The look Ruby gave monts before my death haunted even in my dreams. I had never felt her gaze like that before. It was as if... she despised . No. It was more than just contempt.
I still didn’t understand what it was when I suddenly woke up. My dress and hair were wet, but soone had changed into dry clothes and put to bed. My head still ached a little.
"Where am I...?" My throat was dry, so only an indistinct wheeze escaped from my mouth.
Well, it didn’t really matter. The main thing was that I wasn’t in the afterlife.
When I asked about it, there was a rustling sound nearby. And in the next mont, a small body rushed to hug .
"Hooray! Auntie is finally awake!"
I shuddered when I realized it was Ruby hugging . The girl pressed herself against and was very happy that I had regained consciousness. But at that mont, I instinctively pulled away.
When I moved away from her, Ruby looked at in surprise.
"Auntie, is sothing wrong?"
"..."
I couldn’t understand what was happening to . But for so reason, I felt uncomfortable being near her. That look... I still rembered it clearly.
Noticing that I was cold toward her, Rubiella began to look very dejected.
"Auntie..." Tears welled up in her voice. "Are you angry with ?"
I was surprised. These were sincere tears.
"I..."
"Auntie, tell what I did wrong!"
The girl seed to be in real despair, and I couldn’t bear it. After all, who can remain indifferent when they bring a child to tears? I felt sorry for her. And yet...
"Why didn’t you call for help?" I asked directly.
Rubiella flinched.
"Auntie, I... I was so scared," the girl lowered her head guiltily. "Please forgive ! Ruby will never do that again!"
Ruby’s remorse really seed sincere. My heart softened. Maybe I had just imagined it? After all, Ruby was still a child. She could easily have panicked in such an unexpected situation. That look, wishing dead, had never been there.
"It’s okay," I finally smiled and hugged Ruby close to . "I’m not mad at you."
"Really?" She looked up at with wet eyes.
"Mm-hmm," I nodded. "It could happen to anyone... Let’s just forget about it."
The girl hugged tighter around the waist.
"Auntie, I promise I’ll never put you in danger again! I’ll definitely call for help!"
"Hah... Okay," although I hoped there wouldn’t be a next ti. After all, in my new life, I couldn’t die so stupidly just by drowning in a lake with ducks.
As we sat on the bed, I suddenly realized that we weren’t at our estate. The ceiling and walls were unfamiliar to .
"By the way... Who saved ?" I rembered and decided to ask about it.
"That’s..." Ruby hesitated.
At that mont, there was a knock at the door. Roger suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"Lady Weinstein, you’re awake!" He breathed a sigh of relief.
I was very surprised.
"Sir Roger? What are you doing here..."
The guy walked deeper into the room.
"It just so happened that I was nearby..." Roger explained awkwardly. "I heard cries for help and ran over. And then it turned out it was you."
"Really?" I was amazed. What a coincidence.
"Fortunately, I arrived in ti," Roger continued, "and pulled you out. But... I didn’t know where you lived, so I brought you here."
"So this is your estate...?"
"Yes."
I sighed.
"I’m sorry for causing so much trouble," I said guiltily.
"It’s all right," Roger replied. "The main thing is that you’re safe now."
We smiled at each other. Ruby said nothing and watched our conversation in silence. Roger cleared his throat awkwardly, and I understood his hint.
"Ruby, sweetie," I took her by the hand, "Go play in the hallway, okay? The grown-ups need to talk."
The girl didn’t argue. She smiled weakly.
"Okay, auntie."
As soon as Ruby left us, the guy seed to relax. He walked over and sat down on a chair next to my bed.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Are you feeling well?" he asked imdiately.
"Mm, yes... I’m better now. I’ll leave the duchy as soon as possible."
"Don’t worry about that," said the guy. "Father has already given his approval for you to stay here as long as you need."
"Is that so..." I smiled. "Then that’s fine."
We were silent. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the wall clock.
"While I was unconscious, you had to look after Ruby," I said. "I apologize if that caused you any inconvenience."
"Uh... No. Of course not."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Contrary to his usual icy expression, the teenager now seed sincere with . When we were alone, he crossed his arms and looked slightly embarrassed. It seed he was genuinely worried about . I was grateful to Roger, but at the sa ti... I assessed the situation soberly.
Yesterday, I had narrowly escaped death. Now I had to be even more careful.
I hoped that Roger really did see as just a friend. I wasn’t stupid enough not to notice all the signs. And who knows what would happen to this world if I accidentally "stole" one of the main love interests...
It would be good if our friendly relationship remained that way in the future. After all, I am now working with this family. But if not... I will have to draw a firm line between us.
While I was thinking about our suddenly blossoming relationship, Roger suddenly turned to :
"Your butler asked to give this to you. You received a letter this morning."
"Huh?" I was surprised.
Roger took a sealed envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to . I opened it and read it right away.
It really was unexpected.
"Lady Weinstein, I hope you have a mont."
It was a letter from the owner of the gun shop.
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