Fighting her exhausted me and probably she outpaced me. The only way to deal with her that I could think of was to fool her. Since she has proven to be an arrogant rich girl, who looked down on others, acting as a pet or butler was the wisest option to keep my stuff and avoid having my ass kicked.

“Y-You jerk! How dare you sleep next to me?!” She said once fully awake.

”My lady, I apologize for having slept next to an astonishing beauty such as you. I couldn’t do much but to admire you and I fell asleep,” I was about to puke for my words, but at least she ate the bait.

”Seems now you know your place, maggot. Perhaps hitting you worked yesterday. Anyway, bring me food, doggie.” She totally took the bait but at the same time, being ordered around annoyed me. Also, the fact that she changed my name to doggie, was making me just want to kick her even more. Nevertheless, this was part of my plan to get rid of her. Therefore I had to endure a bit longer. When her guard was down and I had managed to earn her trust, I would give her final blow.

“Yes, miss,” I replied and went to find food. I wouldn’t have done so, but my stomach was was growling. The usual places wouldn’t be accessible during daylight and due to the daily patrol initiated by police and the problems with those punks, I had to be very sneaky. Meanwhile, I also needed to start planning how to get in that bar.

Anyway, now food was a focus and although there weren’t many areas accessible, I knew a few in the deepest part of the slum. A district, far from the metro, without law and order where nobody cares if you get shot in the middle of the streets at daylight. If I was quick I could get back alive before two-o’clock.

Last time I sneaked in without much effort by removing some rubble and scrambling through a narrow pipe. However, as I reached that access I found out someone barricaded it. Probably so bums couldn’t get in. Just when I thought I wasted my time, I realized I could remain unseen if I quickly and silently crossed one of the shops used by the gangs that control this district.

Being caught meant I would be killed on spot but it was meaningless thinking about it. I had much bigger problems to deal with. I never needed to scan the area for these so-called “shops” so everything was going to be planned on the rush.

It took a while but I managed to find a shop without security. A rundown antiquary whose broken shop-window hadn’t been replaced and placard which seemed to have lived better days. This place was sending chills down my spine, but I was starving.

“Welcome customer,” an old man sitting on his old rocking chair said.I thought I had been caught right away but later, I realized that he was blind.

“Hi, old man. I’m just looking around.”

“Oh little one, I’m sure that isn’t the only reason. Nobody comes down this road just for that. Is it perhaps money, food you are looking for?”

“Quite sharp coming from a blind old man. Indeed I’m a poor bastard looking for some bread.”

“I may be blind but my ears compensate I can hear everything. Anyway if it’s food you are looking for just take it from the fridge in the back. There is no need for you to pass through and enter deeper to steal it.”

“How could you see through my plan?” I asked outraged at what he just said.

"You are not the first, neither the last that comes to these slums for similar reasons.”

“I see, old man. Even so, how can I make sure this isn’t a trap?”

“What purpose would I have for such thing?”

“That may be true,” I told him before going to the back of the shop. This old man terrified me, not because of his strength, but due to his strong senses. I didn’t want to stay here for long so I took a bag that was in the kitchen and filled it with as much food as possible.

Just when I was about to leave, I heard unknown voices. They sounded unfriendly.

“Yo, we came to offer you protection,” A rough voice said.

“I see, but I believe there is no need for such a thing,” replied the old man.

All of a sudden I heard something break.

“See how you need it, decrepit elder, someone just broke the vessel,” a second voice said.

“As I said before, it isn’t needed; now please take your leave, before something bad happens.”

As soon as he mentioned it, I slowly peaked to check what was going on.

“What did you just say, grampa? Let me smack you for good, maybe then you will come back to your senses.”

“I understand now. Let me close the shop first,” he told him slowly lifting up and closing the door.

They were all laughs before the old man broke the neck of one of them. Then they all snatched out their pocket knives. The one with a rough voice was strong and the other was quite fast but all was futile. They didn’t even scratch him and both fell like corpses on the ground with their neck crushed.

“Little one, you have seen, a rather improper side of mine. I apologize for it, it’s better if you take your leave,” he mentioned. My mind recoiled in astonishment and I wished to not become his enemy by any circumstance so I ran until I was out of breath.

Back to base, with all the ruckus, I got careless and forgot that the spoiled girl was still waiting.

“What took you so long maggot?!” she yelled.

“I apologize mistress for my delay, but that shouldn’t stop us from eating.”

I expected her to treat me like a dog but it turned out to be slightly the opposite.

“It’s boring and lonely to eat alone maggot, so let’s share the food,” she mentioned.

“Sure,” I replied, doubting her sincerity.

Despite this being the first time eating with someone and eating an abundant lunch, I forgot how to be happy. Even with the tastiest food I felt nothing. Perhaps I became tasteless and I accepted the fact that I cannot smile. After all, I was doomed to have a dreadful life alone.

“Look up, maggot. You look like you had a bad day but this food is delicious and there is no reason to be sad,” she said raining down strong blows on my back.

“You are rather nice, mistress.”

“You can call me Veronika. I don’t like being called mistress. Even now I hate it,” she said, curling into a fetal position. Wasn’t she all about joy and looking down upon others?

“My name is Abel,” I told her. Obviously I wasn’t going, to tell the truth about anything. “Anyway now that you mention it, what is a girl like you doing here?”

“It’s… a long story...”

“I see, well I have all day to hear it.”

“I’d prefer to cut it now. I lost my appetite too so feel free to eat it all,” she said while going away. It might have been my imagination but it looked like tears were running down her cheeks. The servant act bore fruit, she exposed her weakness in such a short time. Something about her past troubled her and if I was able to find which thing it was, I could make her crumble.

I don’t know where she went, but I was sure she would be back any time soon. Although my plan was to toy with her, fate had a totally unexpected intention. Despite the hostilities, years later she would turn out to be my most powerful ally.