The wagon driver dropped Ruby off at the market. She could have asked him to take her all the way home, but the extra charge wasn’t worth it. Saving every bit counts, she reminded herself as she stepped down.
By the time Ruby reached her house, the late afternoon glow cast long shadows across the narrow path. She shifted the bag of chocolates in her hand as she approached the door.
The moment she stepped inside, something felt... different. The air smelled faintly of soap, and the floors looked spotless. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the unusually tidy surroundings.
"Wife, you’re home!" Julian’s voice rang out cheerfully, his eyes lighting up the second he spotted her. He tried to contain his excitement, but his gaze kept flickering to the bag she held.
Ruby arched a brow. "Hmm..." she hummed, stepping further inside. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced around.
That’s when she spotted Karl.
He sat at the dining table, back straight, hands resting neatly in front of him like a perfect student.
"Welcome back," Karl said calmly, though Ruby didn’t miss the way his eyes darted toward the bag every few seconds.
Milo sat next to him, practically bouncing in his seat. His wide brown eyes sparkled with anticipation as he stared at Ruby like a puppy waiting for a treat.
Ruby raised her brows.
"Alright," she said, placing the bag down on the table. "What’s going on? Why are you all sitting like you’ve been waiting for me all day?"
She narrowed her eyes at them, waiting for an answer. But the three stayed suspiciously quiet, their faces full of innocence.
"Hmm... not talking, huh?" she mused, but she already knew the truth.
Still, Ruby decided not to press further. "I’ll deal with you three after I freshen up," she said, heading toward her room.
As soon as Ruby disappeared behind the door, Karl, Julian, and Milo shifted their attention to the bag she left on the table.
"What do you think is inside?" Milo whispered, leaning closer as if the bag might reveal its secrets.
"It’s probably just vegetables or something boring," Karl muttered, though his eyes lingered on the paper of Choklate peeking from the top.
"It’s not vegetables," Julian said confidently, crossing his arms. "It’s the reward she promised."
"Then why aren’t we opening it?" Milo asked, fidgeting in his seat.
"Because she’ll skin us alive if we do," Karl replied flatly.
The three of them sat in silence, staring at the bag like it might disappear at any moment.
A few minutes later, Ruby returned, her hair tied up casually as she stepped back into the room. She glanced at the three of them, who instantly straightened up, pretending they hadn’t been eyeing the bag the whole time.
Ruby smirked but didn’t comment.
"Alright," she said, settling down at the table across from them. "Let’s not waste time. Show me your papers, whatever words you’ve written."
Julian immediately stood, rushing to grab the sheets they had been working on. He returned with three filled papers, placing them carefully in front of Ruby.
Karl rested his chin on his hand, watching her closely. Milo sat on the edge of his seat, practically bouncing.
Ruby glanced over the papers, her eyes flicking between each of their handwriting. "Let’s see who really worked the hardest," she said as she opened the paper.
Ruby carefully examined each paper, her lips curling slightly as she read through them.
Julian’s paper was neat and organized. He had written simple, practical words—"table, bed, chair, door..." and managed to complete the full list of ten.
"Hmm, not bad, Julian," Ruby said, nodding approvingly.
Next, she turned to Milo’s paper. His handwriting was slightly messier, and the words he chose were even simpler—"bed, door, cup, rug..." totaling eight words.
Ruby glanced at Milo, who was watching her with hopeful eyes. "You were close," she said gently.
Milo pouted, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I thought that was enough."
Finally, Ruby picked up Karl’s paper. The moment her eyes scanned the page, her brows lifted. His handwriting was crooked, the letters uneven and hastily scribbled.
But what stood out most was the number, eighteen words.
Ruby’s eyes narrowed slightly as she skimmed through them. "Table, bed, door, cup, chair..." She paused, quickly realizing something.
They were the exact same words Julian and Milo had written.
Ruby lowered the paper, fixing Karl with a pointed stare.
"Eighteen words, Karl?" she asked, arching a brow. "That’s quite the achievement."
Karl grinned, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head. "I guess I’m just talented."
Julian and Milo immediately turned toward him, glaring.
