Chapter 15

It was a satisfying feeling when Pac had grabbed the asshole’s neck, especially because Esgal had to endure another despicable assault from him. I pulled off my sweater and handed it to her, so she could cover herself. As soon as she was a little more decent the people at the square started to applaud, showing their appreciation for her heroic act.

Cirin walked towards us with a beaming smile and as she handed her a tissue she said, “Esgalnordes, thank you for being so brave to ban him.”

Her voice was still a little shaky as she responded, “I couldn’t have done it without Paul, Matriarch. He was the one who guided me.”

“Well,” I remarked a little uneasy, “I didn’t anticipated he would hit you again.”

“It was worth it,” she replied resolutely. “He was horrible and now the whole galaxy will know.”

“Perhaps you should pay Doctor Hermosa a visit,” I said, remembering the powerful punch Frederick gave her, “you might have internal bleedings.”

Esgalnordes smiled halfheartedly as she nodded, “Maybe I should go.”

Silvy walked towards us with a glass of water. “I’m so sorry Esgalnordes,” she said, remorsefully, “It should’ve been me.”

The brunette gratefully accepted the glass and after a few sips she replied, “This was the last time he gets away with his bad behavior. I’m glad he is gone forever, which wouldn’t have happened if you were his partner.”

“Indeed,” Cirin confirmed, “and I’m not sure if you would have liked it, Silvynorien.”

Silvy shuddered, still shaken by the event but then looked at me as she asked, “Will you bring her to the medical center?”

I heard Esgalnordes softly gasp, because she hadn’t expected Silvy’s suggestion. I wanted to discuss a few things with Cirin and I thought it would be the perfect place to do it while we were waiting for Anita to examine the poor woman.

I nodded as I suggested, “Perhaps the Matriarch wants to join us.”

Cirin cleared her throat as she looked at me. I kept my face as neutral as possible, trying to hide my annoyance about what happened. I knew she had to do quite a bit of ‘paperwork’ to register this precarious event. Banning a member of the Cavendish family wasn’t just simply done.

She sighed deeply and nodded once. “Very well. I can make a start on the report while we are waiting for the results of Doctor Hermosa.”

Cirin and I sat opposite each other in Anita’s small office. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she wrote the report for Frederick’s ban.

“You know,” she said as she looked up from her screen, “not a single day has been normal, since your arrival.”

“Glad to be at your service,” I deadpanned.

She chuckled but then her face turned serious. “We were extremely fortunate Fredrick Cavendish lost his temper, Paul. Esgalnordes’ bruises wouldn’t have been enough to ban him.”

I raised my eyebrows, remembering how Silvy had banned me just like that. Cirin looked down as she confessed, “It is complicated but there are some situations where Bishojo has to accept a compromise.”

“What would have happened if he hadn’t punched her?”

She cleared her throat. “An independent medical team would have examined Esgalnordes.”

I huffed because I knew those teams were far from impartial and the Cavendish family would have been freed from any allegations. “Bloody hell!”

“Indeed,” she spoke softly, “it would have been hell.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Paul,” Cirin said as she reached out for my hand, “What happened today is wonderful. Not only did we manage to get rid of this horrible man but we’ve also sent the galactic alliance a clear message. Bishojo is in the news because one of the videos went viral and it has been watched over a billion times already.”

“Oh shit,” I gasped. “How did the Cavendish family respond?”

Cirin shuddered as she answered, “I don’t know. They communicate directly to the Queen, and they didn’t respond to any news channel.”

“Whoa,” I whispered, realizing the enormity of it all. “You could have been in deep trouble because of me.”

“I still am,” she sighed, “I have caused quite a bit of turmoil, which definitely will have an effect on the Queen’s visit at Sirius.”

“You were wonderful, Cirin. You just kept your cool and you politely told him to piss off. And I’m extremely happy that Esgal was so courageous when she banned him.”

