“Have you started it on drugs?”
The maids wheeled in the other guests’ toys from outside; they all appeared drugged, eyes glazed and hunched over the wounds in their arms.
In the process of being tamed, it seems that some of these toys had become addicted to their sedatives.
“I’m not against using sedatives, but I’d hate for my toy to become docile,” I said. “Submissive prey aren’t as satisfying to kill, after all.”
The silence was deafening, but then a laugh erupted from beside me.
“Ah… Of course! It’s your first toy, so of course you should make its death a memorable one!”
The other attendees murmured, some in agreement, and others in amusement.
“I’ve never thought about that before. But I agree, drugging just makes them stupid.”
“What’s the problem? I love when they just do everything I say.”
“True- I hate it when they disobey me.”
“But Xana,” an older woman’s voice rang out from amongst the chatter. “Considering your toy’s temperament, drugging it may not be a bad idea.”
“Yes,” Maria mused. “I heard why Charlotte was sent to the punishment chamber. Lanche said it was the scion of Pedelian- such a fuss that stupid thing caused.”
Someone cleared their throat, ending the silence. I was Grizelda, my half-sister, tucking her brown locks behind her ear and studying me with her ruby eyes.
Grizelda and I were the same age, and got along decently. She glanced over at the older woman, and appeared to be embarrassed about Charlotte’s juvenile outburst. “Hm… I was looking forward to seeing Xana’s new toy, but he’ll just have to pay a visit some other time.”
Maria clapped her hands again. She seems to be in a good mood today.
“Now that everyone has gathered, I’d like to show you all my new doll!”
Something inside me groaned at the sight of Maria’s bright face. She laughed, beckoning over a maid who was waiting in the corner of the greenhouse.
I looked at my mother, whose face had visibly crumpled.
After a while, a woman stumbled into the greenhouse, hands and legs shackled. Her face was made up garishly, but she really did look like a doll. As she neared out table, however, we saw past the nymphic make-up to reveal a hollow, scarred face.
“Everyone welcome Lewell. We all remember Lewell, right?”
Ah. Lewell. The head maid. Or ex-head maid, I should say.
Without Maria’s introduction, however, it would have been difficult to recognise Lewell’s face like this. How could you, when her face was so horribly disfigured?
“Come, Lewell. Don’t be rude. Greet our esteemed guests.”
Lewell’s head slowly rose to meet Maria. “… Oh… uh… ah.”
Maria didn’t elaborate on the reason for Lewell’s punishment- though did she ever need a reason to torture someone?- but it appeared that Lewell’s tongue had been cut off.
It was such a bizarre sight- a corpse-like woman wearing a beautiful, brand-new gown, wandering limply from table to table while the guests fawned over her ghastly appearance. My mother’s face had turned ashen.
“Sierra,” Maria chirped. “How do you like my new doll? Isn’t it cuter than my last one?”
Maria grabbed Lewell’s palm and placed it in front of Sierra’s plate. The funny thing was, Maria wasn’t doing this to my mother in bad faith- she truly believed that showing Lewell off was the equivalent to two friends having amicable conversations about how their day went, etcetera.
My mother replied by stuttering out a few syllables. A relieved smile bloomed on Maria’s face.
“Lewell! Isn’t that wonderful?! Sierra must like you. Why don’t you return the favour and pour her another cup of tea?”
Lewell bowed brokenly, reaching for the teapot. When she tried to lift it up, however, her arm slacked and she dropped it, shattering the porcelain and spilling the tea on my mother.
“Oh, Sierra!” Maria got up and began fussing over Sierra with napkins. “Sierra, are you okay, the tea must be hot. Were you burned at all?”
“No…” Sierra let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m quite alright.”
Maria turned curtly towards Lewell. “Lewell, how are you so incompetent? To go so far as spilling tea on an esteemed guest…”
Lewell’s mistakes would surely not go unpunished, and my mother must have realized the gravity of the situation.
“… Ah, Maria…” my mother began. “Lewell didn’t do anything wrong. It was an accident. So there’s no need for her to be punished…”
“Sierra, you’re really too kind.” Though Maria admired the softness of my mother’s heart, she shook her head. “But I can’t let it go. Your hands could have been burned and scarred by Lewell. Sarah, take Lewell away.”
Then, amidst the chatter, a sharp clang of breaking porcelain rang out. I laughed softly, saying, “Oh, apologies. I dropped my teacup by mistake.”
“Mother.” I continued. “I think your hands are a little red. Should we go cool it off with some cold water before it starts to swell?”
Fortunately, my mother seemed to understand the meaning of my words. “It may be better to get your hands examined by a physician.”
“Oh, yes, Sierra.” Maria chimed in. “We can’t have your beautiful skin be ruined.” She called for another maid to escort my mother to the physician’s office.
Only after my mother had left could I enjoy Maria’s tea party with a lighter conscience.
