Chapter 8 Beautiful Lady Boss (II)

When Locke was done, the lady boss also came out with two plates of food. She first placed the food on a table, then went back to the bar and took out a candle that had already burnt to the size of a thumb. After lighting it up, the bar became slightly brighter. Sylcean noticed the newly wrapped package on the bar and the ground became a bit clearner. She understood something and there was a touched expression on her face. "Come to eat, my lord." Sylcean greeted Locke.

"Er... I told you to cook something casually and you really made something casually? Are we going to eat this for dinner?" Locke pointed at the two plates of black paste on the table in surprise. Locke recognized them. They were mashed potatoes. When Locke had been young, his family had not had a good harvest, or had encountered difficulties, they had often eaten this.

"This... this is the only food I have here. I'm sorry, my lord." Sylcean said in a low voice with a red face. Perhaps she thought of something and felt like crying again.

"Forget it. I haven't eaten mashed potatoes for a long time. I'll just taste it to recall the past." Seeing that this beautiful lady boss was about to cry again, he quickly changed his words. To be honest, Locke was now a carnivorous creature that could eat meat every meal. It was really difficult for him to eat mashed potatoes with salt. Locke was very curious about what this woman was going through right now. If Locke were to exchange the small thumb-liked candle on the table for something in the military camp now, he would be able to get a delicious meal with meat. Candle was a high-end item, and most of them were used by nobles. Because of the complicated craftsmanship, the price was very high, and there were very few people who used it. Even if there were rich farmers and small merchants who had assets, they would only use a little. Uncle Joshak's military tent was only illuminated by oil lamps. As for Locke's military tent, they could only rely on torches to play cards and have fun at night.

"I'm just curious. You're a pretty famous bar owner. But you eat this every meal." Locke teased the lady boss who was about to cry. Then, without waiting for the lady boss to say anything, he picked up the plate that was filled with mashed potatoes and ate them up. He was really hungry. He had drunken a lot of wine in the afternoon and had not eaten anything. His stomach was burning up now.

When the lady boss heard this, she wanted to say something, but when she saw Locke's eating rudely, she swallowed what she wanted to say. Different from Locke's rude manner, Sylcean ate with a spoon, spoon after spoon, bit by bit, as if enjoying some delicious food, which looked very graceful. Although the food that Sylcean had given Locke was twice as much as hers, Locke still quickly ate up all the food, and he still had the intention of wanting more.

"You eat so fast..." Sylcean muttered, "Here you are, I can't eat it anyway. Please help me eat some more." Sylcean put half of the food in her plate to Locke. Locke was indeed not full. Seeing the beautiful lady boss give him her food, he did not say anything. He picked up the plate and continued to fight.

Sylcean put the last bit of mashed potatoes into her mouth. She looked up and found that Locke had already crossed his legs and was looking at her with a smile in his eyes. Sylcean couldn't stand this man's gaze. She quickly got up, put away their empty plates, and walked to the back kitchen.

When Sylcean came back again, the two of them sat on both sides of the table and became quieted again. Only the light of the short candle in the middle of the table was still swaying. "Tell me, why is your life so miserable? According to your situation, this should not be the case." Locke broke the silence and asked.

Looking at this man who intended to help her, Sylcean held back the excitement in her heart and told the truth, "Although my small tavern can make a profit of about 30 copper ducas per day. When the business is good, it can even reach 50 copper coins. But this money almost doesn't belong to me in the end." Sylcean lowered her head.

"Robbed by those local gangsters? Just like today?" Locke asked.

"Em..." Sylcean said in a low voice, as if she had recalled something bad. The beautiful lady boss showed a distressed expression.

"How is that possible? Don't they know that this tavern serves soldiers from the military camp? Where is your husband? Didn't he join the higher-ups in the camp? As long as he tells the higher-ups in the camp, I believe that someone will come to solve your problem." Locke was puzzled and asked in surprise.

"When people are hungry to a certain extent, they won't think too much. These gangsters are poor people who can't make a living. Now, only I and the women behind the tavern can give them money in this town." Sylcean explained the reason and added, "Moreover, my husband has long abandoned me..."

"Huh? Why?" Locke was really curious this time. This beautiful lady boss was abandoned by her husband. Was that person's brain kicked by a donkey? He had abandoned such a beautiful wife.

