"Don't worry, I won't bite."
Anna spoke, while trying to maintain a calm expression on her face. However, the effort made her look awkward. Seeing this, a smile was formed on Ruby's face.
"Miss Anna, I'm not sure how to sum everything, but to me, you're like a garden of flowers. You brought smiles to everyone's life. No-" pausing, Ruby shook her head, "You're like the sun," she said with a toothy smile on her face.
"But?" Anna chimed in, casually looking at Ruby. Based on Ruby's expression earlier, she knew those compliments were icing on a bad cake.
Listening to that sharp interruption, Ruby retracted her smile and drew in a long breath. Inside, she was conflicting on the best way to tell her young miss about the things she witnessed in the past. Perhaps, she was the only one who was aware of the dark desire she had kept inside her.
"Miss Anna, I saw-" Ruby paused when a series of knocking sounds entered her ear.
"Someone..." she notified Anna but realized that she already invited the guest in.
Housekeeper Rin walked into the room and went straight towards the lounging area where Anna and Ruby were at.
"Housekeeper Rin," Anna greeted the neat, middle-aged woman who was standing a few steps away from her.
Ruby was already standing on her two feet, greeting the housekeeper with a slight bow. She returned to her seat after receiving the same response from the housekeeper.
Housekeeper Rin bent her head slightly to Anna, giving the respect she deserved while also studying her overall appearance.
This was their first face-to-face encounter after the terrible accident. She understood her situation, but she wasn't used to the new personality she adopted.
A cold, unfeeling, sometimes weird young lady now replaced the cheerful lady she knew.
Eyeing Anna's attire, Housekeeper Rin multitasked by informing the purpose of her visit, "Miss Anna, the master requested for your attendance at the grand hall," she said while admiring Anna's change of style.
Before the accident, the twenty-year-old lady loved wearing frivolous and colorful clothes, but now she opted for a minimalist look. It was a nice change but too abrupt for Housekeeper Rin to accept.
Engrossed in her own observations, Anna's voice startled the housekeeper.
"What for?" Anna inquired while casually drinking her tea, unaware that her laid back response astounded the two people who were with her in the room.
Ruby couldn't believe her ears. In the past, whenever the Gunnars summoned her young miss, she would run to them in a matter of seconds, but today she was delaying more time than ever.
Housekeeper Rin was also thinking the same, but knowing Anna's memory loss, she treated her reaction as being cautious.
"I'm not sure, but I overheard Young Master Dominic requested to see you," Housekeeper Rin explained what she had heard earlier. Hearing this, both Anna and Ruby's faces changed to a surprise and fear, respectively.
Anna was not expecting to hear that name so soon.
"Dominic is here?" she asked. Seeing the housekeeper's affirmation, amusement twinkled in her eyes as she played with the handle of the porcelain cup in her hands. Then, a sigh left her lips as she put the teacup on the table in front of her. Her eyes suddenly looked pitiful.
Anna turned to Housekeeper Rin, clasping her hands together. "I'm sorry, but my body isn't well today. Do you mind asking them what they want? If Dominic wants to talk to me, tell him to come here," she said.
Her acting was obvious that both Ruby and Housekeeper Rin wanted to roll their eyes at her.
"M-Miss Anna, that's not appropriate!" Ruby spoke. She was against inviting Dominic to her young miss' room. Housekeeper Rin, however, wasn't a fussy one and nodded.
"Housekeeper Rin?!" Ruby couldn't believe that she agreed to it so easily.
"Ruby, why are you so against it? It's not the first time Miss Anna invited Young Master Dominic into her room, and everyone is already informed of their relationship. Moreover, it was Miss Anna who introduced him to Avery. What is there to be worried about?" Housekeeper Rin turned to Ruby, whose eyes were bulging, glaring at her for no reason.
'I did?' Anna thought as she watched Housekeeper Rin roasted her newly appointed maid.
Housekeeper Rin shook her head after seeing Ruby's unrelenting gaze.
"Ruby, I've heard about what the maids did to you. I'm sorry that you had to go through all the bullying. Worry not, I've punished them severely. Now, remember that you're Miss Anna's personal maid. Your responsibilities are no longer related to the mansion's welfare but her welfare. If I hear even a complaint about you from Miss Anna, I will make sure you'll receive punishment as well," she added. Then, she looked at Anna who was hugging a cushion, watching them. There was interest in her glowing amber eyes.
