Even though Rubiella had long since grown up, the mont I saw her standing in the doorway of her room, clutching an old, worn-out toy in her hands, for a mont it seed as if my little Ruby was standing in front of again. That tender, touching image ca back to .
But, of course, it was only a montary illusion. Ti marched inexorably forward, and I knew that I was looking at a completely different person.
I stared at Rubiella, who was now seventeen years old. Her face had beco more elongated, her cheeks had noticeably thinned, and her gaze had acquired a new depth — the gaze of an adult woman, in which one could discern the wisdom born of life experience. She was no longer just a cute girl with chubby cheeks, whose laughter rang carefree throughout the house.
Her gently lowered athyst-colored pupils were dazzling. Every ti she blinked, her eyes, reminiscent of the night sky, disappeared and reappeared many tis.
Her graceful hands and slender wrists appeared every ti she tucked strands of her dark hair behind her ears. Her happily smiling mouth, her red lips, which she used when she smiled at .
I really couldn’t take my eyes off my niece, who was now older, although, objectively speaking, she was still quite young.
Whatever anyone says, the beauty of the main villain of this ga was definitely on par with the main character! With each passing year, watching Rubiella grow and change, I beca more and more convinced of this.
Her charm and charisma grew with her, and now they were dazzlingly noticeable even in comparison to characters whose roles were considered key to the story.
Among all her charming features, I liked her eyes the most when she looked directly at .
Ruby looked at with the sa expression she had as a child, but her reflection in my eyes was now completely different. She looked more elegant, more mature, more beautiful.
"Aunt Grace."
"...Yes."
My na slipped from her peachy lips. Rubiella asked a question, but I was late with my answer because I was so absorbed in the charm of her eyes.
"I’m sorry... Did I wake you up?"
"Oh."
Instead of saying what I was really thinking, I just shook my head, trying to pull myself together.
"No, I just went to bed. So don’t worry, you didn’t wake up."
At my words, Rubiella’s lips curved slightly into a gentle, barely noticeable smile. She seed relieved, releasing the tension I had seen in her posture and gaze.
"That’s good..." she said, "I was so worried that I might be disturbing you at such a late hour."
"Don’t say that," I replied softly, "My door is always open to you, at any ti." I paused for a mont. "But... Ruby, what are you doing here so late?"
"I can’t sleep..." she confessed, lowering her eyes and hugging her old toy to her chest. "So... can I sleep with you tonight?"
"What?" I froze, montarily confused. "Um..."
For a mont, I seed to lose my vigilance as I looked into her eyes, which were like the twilight sky. But then I ca to my senses and shook my head.
"What’s the matter? Are you having trouble sleeping again?" I asked, trying to soften my voice, but it still sounded slightly concerned.
Rubiella just nodded in response, without looking up, and I sighed deeply.
In fact, Ruby had had trouble sleeping since childhood.
It used to be nightmares that tornted her for a long ti. Every night, the girl would wake up in a cold sweat, clutching her favorite toy in her hands, and I would sit next to her, trying to comfort her with words of support and holding her hand. Fortunately, over the years, these nightmares beca rare and almost completely disappeared.
However, after the nightmares ended, they were replaced by insomnia. These symptoms had beco particularly severe over the past few years, and I still couldn’t understand what exactly was causing them.
I took Ruby to the doctor and had all kinds of tests done to try to find out the cause of her condition, but dicine did not provide a clear answer.
The doctor just shook his head as he studied the test results and said that Ruby most likely had chronic sleep problems, which could only be treated with dication or sedatives. So she always drank herbal tea before bed.
However, in recent months, even this tea had stopped having the desired effect. And as strange as it may sound, the only place where Ruby could sleep peacefully was my room. That’s why she ca to so often at night. And yet...
"Ruby, if you like sleeping here so much, I can just give you this room."
Ruby leaned slightly against the door, holding her favorite soft toy in her hands, and replied:
"No. I just want to sleep with my aunt."
I blinked, slightly confused.
"What? But..." The words stuck in my throat.
"Your presence helps sleep better," she continued quietly, tilting her head slightly, "so... can I stay here?"
When Ruby asked this and looked at with a plaintive expression, I felt that I simply couldn’t resist her. No, it really seed impossible.
Every ti she looked at with those eyes, my inner resolve crumbled like sand through my fingers.
In the end, I lost this little battle every ti. I took a deep breath, finally losing the last of my resistance, and said,
"Okay. You can stay here."
After I gave her permission, Ruby looked pleased.
Her lips curved slightly. When she smiled, she looked even more charming.
In the end, I just sighed as I watched her.
A few monts later, Ruby climbed into my bed and settled down next to . She settled in as if it were her natural place, and I felt the familiar warmth emanating from her almost adult body.
This was the seventh ti this month that Ruby had stayed with overnight. Such occasions used to be rare, but lately, it seed to be becoming more and more common.
Of course, there was nothing strange or unacceptable about it — we were aunt and niece. And even though Ruby had grown up and was no longer a child, in close-knit families, such things were considered normal.
There was nothing wrong with spending the night together, especially when it ca to trust, warmth, and care between relatives.
Nevertheless, despite all this, I couldn’t shake a slight feeling of unease.
Thoughts of the future kept coming back to .
In a year, Rubielle would have to leave this house and lead the Weinstein family as a duchess. It was a responsible and important role, and it seed to that my niece was still too much of a child at heart to handle it.
Therefore, for her own well-being, I wanted Rubielle to beco more independent.
When we finally settled down next to each other in bed, I decided to speak up:
"Ruby, even if you have trouble sleeping, you don’t have to co here every ti."
"Why?"
I felt a slight embarrassnt, realizing that it wasn’t easy to explain. I sighed and continued, trying to find the right words:
"Well..." I hesitated. "Probably because you’re too old for that now. Don’t you think so? How will you sleep in the future when I’m not around?"
Her expression changed. Rubiella frowned her delicate eyebrows, and a slight concern flashed in her eyes:
"Not be around?" she said quietly.
"Yes..." I said, barely holding back a sigh, "I an, we won’t always be able to be together. Especially in the future. That’s why you need to learn to be more independent."
Ruby fell silent, and it seed as if she was pondering my every word, as if trying to understand the aning of what I had said.
The room was filled with silence, broken only by my light breathing and the quiet beating of my own heart, which I could hear clearly.
Finally, she unexpectedly moved closer to , and I felt the warmth emanating from her. Her hands lightly touched , and a shiver ran down my spine, causing to involuntarily flinch. It seed that even the air around us beca denser, focusing attention on this mont.
"Don’t worry, auntie. That day will never co."
I stared at her, not imdiately understanding what she ant. Sothing tightened inside , my heart seed to beat faster, and my thoughts, usually so clear and judicious, suddenly blurred in the haze of her words and gaze.
Rubiella smiled at . Her smile was a little strange, but at the sa ti bright, like a rose that had just blood. There was confidence and a slight mischievous spark in it, as if she knew sothing important that I could not yet comprehend.
At this sight, I involuntarily swallowed and lost my voice for a mont. All my worries, fatigue, and usual composure disappeared, leaving only a slight feeling of surprise and trepidation.
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