An animalistic growl cut through the room as I felt my mind folding in on itself. Princess Raya's question repeated in my mind. I had expected her to ask me at some point today from the constant warnings. I just hadn't expected her to be so blunt or ask so soon.

I had no idea how to answer her question. Was I allowed to say no? Was an inquisitor just waiting outside to be called in if I refused? I guess I would just have to refuse and find out.

It wasn't like I hadn't considered saying yes. Princess Raya giving me a potion or artifact that changed my body before asking me to join her harem was not an uncommon fantasy of mine. But now, with the offer staring me down, it didn't feel like something I could agree to.

I took a moment to think about why I was suddenly so against the thought of joining. It didn't take long for me to figure it out. I couldn't stand the idea of being just one of the princess's harem girls. Just another one of dozens, a face to be lost in the crowd, to be discarded and forgotten. I really hoped she treated her girls better than that, but that hope would not ease my anxious mind.

That wasn't the only reason I couldn't accept. Whenever I tried to think about what it would be like to join, my mind slipped to thoughts of Asra. At the very least, she would have to want to join for me to even consider it, and I doubted she had any interest in joining.

A loud cackling erupted in the room. Following the noise revealed, Princess Raya doubled over laughing. She struggled to breathe, overwhelmed by the mad cackling.

I stared at her, utterly bewildered. Why was she laughing? This did not feel like a time to be laughing. I was on the verge of falling into a panic attack, and Asra was still snarling violently. It didn't seem like there was much to be laughing about.

"Sorry. sorry." Raya said, gathering her breath. "You can ignore that last question. I didn't really want an answer."

"What?" the word slipped out of my mouth, pushed by the bubbling anger in my chest. Was this just a game to her? Was she going to try to force us?

"Now's not really the proper time for that kind of question, is it, cutie?" Raya asked me with a wink and a teasing tone, eliciting a growl from Asra. "I mostly just wanted to see how Asra would react and to test the cutie that had been keeping her from me."

I had no idea how to feel about her words. Should I be angry? Should I feel relieved?

What had she meant by that last part? How was I keeping Asra from her? At the very least, I knew that this was going to be a very exhausting conversation.

"Stop playing around, Raya! This is important!" Sophia yelled at her sister, a slight pout on her face.

"Right, sorry." Raya said, taking a moment to center herself. "I got a bit ahead of myself, didn't I." That was definitely a way of putting it.

Letting out a loud sigh, Sophia spoke. "Sorry about that. My sister is working on controlling her impulses. She tends to act without thinking."

"That's why I told Dad that you should be the heir, but he was all like, 'Nooo, it has to be the eldest. We won't change tradition just so you can laze around with your harem.' I mean, honestly, how could he think I was lazy? It takes a lot of effort to keep all these women happy." Raya explained, clearly annoyed with the man.

Turning to me, a wide grin split Raya's face. "Anyway. I've been told that you want my help convincing Father to allow you to stay in our lands." she said, finally getting to the reason we were here.

"y-yes, your highness. Your sister said you might be able to help us." I said nervously.

"stop right there!" Raya shouted. "None of this, your highness, nonsense. Call me Raya or Princess if you must."

"Yes, princess." I said back, almost without thinking.

"Ooh, such a good girl. So willing to please." Raya teased.

I noticed something very interesting as Raya spoke. It felt different when she called me a good girl compared to when Asra did the same. When Asra did it, it felt like a joy bomb that caused my brain to malfunction, as compared to the gentle pat on the back that was Raya's. Another thing to add to the list of things I don't understand, I guess.

Raya asked a question, drawing me back from my thoughts. "Have you been told anything about the deal we have with the temple of Eluna?"

"Not really. Your sister mentioned it, but she didn't know any details." I told her as she nodded along with my words.

"That makes sense. Dad was being really secretive about it. Simply put, the deal comes in two parts. If we discover a Demon blade in our land, we take them to either the temple of Eluna or Sol for them to be smuggled somewhere safe. That is part one." she explained.

"And what about part 2?" I asked.

"Part two comes into play when they want to stay. As it is generally the riskier option, we usually require them to provide some sort of product or service for the kingdom. In special cases, when the temple sees great potential in someone who may not seem obviously skilled, they may sponsor someone. Which is basically the temple saying trust us. 'It will be worth it.'" Raya explained, painting a much clearer picture of what was to come.

I let out A heavy breath as I felt myself start to relax. Who knew that actually knowing what was going on did wonders for your stress levels. I knew I could provide the service they needed. In fact, I have been providing it for a couple of years now. I have been the primary provider of equipment for the city guard for two years now. Not only that, I had gotten a few commissions from the king's guard.

Even without my smithing skills, I had a sponsorship from the temple, and it sounded like it carried a lot of weight. The more I heard about this deal, the more curious I became. Just how deep did the temple of Eluna's influence over Sestria reach.

