Elentinus laughed harder, hugged me, and kissed my forehead.
“Tell them we’ll address them in an hour.”
“Master!”
Elentinus made a ‘go away’ gesture with his hand.
Whore fumed, but obeyed with his customary grumble.
Elentinus stroked my hair once he was gone.
“He gets so excited when we have visitors.”
I laughed through my nostrils.
“And why did he have to wear the ceremonial costume?
Now we’re going to have to dress up as well.”
“Ooo!
I want to dress up.”
“Bleh.”
I gave him a soft punch on shoulder.
He rolled over and started to rise.
I started crawling my way to the other side of the bed, but then realized he’d stopped moving.
Elentinus sat frozen on his edge of the bed.
I stared at the defined sinews on his back.
“Husband?”
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Maritza…your ceremonial dress, it’s very revealing.
You may not care for it.”
I frowned.
“Does it cover the important bits?”
Elentinus seemed to be considering.
“Shindray said that when you have a male guest you should display your wife to him as a trophy.
He came up with a bright red dress with a bodice open down the middle.
It shows far more flesh than the drab black dresses he proscribed for everyday wear.”
My brow furrowed.
I had no idea their old evil druid had been a fashion designer.
He looked back at me.
“I suppose since we are no longer bound by Shindray’s rules you could wear your normal dress, adorned with jewels.”
“Can…can I at least try on the other dress?
If you think I look too slutty I’ll change for you.”
Elentinus smiled.
“You may wear whichever dress you prefer, my dear.”
We went to our respective bathrooms to shower and so forth.
Kang brought me the red dress just as I’d stepped out of the shower.
I’d stopped covering up around him, but then I remembered what Elentinus said about having sex with robots.
I looked at his cylinder head, trying to see if there was any lust in his glowing eye-band thing.
(Keep in mind, I hadn’t had my coffee substitute yet).
Yes, the dress was revealing, but it was too elegant to be slutty.
The sleeves were open on the shoulders and the bodice that molded to me was open almost to my navel.
It magically lifted my bosom without the need of a bra, though.
The skirt was long, but open on one side to show my leg all the way up to my hip.
There was a couple of pink jewels and silver piping with a metal belt thing built in.
I spun around in front of my mirror to make the skirt flounce out.
When I emerged before Elentinus his mouth opened wide with a gasp.
He walked over to me and took my hands.
“You’re stunning, my darling.
You’ve never looked more lovely.”
I made a demure smile and fluttered my eyelashes.
“You look amazing, too.”
Elentinus had on a fancy cape similar to Whore’s except it was black with purple edging.
He had white and violet jewels covering his breast.
The thing that took my breath away though, was his delicate crown made from silver filigree and covered in small pale blue gems.
He really looked the part of an alien king.
His eyes glittered among all the sparkly jewels.
I made him stand beside me in front of one of the big wall mirrors he had scattered about.
Separately we were beautiful, but together…my God…
“We’re the king and queen of the universe,” I said.
“All shall bow before us in reverent subjugation.”
“Um…”
We headed up the stairs out of our room and down the elevator to greet our guests in the lobby.
They emerged from my favorite sitting area with an especially harried-looking Whore.
I was surprised (but shouldn’t have been) we had three guests instead.
There were two male Dak-Hiliahs with the human woman.
“Master, I present Lord Nayjoor, his servant Rolf-Tem, and his wife Inga.”
He turned to our guests.
“I present my master, Lord Elentinus and his wife Maritza.”
I made a half-hearted curtsy since I didn’t know what was expected.
Nayjoor looked about twenty years older than Elentinus.
His white hair had straw-like gray strands in it and was plaited into a long braid that went down to his butt.
He had a massive round belly that spread out his armor adornments and obscured the one on his groin.
Rolf-Tem looked like he was my age.
He had a burnished tint to his silvery hair.
A long face with a severe pointed nose made him as homely as Whore.
I locked eyes with Inga.
She was staring at me with this sad face that cried out, ‘Help me.’
My lips parted.
She was probably my age also.