"Miss Anna, thank you for showing kindness. Now, if you'll excuse me," she bowed. Anna looked at the housekeeper and nodded. She understood what she meant.
"No problem. I have my eye on Ruby, that's why I helped her. Oh, do know that I'll be waiting here," she said, hiding the hint of cunningness by faking a smile that reached her ears.
Housekeeper Rin nodded and left the room after glaring at Ruby for the last time. Her back view was the focus of Anna's eyes until she disappeared behind the closed door.
Seeing her gone, Anna rose from the sofa and smiled. She walked towards the balcony while humming happily. Somehow, it sent a chill to Ruby's entire body.
"M-Miss Anna, I-" Ruby followed Anna to the balcony and tried to express the thing that had been bothering her noggin. However, her tongue was as hard as a rock, making it hard for her to talk.
Anna turned around and leaned against the railing.
"Speak. I know you have something to say," she instructed. Her tone was demanding, making Ruby swallow a lot of saliva to wet her dry throat. Suddenly, the pretty view behind Anna looked dull and scary to her. Her head bent down, looking at the floor.
No, she must tell her, or things could get worse!
Ruby gritted her teeth and took a deep breath before saying, "Miss Anna, I-I saw you kissed Young Master Dominic a month ago. If Master and Mistress knew about this, they might do something that could hurt you. To them, Miss Avery is a gem, and they would never let anyone ruin the perfect engagement she has."
Anna, who flaunted a calm appearance, was shocked once she heard Ruby's lengthy speech. She stared at her for a while before entering her room, walking towards the sofa she sat on earlier. Her steps were slow as she tried to make sense of the new information she just heard.
I kissed Dominic? Or was it him who kissed me? Huh? Anna raised an eyebrow as something popped inside her head.
With her fingers touching her lips, Anna threw a few questions for Ruby to answer.
"Did you see me initiate the kiss? Or was it him who kissed me first, or you only saw us kiss?"
Ruby frowned. Her lips were open, but then she closed them again. This repeated for quite some time. She wasn't expecting to receive three questions in return. To her, that wasn't the pressing matter.
"Miss Anna, did it matter? What's important is you must not be alone with him in your room. What if people gossip about it?" she expressed her concern but meeting Anna's sharp glare, she flinched.
"I-I'm not sure who kissed who first. All I saw was the two of you kissing," she finally answered accordingly.
Hearing Ruby's answer, Anna's countenance became serious. Then, all of a sudden, a ripple of cold laughter circled the room.
Seeing her laugh like a madwoman, Ruby started to question her decision to become Anna's personal maid. She seemed a bit off compared to her previous self. It felt like she was possessed by something because the differences in personalities were too obvious.
"Most likely, that's when he planted the spell in this body. He must be the one to initiate the kiss or knowing me loving him, he must've lured me into doing so," Anna mumbled.
"The worst thing about the spell is you can only plant it on someone through body contact. No, that's not the worst thing, but what happened after. The urge to be with him-ew!" Anna shivered just thinking about it. Taking a deep breath, she released them in one go.
"Well played, Dominic. But sadly, two can play the same game," Anna chuckled. She looked at Ruby, who was staring at her like she was someone crazy. The mixed emotion of fear and contemplation told Anna everything inside her head.
Smiling, Anna waved her hands in front of Ruby's face, bringing back the other's attention to her.
"You're right. Let's go! I'm going to meet Dominic outside," she said, and unsurprisingly, Ruby nodded like a relentless woodpecker pecking on wood.
"Wait," Anna held up her right hand and walked towards the dressing table. She picked a hair stick and tied her long hair with it. She looked in the mirror and smiled at her own reflection.
Ruby, who was watching, was amused that her young miss succeeded in tying her hair using the hair stick in just one trial. If it were her, it would take forever to achieve such a result.
However, that wasn't the most surprising part. It was her exotic appearance that amazed her. The ornamental hair stick added an unfamiliar look that enhanced her beauty. For the first time, Ruby found her elegantly beautiful.