REDA | Chapter 05

~Chapter 05~ 

“How exactly?”

“I can remember everything I see just once. And I also have great judgment. My parents recognized my talent and even let me manage our household finances.”

Ruby’s parents realized early on that she was much sharper and quicker than other children.

Especially her ability to absorb knowledge—it was on a completely different level.

Even though the family had been very poor, they were able to raise four children, all thanks to Ruby.

When faced with difficult situations, her parents would even consult her before making important decisions.

So Ruby had confidence.

She truly believed she could be of help to the House of Lux.

Besides, Ruby had one more secret weapon:

Her memories from her past life.

Of course, using those memories wisely was the key, but Ruby believed she could.

“I can see that you’re clever,” Duke Lux said.

She was only ten years old, yet she had clearly understood her siblings’ strengths and presented them in a way that appealed to the Duke.

Still, intelligence was something that happened inside the mind—it wasn’t easy to prove.

Surely, Ruby understood that, too. But even so, she didn’t lose her confidence.

“Then, should I show you how good my memory is? Could you bring me a book?”

The Duke asked a maid to bring a thick book.

Ruby received it.

It was so big that she could barely hold it with both hands, and the print was tiny—just reading it would take time.

“This is the Imperial History Encyclopedia.”

Without even opening it, Ruby handed it back to the maid.

“Why don’t you read it?” the Duke asked.

“You should get another one. I already memorized this when I was little.”

“You already memorized it?”

The Duke raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. I memorized it when I was five.”

“Hmph. You’re saying you memorized this whole book?”

“Yes.”

“Open to any page and ask her something,” the Duke told the maid.

She opened a random page and read a line aloud.

“What did the goddess say when she descended in the year 233 of the Imperial calendar?”

Ruby answered without missing a beat:

“The Goddess Aria descended upon the peak of Mount Muentin in the Balder Empire and said, ‘All who live on this land have fallen into corruption. Humanity has lost all of its dignity. Those who have forgotten my will must be punished.’ As she spoke, landslides occurred in the mountains, and giant waves rose from the sea.”

“Stop.”

The maid was stunned.

“She got every word right… not a single mistake.”

Ruby smiled confidently.

The Duke, still doubtful, tested her several more times—even with different thick books.

Every time, Ruby only skimmed through once and repeated the contents perfectly.

The knights couldn’t stop expressing their amazement.

“Her memory really is something,” the Duke finally admitted.

But—

That “but” again.

What was the problem this time?

Ruby frowned slightly without realizing.

“That still isn’t enough reason for me to accept you.”

“Of course. Memory alone might not be enough.”

But Ruby wasn’t about to give up.

“Then, may I point out a current problem in this mansion?”

“What kind of problem?”

“But I’ll need some time to prove it. Could we stay in this mansion while I do?”

“Tell me what the issue is first. Then I’ll decide.”

“Promise us a place to stay first, and I’ll tell you.”

Ruby was trying to buy time and proposed a deal.

The Duke rubbed his chin, thinking.

He already planned to let Calix and Sasha stay since he liked them.

Now he was considering whether to allow Ruby and Maria to stay too.

It wasn’t a big burden to feed them for a few days, and honestly, the Duke was curious to see what Ruby would do next.

“Fine. I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Ruby didn’t even look that happy—she answered calmly, like she knew it would happen.

To the Duke, Ruby seemed more like a twenty-year-old than a ten-year-old.

Was it the loss of her parents that made her this way?

Or had she always been like this?

“So, what’s this problem you mentioned?”

“I can’t speak about it in front of the knights.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t explain in detail right now.”

Ruby simply looked troubled.

“Then let’s go to my study.”

Without delay, the Duke turned and walked off.

“I don’t wanna go! It’s too boring!” Calix shouted and ran off to the garden.

“I’ll go after him,” the maid said quickly.

“Thank you,” Ruby replied, praying that Calix wouldn’t cause trouble.

At the Duke’s study, the butler Balt was already waiting with baby Maria in his arms.

Ruby took Maria naturally from him.

“Thank you for looking after her.”

“It was only for a short while. She didn’t cry or fuss—such a calm baby.”

Balt smiled gently and looked at Maria warmly.

It was only a brief moment, but it seemed Maria had already won his heart.

Maybe even as a baby, Maria’s main character charm was already working.

Since Ruby’s hands were full, Balt opened the door for her.

Ruby and Sasha bowed and walked inside.

The Duke was already settled on the couch and pointed to the seat across from him.

Once again, Balt helped Sasha up, even though she resisted.

“Sasha, say thank you.”

“Tank you~”

Sasha bowed her head politely, making Balt smile proudly.

“Alright, speak.”

The Duke looked confused as to why Ruby was taking so long to get to the point.

Ruby spoke directly.

“Grandfather, do you fully trust the people working in this mansion?”

The Duke answered immediately.

“No.”

Of course—typical of Duke Lux.

“Then I assume you’re already being cautious.”

“Of course.”

The Duke spoke with full confidence.

Ruby was about to shatter that confidence.

“There’s a spy among the knights of House Lux.”

“A spy?”

The Duke frowned at Ruby’s sudden statement.

“You’re currently supplying your knights with weapons made by the Lux family, correct?”

“Yes.”

“One of those knights is secretly stealing those weapons.”

If this were true, it meant someone was attempting to destroy the Duke’s biggest business.

Naturally, he didn’t believe it right away.

“That’s hard to believe. We keep tight control of the weapons.”

“I understand. You probably have them counted every day, like you ordered.”

Knowing how meticulous the Duke was, Ruby assumed he had strict inventory rules.

But still—things don’t always go as planned.

And Ruby used that opening.

“Then how can you be sure one of them is stealing?”

“Because I met them myself.”

“You figured that out just by seeing them once?”

“Yes.”

Neither the Duke nor Balt found that easy to believe.

“Do you have proof?”

Of course, the Duke wouldn’t just accept it without evidence.

Ruby had expected that.

“For one thing, I saw a few knights who clearly hadn’t been properly trained.”

“How can you tell?”

“By the way they held their swords. It was sloppy. It shows they never learned proper form or didn’t practice the basics.”

Ruby’s father had taught her the fundamentals of swordsmanship.

He always said that a real knight’s attitude could be seen from the way they held their sword.

Thanks to that, Ruby could spot their lack of skill at a glance.

The Duke looked a bit shaken—he hadn’t known some of his knights were so unqualified.

But that wasn’t even the end.

𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷Luna🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