~Chapter 02~
‘And just like that, I became Ruby Brooklyn.’
Even after reincarnating, she was still the eldest of four siblings.
To make things worse, she lost her guardian the moment she regained consciousness. Now, the only one who could protect her younger siblings was Ruby Brooklyn herself.
It was her fate to never escape the burden of responsibility on her shoulders.
“So, you’re Mary’s children.”
Duke Lux repeated Ruby’s words, trying to calm his shock.
“Yes, please take us in!”
Just as Ruby asked the Duke to take them in once more—
Drip, drop.
As if to help Ruby, rain started to fall from the sky.
“Come here, kids.”
Ruby gathered the children close.
Calix and Sasha clung to her tightly, and she could feel their warm little bodies.
With pitiful looks, the children looked up at Duke Lux.
The light rain quickly turned into a downpour, soaking the kids completely.
“…Come inside for now.”
Whether out of pity or not, Duke Lux allowed Ruby and the children into his mansion.
Inside the duke’s residence, an elderly butler greeted the duke and the children.
The Duke briefly explained the situation.
Understanding immediately, the butler didn’t panic and politely bowed to Ruby.
“Hello, miss. I’m Balt, the butler of House Lux.”
“Hello.”
Unlike the cold Duke, Balt’s voice was warm and gentle.
He brought towels for the children to dry themselves.
In a cozy reception room, the children dried their wet bodies.
Once cleaned up, they sat across the large table from the Duke.
Calix lightly jumped onto his chair and sat down.
Well, at least he sat. Ruby decided not to expect anything more from him.
“Ugh.”
Sasha, still too small, couldn’t climb up by herself.
Thankfully, Balt tried to help by lifting her into the chair.
“I will do it myself!”
“Stay still, Sasha. You can’t get up by yourself.”
“Nooo!”
Sasha started being stubborn again, so Ruby leaned in and quietly whispered,
“Want me to summon a ghost?”
Sasha, scared, immediately allowed Balt to lift her into the chair.
Even after sitting, the table was too tall for Sasha, so only her round eyes could be seen from the other side.
Now, finally relieved, Ruby took the remaining seat, right across from the Duke.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Ruby Brooklyn.”
“Sasha, Calix, say hello.”
But the children hesitated instead of greeting him. Maybe they were frightened by the Duke’s big build and scary look.
These were children who usually weren’t shy, so it was odd seeing them act like this.
So Ruby introduced them herself.
“This is my second brother, Calix. This is my third sister, Sasha. And this little one is our youngest, Maria Brooklyn.”
Suddenly, Calix argued with her.
“Maria doesn’t deserve to be called a Brooklyn.”
“Be quiet, Calix.”
“But it’s true, sis. Because of her, Mom and Dad died! She’s adopted and not even related to us!”
Calix’s loud voice echoed through the room.
“Waaah!”
Startled by his yelling—or maybe because she understood what he said—Maria started crying in Ruby’s arms.
Sasha, sitting next to her, also began to tear up.
“Mom and Dad died because of Maria…”
Too young to understand their parents’ deaths, the kids ended up blaming Maria.
And it all started because of a careless comment from a nosy neighbor.
“Such a tragedy… Your mom and dad died while trying to protect Maria on the way to meet her birth parents. If only they hadn’t protected her, they might still be alive.”
That’s what the neighbor said as she handed the surviving Maria to Ruby after the carriage accident.
After hearing that, Calix and Sasha began to feel hatred toward her.
Ruby didn’t need to ask to know what they were thinking.
‘It’s all Maria’s fault.’
Calix was only seven.
He was too young to understand death logically.
Sasha was the same, so she believed Calix without question.
That’s why, in the original novel, the children later became villains and bullied Maria.
Even Ruby in the novel had done the same.
But after regaining her memories from her past life, things were different now.
Ruby stood up and tried to comfort the crying Maria.
Duke Lux, watching silently, shook his head.
“What a mess.”
It was unclear if he meant the kids were a mess or the situation was.
“So, you want me to take care of all your siblings, including the youngest?”
“Yes. Maria is definitely my sister.”
No matter what Calix or Sasha said, Ruby didn’t deny Maria.
Her parents had formally adopted Maria, so to Ruby, she was a true sibling.
Ruby also knew Maria would later become the real main character of the novel Our Family Must Regret It and wanted to raise her right.
She also had to make sure the other kids didn’t become villains and that Maria wouldn’t seek revenge in the future.
It was sad that she lost her parents just as her memories returned, but she had to live on with her siblings.
She didn’t have many options if she wanted to stop the dark future and care for her siblings.
However, judging by the Duke’s face, he didn’t look like someone who’d offer kindness easily.
Ruby anxiously waited for the Duke’s decision.
“I am not responsible for raising you.”
“Why not?”
“Just because I’m your grandfather doesn’t mean I have to. I even cut ties with your mother, so we’re basically strangers.”
Leaning back and crossing his legs, the Duke calmly rejected Ruby’s request.
As expected, trying to appeal to his emotions didn’t work on someone so cold.
Even with his own grandchildren in front of him, the Duke remained heartless.
He was probably calculating whether taking them in would benefit or harm him.
That was the kind of person Duke Lux was.
“Sis, let’s just go home.”
Instead of replying to Calix, Ruby looked at the Duke and spoke firmly.
“Our parents left us an inheritance.”
“So what? Are you offering it to me?”
“No. I’m asking you to handle it for us.”
The Duke laughed in disbelief at Ruby’s boldness.
“Ha. Why would I do that?”
“Because my siblings and I will bring more benefit to your house than any inheritance.”
She sounded confident, but Ruby’s hand, holding Maria, trembled slightly.
She bit her lip secretly.
She regretted being only ten years old.
If she were an adult, she wouldn’t need the Duke’s help or protection.
But right now, the best option she had was to live under the Duke’s care.
“How do you plan to do that?”
Ruby didn’t answer right away. Instead, she gave a sly smile.
She had a few advantages.
First, she had read the novel Our Family Must Regret It and knew the future.
Second, her siblings were far from ordinary.
And finally, she herself had not just ten years of life experience but also the twenty years from her past life as Woo Yeon-su.
She hadn’t come to the Duke without a plan.
She pointed at Calix, who was still pouting.
“Our Calix actually has a natural talent for swordsmanship.”
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷Luna🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
