"I really need it, so I’ll co see it tomorrow," Ruby said, taking a sip of cold water. "Can you tell the layout of the house, just briefly?"
"Sure," Angeline replied. "It’s got three bedrooms, one bathroom, one toilet, a kitchen, and a living room."
"Perfect. I’ll pay the bill," Ruby offered, reaching for her money as the waiter approached with the check.
Angeline shook her head with a smile. "No need, you don’t have any change on you. I’ll cover it this ti, and next ti, you can treat ."
"Deal," Ruby said, nodding. "Next ti, it’s on ."
Both witch walked out, unaware of the scene waiting for them outside.
Angeline was animatedly telling Ruby more about the house as they strolled side by side, only to suddenly freeze mid-sentence, her expression turning to shock.
"Third hubby..." she muttered, eyes wide as she spotted Hugo standing there with a suspiciously calm smile.
"My dear wifey," Hugo greeted her, a creepy smile stretching across his face. "I heard you’ve fallen in love again... Care to share the details with ?"
Ruby felt a chill run down her spine, her gaze drifting to a familiar figure beside Hugo. There he was—her own husband, Karl, with his fluffy black hair and piercing baby-blue eyes, looking at her with a fierce, angry stare.
"What... what is he doing here?" Ruby whispered, feeling her heartbeat quicken.
Angeline stamred, her eyes darting nervously between Hugo and Ruby. "Third hubby... you misunderstood... I... I–"
"Oh, I misunderstood, did I?" Hugo’s smile grew wider, but there was an edge to it. "So, planning to remarry again, are we?"
"No, no!" Angeline shook her head frantically. "I would never!"
Ruby, utterly confused, glanced between them. "Wait... Angeline, isn’t he the third husband you told about? The one who writes romantic poems for you?" She looked at Hugo, half-expecting to see a gentle poet, not the intense figure now causing Angeline to tremble.
Hugo’s gaze sharpened. "Romantic poems, hmm? Well, darling, it seems you forgot to ntion to your friend here why I write them."
Angeline let out a nervous laugh, looking like she wished she could disappear. Ruby could only stare, baffled. She’d thought Hugo must be so soft-hearted romantic spirit... but clearly, there was a lot more to him than she’d imagined.
Angeline forced a laugh, nervously stepping back. "Hahaha, Ruby, silly ! I forgot to ntion... he writes romantic death poems."
Ruby’s eyes widened, her gaze drifting to the small, worn black diary tucked into Hugo’s belt. Suddenly, everything felt a bit colder. Death poems? In a world full of witches and ghosts, that was no lighthearted topic.
"So, darling," Hugo said, his smile now unsettlingly serene, "would you like to hear one of my poems? Or perhaps... you’ve heard enough from that ghost perforr back there?"
Angeline backed up another step, whispering to Ruby, "Let’s... just keep moving, alright?"
Ruby nodded, clutching her scarf tightly.
"Stupid wife, you’re coming with ," Karl muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
"No, Ruby! Don’t leave alone with him!" Angeline wailed, reaching out.
Ruby gave her a quick, apologetic wave. "Sorry, Angel, I really have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow!" She didn’t waste another second, tugging Karl forward until they disappeared down the path.
As soon as they were out of sight, Karl’s tone turned accusatory. "Where were you all day, huh? Wandering around, eating at so fancy place? And watching that ghost dance... I’m starting to wonder if four husbands aren’t enough for you!" He sniffled, almost tearfully.
"Stop crying, Karl," Ruby groaned, rolling her eyes. "I wasn’t even interested in him. And trust , after today, I’m in no mood for one of your jealous rants."
Karl huffed, wiping his tears. "And you know, no ghost would even be interested in an alcoholic witch like you... not with that face," he mumbled under his breath.
"Excuse ?" Ruby’s eyes flashed as she heard his comnt. She didn’t look good? What a joke. A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips as an idea ford in her mind. Without warning, she shoved him against a nearby tree, pressing close, her eyes sharp and intense in the dim glow of the night.
"Can’t you stay quiet for just one second, Karl?" she whispered, her voice unexpectedly soft and sultry. The red glow from a nearby street lamp highlighted her face, making her fair skin almost luminous and casting her white-red hair in a fiery light.
Karl’s mouth dropped open, his cheeks flushing a faint shade of pink. He blinked, clearly taken aback by her intense gaze and the way she was looking at him.
Ruby raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "And as for my looks, have you seen yourself? You look like a erkat." She held back a laugh, her eyes dancing with amusent.
Karl’s face went even redder, and he sputtered, "erkat? I—uh—well...! What’s that supposed to an?"
It seems he didn’t know what a erkat was because, in her mory, the only animals she had seen were cats and dogs.
Ruby looked at Karl’s face again, studying his features, and couldn’t help but smile. Sure enough, he had that sa curious, slightly twitchy look that reminded her of a erkat. She rembered this animal vividly because, back when she was designing a ga character, her computer had crashed just as she was trying to perfect the fur on a 3D erkat model.
The more she looked at him, the more convinced she beca that he truly had that resemblance. She chuckled softly, comparing his face to the little creature in her mory.
Karl, noticing her amusent, narrowed his eyes. "Tell , what’s so funny?" he demanded, clearly frustrated.
"Not telling," Ruby replied, smirking as she turned away, adjusting the money pouch tied securely around her waist with a scarf Angeline had given her.
Karl stomped his foot, his face filled with curiosity. "Tell ! You can’t just laugh at like that and keep it a secret!"
Ruby started to walk away, tossing a teasing glance over her shoulder. "Stop chasing , you erkat!" she called out, breaking into a light jog.
"erkat? What’s a erkat?" Karl cried, his curiosity only growing as he dashed after her.
When he finally caught up, he hugged her around the waist, pouting. "Tell ee, Stupid wife! It’s not fair!"
—To be continued...🪄
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