Having sexual relations with a noble's daughter without the family head's permission is a crime, and this is the punishment. I have to admit, forced slavery is quite often the punishment in this country, but often only a temporary one until the criminal pays off the damages they've caused.
Ronan's crime, the daughter's virginity, is valued so highly that he is a slave for life unless his new master decides to set him free of their own volition.
I gotta say, I like Ronan a lot better. He is glancing at us with curiosity and hope, and a bit of perversion towards Ayame as well, something we would have to talk about later, but something I can understand. She is just that gorgeous.
The issue with the twenty years of experience gap is the only substantial drawback to him, but my demands are quite visionary if I may say so, thus it might be an actual advantage to have a more open mind.
I can also just dangle some cheap pussy in front of him as a reward for a job well done and he will likely give it his all, while Corin might not be able to come out of the mental hole he dug for himself. It's one thing to cheer up dejected beautiful ladies like Ayame and Aurora, but I'm not really down to play therapist for this guy.
<I vote for this Ronan dude.>
<And I vote for Isolde. Ronan is a scumbag. Everyone knows you can't just take the virginity of a noble's daughter.> I see a noble's daughter has a clear distaste for such a rule-breaker, but I, on the other hand, get him completely. The temptation of the forbidden fruit can be all too alluring to resist, and it might be too late to notice that it was poisoned all along.
I glance at Isolde. She is a woman in her late forties, and she wears a very serious expression on her features. Not hateful like the dwarf, not depressed like Corin, but neither playful like Ronan's. She is all business from what I can tell. She became a slave through debt.
Her daughter was sickly, and only the arch-priests could potentially save her. She decided to give everything up for the chance of them healing her daughter, only for the procedure to fail, the daughter to die, and her to become a debt slave with exactly four gold coins worth of indebtedness.
If we pay that sum, basically the church will be the one selling her to us, only using this slave firm as a proxy to conduct the deal in their stead.
'Slavery is below them', after all. Typical holy hypocrisy.
Her resume is similar to Ronan's, but instead of a noble, she was a merchant family's employee. However, she had a chief co-architect who was a male according to her file, so I don't know how reliable she is in reality.
<You do realize that Ronan has the better resume, right? Isolde's file doesn't detail how much work her partner did compared to her. Maybe the ceiling will collapse onto us during our sleep if we leave it to her.>
<… I don't want that man.>
Sigh. Her feminine part of the brain is taking over the logical one. No reasoning behind her choice, only 'feelings'. And I just praised her for being the only one worthy of being my second in command...
However, I do understand her. I also don't really want such a man to design my ladies' personal rooms. It would somehow make them feel tainted. Isolde's strict but ladylike attitude would fit much better.
<Let's get both. Ronan for the exterior and Isolde for the interior. Well, Ronan will design my interior, but Isolde can do all the other stuff.>
<You want a dirty man for your dirty ideas, huh?>
I feel no shame whatsoever. <Yes. I can't imagine this strict woman building me a magnificent sex dungeon at all. Ronan will most definitely excel there.>
<A what dungeon…?!>
<Sex. You know, where I will tie you up with sturdy ropes and partake in your folds to my heart's content if you've been a good girl, and bring out the tools if you've been a bad one. Or I just feel like it.>
<…> Her head snaps in my direction. Our silent conversation must be quite the spectacle. <I forbid you from building a se-… such a room!>
<I don't remember asking for your permission but don't worry. There will be a lot of other possible activities there, some of which I'm sure you will love. Anyway, we can discuss the specifics later.> ŘΑƝȮВÈʂ
"I want to have a private chat with Isolde and Ronan at the same time. The rest of the candidates haven't caught my eye, so feel free not to wait for us to finish." I sent the guy with the dwarf and the other woman back to their firm. The slave house we're sitting in owns Ronan, while Isolde is the property of the third establishment, thus these two's sellers only leave the room temporarily.
Once only the four of us are present, I sign them to sit in front of us on the sofa. After they do, I begin. "Nice to meet you two, I'm Quinlan and this is Hana, my lover," I emphasize the last part while looking at Ronan meaningfully.
He raises his hand in playful surrender. "Boss, don't worry. I will not even think about it."
Well, you already did, but alright.
"Good. Please introduce yourselves in a few sentences, stating things that are not included in your resume. To give you an idea, I will start. My name is Quinlan, I have three beautiful lovers whom I cherish more than anything else in this world, and I'm a combatant who enjoys fighting and the feeling of growing stronger.
I'm here to get the help I need to build my dream home, which will be a giant project worth over a hundred gold most certainly, perhaps many times that, and after that, I plan to use you two to form a construction firm under your leadership, should you prove worthy."
"Damn, your pockets are filled, Boss!" Ronan compliments with an approving grin. Looks like he is very free-spirited, just as his file alluded to.
"Just so you know, you aren't 'hired' yet," Ayame informs the man who is way too happy for someone about to be sold into a life of chained servitude.
Isolde is also eyeing her potential coworker with evident disapproval.