"Don’t act innocent," he said, his voice filled with mockery as he looked away.
Ruby’s frown deepened. "What do you mean?" she asked, confusion swirling inside her.
Julian clenched his jaw. "Stop acting," he bit out, his tone harsher than before. His hands curled into fists on his lap, his shoulders shaking slightly as he struggled to control himself.
His eyes glistened, misty with emotions he refused to let spill over. But beneath that, there was something else...something raw and painful, buried under layers of anger.
He turned away, his voice dropping lower. "Don’t take advantage of my goodness."
The words struck like a cold blade.
Ruby’s breath caught, her chest tightening at the heavy tone in his voice.
Something was terribly wrong.
Something that had left a wound deeper than the ones on his body.
Julian’s eyes darkened, heavy with pain as memories rushed back, dragging him into the depths of his worst moment.
He had been crying on the cold ground, his body curled in on itself, arms wrapped tightly around his knees. The night air had been sharp against his skin, but the ache inside him had been even colder.
Fast. Rushed. Someone was running toward him.
His breath hitched as he lifted his head, blinking through his blurred vision.
But before he could make out who it was—
A sudden, sharp impact crashed against his skull.
A blinding pain exploded in his head, and he barely registered the sensation of warm blood trickling down his forehead.
His lips parted in a silent gasp, but before he could even react, something hard and heavy struck him again..a rock, hitting the side of his temple.
A dizzying wave of agony washed over him.
His vision blurred further, dark spots clouding his sight.
His breathing turned ragged, his body trembling as he fought against the searing pain.
Then, suddenly hands grabbed him.
A forceful grip yanked him down.
He barely had time to register the movement before fingers wrapped tightly around his throat.
His eyes widened in sheer horror.
A flash of pale strands glowed faintly in the red-lit darkness as the grip around his neck tightened.
His hands flew up, clawing desperately at the strangling hold, but his body was too weak, his strength slipping away with every second.
His lungs burned, struggling for air.
And then, just before everything turned black, he heard a voice.
"You should not have seen what you shouldn’t."
A deep, chilling whisper.
Darkness consumed him.
When he lost consciousness, he didn’t see the figures standing nearby, watching it all unfold.
His smug smirk barely concealed his satisfaction.
And beside him, Lyra, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.
Levi turned to the white-haired witch who had just finished the job.
"Thank you," Levi said, amusement drippingfrom his voice.
The white-haired witch gave a slow, almost lazy smile.
"Haha! I owed you a favor. Now, we have nothing to do with each other."
With that, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the night.
Julian’s body stiffened, his fists clenched tightly in his lap.
The pain of that night wasn’t just in his wounds, it was buried deep in his heart.
His jaw tightened, his breath uneven, but he swallowed down the emotions clawing at his throat.
Sitting beside him, Ruby watched him closely, sensing the shift in his mood.
She didn’t know what he had seen.
She didn’t know why he had been left there, bleeding and broken.
And worst of all she didn’t know who had done it.
Ruby asked the wagon driver to drop them directly at her home. She couldn’t let Julian walk in his condition, not when he was still weak and injured.
As the wagon descended, the familiar sight of her house came into view. The morning sun had risen higher, casting warm light over the wooden structure.
The wagon landed on the ground, and she quickly handed the driver a few coins, muttering a quick "thanks" before turning to Julian. He hadn’t said much the entire ride, just staring blankly ahead, lost in his own world.
Just as she was about to help him down, the front door of the house swung open.
Milo was the first to see them.
His eyes lit up with excitement, his body tense with energy as he called out toward the house.
"Wife and Julian are back!"
Immediately, everyone rushed outside—Adrian, Karl, all of them preparing to leave for the big market to search for them. But the moment they saw Ruby and Julian standing by the wagon, they halted mid-step.
Milo, without hesitation, ran toward Julian, relief written all over his face.
But the moment he got closer, his joy turned into shock.
His eyes landed on Julian’s injuries, his bandaged forehead, the bruises on his arms, the stiffness in his movements.
His breath caught in his throat.
"What happened to you?!" Milo asked, his voice filled with alarm.
His brown eyes flickered toward Ruby, scanning her quickly, searching for any sign of harm.
Seeing that she was fine, untouched, unharmed, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But his concern remained firmly on Julian.
His hands hovered near him, as if unsure whether to touch him, afraid it might hurt.
And then, his expression changed.
His small hands curled into fists, his lips pressing into a thin line.
As the wagon driver left, the dust from the ground settled back into place.
Adrian’s brows furrowed, his sharp eyes flickering between Julian’s pale face and Ruby’s unreadable expression. His gut told him something was wrong, but this wasn’t the place to discuss it.
"Let’s go inside and talk," he said firmly, crossing his arms.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Just as Ruby moved to help Julian, reaching out to steady him, he pulled away.
His movement was sharp, almost defensive, like her touch itself was something he wanted to avoid.
Her hands froze mid-air, her fingers curling slightly before she slowly let them fall back to her sides.
Without a word, Milo and Karl stepped forward, silently taking Julian’s arms and supporting him.
Julian didn’t resist them.
He let them help him walk toward the house, though his posture remained stiff.
Adrian followed behind, his gaze lingering on Ruby for a moment, studying her expression.
—To be continued...🪄