Thin, pale, with a round face and wispy auburn hair that went to her shoulders.
Brown freckles were scattered across her nose and cheeks.
Nayjoor let out a deep sigh, “I didn’t know you were going to do a ceremonial greeting, Elen.
I would have dressed for it.”
I realized they were in their everyday clothes.
Inga wore the same black dress I usually wore.
Elentinus lowered his head.
“You must excuse us.
My servant insisted.
Please don’t feel embarrassed.
I would have preferred to keep the visit casual.”
“I will never wear such a horrible dress,” Inga said in Russian.
First I thought, ‘Wow!
I speak Russian.’
Then I looked down at myself as my face got hot.
I never considered how she might react to it.
I felt ashamed of how selfish I’d been.
“I don’t mean you look bad in it,” she said.
“You’re beautiful.
It’s just…”
She struggled to find the words a few moments then put her face in her hands and started crying.
I ran over to her with a pang of anguish in my middle.
“Oh, sweetie!”
I pulled her into a hug.
She grabbed on to me with both arms and started sobbing loudly against me.
The tears had her quaking with emotion.
It was as if she finally released the tumult of pain inside her.
I held her tight and soothed her hair.
Her suffering made my chest ache.
I felt like she was my responsibility now.
I had no right to be happy while this girl was suffering.
“Bah, fine,” Nayjoor made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
“Let the womenfolk commiserate.”
He walked beside Elentinus.
“I’m dying for some breakfast, Elen.”
“Of course.”
Elentinus exchanged a look with me before leading him away.
I nodded to let him know I’d be fine.
Nayjoor, Elentinus, and Whore headed toward the back of the lobby where I’d never been.
Rolf-Tem lingered behind.
I frowned at him.
“Go follow your master.
She’ll be fine with me.”
He stuck his nose in the air and hmphed, but then turned and caught up with them.
I urged Inga over to the sitting area.
Kang rolled over and produced something like tissues.
She dabbed her face with one.
“You…you’re American?”
She still hiccupped with sobs.
“Yep.
That’s right.”
“So I…I speak English, too.
Great.
I could have done so much with this in my home.
What’s the fucking point in this place?
All the other girls are Russian, you know?”
“Really?
I didn’t come with the first group.
I’ve only been here a week or so.
You’ve met the other wives?”
She nodded and wiped her nose.
“Just the other high council wives.
They bring us with them twice a year to the capital for the council sessions.”
Her tears renewed.
“But those fucking assholes keep us separate.
They sit us in different corners of the gallery so we can just stare at each other, wanting to talk so badly.
Can you imagine a sicker fucking torture?”
“Wow.”
I shook my head with my lips parted.
“Then there’s those fucking shock collars.”
She paused to tremble as the tears ran down her face.
“They…they used to put them on us every time we were punished.
At least we had warning.
Now there’s these new ones.
Invisible ones.
On our necks every fucking minute of the day.
You don’t even have a moment to brace yourself.
His asshole servant can shock me any second he feels like it.
I don’t even know what I did wrong half the time.
He says I give him dirty looks.
I can’t help the expression on my face!
I hate it here!
He shocks me…so easily…so often…like it’s nothing.
Like it’s not the worst pain you can feel in your life!
Oh, God—they’re monsters!”
I hugged her against me again.
My own tears started to flow.
“You poor thing.”
“If he shocks me one more time—just one more—I’m going to kill myself!”
“No!”
I pulled back to look at her.
“Don’t even think like that.”
“Why not?”
She wiped her nose.
“What the fuck do I have to live for in this horrible world?”
“Inga, your husband brought you here because he wants things to be better.”
She looked away from me.
“Fuck that!”
“My husband said he was crying.
He told him he’s miserable too.”
She was shaking her head but I kept talking.
“They were following idiotic rules from this old high druid.
But he’s dead now.
The new druid doesn’t want women to suffer anymore.
Things are going to change.”
“Yes.
I know about the new druid and all that bullshit.
I read your letter, too, you know?
Of course you’re happy with this gorgeous young husband who’s so famous all over the empire for being compassionate.”
I blinked.