Ruby’s gaze lingered on Julian’s face, taking in the features she had grown accustod to.
His mossy green eyes, warm and soulful, were what stood out the most...gentle yet deep, full of quiet emotions that he never voiced.
There was sothing about those eyes that made her pause, that made her feel seen in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
"I’m really fine," she reassured him softly, her breath brushing against his face in the quiet stillness of the night.
Julian’s body stiffened slightly, the warmth of her breath making him suddenly aware of how close they were.
A flicker of sothing passed through his gaze...sothing unreadable, sothing uncertain.
And then, as if rembering sothing, his expression steadied.
Brother Kenji’s words...
Julian had been thinking about them for a while now.
’Let her co to you, don’t rush.’
With that thought, he nodded slowly, forcing himself to relax, and a small, reassuring smile curved on his lips.
"Alright," he murmured, his voice steady again.
Then, without another word, he turned away, walking back toward his room.
But just before disappearing down the hall, he paused for the briefest second and, without turning his head, softly said—
"Goodnight."
Ruby stood there, watching his retreating figure disappear into the dimly lit hallway.
Sothing about that mont, that simple exchange, left an odd feeling in her chest.
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and stepped back inside her room.
She slept beside Milo, her thoughts drifting into the quiet of the night....
🪄🪄
Today was the last day of the fair, and Ruby only had 15 robes left.
She didn’t care much about selling them anymore, her mind was occupied with sothing else. She was still looking for the best place to start her company, but so far, she hadn’t found anything promising.
She had even asked vendors in the market, hoping soone would know of available land or a good rental space, but all they told her was, "If we hear anything, we’ll let you know."
Hopefully, sothing would turn up soon.
As soon as she opened her shop, custors started pouring in. The fair was lively, voices overlapping, the scent of freshly baked bread and sweet lingering in the air.
But suddenly, her left eye twitched.
Her heart dropped.
She froze for a second, her fingers curling into her palm.
This feeling...
Every ti her eye twitched, sothing bad happened.
A slap.
Not a real slap but a light smack on her arm.
Ruby snapped out of her thoughts, rubbing the spot where she had been hit. She turned to glare at Karl, who stood beside her, looking completely unbothered.
"Nowadays, aren’t you using your hands and feet too much?" she asked, irritation lacing her voice, her red eyes narrowing.
Karl shrugged lazily, running a hand through his perfectly tousled hair, looking as elegant as ever.
"So what?" he said smoothly. "I do what I like."
Ruby’s brows twitched.
"Yeah, yeah, but this is my body! You can’t just hit whenever you feel like it! You’ve been doing this a lot lately!" she huffed, crossing her arms.
Karl blinked at her. Then smirked.
"And you’re my wife," he said, his voice dropping slightly as he leaned in, blinking innocently, his long eyelashes fluttering.
That was cheating.
Ruby stiffened.
Damn him.
Damn those eyelashes.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Karl’s blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he watched her expression change, knowing full well that if he blinked at her sweetly enough, she would lt.
Ruby clenched her fists.
She wasn’t going to fall for it this ti.
She wasn’t.
...
Was she?
"Stop blinking at like that. You look ridiculous," Ruby said, rolling her eyes, crossing her arms as she gave Karl an unimpressed look.
A deep frown appeared on Karl’s face as he pointed a finger at her. "You’re an!"
"As if you’re the sweetest person on this earth," Ruby mocked, arching a brow.
Karl squinted at her. "Earth?"
Ruby froze.
Shit.
She had almost slipped.
Biting her tongue, she quickly corrected herself. "I an—yeah, the world. What else would I an?"
Karl didn’t look convinced, but he let it slide. "Hmph! And for your information, I am the sweetest! I’m only an to you!"
He turned his face away with a haughty huff, his nose in the air like a spoiled noble.
Ruby stared at him for a second before snorting. "That just proves my point."
Karl peeked at her from the corner of his eye. "Whatever! You don’t deserve my kindness anyway."
Ruby chuckled. There he goes again, acting like a brat.
And yet... she didn’t mind it as much as she used to.
Ruby tilted her head, watching Karl sulk with his nose in the air. He looked like an offended cat, all puffed up but still ridiculously cute.
"Fine, fine," she sighed, shaking her head. "Since I don’t deserve your kindness, I won’t expect any in the future."
Karl whipped his head toward her instantly, his baby-blue eyes widening. "Wait—what?!"
Ruby shrugged, her expression calm but her eyes twinkling. "You said it yourself. I don’t deserve your kindness. So, from now on, don’t expect to be nice either."
Karl gasped, gripping his chest. "Wife! You’re breaking my heart!"
Ruby crossed her arms. "You’ll survive."
Karl pouted, stepping closer. "No, I won’t. Do you know how much effort it takes to be cute every day? And now, after all my hard work, you want to ignore ?"
Ruby snorted. "You don’t try to be cute. You just exist and annoy people."
Karl blinked, then smirked. "So you think I’m naturally cute?"
Ruby froze, realizing her mistake.
Damn it.
Karl’s smirk widened.
"Admit it, wife," he purred, leaning in slightly, eyes glinting. "You like ."
Ruby’s jaw clenched.
Why was he like this?
"Otherwise, why did you kiss m—"
"Owowo—!!"
Karl’s eyes widened in shock as Ruby swiftly clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his words.
His muffled protests vibrated against her palm, but she held firm, her red eyes narrowing in warning.
Karl stilled, blinking at her, a mischievous glint still present in his gaze.
Ruby sighed, finally relaxing. "Finally, peace," she muttered under her breath, releasing him slowly, ready to scold him for being too loud.
Cough.
Cough, cough.
Ruby and Karl froze.
That cough wasn’t theirs.
—To be continued...🪄
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