She laughed but then said meekly, “You know, Esgalnordes was supposed to be your partner, Paul.”

I inhaled deeply because I suddenly felt extremely guilty. It was because of me Esgal had suffered the torture. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because Esgalnordes knows you were supposed to be her partner, but you decided to go on a hike with me. We had a slight panic when we found out you were claimed by Silvynorien, but Esgalnordes volunteered because of her similar hair color to Silvynorien. It was a close call because she was already in her second day, and we still hadn’t found a proper match for her.”

I was aghast by the story and concluded that Esgal had fallen victim to a cascade of unfortunate events. “Poor Esgal,” I muttered.

There was a polite knock at the door and Cirin responded with an authoritative tone, “Enter.”

It was the doctor who stepped into the room with a furious expression etched on her face. “That man should be castrated!” she fumed.

I sat dumbfounded on the bench outside the medical center because I needed some fresh air. I knew Esgal was abused by Frederick, but it was horrendous what she had endured. He had forced himself into all orifices except her vagina because he couldn’t bear the thought she might carry his offspring. Her hair was glued together by blood and dried sperm, which was another despicable act to humiliate a woman. It made me sick to the stomach.

“Hi,” a female voice sounded next to me which I couldn’t place directly. I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Ninni sitting next to me. She looked puzzled at me. “Are you okay?”

My smile was weak when I said, “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

“You’re such a bad liar,” she said, as her gray eyes were twinkling.

“You probably already know about how Esgal banned the Cavendish guy.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “You inspired her to do so.”

I chuckled while shaking my head. “That asshole abused her in the most horrific and humiliating way.”

Her face fell as she conceded, “I know; it’s not the first time this has happened.”

“This really sucks, Ninni,” I growled. “It makes your lives so unpleasant.”

She sighed as she gently squeezed my hand, “I understand your frustration but believe me, since Queen Bainthaurneth started ruling Bishojo our society is improving.”

I looked at her immaculate painted nails that matched her amazing bright green hair, wondering if she still took care of Cirin’s garden. I lifted her hand, studying her slender fingers. “You have remarkable hands. I never would have guessed you are such a good gardener.”

Her eyes became as big as saucers and she only could mutter, “How?”

“I noticed that the Talian guards were quite taken by Cirin. So, I asked Pac and he told me about it.”

“Who are you, Paul?” she asked in shock, “No man has ever discovered so much.”

“And I’m convinced there are more secrets.”

“There are,” Cirin said as she sat down next to me, “but I think you don’t need to know them.”

“How is she?” I asked.

“Resting. Anita gave her the first treatment.”

“Good,” I said, knowing I couldn’t be of more help anyway.

“Paul,” she said calmly, “I would like to have a talk with you privately.”

“Actually, I need to finish a pair of shoes,” Ninni said as she stood from the bench, “I hope to see you again.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the talk, Ninni.”

Her smile was timid as she waved once more before disappearing into her shop.

Cirin snuggled up to me and said softly, “Esgalnordes wants to stay with you.”

It had crossed my mind already because it was the most logical thing to do, as Cirin and I knew that the girl would change back to a Neutaria. “It’s going to be crowded in bed,” I remarked dryly.

She giggled but then said flatly, “I think we should grant her wish.”

I stared at her because I realized I was gathering quite a harem of pretty women. “You are the Matriarch. Does she know about you and Silvy?”

“Not completely,” she responded, “She knows she has to share you with Silvynorien.”

I stood and as I helped her stand, I said, “Alright, let’s get things organized.

Esgal walked next to me enjoying the serene view of the lake which was about a ten minute walk from the village. She looked beautiful now, her hair was washed and styled although she had dark rings under her eyes, indicating she had had some rough nights.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” she said with a soft voice.

“Oh? Did you move away from the village?”

She nodded. “I worked at the spaceport as a hostess. I wanted to meet the different races and learn what they want from Bishojo. Apart from the obvious reason of course.”