The dragon's harem

“Your Majesty, I can work as a carpenter; I have doing so for years.” She looked at her hands. “But I guess words alone won’t convince you.” Clenching her fists, she threw Camilla and Alicia, then turned back toward Isdis. This was her one and only chance to prove herself, prove that she can do something useful.

“They indeed won’t. Even if you were a decently competent carpenter, that won’t be enough. I want something unique. Camilla here can fight and is skilled in everything that a maid would need to do. Alicia can come up with a plan for terraforming a desert in just a few moments of thinking, so what can you do?”

“Math, I can count well.” Just by the look on Isdis’s face, Roana knew she was just a few words away from getting kicked out of the window, so she only had a little time to explain herself.

“Most carpenters either eyeball their work, use rough measurement, or rely on magic to overcome structural and form problems.” She lowered her hand, forming a bridge between her knees. “Take a bridge, for example, the current builders would either overcompensate with high-quality and magical wood, or directly use spells and enchantments to make it stand. But, I think we can overcome the need for magic by using specifically shaped wood, steel wires, and a few tricks to disperse the weight of the entire bridge over several key points.”

“Won’t it be faster and simpler to use magical building material? If you hate two types of wood, one mundane and the other magical and better in every regard, why won’t you want to use the latter? Isn’t it the same as just another type of wood that is better? Why would you try to use a lesser material just to waste time and complicate the process?” Isdis leaned backward and sighed. “How long would it take you to plan and build that bridge? I bet you that one built with magic in mind would be done in less than half the time. People need to use the road, and we can’t be wasting time in its construction.”

With each word, Roana grew paler and paler, finding out that Isdis sounded more like her old father, and both of them are right. In the time it took Roana to make the complete parts for a single windmill, her father had already finished making the parts for five, and had even built them in the field.

It just takes too much time to calculate and figure out every stress point and compensate with geometry for the weakness of the wood.

Roana looked down and mumbled. “But… what if we used both, a good design coupled with expensive materials and powerful magic. Won’t we be able to create something that would far outclass anything that we had ever made…” She then shook her head. “No, nothing. Sorry, but I’ll leave. You’re right, it’ll never work out.”

Isdis smiled. “Who said you can leave? You didn’t pique my interest. I’m not knowledgeable enough to understand what you’re talking about, so I’ll call an expert.” She waved her hand at Roana with a threatening grin.

Roana sat back down with a terrified face and remained silent for the next few minutes as they waited. And soon, the door opened, and a woman walked in. Tall, slightly tanned from standing in the sun too much, wearing a single tight shirt over cargo pants, and her silky hair was riddled with sawdust.

“I introduce you, Queen Mira. Don’t worry about the sweat, you’ll get used to it. She just works too much all day long, even if it’s hot outside. Most of the furniture in the castle is made by her.” She then looked at Roana with a smug smile. “Her hands are harsh, the opposite of yours.”

Mira stared at her, “What sweat? I’m a demigoddess, and I don’t smell. But what about you? Wearing that armor in the heat.”

Isdis shrugged. “I’m always cool, so I never sweat.” She then looked back at the three maids in front of her. “This is Roana, the one I called you about. Listen to her and tell me what you think.”

Mira sighed and sat down. “I really got a lot of work to do… I hope this is worth it.” She sat there, and listen to Roana talk for an hour while everyone else waited, and she wasn’t going to leave until Isdis called her out. “How long are you two going to discuss, whatever she thinks?”

Mira blinked several times, then looked back at Isdis. “Sorry, I lost track of time. She passes. And keep her for me.” She stood and gave Roana a smile. “We’ll finish our talk later. Don’t worry about whatever horror Isdis put you through, just do whatever she says, close your eyes, and jump into the flames.”

As Mira left, the three maids remained silent, looking at each other with shocked faces. What did this mean? They understood that Roana passed the first test, but what did she mean by they would talk about it later? Is she expecting her to pass the entire test?

“Seems you didn’t just pique her interest.” Isdis smiled. “She has taken a liking to you, to whatever you told her. Even if you fail this test, she’ll probably still take you in as a servant to help her in the workshop.”

She then leaned back, “Now, since all three of you have passed the first stage of uniqueness, now for the next one, obedience.” She looked at them with a smug smile. “So, this will be the turning point for you all.”

With one swift move, she lined three papers on the table. “Here you go, three slave contracts, but don’t worry, it isn’t for your freedom, but for your lips. Those would guarantee that you won’t spill out anything you see, hear, or experience here. But, if you pass the remaining two stages, then you can be trusted, and those contracts would burn and lose their power.”

“To keep our mouths shut… no wonder none could leak anything about the second and third stages.” Camilla gasped, “What… will we face?”

“I’ll tell you after you sign them.” Isdis pointed at the papers. “But you can ask them.”

The maids by her side stared at the girls, then one of them spoke. “She would make you do something you’ll absolutely hate and would never do. The catch is to make sure you’ll follow her orders no matter what.”

Roana quickly signed her contract first. “Fine, I’ll do it. If Queen Mira thinks I’ll pass, then I’ll at least try.” The other two signed right after her. They came here to get into the private maids, not get scared by a contract that would make them unable to leak test information.

“Good, the magic is working.” She smiled, “I just asked Merlin to confirm. I’m sure you know her.” She then looked at them and pointed up. “Now, she would probe your mind for memories that we can use for the test. If you don’t mind, look up?”

Alicia blinked, then scratched her head with a nervous smile. “Our memories, how far she’ll go?”

“As deep as she needs to, if you have any memory that you think is private, she’ll see it.” Alicia paled as she heard Isdis’s words, and Roana smiled by her side. “I got some embarrassing ones, but look as much as you want.” She gave the maid standing by Isdis’s side a wink. She advised them to do whatever Isdis asks, and Roana would take that advice to heart.

“Fine by me.” Camilla nodded and patted Alicia on the back. “Relax, even if its really bad, she won’t mind.” She then threw a glance at Isdis. “What is the worst thing you saw?”

Isdis shook her head. “A lot of crimes, stupid mistakes, and crazy things. But, don’t worry, none of them was held responsible for any of it.” She then pointed at the maid by her called Lara.

Lara threw a sharp glare at Isdis, then sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

When all three agreed, Merlin took a look at their memories and found several fears to use, but she also found countless strange memories. “Roana fears centipedes, Alicia heights, and Camilla… blood, gore, and vampires.”

She leaned back, “Shall we talk about your nasty secrets first, or go right into the tests?”