Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Invitation

For a moment, when Ruby said that to me, I had a strong urge to ask her what exactly she meant. It might have sounded a little silly, but I really didn’t fully understand her words. They stuck in my head, repeating over and over like an echo.

When Ruby said that the day we would part would never come, I couldn’t immediately grasp the meaning of it. Her words sounded calm, but there was something strange about them, as if there was some hidden meaning that I couldn’t figure out.

I turned to her and opened my mouth to ask. I wanted to clarify what exactly she meant and why she said it in such a confident tone. I wanted to understand if she was joking or serious.

But before I could say a word, I was surprised to notice that Ruby was already asleep.

She was lying next to me, completely calm, as if nothing had happened. Her breathing was even, quiet, almost inaudible, and her chest rose and fell in a calm rhythm.

I couldn’t help but stare at her face. It looked surprisingly calm and soft. No signs of anxiety, fatigue, or tension — only peace. It surprised me a little.

Yes, it seemed that my room really was some kind of magical place.

I remembered how Ruby had complained that she couldn’t sleep at night. But here, next to me, she fell asleep almost immediately. As soon as she lay down on the pillow, within a minute it was all over. It was as if she had never had insomnia.

I smiled slightly and leaned back on my pillow. The curtains in the window swayed slightly in the light night breeze, and that sound, along with Ruby’s steady breathing, had a calming effect.

Maybe I really shouldn’t dwell on her words too much. After all, what does it matter? Sometimes it’s better to just let the moment be what it is.

I put all my thoughts aside. Let everything remain unexplained — maybe that’s even better.

For a while longer, I just lay there watching her. For some reason, I didn’t want to turn away. There was something calm and even peaceful about it.

But soon I felt my eyelids begin to droop heavily. Everything around me began to blur, the sounds faded away, and I could hardly tell where reality ended and sleep began.

And, watching Ruby’s peaceful face, I finally couldn’t resist either — and fell into a deep sleep.

***

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already gently shining through the curtains, flooding the room with a soft golden light. The air in the room was a little cool.

I slowly opened my eyes and, blinking a few times, felt a slight heaviness in my body. It seemed that I had slept longer than I expected. Stretching, I yawned quietly and stretched my muscles, which had become stiff after a long sleep.

Turning my head to the side, I saw Ruby. She was still asleep.

Yes... even though I see this face every day, I still can’t stop staring at it in fascination.

It was a feeling that was difficult to describe. It was like what you feel when you look at a beautiful painting — one that you return to again and again, and each time you find something new that you hadn’t noticed before. Now, looking at her, I realized that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

My goodness... no matter how I look at it, I now realize that it was probably a blessing to be reborn as the aunt of such a charming girl! Thanks to this, I can see her every day, talk to her, watch her cute facial expressions, and listen to her voice.

I smiled quietly at this thought and, without moving, just lay there. I didn’t know how much time had passed. A few minutes, maybe more. I just looked at Ruby, watching her chest rise and fall slowly with each breath, the faint morning light gliding over her eyelashes.

Everything around me was quiet and peaceful. It seemed to me that time itself had stopped so as not to disturb this moment.

And suddenly, without warning, I heard a soft, sleepy voice:

"Auntie, good morning."

I flinched slightly in surprise.

Unexpectedly, without any warning, amethyst pupils, like the deep night sky, slowly opened. The remnants of sleep still lingered in them, but even so, they looked surprisingly clear and calm.

When Ruby opened her eyes and looked at me, a barely noticeable smile touched the corners of her lips. I was speechless for a moment.

"Ruby... have you been awake?" I asked, trying to hide the slight confusion in my voice.

"I just woke up," she replied calmly, stretching a little.

"Oh... I see."

I involuntarily looked away. My cheeks flushed a little, because she probably noticed that I had been looking at her for quite a while. And yet, when I thought about it... what was the big deal? After all, I was just admiring my niece — a girl with truly stunning looks.

