Chapter 14: Ruby's Expectations

Ruby didn't know how long she had been unconscious. However, Ruby could still feel the pain running through her heart and head, even in her sleep. Ruby even thought that she was dying.

When Ruby managed to regain consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes. The room that Ruby is currently occupying looks dark. There is only a faint light coming from the fireplace in the corner of the room.

Ruby was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she found out she was still alive, but her breath was blocked as the pain returned to her heart.

When Ruby squeezed the blanket to calm herself, she realized that a big hand was resting on her stomach. On the verge of pain, Ruby still managed to get rid of the hand in shock.

"Milady? Milady, are you awake?"

A familiar voice echoed beside Ruby. She became more relaxed when she realized that the man beside her was Matthew, not a stranger.

"Are you feeling hard to breathe?" Matthew asked.

Ruby nodded slowly. Her chest moved up and down rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath.

Matthew's hand suddenly covered Ruby's mouth and nose. The man said softly, "Calm yourself and try to breathe slowly."

Matthew's other hand gripped Ruby's hand tightly. At first, Ruby thought that Matthew just wanted to keep Ruby's body from shaking, but it turned out that the man was transferring spiritual energy into Ruby's body through their hands' bonds.

The energy flowed gently, entered Ruby's blood circulation, and moved towards the woman's heart. The pain in her heart slowly disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling from Matthew's spiritual energy.

Slowly, Ruby also began to breathe regularly. She no longer felt suffocated, so all the fear that had previously gripped her heart just disappeared.

Ruby then patted the back of Matthew's hand on her mouth, signaling that she was already feeling better. However, Matthew still won't take his hand off Ruby.

"I'll let it go when your breathing becomes easier," said Matthew.

Ruby didn't mind accepting Matthew's good intentions. However, their bodies were too close until Ruby could feel Matthew's breath.

After their wedding, Ruby had never had further physical contact with Matthew, so a slight touch like that could make her heart beat faster and turn her cheeks red.

"Milady, are you feeling sick again? Your heart beats faster?"

Matthew's question suddenly made Ruby hastily remove Matthew's hand from her mouth and immediately sit in front of her husband. However, after sitting down for a while, her head became dizzy, so Ruby chose to lie down again.

"Your body is still not fully recovered, Milady. So you better lie down for a while," Matthew warned her.

While calming her beating heart, Ruby began to write questions in Matthew's palm so that the atmosphere between them wouldn't become awkward.

"How long have I been unconscious, Your Majesty?" Ruby asked.

Matthew looked at Ruby wistfully as he replied, "You've been asleep for five days."

Five days?!

How could she be unconscious for such a long time?!

Especially when she's still adjusting to a foreign place, making Ruby feels like she's just a bother to Matthew, even though she's only been living in Veritas for a few days.

Moreover, Ruby hadn't visited her mother since her wedding. She was afraid that Helena would often throw a tantrum because she wasn't used to living in Veritas.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, it Seems like I have troubled you a lot. However, may I ask about my mother's condition?" ruby wrote.

"You just woke up, but the first thing you ask is someone else's condition." Matthew took a deep breath. "Your mother is fine. There were two healers taking care of her all this time. You can visit her when you feel better."

"Besides, you don't need to apologize. Because I'm the one who causes your illness."

Without further questioning by Ruby, Matthew already explained. "The healer said that your body had complications from casting magic on a large scale all of a sudden. Therefore, I had to balance the spiritual energy within your body for the past five days using my spiritual energy."

Even though Ruby was able to use her magic based on theory alone, her body still couldn't keep up with the sudden surge of magic energy. That's why it took her a long time to recuperate.

"For five days, your body temperature is always cold. Fireplace can't even warm your body, so I need to be by your side constantly to warm you using my spiritual energy."

Matthew took his eyes off Ruby for a moment. His hands seemed to shake as he said, "I thought you wouldn't survive. But if something bad happens to you, then I will …."

Matthew gritted his teeth. Ruby could tell that the man was holding back his anger in his heart from the red aura around Matthew's body. The kind of anger that can burn a person's heart and make that person unable to think clearly.

Just like Helena's anger when she saw her first son die in front of her eyes.

Ruby reached her hand out without thinking too much and touched Matthew's cheek. All the anger that was wrestling in Matthew's heart then disappeared quickly, replaced by a feeling of peace like the calm river water.

However, Ruby was surprised by Matthew, who suddenly let go of Ruby's hand and said with a high intonation. "Don't do that again!"

Ruby was surprised. She immediately pulled her hand and reflexively moved away from Matthew until she sat on the bed's edge. Ruby's hands trembled slightly, and she hugged her knees as a form of self-protection.

Her behavior seemed so natural, indicating that Ruby had heard too many yells and harsh treatment from other people that her body gave a reaction to protect herself immediately.

When Matthew saw Ruby was scared by his yelling, he immediately startled and tried to grab Ruby's hand so she wouldn't fall off the bed. However, Ruby dodged even more by getting closer to the bed's corner.

"Milady, I didn't mean to yell at you like that." Matthew approached slowly towards Ruby. "I just don't want you to get sick anymore from expending spiritual energy to help me."

Ruby was still unmoved in her place. Her ruby eyes looked watery, showing that she was holding back her tears.

Ever since Ruby was little, she had been accustomed to harsh treatment from her family, especially Marquess Barnette. From yelling to physical violence, Ruby has tasted all that bitter treatment for a long time.

Because she felt it too often, Ruby would usually feel numb when receiving harsh treatment from others. She didn't even feel scared when Greysen rejected her outright, nor did she cry when Marquess Barnette chased her away.

Ruby didn't even feel scared or cry when Matius almost killed her five days ago.

Ruby could act like that because she didn't put too much expectation on those people. The color of their aura filled with dark colors made Ruby realize that they all have a deep hatred toward her, so she was no longer surprised when they treated her rudely.

However, Matthew is different.

Since the beginning of their meeting, Matthew has always shown a good attitude to Ruby. There was no feeling color that showed hatred, disgust, or resentment toward her. Matthew also ensured Ruby's happiness and comforted her during her stayed at Veritas.

Because of that kind of treatment, Ruby unconsciously grew high expectations for Matthew. Unfortunately, expectations are the thing that Ruby hates the most because an expectation can trap Ruby into fragile delusions.

A delusion about someone who would never treat Ruby harshly, and if Matthew does something that doesn't live up to her fantasies, then Ruby's fragile expectations can break easily.

The shattered hope, in the end, will make Ruby suffer even more because she has to be hit by disappointment.

She was afraid Matthew would mistreat her like the people at Wridal. Ruby doesn't want to be beaten up by the people she lives under the same roof anymore.

Ruby doesn't want—

All of a sudden, all Ruby's bad thoughts disappeared when Matthew hugged her. Matthew's movement was too fast that Ruby couldn't dodge. The man hugged Ruby's body tightly as if he wanted to plunge Ruby into his embrace.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. Sometimes I talk loudly unintentionally, but from now on, I'll try not to do that again when I'm talking to you. That's why you don't have to be afraid," Matthew said next to Ruby's ear.

When Matthew called Ruby's name directly without using honorifics, Ruby immediately felt calm. Maybe because no one had ever called her name so gently before, or perhaps it made her feel closer to Matthew.

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