Karl looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Have you forgotten your fourth husband already?"
"...Fourth husband? How many husbands do I have?" Ruby exclaimed in shock, looking at Karl, who was the same height as her.
Hearing her voice, Julian woke up. His mossy green eyes were slightly watery as he sat up from the bed, the old frame making slight creaking sounds.
"Oh my god! Do you even know who I am, or has alcohol burned your brain? I can't believe you, stupid wife." Karl said angrily, pointing his finger at her.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced Ruby's brain. Unable to bear it, she closed her eyes and almost fell. Julian didn't stand up to help her, but Karl quickly ran to hold her.
"Brother Julian, let's take stupid wife to the healer," Karl said worriedly.
"No." Julian replied, looking away.
"Why..." Karl said, holding her and noticing her clothes were still wet.
"We don't have any money, Karl! Even if we ask for credit, no one will give it to us when our debts are already piled up." Julian said, his eyes turning red.
Karl's eyes also filled with tears. "No, I still have five gems. Let's treat her," he insisted.
Julian nodded, and together they helped their fainted wife.
"Please, Brother Julian, hold this witch. I will drive the bike," Karl said.
Julian's eyes widened in horror. "No, Karl, you hold her. I'll drive." Seeing Julian look anxious, Karl quickly agreed.
Julian steadily drove through the sky, but his brows furrowed in confusion.
Where did Karl get this Ecto-bike?
***
Ruby felt a sudden headache, and memories started flooding her brain like crashing waves.
The Ghost World was a planet similar to Earth but with significant differences.
The water was red, the trees were dark, and from space, the planet appeared black and red.
This world had only two types of genders: women, known as witches, and men, known as ghosts.
The birth rate of witches was low, while the birth rate of ghosts was high. However, ghosts were significantly weaker than witches.
Because of this imbalance, many areas were dominated by witches, who could have harems.
Ruby, the body she had transmigrated into, was once a rich, spoiled child of her parents.
After her parents passed away, she lacked any skills or job prospects. Her greedy aunt, by deceit and manipulation, made Ruby a drunkard and took away her property.
She only left Ruby with some money for drinking. To make matters worse, her aunt married her off to useless male ghosts with no background.
In this world, witches were highly respected, even if they were drunkards or had other flaws. Families would still marry off their ghosts to such witches, as most job opportunities were reserved for witches.
Ruby's four husbands had varied, unfortunate backgrounds
The first one, Adrian was an orphan and a sly thief who used to steal things and survive without any home, always getting into fights.
The second one, Karl was even more useless, with a family that had already sold him off.
The third one, Milo was a fool without any background or prospects.
The fourth one, Julian didn't have any background; his parents had died, and his relatives refused to raise him.
However, in the memories, she saw that they had become homeless and had been living in the slums for almost two years. Ruby used to drink so much that she spent most of her time sleeping anywhere without any thoughts. All she wanted was a drink. She didn't even care about her husbands or the hard and difficult situations they were in.
She almost wanted to slap herself.
However, her husbands didn't like her either, except for one.
Milo.
He was mentally ill from birth and was the child of the original owner's housemaid. The maid didn't treat him well, knowing his condition, and he shouldn't have even been married off.
The original owner had enough food, so when she couldn't finish, she used to give all her food to Milo. Because of this, he was very attached to her and never left her side, even when she became a drunkard and unstable.
Ruby's heart trembled when she saw this guy in her memories.
He actually didn't have any skills or power, and he didn't understand many things, but he knew his wife wanted money.
So, he used to beg in the street, help vendors to sell, and even made fun of by some rich ghosts who threw money at him to make him look like a fool.
His leg had been broken by a group of cruel ghosts, and it never healed properly. Despite the constant pain and his limp, he still hobbled to the market every day, enduring sneers and insults, just to make a few gems for his wife. His hands were always bruised and dirty, evidence of the hard, menial tasks he took on just to survive.
Even at his lowest, Milo's thoughts were always of Ruby. He collected discarded flowers from the market, carefully arranging them in a small, makeshift vase, hoping to bring a smile to her face. He would sit by her side, humming softly, trying to soothe her in her drunken stupors, despite the fact that she often didn't even acknowledge his presence.
Her other husbands always tried to make Milo understand that Ruby would never appreciate his efforts. However, he never listened to them.
Ruby realized that the original owner had terrible judgment to not see the value in such a devoted person. In her previous life, Ruby never had a boyfriend.
Determined, she decided she would take responsibility for Milo and improve their situation. And for her other three husbands, who clearly didn't like her, she would support them until their situation got better and then let them go.
She opened her eyes, her mind swirling with thoughts to change their lives. As her vision cleared, she found herself staring into a pair of mossy, worried eyes.
"Wife... the debt collectors have taken Karl," Julian said, his voice trembling with concern.
—To be continued...🪄