Alice poked her head out of the cubicle and looked around. At the same time, Prim poked her nose from Alice’s curtain of blonde hair and looked in the other direction.

It was dark thanks to the need to save valuable candle stubs. The only sound heard through the barn was rhythmic breathing.

Most General Laborers worked hard the live-long day, and spent their scant coins on tiny luxuries from the estate store: A bottle of liquor, oats, or an extra blanket for the bed. A few had families they supported, though they usually returned to the barn cubicles to get an early start on the dawn shift.

Unless it was a holiday or somebody was trying to drown their sorrows, they were back in their beds right after sunset.

Alice crept out, down the short hall, and through the barn doors which were left open due to the mild night.

Once outside, her confidence failed her. She froze.

“Danger?” Prim asked.

“No…” she whispered. “No danger.”

But she knew there were sure to be Guards patrolling everywhere. Thanks to their class skills, she would never see them. Not until they wanted her to.

More than that, the estate which had grounds so familiar she felt she should be able to walk it with her eyes closed, looked a lot scarier at night. As if it were a haunted mockery of a home she knew.

But she could not stay out in the open. Nor could she go back to her bed and leave Prim hungry.

Alice forced herself to move, creeping along the servant's footpath, hoping against hope she would not be seen. Her excuse if she got caught was that she had a stomach ailment and needed to see the estate Healer.

There would be no excuse for getting caught in the kitchens, though.

So don’t get caught, she thought to herself. I can’t afford to, for Prim’s sake.

That thought inspired enough bravery to get her to the back of the main house. The back kitchen door was supposed to be locked, but she knew the Cooks could be lazy. She was unsurprised to find that while the door was shut tight, the lock barring the way hung loose.

Carefully, she eased it open and peeked her head inside.

The massive estate kitchen was dark, with only a faint gleam of moonlight shining through one of the tall windows.

The open ovens looked like a monster’s mouth and the counters set in the middle of the room gleamed like the bare, sharp edges of ice.

It was intimidating and Alice felt the last dregs of bravery drain away. Everything about this room told her she should not be here.

Prim had a completely different take. “I smell food!”

She launched herself from Alice’s shoulder, flapping wild and inexperienced in the air. She looked like a struggling butterfly trying to find her wings for the first time.

Alice gave a cut off cry and reached for her. Prim was too fast, and she missed her grab.

Well, she could not stay in the doorway forever. Alice stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind her, locking it.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Meanwhile, Prim had fluttered to a door on the opposite side of the kitchen. She made little frustrated sounds as she tried to pry it open. The door was heavy, and she was very little. She had nowhere near enough strength to move it.

“Alice! Alice! I smell food here!”

“Be quiet. I’m coming.” Alice crossed and jiggled the knob. It, too, was unlocked. Opening It revealed a deep walk-in pantry stuffed with more food than Alice had ever seen in her life. Shelves full of cheeses covered in wax and left to age. Baskets of freshly harvested fruit. Roots and potatoes all stacked on the shadowy lower shelves. There was an entire cart of dough left to rise for the morning breads. Another with today’s baked breads, crusty and waiting to be sliced.

Prim and Alice’s stomachs both let out audible growls.

With a squeal of delight, Prim launched herself to land on top of one of the loaves of bread, savaging it with her tiny pinprick claws.

“Prim, don’t!” Alice yelped and stepped forward to pull the little dragon away. But not before Prim had gobbled down tiny chunks. It looked like a rat had been nibbling on the top.

Prim let out another indignant squeal which Alice quickly shushed. With her other hand, she grabbed a loaf and took it to the counter… Only pausing to grab an apple along the way, too.

Setting the food and dragon on the counter, she said, “Here,” and pulled a hunk off the bread to feed it to her.

Inwardly, she despaired about how she was going to cover up their theft. Everything in the pantry had been placed in neat rows. Now there was a gap where the bread used to sit.

Prim ate. Seeing her enjoy the food, Alice couldn’t help but tear off a chunk for herself. The bread was only a day old but made with finely sifted flour: Chewy and fluffy and probably some of the most delicious food she’d ever had.

With the edge taken off her hunger, Prim looked to the second door next to the pantry. “What is in there?”

Alice hesitated, but she could hardly be in more trouble if she were caught now.

When she opened the second door, chilly air wafted out. This was a cold room, and no doubt the result of someone’s class skill.

Looking inside, she saw thick hunks of meat hanging from the ceiling, and even more in all varieties stacked on shelves.

With another high noise of delight, Prim flew in.

Alice thought about calling her back, but meat was probably better for the dragon than bread. Looking around, Alice spotted a knife and stepped inside to cut off a hunk of the hanging beef, which had been previously roasted. It was likely the remains of the main family’s dinner from last night.

Then she disengaged the dragon from chewing on a turkey leg and brought her back to the counter.

Alice proceeded to make herself a sandwich while Prim feasted.

Soon, Alice was fuller than she could remember being in her life. And the little dragon was so stuffed that the sides of her stomach bulged out. She looked like a ball that the rich classer’s children played with.

Prim burped, then labored into the air to settle on Alice’s shoulder.

Alice looked at the counter, Which was no longer gleaming and now streaked with crumbs and the remains of their meal.

“How am I going to clean this up without a skill?

The answer was: the hard way. After all, she had only gotten her class when she came of age at fourteen, like everybody else. Halfheartedly, Alice swept the crumbs into her hand. But then, she was stymied, having nowhere to dispose of them.

Normally all this just came to her, or her cleaning skill managed to evaporate the little bits of dust and debris. It was a passive, small magic. One that Alice had gotten used to working without much thought.

Still looking around with hands cupping the crumbs and last bits of meat, she spotted the bin where the Cooks put the edible food out for the pigs.

And next to it stood a larger bin, filled with old, stale loaves of bread, scraps of vegetables, and the gristle from last night’s beef.

It was labeled General.

This was the food that would be thrown into a big pot, cooked altogether and served up for Alice’s own twice-a-day meal.

“I’m a step above the pigs,” she realized.

It shouldn’t have been much of a shock. It was just a fact of life.

But for now, for the first time, she felt a flare of anger.

“You are She of Many Dragons,” Prim said, content and sleepy on her shoulder. Leaning over, she stroked the side of her head against Alice’s cheek. “You will never dine on pig food again.”