seal on the back, and examined Josephine’s crest for a second.
“You don’t have to come,” the blonde murmured. “I know how you spoke of hating social gatherings, but I hope that you do, I would love to host you and Ms. Browning for a night of dancing, food, and drinks. I sadly had to invite most of the city, I hope you understand, but word gets around, you know how they get if there’s a party and they’re not invited.”
“No, I understand,” I nodded. “I’m sure that my Mistress will be delighted when I tell her.”
“Oh, it’s also a masquerade,” the blonde chirped. “So, I hope to see you in your best with masks and all. I already know that Ms. Browning will look so lovely, she’s already so pretty in the dresses she wears. I cannot wait to see how she looks when she arrives, that’s the best part, the arrival. I’m just so excited, I’ve been planning all night and day, but I wanted to drop off your invitation personally.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I breathed. “Thank you, Ms. Josephine, I’m sure that Ms. Browning and I would be delighted to come.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Josephine glowed. “I look forward to receiving you!”
I held the letter tightly in one hand, swept forward into a low bow, and then righted myself. Ms. Josephine grinned up at me, her eyes almost squeezed shut, and her cheeks flushed a soft pink. The blonde nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, curtsied low to me, turned, hurried down the stairs, glanced over her shoulder once more, grinned, and then grabbed the door to her carriage.
The blonde aristocrat slipped inside, waved to me from the window, and I stood in the doorway as her carriage turned and then moved down the long drive. I waited there until it was gone in the distance, turned on my heels, and stepped down the hall toward the kitchen. All three of my women waited at the table, swiveled in their seats as I entered into the room, and then smiled up at me.
“Ms. Josephine is throwing a ball?” Daisy asked.
“Yes,” I nodded, tore into the letter, and then scanned the paper for the details. “This coming Saturday at nine o’clock. It’s a masquerade, it’s for Daisy and me.”
“I want to go!” Valerie pouted. “A ball! That sounds like so much fuuun! We’d get to dress up and see all of Edenhart at night!”
“A ball?” Rian asked. “Is that anything like a raginzaman-zainma?”
“A… a what?” I chuckled.
“You know?” the imp-woman gestured. “A raginzaman-zainma? We’d wear ceremonial robes, drink brewed mushroom wine, and dance the light away with the other imps. Come on, you have to have heard of the infamous raginzaman-zainma.”
“It must be an imp thing,” I smiled. “But it sounds similar to a ball here on the surface. We don’t wear ceremonial robes, but women wear ball gowns, and the servants and consorts wear suits. It’s all very grand and elegant, I’ve only been to a few, and the Duchess mostly summoned me.”
“But what’s a masquerade, Charles?” Daisy asked. “I’m familiar with balls from Delphine’s memories, but I’ve never heard such a word.”
“A masquerade is kind of like a ball,” I informed them. “But you wear elaborate costumes and masks.”
“Oooooh!” the feline-woman gushed. “That sounds like soooo much fun! Can we go, Charles? Can all of us go? Me, you, Daisy, and Rian? Please, please, puhh-leeeease!”
“I would like to go,” the imp-woman n
odded. “I thirst for a night of revelry, drinking, and debauchery as I did when I experienced raginzaman-zainma.”
“I don’t know about debauchery,” I snickered. “But there will be dancing, drinking, and things like that.”
“I’m not sure they can go…” Daisy muttered. “You are monster-women, after all… Rian has horns, and red skin, and you have ears and a tail… People would definitely notice.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I mused as I tapped my chin with my pointer finger.
“What do you mean?” the bear-girl gasped. “Rian has horns for crying out loud, I’m only thinking of our family… what if someone sees, and we all know that someone will notice!”
“Well, for one, it’s a masquerade,” I offered. “People will be wearing intricate costumes, some with horns, too, and masks, so a woman with horns and red-skin wouldn’t be that out of place or noticeable.”