Having waited for me to process what she said, Raya continued. "If I was the one with the decision, you'd be free to stay. Sadly, we'll have to convince my father. Unfortunately, with Mother out of the country, the only person who has his ear right now is Norburt."

Well, that wasn't very good. The pompous prick would probably be at the king's side when we make our plea. That could turn out really badly. I hope he doesn't try to sabotage us.

"Does that mean we have your support?" mother asked.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't help your daughter Eliza?" Raya responded, genuine hurt under her mask of over-exaggeration. Sighing, she continued. "Even if she wasn't your daughter, I wouldn't want to lose one of the best smiths in the country who also might become my sister's mother-in-law." That made sense. After everything I had seen from this woman, the one thing that I had not expected was logic.

"Wait, what." I did as I turned my attention toward Lyra, only to see her blushing and Sophia refusing to look at me. I had had my suspicions, but this all but confirmed it. They were dating or, at the very least, sleeping together. That would explain all the night shifts.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Lyra pushed through her embarrassment to ask. "There are more important things going on right now."

"Right." I said, feeling a bit embarrassed for getting distracted so easily.

Shifting my gaze to Raya, she watched me with an eerie smile. "Now then, little bunny, one question remains: what are you willing to offer? How can you be an asset to the kingdom."

"Well, I currently provide the majority of the city guard's equipment." I told her nervously.

"Yes, but that's something anyone can do. Not to belittle your skill, but any two-bit smith could make equipment for the guard. What is something only you can provide?" Raya replied, her passion growing with every word.

Something that only I could do. For one, there was the whole fire thing, but that wasn't the only thing I could think of. I had a few ideas I had been working on, but progress kept reaching a standstill when they got too big to do on my own.

"I think I might have a few things." I told her timidly."

"The floor is yours, little bunny." Raya returned, going back to her seat on her throne.

"I have a few ideas I've been working on, and there's something I can do." I started. "So I took a look into the runes used for communication enchantments. I had never liked how their range was limited to a mile at most, so I started looking into ways to increase the range. I ended up making a runic array that theoretically should work as a relay. If it works, with enough of them, it should be able to increase the range to cover entire cities, countries, maybe even the whole world." Taking a moment to breathe, I looked around the room. I was greeted with a series of utterly bewildered looks. Did I say something I shouldn't have?

"Is she serious?" Raya asked, looking directly at my mother.

"She did make a permanent teleportation gate with blood wards on a whim." my mother answered.

Raya turned back to me and asked another question. "Are your other ideas equally ridiculous?"

"Probably." I told her bluntly.

Raya let out an exasperated sigh, continuing her questioning. "You said there was something you can do. What did you mean by that?"

Looking a bit embarrassed, I answered. "It's not something I can't really do on my own." Turning to Asra, I gave her the brightest smile I could. "Asra, would you mind helping me with this one?"

Taking my hand, Asra gave Raya the smuggest look I had ever seen on her face. Turning back to me, a much kinder smile dawned on her face. Using her free hand, she tilted my head upwards so we were looking each other in the eyes. Slowly, she advanced her face toward mine. Undeterred by the flames that burst out of me, she pushed forward until our lips touched.

The flames only grew stronger as my mind ceased to function. Asra was kissing me. I was a girl, and Asra was kissing me. Was I going to die soon because all of my dreams were coming true. all that was left was seeing the theocracies fall.

The pure elation of the moment wavered as one word echoed in my mind. Why? Possibilities swirled in my mind. Did she have feelings for me? Was she using my crush on her to make my power overreact? Was she using me to piss off the princess? The image of the smug look she gave Raya flashed in my mind.

My eyes, which I hadn't realized had closed, slowly fluttered open as Asra pulled away. Meeting Asra's gaze, all my worries melted under the warmth of her beaming smile. Alright, I let her explain herself before I decide whether or not I'm angry at her.

"Can we talk about what just happened later? At home. I don't think now would be the best time for it." Asra asked pleadingly.

"Fine!" I told her, projecting my annoyance as much as I could. I absolutely was not pouting.

"Good girl." Asra teased, giggling at my plight.

"Now girls, that was cute and all..." Raya said, reminding me we weren't alone. "But the fire is scaring my harem. Is there something you can do to make it go away?"

gNatonthewall

Hello, everyone. I'm back. Only 2000 words this time. Hopefully, the next one should be a bit longer. I just really liked having the kiss as a stopping point. I hope this chapter gives you a bit of a better view into Raya's character. I had meant for her to seem quite as creepy last chapter as she was. She's supposed to be overly flirty and in your face but not scummy so. I hope she gave a better impression in this chapter. The next chapter will be the meeting with the king. Will it go well? Will Norburt screw over our heroine? Will the butter finally get what he deserves? Find out next time on dra... September Swords. Thank you for reading, commenting, and favoriting. Have a nice day.