00:00forest, the silence inside thicker than mountain ice. Elena is still looking out the window,
00:04completely ignoring my existence. Her arms are crossed over her chest, the very picture of a
00:08beautiful, unapproachable tyrant. I look down at my lap. The shadow wolf cub is yawning, and I'm
00:13still awkwardly holding that second, ugly gray egg in my other hand. The silence is getting ridiculous.
00:18If I don't do something, I might actually freeze to death in here. I need to do something. I look
00:22at the small luxury cabinet built into the carriage wall, then look back at Elena's frozen
00:26profile. I call out, putting on my best innocent face. My lady, my beast is hungry, and it seems
00:32your luxury cabinet has some high-grade mana deer jerky. And? And I am a poor coal shoveler with
00:38empty pockets. I cannot afford to feed a divine beast. Surely my generous, kind mistress wouldn't
00:44let her husband's pet starve on its first day of life? For a second, I think she's going to blast
00:49me out of the carriage with dark magic. But slowly, Elena turns her head. Her icy gaze drops to the
00:55tiny, whimpering wolf cub, then snaps to me. Without a word, she reaches into the cabinet,
01:00pulls out a strip of dried, glowing, crimson meat, and holds it out. She doesn't hand it to me. She
01:05holds it directly in front of her own seat, her face expressionless, as if saying, if it wants it,
01:10it can come get it. I smirk, looking down at the cub. Go. Go get the bribe.
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