Leader Kerry finished reading the full proposal out loud, and villagers quietly listened. After she was done, many of them nodded, and some even smiled.
They didn’t mind working with Ruby anymore.
She had already earned their trust.
They all knew she wasn’t like Lex. She helped them without asking anything first, and now her idea sounded fair and useful.
Ruby smiled with relief, then turned to the old ghost tailor.
"Can you show us where that Mistvine is... the one you mentioned?" she asked politely.
The old ghost nodded. "Yes, I can... but—" he paused, "—there might be some danger on the way."
"Danger?" Julian asked, confused.
The old ghost sighed and rubbed his arms like he felt cold even though he didn’t feel temperature anymore.
"Yes," he said in low voice. "There are Yellow Bitters in that part of the forest."
"Yellow Bitters?" Ruby repeated, frowning. "What are those?"
The old ghost looked around before speaking.
"They are insects," he said slowly. "Tiny... but very dangerous. If they bite someone, the person can fall into coma for hundreds of days. And some types... they carry poison that can start decomposing a body... slowly."
Julian immediately stepped closer to her protectively. "That’s serious..."
The old ghost nodded. "Yes... very serious. That’s why no one goes there now. But those vines grow only in that spot—near the high cliff area."
"Can we use something for safety?" Julian asked.
The old ghost thought for a moment. "Yes... maybe a mix of smoke herbs and covering skin fully. We did it in old days."
Ruby didn’t look scared. She looked focused.
"If that vine can help... I want to at least try finding it," she said.
Julian looked at her face and sighed. He knew when she decided something, no one could stop her.
He quietly nodded. "Then we’ll go. But carefully."
The old ghost smiled at them both. "I’ll guide you... but tomorrow morning. That area is too dangerous at night."
Ruby nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow then."
The villagers who overheard looked both nervous and excited.
"Wife... I’m regretting my decision," Julian said softly as he held Ruby’s hand tightly in both of his, his thumb nervously brushing her knuckles.
They were alone in their small room at the inn. Outside, wind rustled the windows, and far away, a bell rang from the village’s night tower.
Julian didn’t smile. His expression was serious... and afraid.
"We shouldn’t go," he said again, voice trembling. "I—I know we already agreed... but please, let’s not go."
Ruby blinked, surprised at how tightly he was holding her hand now.
"But Jules..." she said softly, "we already told them we’re going."
"I know," Julian said quickly. "But I didn’t think it would be this dangerous! You heard what that old ghost said, didn’t you? Yellow Bitters—those insects aren’t normal! One bite and you could fall into coma. Some can even... decompose the body—Wife, please!"
He looked at her, eyes wide with fear.
"I don’t care about the robe. I don’t care about the design. You already got the Dreadmire flowers! That’s more than enough! Let’s just stay safe. Please?"
Ruby looked down for a second, letting his words sink in.
Then she gently placed her other hand on top of his and squeezed.
"Jules..." she said calmly, "you think I’m not scared too?"
"I am scared," Ruby said, her voice quiet but steady. "I’m scared of insects. I’m scared of the idea of getting hurt. But you saw how people reacted when they heard about the Mistvine. You saw the hope in their faces."
She looked into his eyes, her gaze soft.
"If this works, it’s not just about the robe anymore. It’s about giving people real protection. For so long, they only had chemical fabric that hurts them. Now there’s a chance to make something better... safer..."
Julian sat down slowly on the bed, his hands still holding hers.
"I know," he whispered. "But if anything happens to you, Wife... I won’t forgive myself."
Ruby smiled gently and sat next to him.
"You’ll be with me," she said. "Right? We’ll both wear safety suit. We’ll carry smoke herbs, like the old ghost said. And we’ll be careful. We’re not going there to fight. Just to take few vine. Just few."
Julian looked at her in silence for a moment.
Then he sighed and leaned his forehead against her shoulder.
"Let’s call Milo and the others," Ruby said suddenly, reaching for her phone and swiping it open.
Julian was still leaning on her shoulder, half-melting in comfort. His arm rested lazily on her lap, eyes half-closed. But when he saw her open the contact list, he lifted his head just a little.
"HELLOOOOO??" a loud voice screamed through the speaker, making both Ruby and Julian jump.
"It’s Karl!" the voice shouted again. "HELLO!! IT’S ME!!!"
Julian blinked, then burst into laughter as he took the phone from her hands and pressed it to his ear. "Brother Karl..."
"Ohhh Julian!!" Karl said with full excitement, his voice almost vibrating through the phone. "How are you?? You don’t even call me daily anymore!!"
Julian smiled and said, "Brother Karl... even you can call. We are busy with something, that’s why..."
Karl muttered in fake sadness, "Yeah right... but I don’t want to disturb you guys when you’re doing all bussiness stuff..."
Julian turned red and looked away, while Ruby took the phone from his hand and smiled, "Hello Karl."
"Hey wife..." Karl spoke gently from the other side of the call.
And Ruby smiled softly, hearing his voice.
"Are you doing your homework?" she asked casually.
"What homework?!" Karl asked with full confusion in his voice.
Ruby widened her eyes, "Goodness, Karl! Just because I didn’t give you anything before leaving doesn’t mean you can slack off!"
"I didn’t slack off!" Karl defended himself quickly.
"You should be writing your words, practicing your handwriting, and reading the books I brought for you," Ruby said, sounding like a strict teacher but with soft teasing tone.
Karl whined like a small boy, "I-I am reading... a little... but you didn’t give me homework before going, so how can I know what to do?"
Ruby sighed and shook her head, "You silly ghost. I should have left sticky notes on your forehead."
—To be continued...🪄