Ellie paid Maeve no mind whatsoever. She simply followed close behind Ryan without a word, occasionally stroking the pale-blue dress.
Soon Ryan brought the two of them to the tavern and found a spot to sit.
He ordered a bowl of meat stew and a bowl of vegetable broth, while Ellie's dinner was half a stewed old hen plus a bowl of meat stew — rewards had to be paid out promptly if she was to put more drive into her work.
As for Maeve...
Given that she'd just tried to run, tonight's food was nothing but a rock-hard piece of black bread.
The meal came to seven silver in total.
Before the maid had brought the food over, Ryan looked at Maeve across from him and introduced himself. "I'm Ryan, your master from now on. The one sitting next to you is Ellie — I bought her yesterday."
Maeve scratched her cheek, and seeing that Ryan had stopped talking, she suddenly realized it was apparently her turn. "My name's Maeve. My mom gave me the name."
"Good, I've got it."
The words had barely left his mouth when two maids brought the food over.
Maeve's eyes lit right up at the black bread, then at the half a stewed old hen, and the two bowls of meat stew and vegetable broth.
"S-so much food!" Maeve suddenly threw her arms around Ellie beside her and said gratefully, "No wonder you wouldn't let me run! You're a good person!"
Ellie said nothing and gently pushed Maeve away, looking a little put off.
Ryan stood up and began portioning out the food.
He set the half a stewed hen and a bowl of stew in front of Ellie and said softly, "You worked hard today. Go on, eat."
The moment he finished, Ellie tore off a drumstick and put it in her mouth.
Chicken like this was mostly old hens past laying — tough, stringy, and pitifully under-seasoned; it wasn't actually good at all.
But Ellie ate it with relish, not even spitting out the bones, chewing every one of them to splinters.
The next second, the System's voice surfaced in his ear.
[Ellie's Loyalty increase detected. Current Loyalty: 15%... 20%... 25%]
One old hen and her Loyalty was already at twenty-five; it seemed a back massage wasn't far off.
Ryan pulled the stew and vegetables in front of himself and ate, bite by bite.
Seeing that she hadn't been given any food, Maeve swung her little legs and asked anxiously, "Master, where's mine?"
"Right in front of you."
She looked at the sliced black bread on the table, her ears drooping, her expression as though she'd suffered some terrible wrong.
"What's with that face? You just tried to run off. If you want Ellie's treatment, you'll work hard tomorrow."
Maeve said nothing, picked up a slice of black bread, and bit down hard, chewing with a loud crunch.
[Maeve's Loyalty slight increase detected. Current Loyalty: 61%]
Ryan fell into thought.
Maeve's starting Loyalty was already sixty; Ellie's had been a flat zero at the start, and that she hadn't simply knifed him then and there was a blessing from the heavens...
When he came back to himself, he found Maeve staring fixedly at Ellie's stewed chicken, drool dripping onto her clothes.
She inched closer to Ellie and said shamelessly, "Ellie... this meat smells so good... could I have a taste? Just one little bite."
Ellie said nothing. She slid her bowl away from Maeve and picked up her pace — she was quite protective of her food.
Ryan watched the two of them on the sly, lost in thought.
This Maeve seemed to have nothing of the wolf about her at all; she gave off a thoroughly doggy air.
Especially at the sight of food, there was always a hint of cunning in those innocent eyes; the fawning way she sucked up to Ellie; the cowed, guilty look after she'd been caught fleeing...
Ryan sighed.
He just hoped he hadn't brought home a bottomless rice bucket.
After fussing a while and seeing no hope of mooching a bite, Maeve wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and bent her head to gnaw at the black bread.
Now and then she stole a glance or two at Ryan, the very picture of a hard-luck life.
Ryan couldn't bear to watch any longer and ordered another half bowl of stew.
Evelyn brought the meat over and set it on the table. Maeve's eyes were glued to it, swallowing nonstop, her face full of longing for the meat.
Ryan pushed the bowl toward Maeve and said, "This bowl's yours. Go on, eat."
"Really?" Maeve's ears shot up, her grubby little face full of disbelief.
"Ask again and you don't get it."
Maeve stopped asking. She quickly hugged the bowl away and wolfed it down, mumbling things Ryan couldn't understand between bites.
[Maeve's Loyalty slight increase detected. Current Loyalty: 70%]
Her Loyalty was climbing fast; he reckoned she wouldn't be running off again any time soon.
Ryan cast a glance to the side and saw Evelyn still standing there, not having left. He looked up and asked, "What is it?"
Evelyn looked Maeve over and said coldly, "Just bought her?"
"Yeah, picked her up on the way back today." Ryan nodded, then handed Evelyn a sack of skeleton mana crystals. "Job's done — thirty skeletons in all, a hundred fifty copper."
Evelyn took the sack, opened it, glanced inside, then said expressionlessly, "Money for a slave but none for rent? I'm keeping the pay."
"Come on, don't. I'll pay you back with interest in a few days." Ryan raised a brow at her.
She said nothing, fishing five silver out of her clothes and handing them to Ryan.
She was about to leave when Mira came running out, slamming into Ryan like a charging bull, nearly knocking his kidneys loose.
"What is it, kid? You hug me every day, but you won't even let me pet your ears once."
Mira lifted her head and mumbled, "If you were my man I'd let you pet my ears."
Ryan fell into thought.
The child looked all of five or six; he hadn't expected her to know about such things...
But Ryan was only interested in mature, alluring older women; a kid like this just struck him as adorable.
Evelyn folded her arms, her face frighteningly dark. "Mira, if you dare talk such nonsense again, you can forget about coming out to play."
Mira snuck a peek at Evelyn, then muttered, "Mom's a tigress..."
Just then she noticed an unfamiliar face. "Who's that gray-haired big sister?"
"That's Maeve, my household's second maid." Ryan answered offhandedly, then took the chance to pet Mira's fox ears.
Fuzzy and soft, warm and pleasant to the touch.
The next second his hand got bitten for it.
Mira still wouldn't let Ryan pet her ears.
"This kid... so, so cute!" Maeve set down her bowl and said through a mouthful.
She'd eaten too fast, broth smeared all around her mouth, which made her look even more of a fool. "Come here to big sister!"
The corners of Mira's mouth lifted, and she was about to go over when Evelyn led her away by the hand.
She wouldn't let Mira play with a halfwit.
Maeve scratched her face and looked at Ryan a little innocently.
Ryan gave her a teasing look. "You're too stinky, so she won't let you near her. When we get home, I'll give your little jujube a good wash myself..."