"Ever since he joined your army, he has become the most powerful person in Gizaton. Everyone in this town and the refugees who escaped from other places have to curry favor with him. How can he lack women now?" Sylcean smiled sadly and said, "Now, all the women behind the tavern are under his control, and he doesn't want his wife at all."

"Maybe he had wanted to compensate, so he had given me the tavern." Sylcean brushed her hair and continued, "At first, those hooligans were afraid of his fame and the soldiers who were drinking here. Later, they became hungry and didn't care about so much. Every time my customers left, they came to rob me. After many times, they also found that my husband actually didn't care about this tavern. Those hooligans also became more and more insatiable."

"Why don't you ask the soldiers who are drinking here for help? If you ask someone like me for help, there should be someone who will help you. After all, we still have to drink here." Locke asked.

"Even if they can help, they will only help me temporarily. Those hooligans will still rob me after that." Sylcean said sadly, "Now the ale in the tavern is all preserved in the past. Because of the sudden increase in prices and the robbery, I haven't brewed new wine for a long time. It is estimated that it will be sold out in less than a week. I may have to make a living like the women behind the tavern..." The beautiful lady boss' sad expression was pitiful.

"You want me to protect you all the time and not just teach those hooligans a lesson?" Locke crossed another leg and asked her.

Being seen through by Locke, the lady blushed and nodded slightly while biting her teeth.

"First, I am just a small Lieutenant. I have a total of ten people and there is training in the camp. I don't have enough people to stay here to protect you. Besides, maybe one day I will go for the war. Even if I protect you now, what will happen after I leave?" Although Locke wanted to help her, that was the truth. Locke was not a person who could easily be tempted by beauty. He rationally rejected the beautiful lady boss.

When Sylcean heard Locke's rejection, her face turned pale and her eyes showed a look of despair. The candle on the table had already burned to the bottom, and the faint flame was on the verge of disapperance. Finally, after burning out the last wisp of white smoke, it went out. The tavern fell into darkness again. The moonlight tonight was not bad. It shot in through the window. The faint moonlight shone on the two of them. The two of them were like stone sculptures with white wax.

"Uu... uu..." The beautiful lady boss let out a soft cry again. This miserable woman might have cried the most in a year today. She did not know what her future was. She was very confused and helpless. Locke was also helpless about this. This world was just like this. There was no love for no reason, and there was no hatred for no reason. Everyone had their own way of living. Even he could not guarantee that he could survive the war, let alone have the ability to take care of someone he did not know.

"Alas... I'll get a few people to watch over the tavern in the next few days. You can do business in peace for a few days, and then take the money you earn to the occupied territory, Peters Barony, or go to find your relatives." Perhaps moved by the lady boss' crying, Locke decided to do his best to help this beautiful woman and led her a way out. "This is all I can do." After saying this, Locke got up and prepared to leave. It was already late and they were about to close the camp.

After hearing Locke's words, the lady boss cried even louder. The woman's face was filled with tears, but she still cried, expressing her helplessness against the ups and downs of fate.

Locke slowly walked to the entrance of the tavern. He no longer tried to persuade her. If she wanted to cry, she should cry. Only after experiencing the suffering could she become stronger. The lady's cries gradually died down. Just as Locke walked to the entrance of the tavern and was about to move the wooden door, a warm body hugged him.

"I can't let you help me for nothing." The lady boss said in a hoarse voice, "I have nothing but this tavern and a few buckets of wine left. Other than myself, I can't think of a way to repay you." Locke could hear that besides the thought of repaying him, the beautiful lady boss also felt an extreme sense of grief.

"You don't have to be like this, we actually..." Before Locke could finish, a fiery tongue blocked his mouth. The beautiful lady boss, Sylcean, hugged Locke's strong chest and kissed him wantonly, blocking what he wanted to say.

Locke was not a person who could still endure under such circumstances. He had not touched a woman for almost a month. Being kissed so passionately by Sylcean was like firewood encountering a raging fire. He also began to respond to Sylcean roughly. He turned around and picked her up, preparing to deal with this charming demoness on the spot. "Not here, go upstairs..." Sylcean also felt dizzy after Locke kissed her passionately, but she was still sober and urged Locke to go upstairs.