~Chapter 11~
Ruby held her head and sat down on the floor.
The children, shocked and panicked, didn’t know what to do. They just stomped their feet nervously.
“N-Noona, your head is bleeding!”
Red liquid was dripping down Ruby’s face.
She had been hit directly by Calix’s wooden sword, and her head was spinning.
Luckily, Calix had aimed softly because he was pretending to hit Sasha. If he had used full strength, Ruby might have gotten seriously hurt.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
But the real damage came from Sasha’s swing.
Sasha had hit Ruby’s leg with all her strength. She was too young to know how to control her power.
Because of that, Ruby couldn’t even stand properly from the pain.
“I-I’m fine… ah.”
She knew if she just sat there, the kids would worry even more.
So she tried to smile and say she was okay as she attempted to get up.
But her legs gave out, and she dropped back down again.
“W-What should we do?”
Calix clutched his head, panicking, trying hard to think.
Then, suddenly, he made a decision and shouted into the air:
“Help us!”
Sasha followed him and also yelled,
“Help, please!”
Their loud voices echoed through the mansion’s lobby.
“I’m okay, kids—really.”
Ruby tried to calm them down.
But someone had already heard them and was running from the kitchen.
“Oh my goodness, Miss Ruby!”
The kitchen maid hurried over to her.
She checked Ruby’s wound and pressed a handkerchief to the bleeding area.
There was also a big bruise on Ruby’s leg where her skirt had lifted.
She couldn’t move properly from the pain—it looked more serious than just a minor bruise.
“Master Calix, please go call Mr. Balt!”
The maid urgently asked Calix for help.
“Okay!”
Calix ran up the stairs as fast as he could.
“What about me?”
Sasha asked the maid, wanting to be helpful too.
“You can stay with Miss Ruby and hold her hand tight.”
“Okay, got it.”
Sasha, on the verge of tears, clutched Ruby’s hand tightly.
“Um, can you take care of Maria, please?”
Even in pain, Ruby was worried about the baby lying on the floor.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of baby Maria. For now, let’s move you to the dining room to sit down.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to keep thanking me, miss. It’s only right to help you.”
With the maid’s help, Ruby managed to move to the dining room and sit on a chair.
Calix must have run really fast—he returned quickly with Balt.
“Miss Ruby! Are you okay?”
Balt immediately saw the blood on Ruby’s face.
“Her leg is also badly hurt,” the maid reported quickly.
After hearing that, Balt’s face turned pale. He quickly approached Ruby.
“I’ve already called a doctor. He should be here very soon.”
“I’m fine. Please take care of the children—they must be frightened.”
Calix stood behind Balt, breathing heavily, his face full of confusion and worry.
Sasha looked like she was about to cry at any moment.
Balt gently approached the kids.
“You did well calling for help right away. Don’t worry—our mansion’s doctor is very skilled. Miss Ruby will be better soon.”
Balt then lifted Ruby to carry her to her room.
Ruby was not present at the dining table, so the children were left to sit alone.
“Don’t be picky with food, okay? Eat well. I’m really okay.”
Even as she was carried out of the room, Ruby tried to reassure the kids.
Calix and Sasha could only stare at her, frozen in shock.
The dining maid stepped between them.
“You heard what Miss Ruby said, right?”
The children nodded silently.
“Then I’ll bring out your meal.”
The main dish for breakfast was carrot soup.
Usually, Calix would throw a fit just from seeing something so orange.
But remembering Ruby’s words, he raised his spoon with a serious look.
“Sasha, you have to eat all of it, too.”
“Yeah.”
Sasha followed his lead and picked up her spoon.
“Shall I help you eat?”
The maid taking care of Maria offered to assist Sasha.
“No, I’ll do it myself!”
Sasha glared at the carrot soup and took a large spoonful.
Half the soup fell back into the bowl before it even reached her mouth, but she tried her best to eat it all.
The maid looked at the two children with sympathy, seeing how down they were compared to usual.
***
Meanwhile, the doctor arrived soon after Ruby was brought to her room.
“Let me take a look at your injuries.”
Balt watched nervously as the doctor examined Ruby.
“Ouch…”
Ruby let out a small groan.
She hadn’t shown her pain earlier to avoid worrying the kids, but now that they weren’t here, she didn’t hide it.
“You must’ve been in a lot of pain.”
Balt’s heart ached more, remembering how Ruby had kept saying she was fine.
“Is she going to be alright?”
“The head wound isn’t too bad—it didn’t split open, so it should heal quickly. But the leg is the real issue…”
Sasha’s strength was the problem.
She had hit Ruby with incredible force.
When the doctor pressed on her leg, Ruby groaned again.
“I’m surprised she’s not screaming. That’s quite brave.”
“Is it serious?”
“She’ll need canes for a while.”
“Sigh…”
Balt let out a disapproving sigh.
“Is there no way I can walk without them?”
“If you do that, the injury might get worse. Why do you ask?”
“I’m just worried. If I use canes, the kids will be really upset.”
Ruby always thought about her siblings first.
Balt couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke firmly.
“Miss Ruby, I know your siblings matter to you, but your health matters the most right now.”
“But still…”
The doctor scolded her in a firm tone.
“Miss, you can’t ignore small injuries. If they get worse, you might suffer your whole life.”
Ruby didn’t think it was that bad.
But since both the doctor and Balt were so serious, she decided to listen to them.
“Alright, I understand.”
“Miss Ruby, I know you’re smart, talented, and very responsible. But please don’t forget—you’re only ten years old. You’re still a child who needs to be cared for, too.”
Hearing that, Ruby felt something stir inside her. It was an unfamiliar warmth.
No adult had spoken to her that way since her parents passed away.
People always expected her to act mature.
Even in her past life, her mother treated her like the head of the family, never like a child.
So Ruby had grown used to pretending to be an adult.
“Will you behave and receive proper treatment now?”
The doctor placed his hands on his hips.
“Yes. Please take good care of me.”
The doctor, after treating her, looked at Ruby with pity.
She never once complained or said she was hurting.
“For now, don’t try to move around too much.”
“Ah… okay.”
Ruby was about to protest again, but the doctor gave her a stern glare, and she gave in.
“If you’re hurt, the Duke will worry.”
That sudden comment made Ruby blink in confusion.
“You mean Duke Lux? The one I know?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“But he wouldn’t worry about me.”
If Ruby didn’t prove her worth within a week, that man would surely throw her out.
No way someone like that would be concerned about her.
“It’s true,” the doctor and Balt both said.
“When the Duke heard that you were injured, he immediately sent me to treat you. If he didn’t care, he would’ve stopped me from coming.”
“This man is the Duke’s personal doctor, Miss.”
Ruby’s eyes trembled.
Did Duke Lux… really worry about her?
She couldn’t believe it. She thought the doctor and Balt were just trying to trick her.
“And before I left the study, the Duke told me to come back and give him a full report—where and how you got hurt.”
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷Luna🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