"Talented?" Julian huffed. "You copied our words!"
Milo gasped, his eyes widening. "You took my paper while I was cleaning the room, didn’t you?"
Karl held his hands up innocently. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wrote what I saw around the house."
Ruby tapped the paper against the table, fighting back a smile.
"So... let me get this straight. You just happened to see the exact same things, in the exact same order, as both of them?" she asked, her tone light but teasing.
Karl shrugged, flashing his lazy grin. "Great minds think alike, wife."
Julian groaned, burying his face in his hands, while Milo crossed his arms with a pout.
Ruby chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"Well, I promised a gift, and technically Karl did write the most words..." she trailed off, watching as Milo’s pout deepened.
"But," Ruby added, lifting the bag of chocolates, "copying isn’t exactly fair, is it?"
Karl’s grin faltered slightly. "Wait, wait—"
Ruby pulled out the chocolates, handing the largest bar to Julian.
"You get the winner’s prize. You worked hard, and you didn’t cheat."
Julian’s face lit up as he accepted the chocolate, his earlier frustration melting away. "Thank you, wife!"
Milo perked up as Ruby handed him a smaller bar. "You still did well, Milo. Eight words is a good effort."
Finally, Ruby held up the smallest chocolate bar and placed it in front of Karl with a smirk.
"For the effort... at least for writing something," she said.
Karl stared at the tiny bar in disbelief. "This is cruel."
Julian and Milo burst out laughing, and even Ruby couldn’t hold back her amusement.
"Next time," Ruby said, leaning closer with a grin, "try not to copy others homework."
Ruby stood, brushing off her robe lightly. "I’m going to my room," she said. "Oh, and there’s chocolate for Adrian in the bag too. Make sure he gets it when he comes back."
Karl’s eyes flicked to the bag, but Ruby’s sharp glance kept him in check.
"Don’t even think about it, Karl."
Karl grumbled under his breath but nodded as Ruby walked toward her room.
The moment the door closed behind her, Karl let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, slumping back in his chair.
"She’s really unfair," he mumbled, glaring at the tiny chocolate bar in front of him. "She said whoever wrote the most words would win... I wrote eighteen. It took me two hours!"
Milo snorted. "You copied eighteen words. That doesn’t count."
Karl shot him a look but didn’t argue. "Still... it wasn’t easy writing them out. I should’ve at least gotten the bigger bar." His voice trailed off into a mutter as he poked at the chocolate like it had personally offended him.
Julian watched quietly for a moment before nudging the larger bar toward Karl. "Wife wasn’t unfair, Brother Karl. But if you really want, you can take mine too."
Karl’s eyes flickered with surprise, but Julian wasn’t done.
"Next time, don’t cheat," Julian said, his tone calm but gentle. "It’s not the chocolate that matters, it’s about being honest and doing it right."
Karl stared at the bar Julian offered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. After a moment, he pushed it back gently.
"Keep it," Karl muttered, scratching his head awkwardly. "I was just... frustrated, I guess. I’ll survive."
Milo leaned closer, grinning. "Look at that! Brother Karl’s growing up."
Karl flicked Milo’s forehead, making him yelp. "Don’t push it, Little Milo."
The three of them laughed softly, the earlier tension fading into warmth.
"Thanks anyway, Julian," Karl added quietly, unwrapping his small chocolate bar with a resigned sigh.
"No problem," Julian said with a smile, glad that Karl had finally let it go.
After some time, the doorbell rang. Karl opened it right away, already expecting who it was. Adrian walked in, his posture showing clear exhaustion. But in his expression, there was a faint warmth, something that hadn’t appeared in days.
He had eaten lunch today.
"Brother Adi!" Karl said as Adrian stepped inside. "I’ll heat some food for you!" he added enthusiastically, already making his way to the kitchen without waiting for a response.
Adrian smiled faintly, giving a small nod.
Julian glanced at Adrian and stood up, walking toward him. Adrian held a bag of lunch, and Julian quietly took it from him, his eyes flickering with subtle relief.
"How was work today?" Julian asked.
—To be continued...🪄