For the rest of the time, Eleonora didnโt glare at Lilian anymore, nor did she pick any fights.
She just ate the dinner Lilian had prepared in small bites, lost in thought.
Soon, dinner was coming to an end.
Based on past experience, one of the maids would step out discreetly and say, โIt seems thereโs extra food again today, Young Lady.โ
Then Eleonora would sneer and say condescendingly, โThen let Lilian finish it.โ
Lilian couldnโt refuse to eat; after all, the maidsโ dining time had long passed.
If she didnโt eat, she would truly go hungry.
But today was different.
After finishing her meal, Eleonora snorted and got up from her seat.
In a tone that sounded rehearsed, as if reciting a prepared line, she said, โLilian, as a maid, you are utterly useless. Your dinner is canceled today.โ
Huh?
What did I do?
Lilian stared blankly at Eleonora.
Eleonora left the room with the other maids without a word, leaving Lilian dazed and alone.
Eh?
What about my food?
Is it really gone?
She waited a long time, but nothing happened.
Lilian confirmed one factโshe was going to starve tonight.
Thinking back on how Eleonora had left without saying a word, Lilian regretted feeding her that piece of meat.
Getting hungry just for a moment of satisfaction was really not worth it.
But since it was too late now, all she could do was try to sleep.
โGurgleโโ
Her stomach was crying out in misery.
Lilian lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
So hungry, so hungry, so hungry.
Maybe because Memory Awakening had drained so much energy today, Lilian felt an unusual hunger.
She frowned and helplessly stared at the ceiling.
ใEndure Hunger, Hunger Resistance Experience +1ใ
Whatโs this noise?
Suddenly jolting upright as if near death, where was her system?
A light screen popped up before her eyes, clickable and interactive.
Lilian was sure this wasnโt a hallucinationโshe was really hungry.
After clicking a few times, a stream of information appeared.
ใWelcome to the Reward Through Effort Systemใ
What a straightforward name. Lilian immediately understood the systemโs function.
ใLilian Elwardใ
ใRating: Novice physician, subpar maid, gullible fool. Fortunately, the knowledge awakened in your memory makes up for your previous shortcomings; youโre no longer an easily fooled woman.ใ
Ignoring the slightly harsh words, Lilian continued scrolling.
ใProfessionใ
ใSkillsใ
ใLogใ
Under Profession, there were only two: Lv2 Physician and Lv1 Maid.
Skills listed many things, mostly related to her professions, like pharmaceutical knowledge.
ใEndure Hunger, Hunger Resistance Experience +1ใ
Another notification popped up, and the log tab showed a small red dot.
Lilianโs OCD flared up.
She opened the log.
It was a series of entries, roughly from the time she woke up.
ใDressed the Master in high-quality maid attire, Maid Profession Experience +2ใ
Lilian didnโt like how it said โthe Master.โ What did that mean? It was Eleonora who had her put it on.
ใExchanged work experience with the junior maid, Maid Profession Experience +1ใ
That must be referring to her chatting with Erin.
ใDisplayed charm as a maid, pleasing the Masterโs mood, Maid Profession Experience +5ใ
ใFirst time performing Feed Play with the Master as a maid, Maid Profession Experience +10ใ
Ber?
Whatโs Feed Play?
It was just feeding her something simple.
Is there something wrong with this system?
She went back to Profession and clicked on Maid, and some details popped up.
ใApprentice Maidใ
ใRating: Lacks etiquette, inexperienced in skills, truly not a qualified maidโbut you have one advantageโyouโre very good at pleasing the Master.ใ
ใExperience: 18/100ใ
ใThe higher the profession level, the more proficient you become in corresponding tasks.ใ
ใUpon reaching specific levels, the profession will gain enhancements.ใ
ใYou can increase experience by diligently performing behaviors appropriate to your role.ใ
The word โdiligentlyโ was bolded.
Lilian understood everything now. Judging from the log, any action involving Eleonora granted unusually generous experience.
This was clearly encouraging her to interact more with Eleonora!
Though she had planned that anyway, seeing phrases like โfor the Masterโ and โpleasing the Masterโ still made Lilian want to punch the system.
Thinking of Eleonora, Lilian rubbed her protesting belly.
She had originally wanted to test Eleonora a bitโafter all, Eleonora wasnโt the terrifying future Demon Lord yet.
Right now, she was just the countโs daughter, maybe a little unhinged and fond of giving Lilian trouble.
If Eleonora really hated her, she wouldnโt have let her feed her.
At worst, she might have scolded her for insolence or given some punishment.
And judging by Eleonoraโs reaction and the systemโs log, it was clear Eleonora didnโt dislike her.
So as long as she did her maid duties well, Eleonora probably wouldnโt make things too hard.
Originally, Lilian planned to spend a few months learning to be a good maid and please Eleonora.
Now with the system, that progress would likely be much faster.
Then she could get on good terms with Eleonora, obtain permission to freely come and go at the countโs manor, and the 300 gold coins she owed would be no big deal.
Running away and escaping her hardships was within reach!
Then Lilian couldnโt help but grit her teeth.
That annoying noble girlโher mood was clearly good, yet she starved herself.
She clearly didnโt dislike Lilian but kept provoking her.
Lilian touched her chin. Could Eleonora be playing some strange game?
Although the game never explicitly mentioned any quirks Eleonora might have.
But considering that medieval nobles often had weird little fetishes, Lilian could only try to understand.
โGurgleโโ
No, no understanding!
Iโm not asking for delicacies every dayโIโm not a glutton.
But starving me? Whatโs wrong with your mindset? I only fed you one bite! At this rate, feeding two bites means starving two meals, feeding three means starving a whole day, and eventually, I wonโt be allowed to eat at all.
As a maid, I might really have to control you. Seriously.
Suddenly, a scent of food wafted into Lilianโs nose, almost pulling her soul away.
So fragrant. Whoโs poisoning me with food in the dead of night?
It was past 11 p.m.โnot late in her previous lifeโs modern world, but in this world, it was deep night.
Definitely not mealtime, and smelling food just made Lilian feel hungrier.
โKnock knock.โ
A soft knock sounded.
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
Lilian rubbed her belly and opened the doorโsurprisingly, it was junior maid Erin.
She stood outside, scanning the dim surroundings nervously, carrying quite a bit of food.
The delicious smell came from her.
โThe Young Lady said she was worried youโd be hungry, so she told me to bring you some food,โ Erin whispered.
Tears welled up in Lilianโs eyes.
She couldnโt help but hug Erin as if hugging a life-sized roasted chicken leg.
โWaaah, Erin, youโre truly my savior. Thank you.โ
Lilian actually took the initiative to hug her!
If the Young Lady had come herself, then the one being hugged right now would be the Young Lady, right?
Ah, Young Lady, what are you doing!
Erin just felt so anxious.