Despite the lack of time, I tried to set up a nice room for Ruby.
There were about five bedrooms in the house, but most of them were unsuitable for a child to live in. Grace used these rooms for entertainment with her lovers, and judging by their current appearance, it was clear that their marital games were far from playful.
The whole house needed a thorough cleaning and renovation, which would take a considerable amount of time.
Therefore, until that happened, I decided to settle Ruby in my own quarters, where I had lived until recently. I would manage somehow in a room with a dubious past.
The bedroom was spacious and quite cozy. It had a large four-poster bed, a dressing table, and several wardrobes, and the balcony offered a view of the garden.
"Ruby, do you like it?" I asked the girl, who stood frozen in the doorway with her eyes wide open.
"I... Can I really live here?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course you can!" I exclaimed. "This room may not be the ultimate dream, but it will do until you grow up. If you want, we can do some additional renovations here."
Rubiella still fluttered her eyelashes, then nodded uncertainly:"No, don't bother, Auntie... I like everything."
The girl walked around the room, looking into every corner, and for a while her face remained expressionless. Then she slumped again and sat down on the bed with a wistful look.
I didn't understand what was wrong.
"Ruby, what's wrong?" I moved closer and crouched down in front of her. "Is something bothering you?"
Rubiella shook her head. Her amethyst eyes seemed clouded.
"I know my mother forced you to take me in," she confessed. "So... you don't have to be nice to me. I promise I'll be quiet, just don't kick me out onto the street!"
I was stunned by her words.
Did she really think I was just pretending...?
Although, to some extent, you could say that. After all, I'm not stupid enough to dig my own grave, am I?
Better to be a kind aunt for eight years than to end up dying by her hand. Besides, even without this knowledge, I still wouldn't treat her badly.
Even if our relationship was forced, how could I hate this sweet child?
Rubiella was too young to deserve such a thing.
"I don't hate you at all," I smiled and took her little hands in mine, "and I don't mind you being here."
Ruby looked up at me in surprise.
"Really?"
"Of course. You're my sweet niece."
The girl's cheeks flushed when I called her that. In my mind, I had already given Ruby the nickname "hamster." It was because of her childish cheeks, which made her face resemble the snout of that animal.
"So, you won't kick me out...?"
"What nonsense!" I protested. "We're family now, and we'll stick together. I'll do everything in my power to take care of you."
The word "family" surprised Ruby even more. No one had ever said such words to her before. And her mother's sister, who considered the birth of her daughter to be her biggest mistake, welcomed her so warmly. It seemed to the girl that all this was just a dream that would disappear when she returned to her nightmarish reality.
That's why she didn't want to wake up.
"Will you really always be with me?" Ruby looked at me with great hope in her eyes.
"Really," I smiled, running my hand through her hair.
"Then I believe you."
I hugged my newfound niece to my chest, thinking that raising a child wasn't so difficult. All it takes is attention and timely care. If everything works out as it should, Rubiella will no longer need to become the main villain.
At that moment, our little family idyll was interrupted by Nura.
The maid peeked out from behind the door and coughed.
"What's wrong?" I asked her grimly, mentally lamenting that I would have to instruct her again on the rules of conduct in this estate.
Despite the fact that Nura had been working for me for a month, she still hadn't learned to knock and constantly barged in without permission. Not to mention other minor details. All of this was a reflection of her past, because until recently, Nura had lived as an ordinary commoner.
"Ma'am, I... I wanted to let you know that Count Creek has sent someone to see you again. He's been waiting outside the door for five minutes."
"Earl Creek? Him again?"
"Yes... What should I tell him?"
I sighed.
"Nothing. I'll meet with him myself."
The red-haired girl scratched the back of her head, bowed awkwardly, and left.
Meanwhile, my mood was somewhat dampened by this news. Why the hell did that old fart show up today of all days...?!
Earl Creek was an old acquaintance of the real Grace. He first tried to get close to her because of her family's influential name. But after the Weinsteins began to suffer financial setbacks, the count tried to quietly retreat. However, he didn't manage to do so in time.
Finding herself in a crisis situation, Grace borrowed a large sum of money from him, promising to pay it back soon. The count believed her, counting on the fact that the Weinstein heiress would not be able to deceive him. And, of course, he was wrong. Grace never paid him back.
A month ago, he kept sending his people to me demanding repayment of the debt. By selling some of my jewelry, I was able to pay him back half the amount, but it was still not enough. As a result, Count Creek continued to pursue me, sending servants to my estate every week.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn't pay off my debts right away, which I told him. The money I had left was needed to repair the estate and buy the most necessary things. Especially now that I had Ruby. I had to feed her somehow.
Although I explained my situation to him very clearly, Count Creek didn't seem to understand.
Oh well. I wasn't going to give in to that nasty fat cat myself.
Noticing the change in my expression, Ruby asked anxiously,"Auntie, is something wrong?"
Coming to my senses, I looked at my sweet niece and smiled.
"Nothing, Ruby. Everything's fine," I stroked her head. "Just some guests have arrived and I need to greet them."
"Um... I see."
I left the girl to settle into her new room and went downstairs myself. The Earl of Creek's man was indeed waiting for me at the door.
"You took a long time," the man grumbled discontentedly when I opened the door. "Do you think you're so important that you can keep my lord waiting..."
"Get to the point," I interrupted him. "I don't have time to deal with you. Just tell me what the count wants this time."
The man grimaced.
"My master orders you to give him the money this week. Otherwise, he will go to court."
"Court?" I smirked. "And how will he do that? We haven't even signed a promissory note."
"Don't be so cocky, Lady Weinstein," he said dismissively. "My master has people all over the empire. And in the government, too. It won't be hard for him to prove your crime."
I folded my arms across my chest and was even touched by how this man was trying in vain to intimidate me.
However, I should have ended this a long time ago. Especially since Ruby now lives with me. I didn't want her to get involved in all this trouble.
Today was the perfect day to finally deal with this long-standing debt.
At that moment, a window appeared above my head that only I could see.
System: Quest "Punishment of Count Creek."Reward: forty game currency crystals. Do you want to participate?
And below, a fast-moving bar with a time limit.
"Yes," I said aloud.
System: Accepted! Quest started!
The window disappeared, and the man in front of me came back to life, continuing to glare at me with dissatisfaction. When the system appeared in the game, time in this world stopped until I made my choice. Or, in other words, until the timer ran out.
A "mission" window appeared in the corner of my field of vision. It would remain there until I completed the quest with Count Creek. It was like in a computer game, where there is also a task panel on the side of the screen.
Even though I hadn't answered yet, the count's servant went to wait for me by the carriage. This happened every time the system automatically put the necessary information into the heads of the background characters. Those whose importance in the game was higher had more free will.
I took my hat off the shelf and put on my cloak, getting ready to leave. But before that, I called Nura over.
"Take care of Ruby while I'm gone," I ordered. "Feed her and provide her with everything she needs. Understood?"
"What should I feed her?" the maid asked, puzzled.
"You'll figure something out!" I snapped. "Why am I paying you if you can't do anything?"
Nura muttered indignantly."I understand, mistress..."
At that moment, Ruby herself appeared in the hallway. The girl looked at me excitedly when she saw that I was going somewhere.
"Auntie, are you leaving?"
Looking into her sad eyes, I couldn't remain indifferent.
"I'll be back soon," I promised, putting my hand on her shoulder.
"Really soon? Promise?"
"Yes," I smiled. "Auntie has some business to take care of."