Toadette's Story

Chapter 29 - Princess Daisy Departs

My thumbs ached as they pushed into this firm, solid object. And my eyes blinked rapidly, for the bright colours all swirled into one incohesive mess. But worst of all, a certain somebody wasn’t in the room with me.

Massaging Her Highness’s feet after my limited sleep last night was an uphill battle. Seriously, just crawling my fingers to her toes felt like a work-out.

“More pressure on the heels, Toadette.”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!” I dug my nails into my skin to keep me wide awake.

Not even Her Highness’s gross feet could hold my attention because they were so plain today. No nail polish covered her toes, and touching her feet was like touching a road. Either the woman needed a lotion refill, or she needed a brand-new pedicure. If I wanted, I could light a match against these dry soles.

What was I doing wasting my time with Her Highness when the princess I spent more time with was leaving?

“Despite your abysmal foot worship skills,” Her Highness said, “your other abilities intrigue me, Toadette.”

“Other abilities?”

She jammed her big toe in my mouth. “I hired you intending for you to work on my feet. Yet here you are fighting Shy Guys, swimming through an ocean of sand, and parenting my daughter when I’m occupied. Getting some value out of you is better than none.”

To think that I’ve constantly been risking my life when I was signed up as an official “foot slave”.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” I continued sucking her massive toe as if unphased.

“At least I’ll soon be able to train you proper once Daisy is back in Sarasaland.

To my joy, Her Highness had to leave a few minutes later. And she gave me a new task. I was to help the Shy Guy’s board Daisy’s shoes onto the airplane. Yes, the airplane was on the castle’s roof again. Maybe the rich don’t know what airports are.

It didn’t get any less strange working with the same people who wanted to kill us yesterday. Even speaking to the Shy Guys was a test, for I maintained my silence throughout the backbreaking ordeal.

Why were these things so heavy!?

Whenever I got the chance, I handled carrying Princess Daisy’s non-metallic footwear. Her golden shoes took the wind out of me, and no, it wasn’t because of the smell. Just like her soccer ball, it was a mystery how she could walk in all these clunkers.

But even carrying the non-metallic shoes reached its toll. Every time I chucked one into the airplane, a bit of my energy fizzled. Slowly and slowly, until I was running on backup power.

“Sun’s not even down and you’re already knocked out?”

Daisy shook me back to life. There was no telling how long I’d fallen asleep on this plane. That’s what happens when you spend most of your night tossing and turning instead of getting some shuteye.

“Sorry.” I stumbled to my feet, rubbing my eyes.

“I take it the other Toad’s dead to the world, too.”

I nodded. As my vision gradually cleared, I peeked out a window. Before I fell asleep, the sky was a vivid blue with only the occasional cloud. Now, clouds crowded the air for miles, and the sky adopted an orange hue.

Everything was freaking orange. The sky, the plane’s interior, the princess’s shirt! What next? Would an orange Shy Guy waltz in here?

“Would you believe I almost went to sleep in the shower?” I sped to the plane’s door, only to be hoisted back.

“Hey, don’t kill yourself.” Daisy shoved me in a chair. “They got all my shoes on board already. Plane’s taking off in half an hour.”

A look around the plane’s interior confirmed that. Every single luggage rack was filled with bags of shoes. The princess’s sneakers must’ve been in one of them, for they definitely weren’t on her feet.

As if on cue, a very black sole slammed on my lap. “If I regret anything,” the princess said, “it’s that you never got to experience my feet at their smelliest.”

“Please. That’s a blessing.”

“Oh really?” She squirmed her foot under my shirt. “Guess I gotta surprise you when I come back.”

Come back? Daisy didn’t seem like the type who travelled out of her land on a regular basis. Perhaps she’d return months later, or even years. By then, I might be out the castle and in a completely different kingdom. Yet for some reason, my lips lacked the courage to tell her about that possibility.

Thankfully, her foot broke the awkward silence. It slapped my side, was frigid to the touch, and the rough dirt texture stood out as it crawled on my belly.

Daisy then threw her head back. “Before we’re out of here, why don’t you give my toes a little sucking?”

“Is that an order or a suggestion?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You tell me.”

Although Daisy’s foot was dirty, I overstated how filthy it truly was. It wasn’t anything like Minh T., okay? The ball of her foot and the heel were the filthiest parts, and they were light grey. It looked more like she stepped on a chalk drawing than anything else.

Taking a deep breath, I shoved my face into her foot.

When I took that first lick, the princess tightened her grip on her seat.

“Could be worse,” I muttered. At this point, I’d licked so many feet that I was becoming numb to the pain. After all, they clearly couldn’t kill me. I had some invinicibility if I survived licking Minh T.’s feet after she walked through the sewers.

However, the flavour of Daisy’s foot was still nothing desirable. It was salty, especially around the toe area. Unlike Her Highness’s foot, this one remained soft despite the dirt’s texture resembling something rough. So, it was still bad. But a slightly better badness, you know?

Her other foot soon joined the party, playing with my braids while I sucked on its sibling.

“I don’t think I can bear to be away from your mouth anymore,” she said. “Amateurish as you are, you for sure have a uniqueness.”

My tone was confused. “Thank you.”

“Ooh, lick between my toes. Lemme see that tongue.”

