Victor

  “Ouch!” Victor cried as his hair was pulled.

  "Stop whining," the woman told him. "It was just a little tug."

  The woman shuffled around Victor, pondering how she should shave him. With one hand, she fondled his face, pulled the hairs of his beard, and poked his neck with her fingers, while with the other hand, she hit him for having neglected his appearance. Her eyes showed disdain and disappointment, and a growl like an angry cat's escaped her throat. Victor’s tall figure lay still and silent on the tiny wooden stool, with his back straight and his legs wide open; not a whimper escaped his lips despite the woman's continued physical and emotional abuse. It didn't bother him. He took a handful of peanuts from the bag he had on his thighs and put them in his mouth. When he had food at hand, nothing bothered or mattered to him. And the woman knew this trait of his very well, which was why she softened him up with the bag of peanuts before proceeding to shave him. She had tamed him.

  “Stay still, or do you want me to cut your throat?” the woman said, holding a razor blade close to Victor’s face. “And can’t you stop eating for a second? I can’t shave you like this.”

  Victor let out a growl, like a dog when it is deprived of its food. He could endure any abuse—but no one touched his food, except his grandfather, of course; he would never dare to challenge him. Nor his aunt Natalia either; her fits of madness terrified him. There were also his mother, his other aunt, and his little sister; he loved them, and it was his duty to care for them. And he hadn't forgotten his cousins ??either; if they were hungry, he would feed them food from his own plate without hesitation. But no one else. No one else was allowed to take the food from his mouth.

  He glared at the woman.

  "Don't you dare to come at me with that rude attitude. Do you hear me?" The woman frowned and hit him on the head. “I’m too old to be disrespected by brats like you. Do you think that just because you were made with long legs, you can do whatever you please? Well, you’ve got to deal with me, young man. Now, change that face, right now!” She threatened him.

  Victor ignored her threats and kept growling, louder. He said nothing, but gave the woman a warning with his hard gaze, yet her response was to cross her arms and glare back at him. They stayed like this for a couple of breaths. Then… the crude vibrations from Victor’s throat began to die down, becoming a whimper, and his hard gaze turned mellow. He closed his eyes and went quiet. He decided to make a tactical retreat. The woman was the head maid of the Austin mansion. How good his next meal would be depended on her. She ruled the kitchen. She ruled everything.

  “Sorry,” Victor whispered.

  “I didn’t hear you.”

  "I'm sorry!"

  "I'm sorry, and?"

  “I’m so sorry, ma’am.”

  The head maid smiled. “See, your mouth didn’t hurt, did it?”

  “No,” he replied, and threw another handful of peanuts into his mouth. The head maid frowned again and snatched the bag from his hands, placing it on a second stool that she used as a table, next to brushes, combs, and scissors.

  “But I’m hungry,” Victor whined.

  “You're always hungry. Haven't you just eaten? If you don't sit still, I won't be able to shave off that mess you're flaunting on your face.”

  “But.”

  "Your bag isn't going anywhere. I'll give you another one if you cooperate. Stay put, okay?"

  Victor saw the bag over the stool and imagined another identical one beside it. The peanuts were delicious; salted just the way he liked them. He saw the head maid. She was looking at him with her lips pressed together. She was thin and old, and walked with a limp. He heard that she broke her right foot falling from a carriage years ago, leaving her with the defect. His mother also limped on her right leg. He closed his eyes and let her shave him. He had no choice but to accept her commands.

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  “That’s better,” she said. “We can’t have you wandering around the mansion with that awful haircut. What will the guests think of us, huh?”

  “But I like how he looks,” said a maid who was looking at Victor with lovestruck eyes. “It gives him a rustic and wild look.” She winked at him.

  “True, true. I think so too. To me, he looks beautiful just like this,” said another, with a smile and blushing cheeks. Her blouse was unbuttoned, showing off her two large and round breasts. Both girls lay hidden behind a row of roses that adorned the entrance to the kitchen and service quarters of the mansion.