“Do you think so?” the brunette asked. “I know I said that I didn’t know much about masquerades, but is that normal?”
“Oh, absolutely,” I nodded. “I doubt if we bought all of your costumes anyone would notice you at all. They’d think you were just another aristocrat enjoying the party.”
“I love the idea, and I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to ruin the fun,” the bear-girl mumbled. “But aren’t people going to ask questions if you bring along two other women?”
“We are sisters,” Rian boomed. “We will tell them as such! We may not be blood, but you are my family, and we will tell everyone as such!”
“Maybe not sisters,” I pondered. “It wouldn’t be believable with the letters we sent from the Browning family to the Duchess, and I know for sure that Edony will be there, the Duchess may not like to be in public, but she never misses a social event such as this. Cousins, perhaps, visiting from the city… wanting to get a small taste of country life since Ms. Browning moved.”
“That’s better!” Rian cackled. “You are brilliant, Charles! My cousins! Not sisters, but still related by blood. There is an old imp saying that my parents would often quote when I fought with my younger sisters, it goes like this, ‘Nagonrok-monatok mofunoano romonanok gratanran!’”
“And what does it mean?” Valerie asked.
“Blood is thicker than water,” Rian bellowed. “We may not be sisters in this scenario, but you are still the only ones I will protect and care for.”
“Then it’s settled,” I smiled. “All of us are going to Josephine’s masquerade.”
I glanced at each of them, Rian leaned back in her chair, ran her taloned nails through her thick hair, and smiled up at the ceiling. Valerie wriggled in her seat, her hands held tightly to her chest, and giggled every few seconds. Daisy was the only one who looked concerned, but I placed my large hand on top of hers, squeezed it, and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Everything will be alright, no one will suspect a thing,” I promised. “Not only that, but the aristocrats are so full of themselves, I’m sure they’ll be more concerned about themselves and their outfits to notice anyone else, especially the three of you.”
“Thank you, Charles,” the bear-girl smiled. “I feel a bit better now, I’m even excited, too. I just bet that Ms. Josephine will be gorgeous in her costume, she is such a stunning woman.”
“That’s funny,” I chuckled. “Because she said the very same thing about you.”
“But Chaaaarles!” Valerie cried. “You’re missing the most important paaart!”
“And what is that, my dear?” I asked.
“We get to go to the masquerade,” the feline-woman bubbled. “But more importantly, we get to pick out our dresses, and our masks! The whole costume! This is so, so exciting!”
Chapter Six
Since it was decided that all of us would go to the masquerade, Daisy and I agreed that the two of us would go into town and pick out everyone’s costumes. I packed up the wagon, hitched the horses, and sat in the driver’s seat as Daisy got ready to leave. I brought the cart around the gravel drive and waited just below the stairs for her.
I turned in my seat, looked out over the rolling hills, and breathed in the crisp air. It was a beautiful day, and it was clear that fall was fast approaching. The leaves rustling in the light breeze were just starting to turn brown, the long grass rustling up the hill looked less green, and the air brushing at my hair felt cooler. I never minded the change of the seasons before, it was just something that happened each year, but now, I had something to look forward to. None of my women had experienced fall or winter, and had never seen snow before, maybe they had from their memories of the past, but they’d never witnessed it for themselves.
One of my favorite things about my monster-women was that everything in my world, everything that I thought was mundane or boring, was new and exciting to them. I got to show them new things each and every day, I saw their eyes light up with wonder, and their mouths drop open in awe. It gave me something to be excited about every morning, and I looked forward to teaching them new and exciting things.
“Are you ready to go?” a familiar voice asked from above.
I raised my head, took in Daisy’s gorgeous appearance, and nodded once. Sometimes, I felt overwhelmed by their beauty, I always wanted to ask myself how I got so lucky, but it was all thanks to science. None of them, not Valerie, Daisy, or Rian would exist if it weren’t for science, my machine, and a little bit of my accidental genius. I even had to thank the Duchess for a little bit of it. If it weren’t for Edony and her need for super-soldiers, none of my monster-women would exist in the first place.
