Chapter 97: Chapter 97: One year (2)

Even though Rubiella had long since grown up, the moment I saw her standing in the doorway of her room, clutching an old, worn-out toy in her hands, for a moment it seemed as if my little Ruby was standing in front of me again. That tender, touching image came back to me.

But, of course, it was only a momentary illusion. Time 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 become 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 amethyst-colored pupils were dazzling. Every time she blinked, her eyes, reminiscent of the night sky, disappeared and reappeared many times.

Her graceful hands and slender wrists appeared every time she tucked strands of her dark hair behind her ears. Her happily smiling mouth, her red lips, which she used when she smiled at me.

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 game was definitely on par with the main character! With each passing year, watching Rubiella grow and change, I became 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 me.

Ruby looked at me with the same 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 name slipped from her peachy lips. Rubiella asked me 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 me up."

At my words, Rubiella’s lips curved slightly into a gentle, barely noticeable smile. She seemed 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 time." I paused for a moment. "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, momentarily confused. "Um..."

For a moment, I seemed to lose my vigilance as I looked into her eyes, which were like the twilight sky. But then I came 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 tormented her for a long time. 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 became rare and almost completely disappeared.

However, after the nightmares ended, they were replaced by insomnia. These symptoms had become 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 medicine 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 medication 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 came to me 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 me sleep better," she continued quietly, tilting her head slightly, "so... can I stay here?"

When Ruby asked this and looked at me with a plaintive expression, I felt that I simply couldn’t resist her. No, it really seemed impossible.

Every time she looked at me with those eyes, my inner resolve crumbled like sand through my fingers.

In the end, I lost this little battle every time. 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 moments later, Ruby climbed into my bed and settled down next to me. 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 time this month that Ruby had stayed with me overnight. Such occasions used to be rare, but lately, it seemed 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 came 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 me.

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 seemed to me 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 become 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 come here every time."

"Why?"

I felt a slight embarrassment, 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 mean, 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 seemed as if she was pondering my every word, as if trying to understand the meaning 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 me, and I felt the warmth emanating from her. Her hands lightly touched me, and a shiver ran down my spine, causing me to involuntarily flinch. It seemed that even the air around us became denser, focusing attention on this moment.

"Don’t worry, auntie. That day will never come."

I stared at her, not immediately understanding what she meant. Something tightened inside me, my heart seemed to beat faster, and my thoughts, usually so clear and judicious, suddenly blurred in the haze of her words and gaze.

Rubiella smiled at me. Her smile was a little strange, but at the same time bright, like a rose that had just bloomed. There was confidence and a slight mischievous spark in it, as if she knew something important that I could not yet comprehend.

At this sight, I involuntarily swallowed and lost my voice for a moment. All my worries, fatigue, and usual composure disappeared, leaving only a slight feeling of surprise and trepidation.