  The head maid ignored the two women's comments and continued with her task. But Victor noticed from her breathing that she was getting angry.

  The girls emerged from their hideout and approached Victor, noting that the head maid had said nothing about their presence. The one with the large breasts opened her blouse a little more and leaned towards him with a mischievous smile, revealing the soft skin of her two large assets; her right breast exposed a tender pink nipple. Her companion giggled at the mischief, covering her mouth with one hand.

  The head maid started to get red.

  The girl with the large breasts then sat on Victor’s lap and kissed him, while pressing her chest against his body. Her companion continued giggling like an idiot.

  The head maid exploded.

  “That’s it! You’re both out! OUT! Get out of here!” she yelled at the two, threatening them with the razor blade. “Find something else to do. Anything. I don’t want you two here!”

  The girls ignored her. They just scoffed and turned away. Seeing their response, the head maid seized them by the hair and dragged them away from Victor. The two girls wailed all the way until they disappeared inside the mansion. Victor watched them silently, remembering the pretty nipple and wondering if the other one matched. He reached over the stool with the tools for shaving him, and took another handful of peanuts from the bag.

  ?“Unbelievable, I can’t let my guard down with these girls,” the head maid said upon returning. “And don’t you laugh.” She smacked him on the head. “It’s all your fault for flirting with the staff. You little brat! See how they don’t even respect me. Those snotty girls.”

  Victor smiled. He had never flirted with the staff—he was just friendly. If they thought otherwise, it wasn't his fault. What could he do? He was an innocent man. It was his ancestor's fault. His height and good looks came from him.

  The head maid continued shaving Victor. She handled the razor and scissors with incredible dexterity and experience. He wondered who else she had given such good service to before and felt somewhat guilty about receiving it for free, in addition to having been bribed with two bags of peanuts. He thought about rewarding her with a gift later. Of all those who worked and lived in the mansion, she was the one he liked the most.

  He sat motionless on his little stool. It felt awkward for someone of his size and weight, but he endured the pain. From there, he could see the back garden and the high hills that rose behind the property. The Austin mansion was located north of Blackferr, in a corner of the city's most exclusive neighbourhood, far away from the noise and stench that plagued the city's busy streets. The fresh air of the hills reminded him of Whitehill.

  “Have you seen the young master?” Victor asked.

  “I saw him earlier when I brought him his dinner. I imagine that now he must be in his usual place after he eats. Are you looking for him?”

  “Yes, I need to deliver a letter from my family. I heard he’s been depressed.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told. But that’s none of my business, and neither is it of yours, young man. My job is to look after the house, and yours is to make sure nothing bad happens. Our master’s personal problems are none of our concern.” The head maid finished shaving him. She walked around him a couple of times and nodded. “See? That’s how a gentleman should look. See if you can learn to shave yourself, lad. At your age, you should already know how.” She took the bag of peanuts from the stool, pulled another from her white apron, and gave them to Victor. “Here, and go to work. I’ll take care of cleaning all this up.”

  “Thank you very much,” Victor said as he stood up, bowing.

  "You're welcome. I'm just asking you to keep your hands in your pockets and away from my girls. It's dangerous having you around here, you know?"

  She was unaware of it, but besides the peanuts, there was another reason why he had obeyed her: she reminded him of his mother. She had never mentioned it, but Victor sensed that she had children of her own, boys, and surely troublesome ones at that. The way she instilled a natural respect in him, and how she knew what to say and do to subdue him, led him to that conclusion. Victor valued her word above any individual in the mansion, even the owners. He would never touch her girls. He had already promised her that before.

  He smiled. “I promise I won’t touch them, my lady,” he said. It costs nothing to repeat that promise as many times as she wishes.

  The head maid sighed. “What a pity that I am no longer a naive gal. You have a killer smile, lad. They should ban it. Well, that's enough. Just go away. I don't want to see you.”

  Victor nodded and left towards the garden.