“Yes,” I breathed, swallowed hard, and then drank her in as she swept down the stairs toward the wagon.
The bear-girl wore a thigh-length dress, something that I would never see an aristocrat wearing, the fabric of the skirt was a red plaid, and cinched at her waist with bright gold buttons. Her arms were covered in the same red fabric, while her chest was covered in a lacy, white fabric. Her large breasts peeked out of the top of the dress, and a beautiful gold necklace rested on their pillowy tops. Her light brown hair was pinned back at the sides, almost like Josephine’s was this morning, and small, white flowers peaked out of the sections. And it was all topped off with the most charming matching bonnet to hide her ears.
“Valerie told me exactly what she wanted,” the bear-girl smiled. “While Rian only gave me a vague description, only that she wants something emerald green and black, which should be pretty easy to find.”
“I bet that will contrast well with her skin tone,” I nodded. “What does Valerie want?”
The bear-girl climbed up beside me, settled herself into the driver’s seat, and rested her gloved hands in her lap. I took the reins into my hands, slapped the leather straps against the horses’ backs, and pulled away from the house. The sun was hot on our backs, but the breeze that brushed up the hill was cool on our faces. Soon, the skies would cloud over, and heavy fall rains would come, but I didn’t mind.
“Something baby pink,” Daisy giggled. “Or bright pink, or white… like a wedding dress. She found an old book in your library, and it had illustrations of a wedding in it. I think she wants to look like a bride or something like that.”
“But don’t all of you?” I asked. “I know that Rian has made it clear that she wants me as a mate.”
“Have I not made it clear enough?” the bear-girl chuckled. “I want to be nothing more than your wife, and to carry your children eventually. I believe that I’ve told you that on multiple occasions.”
“You have,” I breathed. “I’m still floored that those are words that have been spoken to me in my lifetime.”
“What do you mean?” the brunette asked. “You never imagined someone telling you that they loved you, wanted to marry you, and have children?”
“I know it’s hard to understand,” I grunted. “But in this society, women don’t… do that, they never have, and they never will. I never imagined it because I never thought it was possible until I creat
ed Valerie.”
“Well, it’s all very real,” Daisy giggled. “All three of us love you, and want all of those things, even though Rian may be the one who voices it the most often. I’m sure that when we create more monster-girls, they’ll want the very same thing, too, and they will tell you every day.”
“Sometimes, I forget that outside of our home,” I muttered. “It’s different, that women don’t feel the same way that all of you do. So, it’s a bit of a shock going out into public, and seeing how men are treated.”
“It’s abominable,” the bear-girl growled under her breath. “Every time we go somewhere, I want to scream at the aristocrats, they treat their servants, consorts, and workers so terribly, and all the men are doing is trying to survive. I want to create a new world where everyone is equal, no one is over the other, and men are allowed to live as they please.”
“I’m not so sure if that’s possible right now,” I uttered. “It’s been this way for… hundreds of years.”
“Well, it changed once,” the bear-girl stated. “At some tipping point, women received powers, and men were placed lower than them. If it changed once, it could change again, but not only that… if it took so long for women to develop powers, don’t you think at some point, if they keep breeding with men, that the males will receive powers, too?”
“I don’t think anyone has thought about that,” I chuckled. “But it could be possible. No one knows how the powers developed over time, it just happened, but I’m sure it’s somehow passed through our DNA.”
“DNA?” the bear-girl asked. “What’s that?”
“It’s a new scientific idea I read about in journals. Fredrink Meischer said, the doctor that discovered it, DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It’s the genetic code that determines all the characteristics of a living thing,” I informed her. “Everything in this world contains DNA, from the plants around us to the animals. Think of it as the blueprint that makes us… us. When a child is born, it shares the DNA from both parents, fifty percent from the father, and fifty percent from the mother.”
