Celeste bent down slowly. The hem of her coat brushed the polished floor as she reached for Ruby’s wrist.
The bracelet had slipped slightly, and the tiny silver star dangled too loose around her small hand.
"Hold still, sweetheart," Celeste murmured softly. Her fingers worked carefully on the delicate clasp, adjusting it until it fit perfectly against Ruby’s skin. "There. Perfect."
Ruby looked at her, her large eyes brightened and also held curiousity in them. "You fixed it!"
Celeste smiled. "Of course I did. We can’t have a star falling off its sky, can we?"
Ruby giggled at that. Then she tilted her head, her gaze darting between Celeste and Dominic, watching them with quiet amusent.
"Dominic?" Ruby said suddenly.
He humd in response, that soft, deep sound that always seed to fill a room even when he barely spoke. "Yes, little one?"
Ruby pointed at Celeste, her tiny finger wobbling as she asked with utter innocence, "Is she your wife?"
Celeste froze, still crouched by Ruby’s side. Her hand was midair. Her fingers are still lightly touching the bracelet. Slowly, she turned her head toward Dominic.
Dominic’s lips curved in the faintest, most mischievous smile. "Not yet," he said. His voice ca out smooth. Then he glanced down at Celeste. "She refused to marry ." His tone was teasing.
Celeste’s head snapped up. "Dominic!"
Ruby gasped. The gasp was the small exaggerated kind of gasp only children could manag. Her gasp was filled with mock horror and sincerity all at once. Her eyes grew round as saucers. "You refused to marry him?"
Celeste blinked rapidly, taken completely off guard. "I— what? That’s not—"
Ruby didn’t listen. She was already staring at her with such seriousness that it was almost comical. She leaned forward, with her brows scrunched together. "Why don’t you want to marry him? He’s really handso... and kind." She whispered.
Dominic’s quiet laugh broke the air.
It wasn’t loud, but it filled the room like a warmth. Celeste turned to him sharply, glaring up from where she knelt, but the corners of his mouth only deepened.
"Ruby," Celeste started carefully, her voice was patient. This might turn out to be a delicate situation, "Dominic was just teasing you."
Ruby, however, did not seem convinced. She crossed her small arms, tubes and all, and said with absolute certainty, "He’s not lying. He likes you. I can tell."
A chorus of giggles echoed from behind them. Celeste turned and realized that half the children in the room had stopped what they were doing.
A small crowd was forming.
A boy with bright eyes and a mischievous grin stepped forward, holding a half-finished puzzle piece in his hand. "Miss Celeste doesn’t want to marry Dominic?" he asked, his tone scandalized in the most adorable way.
Celeste’s eyes widened. "That’s not—"
But it was too late.
The sentence had spread like wildfire. In seconds, tiny voices began to fill the hall.
"She refused him?"
"But why?"
"He’s the best!"
"He brings chocolates!"
"And books!"
Each statent ca louder, overlapping until Celeste found herself surrounded by curious faces. So looked shocked, so amused, and all absolutely invested.
Celeste blinked rapidly. Her cheeks ward up despite herself. She looked at Dominic, who was standing there, arms folded, and watching the chaos unfold with a slow, proud smile tugging at his lips.
"Dominic," she warned under her breath.
"Yes, love?" he replied smoothly.
The children gasped again. That word had unintentionally left Dominic’s lips but caught them all.
One of the girls covered her mouth dramatically. "He called her love!"
Celeste shut her eyes for half a second, fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands. Coming here today, this wasnt what she had foreseen, or expected.
Ruby giggled, delighted by the attention. "I knew it! You do love her!" she told Dominic matter-of-factly.
Dominic chuckled again, crouching beside Celeste now, his voice low but full of mischief. "She knows it too, sweet Ruby. She just likes to pretend she doesn’t."
Celeste turned to him sharply, whispering through clenched teeth, "Dominic, I swear—"
The children had already taken sides.
Half of them had turned toward her, pleading like a tiny jury of angels.
"Miss Celeste, you have to say yes!"
"He’s so nice!"
Celeste raised her hands in mock defeat. Her laughter spilled before she could stop it. "Alright, alright! One at a ti—"
But they didn’t listen. They were too happy, too excited, and too determined to see her "say yes."
Dominic leaned closer. His voice brushed the edge of her ear, amd he whispered. "They’re persuasive, aren’t they? How about we have ten kids?" He joked.
Celeste threw him a glare that could have cut glass, though her lips betrayed her with the faintest curve. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"
He smiled. The quiet knowing smile made her heart stumble. "Imnsely."
Celeste knelt again, eting Ruby’s eyes. "You really think I should marry him?" she asked, humoring her.
Ruby nodded, very solemnly. "Yes. Because he’s the kind of man who keeps promises."
Celeste’s breath caught in her throat.
She turned her head slowly toward Dominic, who was watching Ruby now, with that sa unreadable tenderness flickering behind his eyes.
The mont Ruby’s words settled, the room seed to still. His gaze lingered on Ruby, but there was sothing in his expression that pulled at Celeste’s chest.
Celeste tried to breathe, but the weight of that child’s innocence pressed softly against her heart.
’He’s the kind of man who keeps promises.’
The words danced in her head, echoing louder than they should have.
Dominic crouched a little closer to Ruby, brushing a hand over her shoulder in quiet affection. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said. "Thank you for fighting for ."
Ruby grinned. "You’re welco."
Celeste watched the exchange, unable to look away. A small tug at her sleeve brought her back to reality.
"Miss Celeste?"
She looked down to see a boy with curly hair gazing up at her. He couldn’t have been older than seven. His eyes were wide and serious in a way that made him look older than he should. "Why don’t you want to marry Sir Dominic?"
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