Shocked by this man's brazen words, I stared at him while he laughed silently, picking at his food. The more I looked, the more disgusted I felt. His double and triple chins jiggled like jelly. Sweat made his face shine in the candlelight and stained his shirt around his neck and armpits. How a male specimen like this feels above females, anyone at all, is beyond my comprehension. It took me way longer than it should to shake myself out of that stunned state, but then anger boiled inside me.
"What do you mean?"
A simple question. A short question since I could not trust myself to keep my cool using even more words. Besides that, his reaction told me more than his words ever could.
"Ehh... mean?"
"Yes? Because, for me, what you are describing sounds more like a brothel than your traditional Lilifolia days."
In all seriousness, I stared at him, and he stared back, searching my face. Was it hard for this imbecile to comprehend the question, or did I miss something here? How he was staring me up and down made me doubt myself for a second.
"Well, yeah! Of course, it will be nothing like Lilifolia! That is the point of it all! But brothel?!"
He scoffed before he continued.
"You know brothels are strictly forbidden here! What a disgrace to even suggest that! Lord Asher will provide our culture with the mates we deserve and need. Training to be the perfect wife in all aspects, if you know what I mean! But also to pick off all the bad habits, mindsets, and outrageous behavior, they learned in the human world! Did you know we once had a woman here that believed she was a doctor? Not a nurse, but a full-on doctor!? The worst part is she even claimed she was a surgeon! Screamed and yelled for us to let her help a doomed young girl? "
"What do you mean, doomed young girl?"
"One of those weak humans came here already pregnant, and guess what? She couldn't even give birth right! And this other woman, that so-called doctor, believed she could save her! She claimed she needed to cut the children out of her, but we all knew it was no use. If a woman cannot give birth on her own, there is nothing we can do! Can you believe it? A woman wanting to cut open another? Talking against our elder medicine man that had ages of experience? Outrageous! She really made a fool of herself, made other females act up, and eventually, the elder had no other choice but to, you know, subdue her."
"They killed her?"
I almost shouted at him.
"Goddess, no! What is wrong with you? Of course not! The elder had a method, and like you know, he has the experience to do whatever he need to! No, she calmed down, and the raucous amongst the women finally calmed down. From a redheaded, vibrant woman to a silent and submissive one. She was, of course, no longer mate or wife material, but that experience showed us how a change was needed, and that is why we need Lord Asher's new mindset! So, we can all prevent this from ever happening again. That human girl over there has already been under his care for a month now, and see how well she behaves! That is way better than Betty managed. The rumors said she acted like an animal, an extremely slow learner, even for a female human!"
He laughed like a choking pig, and a wave of disgust welled inside of me. My fists clenched on the table, making my fork cling to my plate. The sound was enough to catch the horrid man's attention, but only for a second. The sharp sound of a knife knocking on a crystal glass echoed around the table. One by one, we turned towards the sound, and all conversations died out. My eyes locked with Tew's just for a second when I realized who stood at the end of the table with a flashing smile.
"Can I have your attention, please?"
Her voice flowed in the room, soft and feminine. Could this be the girl the Fay King talked about? Could this be Eir's sister?
"Thank you, gentlemen. I believe most of you have heard of me or girls like me. Unruly and unwilling to learn the new ways. "
She flashed us a stunning smile as low, rumbling laughter spread out, supporting her statement.
"Then again, you all know the cost of resources and time it takes to have these girls attend the Lilifoila days, not to mention Madam Betty's training."
The men started nodding and mumbling their agreements between themselves. Her eyes sparkled as they moved slowly over the crowd; she had their full attention.
"Then you also know, despite the cost, there is never a given it will work. No training and no stay at the castle has ever guaranteed anything but a half-obedient mate. A mate that learned how to bow to look down, and to cook. But that doesn't get you far, does it?"
More nods, and several men started vocalizing their agreement louder, rousing up the rest of the crowd. Worried, I looked at the young girl, but she seemed to feed on this rising energy.
"I also know Lord Asher has pitched his idea before, and even if your support was there, it was not enough! Do you want this change? Do we need this change? Isn't it time we spare the recourses, stop wasting so much time?"
Her voice rose with each question, and something in her eyes changed. What first looked like a stunning, insecure girl using her looks to grab the men's attention grew into something else. Her wide blue eyes, which seemed so naïve and welcoming, now felt cold and calculated. Her engaging energy extended to the men around the table. Some nodded while they looked to be deep in thought, and others clapped the neighbor's shoulder, showing their agreement with words and nods. What the hell is happening here?
"Then it is time to show that support! I will, by my own free will, lead this project with Lord Asher. Of course, the King himself will follow the project closely, but we do need tour support! This program will ensure a 100% success rate, and we will achieve it in a shorter period than Madam Betty ever managed! We do not ask for your gold or pennies, but we do need females. We need at least five females! "
Absolute silence followed, and for the first time, nobody nodded in agreement. After a couple of seconds, one of the men at the end table stood up,
"And what does that mean? Are you taking our mates away? And for what?"
"Of course not, my Lord. If you are satisfied with your mate, that is great. We want the others. The ones that never managed to adapt. In exchange, we promise a perfect mate back after just one week."
Mumbling followed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least they are not as stupid as they all looked for a while!
"You can have my mate!"
A deep voice roared, and a whimpering female sound followed shortly after.