Badump! Badump! Badump!
"I…"
Ruby's face flushed beet red.
"If you don't want to, 'honey' will work just as fine, sweetheart."
Julien's smile deepened, his gentle voice carrying that certain deadly hook capable of dragging her straight to hell even.
Ruby nearly dissolved into a puddle beneath the incessant onslaught of his charm.
"You're teasing me…"
She lowered her head, her voice as low as a whisper.
Meanwhile, behind them, Mario's eyes darted between the two, uncertain if he should stay and continue third-wheeling them. "I think I should leave–"
"No."
"Stay."
Ruby and Julien simultaneously stopped him. They exchanged glances, with Ruby admitting defeat in the next instant when Julien flashed her his signature charming smile. She quickly reverted her gaze to her bowl.
Why? Why was he suddenly switching back to this harmless version of him? What exactly was he planning to gain from her, playing her heart like this?
Ruby absentmindedly stirred her soup. 'He was such a strange person!'
"Do I scare you?"
Julien's sudden question brought her attention back to him.
Ruby swallowed, looking slightly flustered. Another test! Should she tell the truth or not?
"Forget it." Julien's tone suddenly turned sharp as he squinted his dark eyes in menace, "If it's a lie you're planning to tell, you might as well keep your mouth shut."
Ruby's barely opened mouth immediately clamped back shut. She didn't say anything and merely nodded.
Seeing her honest reaction, Julien fell silent. A second later, his lashes fluttered pitifully low as if deeply hurt before he opened his mouth to comment. "I didn't expect that from you. How disheartening."
A few words from him mixing black and white and she was instantly sentenced as a heartless woman. Ruby's eyes nearly fell out of her sockets. She looked at him in disbelief.
"I thought you just told me to tell the truth." She protested.
Julien shrugged. "You can be truthful in a roundabout manner. At least, that wouldn't be as hurtful."
Julien faked a sorrowful expression. At his pretentious act, the corner of Ruby's lips couldn't help but twitch. This man was practically driving her insane!
"Sire, what do you exactly want from me?" Ruby exercised her patience, smokes of fury literally rising off her fuming head.
Julien raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised by her sudden aggression.
"You're annoyed at me."
It was more like a statement than a question.
Ruby pursed her lips and looked away, "I wouldn't dare."
"Oh, is that so?"
Julien chuckled, his low baritone laughter similar to chiming bells, sounding so pleasant to her ears.
The tips of Ruby's ears heated up. "Stop… teasing me. Is my embarrassment fun to you?"
"It is."
Julien nodded, the glimmer in his pitch black eyes earnest in an unsettling way.
"Let's get along well, sweetheart. You and me, I think we could make quite a good match."
…
"You and me… I think we could make quite a good match together."
Despite the agitation of her pulse, Ruby doubted if Julien had truly meant those words. After all, he wasn't exactly someone she could easily predict.
At times, he acted nice and endearing, all in all a gentleman with nothing to nitpick. At other times, he was like a ticking bomb. One step wrong and he'll transform into a monster ready to devour her whole.
In conclusion, Ruby didn't dare to cross him.
Breakfast ended on a peacefully systematic note. Most of the time, Julien was the one who did the talking, with her nodding obediently to each of his tease and arrangements.
Now that she'll be soon wedded to a royalty, Julien informed her of what to be prepared for.
Marrying a royalty was both simple and complex. They don't have to worry about trivial matters like cost and logistics. Instead, what mattered to people of their status was reputation and approval.
The union between two families required consent from both the royal court and the public, which included the objective judgement of the ministers and the other important figures of similar standing.
After all, for people of their level, the balance of power between each faction equaled to everything.
They would be expecting an answer from the court within three days. And once the permission was granted, the ceremony would be held within the week.
Julien warned her to be prepared when that time comes.
Ruby's response was not worth mentioning. Her opinion and feelings never mattered to his plan.
Her role was only to fulfill what was expected of her, and that was to become Julien's flawless bride—beautiful, knowledgeable, and good-mannered.
Being pretty was the lowest standard. All was fine as long as Julien didn't find any fault with her appearance.
What remained were knowledge and etiquette.
Ruby's understanding of high society was close to nonexistent, what more of the delicate relationship between the noble families, and also the royal court.
Aside from that, as someone who will soon become a constant target of danger, she should at least know some basic self-defense and emergency protocols to ensure her survival.
As for manners, Ruby was well-taught but not in a noble's way. Another expert would be specially hired to fix her in that aspect.
After giving her a rundown of the training plan he had prepared for her, Ruby was led to the main living room, where a massive crystal chandelier could be seen hanging on top of the white ceiling, overseeing the grand display below.
Warm light rays of the morning sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling giant glass, setting a comfortable ambience to the whole atmosphere.
Ruby's gaze first settled on the set of Italian-tailored white sofa sitting spotlessly clean in the center area of the room, marveling at how sophisticated they look, before her eyes inevitably locked onto the faint outline of the petite figure standing near the glass window.
As the three of them approached near, the bob-haired woman seemed to have noticed their presence as well as she twisted her heels and faced them with a small smile, her hands tugged into her pockets in a casual manner.
Ruby squinted her eyes as she scanned the woman from top to bottom, her judging lips gradually pulled to a frown.
The bob-haired woman was dressed in a white collared shirt and black pants, her long sleeves rolled halfway to reveal the gold-rimmed watch settling on her left wrist.
She looked impeccably neat and professional. Ruby had nothing to complain about that. What disturbed her was the woman's appearance.
The woman's lips were painted bright red, standing in contrast with the black eyepatch resting on her right eye.
She wore no mask and yet, no one in the room seemed to disturbed about that fact.
Julien didn't lash out. Mario didn't even bother to bat an eyelid.
Ruby was the only one who had stiffened, her frown deepening as she peeked at the man beside her.
When she saw how nonchalant Julien was reacting to this, she couldn't help but wonder.
'Just who is this woman?'