My face tensed as I slid my tongue between all of the princess’s toes. On the upside, the dustiness meant that there wasn’t some slimy sweat waiting for me. On the downside, pebbles, sand, and other mucky bits were indeed waiting for me. Though the amount was minimal, it added an unwanted crunch to this experience.

Daisy put her finger on her lip. “Right there… Yes…”

“Are you getting off to this?” I asked, completely dropping any lingering formality.

The princess kept moaning before pinching my cheeks with her toes. Without a clue what to do, I continued to lick her soles. But it was here when my tongue started to malfunction. Licking feet for a long time meant lots of saliva usage, and that supply was running thin.

“I’m done,” I sighed.

SQUISH!

And just like that, those orange toes penetrated my mouth. The princess grinned, licking her lips.

“Keep sucking,” she sang. “You’ll be done when I say you’re done.”

Even if my jaw was on the verge of falling off, I didn’t hesitate. The slow slurping of her toes was joined by Daisy moaning louder. In short time, she gasped, flexing her drenched toes in my mouth. I opened my eyes, and her foot instantly fell.

Her hand rested atop her groin as she quivered. Adding to my discomfort, her breathing was intense. There was no questioning what just happened.

Speechless, I hopped on my feet, ready to bounce from this place.

“Don’t go yet,” Daisy called. “I still got something for you.”

“I’m fine. You know, I still gotta get some proper sleep. It was nice meeting you and—”

My words fell on deaf ears, for Daisy cleared the distance between us in three long strides. She vaulted over a set of seats and threw me one of the transparent bags. A deeper look revealed a pair of orange flip-flops, black high heels, white slippers, and yellow flats.

“These look nice,” I said, shrugging.

“They’re for the gay girl. Not my stinkiest shoes by a long shot, but they’ll knock a Toad out. Except for those heels.”

“Oh, she’ll find a way to love them,” I assured her.

“Or, here’s an even better idea.” The princess patted me on the head. “Those are back from when I was 15, so my feet weren’t as godly in size. So, I’m betting they’d fit you like a glove.”

My jaw dropped. I struggled to remember the last time I’d gotten a new pair of shoes, especially via someone else. On top of that, these heels stood out because of their elegance. Bright jewels twinkled against that dark frame as if they were shooting stars in the night sky.

I looked up at the princess, who stood with a smirk.

“You’re welcome, shorty— OH!”

She tumbled to the floor as I disappeared into her chest. I don’t believe I even uttered the words “thank you”. My eyes were too busy fighting back the waterworks.

Daisy returned the hug. “I’d love to sit here squeezing you, but in case you didn’t notice…”

The princess pointed to a bright sign hanging above the cabin door that read: SEATBELT ON. Its red glow signified the end of our last meeting.

Before she guided me off the jet, Daisy dug into her pocket and shoved something into mine.

“What’s that?” I felt the object through my shorts, and the surface was very inconsistent.

“In case Peach isn’t paying you well, that oughta keep you good for now.”

She hoisted me out the plane so quickly that I hit the roof stomach-first. The only thing that broke my fall was this clunky bag of shoes. Behind me, the plane’s engines roared. And the princess’s voice gradually faded to the wind of the engines.

“Thanks a bunch! If I don’t visit soon, feel free to come to—”

WHOOSH!

She was gone.

That night, I ate my food in the castle’s outdoor courtyard. It was just some warm lasagne filled with chunks of meat. And while I ate my meal by the Eternal Star statue, Minh T. talked and talked on the phone.

“Staying open was a mistake. My feet were moving faster than my mind, even with that little nap,” she yawned, heavy water running in the background.

I swallowed. “Take a day off tomorrow and you can spend the whole time smelling Princess Daisy’s nasty shoes.”

THUD!

“Did you just fall?” I asked.

“WHAT KIND OF SHOES!?” Minh T. squealed, stomping like a dancer. “What do they smell like!?”

“Be patient. The only shoes you’re not getting are these fresh heels.”

Really, a brand-new shoe wardrobe was becoming ten times more necessary for me. I had no sneakers now, and only a pair of cheap flip-flops and smelly flats. Those flats were killer weapons, but I couldn’t bring them to every event. What if I found the perfect man and he got a whiff?

Minh T. pulled back curtains and the water’s volume grew. “Heels ain’t my cup of tea. But I bet you’d look real spicy in some.”

“Thank you.”

“Just being honest,” she giggled.

“No, no,” I said. “I meant for saving us in the Dry Dry Ruins, and then again in the Toy Box. I kinda thought you were gonna hold us back.”

She paused. “How?”

“You’re scared of the dark, you’re scared of Boos, and I can outrun you at any point.” I smiled. “But, if you weren’t there, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Minh T.’s tone remained chipper. “Glad I didn’t disappoint. And it was worth it to taste your warm feet more than once.”

“Ew!” Instead of gagging, I giggled. “Go to sleep already.”

“Love you, too,” she said.

Once the call ended, I followed my own advice. After rummaging through the castle’s kitchen and soaping myself from head to toe, I sunk under the thick blankets. Though, getting to sleep was easier said than done. The only thing going through my head was what would be in store for me for these next days. Well, if I handled stuff this far, I could handle a few more weeks. Maybe even a month.

Things couldn’t get any weirder than having to fight against Shy Guys with my feet, right? On that note, I conked out.