Ruby tilted her head slightly, watching me with mild surprise.

"Auntie, what is it?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing," I replied hastily, smiling slightly. "It’s time to get up."

"Yes," she nodded, sitting down calmly on the bed.

After we woke up, Rubiella soon went to her room to get ready for breakfast. I watched her go and was left alone.

I stretched, feeling my muscles respond pleasantly after sleep, and headed for the dressing table. The mirror reflected my image — a little sleepy and unkempt after a long sleep.

I slowly combed my hair, fixed it, chose a simple but comfortable dress, and when I was done, I looked around the room again to make sure everything was in its place.

About half an hour later, we met again in the dining room, where breakfast was waiting for us on the table.

As usual, we sat at the table and ate breakfast together. It was our tradition, which we had followed almost without exception since the day Ruby moved into this house.

Today, as usual, we just had a quiet breakfast.

At some point, I decided to break the silence:

"Ruby," I said softly, "what are your plans for today?"

She looked up, thought for a moment, as if remembering, and then replied:

"Oh, yes. I was going to go to the salon today."

"Oh, right," I smiled, sipping my hot coffee. "Today is the day you usually go there. How are things going?"

Ruby smiled slightly in response, and her face reflected the special calm that comes when a person talks about something familiar and pleasant.

"Everything’s fine, Auntie," she replied, placing her cup on the saucer. "I have a good time there."

"I see," I nodded with slight approval. "That sounds really good! I’m glad you like it there."

Rubiella responded with a brief, almost shy smile and returned to her meal.

I just watched her for a while, taking my time. In any case, everything that had been happening to her lately made me happy. Her life was gradually filling with new colors, acquaintances, and impressions — and I was sincerely happy about that.

This year, upon reaching the age of seventeen, Rubiella, like most young people of noble birth, made her debut in high society.

When I officially introduced her at a banquet in the imperial palace, Ruby immediately attracted everyone’s attention as the future Duchess of Weinstein. Since then, invitations to all kinds of events have been pouring in.

Of course, I was happy about this. After all, Ruby was now truly taking steps toward her own independent life — where she was destined to take her rightful place.

Her world was no longer limited to the walls of this estate and spending time with me.

Now, every week, Ruby, like most of her peers from noble families, attended a social salon — a special place where young people of noble birth could socialize and form relationships with each other.

The purpose of a social salon was, first and foremost, to provide an opportunity to comfortably meet with members of one’s own class. From what Ruby told me, even though she had only recently started attending the salon, she had already made several good acquaintances there.

Of course, it was simply impossible to resist my niece’s charm!

I nodded to myself, feeling the corners of my lips involuntarily lift. I caught myself feeling not just pride, but a special kind of happiness.

After all, seeing her grow up and become more confident in herself — isn’t that the best thing any parent in my position could feel?

I may not be her mother, but still... the years spent together have done their job. Ruby had become more than just a child I cared for, she was something more, almost like my own daughter.

So yes, I could say that I was truly proud of Ruby.

However, as is often the case, the calm did not last long.

Our quiet, measured meal was suddenly interrupted.

It all started when the dining room door suddenly swung open and the butler, Edison, entered the room with quick steps.

His usually impeccably calm expression seemed a little tense, and from the way he moved, I immediately understood that something extraordinary had happened.

"Edison?" I said in surprise, setting my cup down. "Has something happened?"

He quickly approached the table, but, bowing politely, did not answer immediately. I noticed that he was holding a small but thick envelope sealed with red wax bearing the imperial coat of arms.

Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to ask a single question.

I had just put my cup down on the saucer when the butler reached out and carefully placed the envelope in front of me.

"Madam," he said with his usual politeness, but there was a note of excitement in his voice, "you have received an invitation."

I blinked, not quite understanding what he was talking about for a moment.

"An invitation?" I asked, looking up at him.

Edison nodded.

"Yes, ma’am. An invitation to participate in the imperial hunt. It was just delivered by a courier from the palace."