"I’m going to the Civil Protection Office again," she said, tying her hair back. "But I want you three to stay home and rest."
Then Julian stood up.
"I want to go with you."
His voice was calm, but firm. The kind of calm that told her he wouldn’t back down.
Before Ruby could respond—
"Me too!" Milo jumped up. "I feel better now!"
Adrian didn’t say anything. He just stood. That was his answer.
Ruby blinked. "No—listen. You all need rest. Especially you, Jules, you—"
"No," Julian said gently, his voice a little shaky. "I... I need to go. I’ll go crazy if I sit here any longer."
"And what if Brother Karl comes back and we’re not here?" Milo asked, eyes wide.
"Or what if the civil office needs all of us to answer something she forgets?" Adrian added, arms crossed.
Ruby looked at the three of them standing like a tiny army, each in their own way trying to help.
She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair.
The Civil Protection Office was busy as usual, with officers moving papers, sending messages but the moment Ruby stepped in with Julian, Milo, and Adrian following behind her—the office grew stiller. Her presence carried weight now. Everyone in town knew who she was.
She walked to the front desk, her robe flowing behind her like a storm cloud on silk.
"Any updates?" she asked, calm but commanding.
The officer standing behind the desk, a young witch with sharp braids and a badge on her chest nodded quickly.
"Yes, Miss Ruby. Actually... we do have a lead."
For the first time in hours, something warm sparked in Ruby’s chest.
Julian’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat. His lips moved silently. ’Thank you, Ghost God...’
He’d made a promise in the back of his mind earlier—if Karl came home safe, he would personally visit the Ghost God’s temple, even if it was four villages away, dragging the entire family along. He knew Ruby wouldn’t refuse him.
Even Milo was nearly bouncing, his little fingers tightening around the edge of the desk as he smiled. "Really?! You found him?!"
Adrian’s face remained serious, but a spark of hope flickered behind his eyes.
The officer hesitated.
The word felt like a slap.
Ruby tilted her head slightly. Her voice was polite, but cold.
The officer glanced at Milo—still beaming then at Julian, who looked like he was holding his breath.
"...We investigated in the market," she said slowly, "and... some people claim to have seen Karl. But..."
"But what?" Julian asked, his voice cracking slightly.
"...they said he was with a beautiful witch. A stranger no one recognized. Some assumed—he... ran away with her."
The silence that followed was sharp.
Adrian’s brows furrowed, shoulders going stiff.
Julian’s heart sank like a stone.
"T-That’s not true!" Milo said, stomping his foot, his cheeks puffed in protest. "He likes us! He always says it!"
Adrian gave a small nod. "Karl’s foolish, not cruel. He wouldn’t do something like that."
But then their eyes turned toward Ruby.
Julian’s stomach twisted.
What if she believed it?
He couldn’t handle the thought of losing Karl... and Ruby turning her back on him too.
But Ruby just stood still.
Her eyes locked on the officer’s.
Then she smiled softly—so soft it made Milo blink.
"I think they’ve misunderstood. He would never do such a thing," she said gently. "Can you tell me more?"
The three ghost exhaled at once. Relief poured over them like rain.
She hadn’t doubted Karl.
And in that moment, as Ruby calmly listened to every detail, Julian knew She wasn’t just their wife.
She was their anchor.
And no rumor could ever shake her.
The officer nodded quickly, sensing Ruby’s calm strength and the quiet tension surrounding them.
"Yes... we spoke to a few shopkeepers," she said. "They claim to have seen Karl yesterday afternoon around 2 p.m. near the very end of the market street. You know, that quiet section with fabric vendors and secondhand shops."
Ruby gave a soft nod, her red eyes focused, listening carefully.
Julian, Milo, and Adrian leaned in slightly, hanging on to every word.
"They said he was walking with a witch. Not anyone from around here. She was tall, very graceful, and dressed in deep colors—scarlet or plum, I think. Her hair was long and pinned with expensive charms. Some said she looked like a noblewoman or... someone from a big city."
Ruby’s eyes narrowed.
"Yes, very much so. They assumed... maybe Karl had been invited by her. Some even whispered that he seemed... happy to be with her."
Milo gasped. "He was tricked, wasn’t he?!"
Julian looked crushed, eyes darkening again. "That’s not like him... unless he didn’t know he was being targeted."
Adrian didn’t speak but his jaw clenched.
Ruby, however, stayed still, her mind piecing things together silently.
A beautiful, rich witch. Unknown to the locals.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the desk.
"Thank you," she said finally. "That’s useful."
She turned back to her husbands, her voice softer now.
"Karl didn’t run away."
Julian looked up sharply.
The officer hesitated for a moment before speaking again, glancing between Ruby and her silent husbands behind her.
"Miss Ruby... forgive me for asking, but—why are you so certain he didn’t leave willingly? People said he looked... happy with her."
Ruby’s red eyes met the officer’s without a flicker of hesitation.
"Because Karl would never run off with another witch."
Her voice was calm, but there was a steel edge beneath it.
"And I can say that with 100% certainty."
The officer blinked, caught off guard by the confidence in her tone.
Ruby stepped closer, her robe flowing behind her. "It’s not like I’m poor or treat him badly, is it?" She smiled faintly, her lips curving with quiet fire. "He lives in a house full of love, wears fine robes, eats better than half the town, and has a wife who lets him be exactly who he is—even when he’s lazy, loud, or ridiculous."
Behind her, Julian bit back a smile through his exhaustion.
Milo nodded furiously, hugging himself.
Even Adrian’s expression softened slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing.
The officer looked down for a second, embarrassed.
"That... does make sense."
She didn’t dare say the rest—that unless Karl had fallen in love with another woman, there was no reason for him to leave Ruby. And from everything she’d seen, that possibility was... unlikely.
—To be continued...🪄