"Rule one," she said firmly, "No stepping outside the house. I don’t care what excuse you have. Stay inside."
Milo blinked. "Even if the weather is good?"
"Yes," Ruby said. "Good weather lures fools out. You’re not fools, right?"
They all stayed quiet.
"Rule two," she continued, "Don’t open the door for anyone. I an no one. I don’t care if they look innocent, lost, or friendly."
Karl scratched his head. "What if they say they’re in danger?"
"Then they should find help sowhere else," Ruby replied coldly. "No kindness to strangers when you’re alone."
She took a breath and locked eyes with each of them. "Rule three: No emotional drama. No blackmail tears. No begging. And no switching beds at night."
Karl pouted. "That’s aid at ..."
Milo giggled. "You do cry a lot."
Karl looked betrayed.
Ruby moved on. "Rule four: If anything—anything—feels weird, you call . That’s why I gave you the communicator. Don’t act brave. Just tell ."
Milo raised his hand. "Even if it’s just a weird dream?"
Ruby smiled slightly. "Yes. Even that."
"And last rule," she added, turning serious again, "Don’t fight. Don’t try to act smart. And Karl—don’t try to beco a hero again. If I co back to any nonsense, I’m going to rewrite rules only for you that will make you cry for real."
Karl gasped. "Wife!"
Adrian looked away, but his lips twitched slightly.
Julian held back a chuckle.
Milo whispered, "She’s serious..."
Ruby fixed her cloak and glanced one last ti at them all. "I trust you. Don’t break it. Or else..."
Milo nodded quickly.
Karl whispered, "I better behave..."
And Ruby finally turned, confident her words were now rooted deep in their hearts.
Ruby had already arranged everything they might need—groceries, snacks, even extra jars of pickles and dried herbs. She didn’t know how long her work would take in the other village, so she stayed prepared. The kitchen shelves were full, the pantry locked neatly, and she double-checked the stored water as well. She didn’t want them to step out unless absolutely necessary.
It wasn’t that she minded them going outside.
But her heart still shivered when she rembered Karl’s incident.
That one mont... if she had gone even a little late...
If she hadn’t arrived when she did...
She couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened.
Her lips pressed into a firm line as she glanced back at the house. No. Not again. Not ever again. She’ll take every step, every precaution to make sure her ho stayed safe even in her absence.
***
Next morning, Ruby woke up early and went over everything once again—she made sure they rembered all the rules, especially Karl and Milo. She reminded them of the ergency contacts, the storage spots, and told them not to let anyone into the house.
Adrian stood with his arms crossed, quietly listening... until he finally frowned.
"Can I talk to you alone?" he asked, his voice calm but firm.
Ruby glanced at him and nodded. She followed him to his room, and once they were inside, Adrian turned to face her, his gaze steady and serious.
"You don’t have to worry this much," he said quietly. "You know... we survived even when you weren’t with us before."
Ruby stayed silent for a mont.
He wasn’t wrong.
There were ti when she wasn’t around... and they managed.
"I’ll take care of them," Adrian said again, his voice quieter this ti, more certain.
Ruby nodded slowly, lifting her eyes to et his.
For a mont, everything fell silent.
His dark eyes were fixed on her—not cold, not warm, just intense. When Adrian focused on soone like this, it always felt like his gaze could cut through skin and bone, like he wasn’t just looking at your face... he was looking through you, into your thoughts, your fears, your heart.
Ruby held her breath.
There was no smile on his face, but there was sothing else...sothing steady, serious. A silent promise.
She blinked, then gave a small nod again.
"I’m trusting you," she said softly.
And Adrian finally looked away.
"...You don’t have to worry. Just do your work," Adrian finally broke the silence, his voice calm and low.
Ruby let out a small breath she didn’t realize she was holding. His words weren’t sweet, but they were steady like a quiet wall she could lean on.
She gave a faint smile. "Alright."
Adrian didn’t respond. He just turned slightly and adjusted his sleeve, like their conversation had ended the mont he said what needed to be said.
But Ruby understood this was his way of saying: "I’ve got them. So go."
And that was enough.
*
When it was ti to leave, Ruby wrapped Milo in a warm hug. His arms tightened around her waist, clinging as if she’d vanish the mont he let go. She gently patted his back.
"Please don’t cry, Milo... I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring sothing nice for you," she whispered with a smile.
Milo stiffened, trying hard to be brave. His glassy brown eyes looked at her, quivering, but he nodded slowly, biting his lip to stop himself from crying.
Then ca Karl.
The mont Ruby opened her arms, he burst into loud, dramatic sobs as if she was going off to war and not just a short business trip.
"Karl... oh no, don’t cry... aww, you big baby..." she coaxed, rubbing his back. "You’re strong, aren’t you? You’re not supposed to cry more than Milo!"
But he only cried harder, clinging to her like a child.
Finally, she turned to Adrian. He looked... awkward. His eyes flickering to the side like he was too cool for all this emotional ss. Still, Ruby stepped forward and gave him a quick, light hug.
He froze, clearly not expecting it. His eyes widened slightly as if unsure what to do with the warmth.
"Take care," she said softly.
Julian ca out carrying the last of their bags—only to be hit by the teary, red-eyed faces of everyone. He blinked.
"What happened?!" he asked, looking around.
And just like that, his eyes welled up too.
Ruby sighed, exasperated but smiling. "Oh no... not you too."
And the crying started again... everyone except Adrian.
—To be continued...🪄
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