If You're Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 68
‘Sure… I’ve waited for a hundred years—I can wait a little longer.’
The sympathy in his voice made Ruby feel rather uneasy. This was precisely why she didn’t want to accommodate the requests of the spirits if she could avoid it.
The only reason she had agreed to the plea of the wolf spirit she first encountered here was because he had shown the will to leave on his own terms. Otherwise, Ruby rarely granted requests.
The spirits always wanted more—give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. So instead of responding, Ruby poured water from a large bucket that had been prepared. Only after filling the bucket with water several times could she start soaking the clothes.
“Hmm, the Duke’s clothes.”
Ruby sniffed the clothes and found Ivan’s scent, and her hands began to work furiously. Using the special soap reserved for the Duke’s laundry, she scrubbed the clothes meticulously.
“Haa…”
Louis stood quietly behind Ruby, watching her do the laundry while blowing a breath of air to warm her freezing hands.
She glanced up at him and said, “We used to have frequent competitions in the village to see who could do the laundry faster. I was always the winner, despite having small hands, I’m incredibly fast.”
‘I used to admire the speed with which you dug burrows back then.’
“So, for jackets and shirts, the first thing you do is rub the laundry soap into the collar, then the ends of the sleeves, and finally the buttons. Like this.”
‘Oh, you’re quite skilled.’
“Then I lather it up in a separate bowl of water like this, and I collect the sudsy jackets and shirts here.”
‘What do you do with them after you collect them?’
“Let them soak like this and the dirt will naturally seep out on its own. In the meantime, you can do the same for the other clothes.”
‘Fascinating. I’ve never seen anyone do laundry like you.’
“Well, it’s a trick that someone as clever as me can think of. None of the other kids can do it like me.”
‘I see…’
Louis looked down at Ruby with sympathetic eyes. Despite her confident words, he could sense a subtle cloudiness in her gaze.
He knew why she was acting this way. His strong aura made it challenging to eavesdrop on every conversation between her and his great-grandson, but he caught bits of it.
“I’ll finish up soon, and I’ll help you. How about taking a short walk in the meantime? It’s distracting to have you right next to me.”
‘…Don’t mind me.’
Her words left Louis with a strange feeling. No, it was more like awkwardness. Since his death, he had always lingered around the living.
He had desperately tried every possible means to get them to notice him, to recognize him. Ironically, now that he was quietly staying put, it bothered them more…
She was truly peculiar – in her speech, appearance, and extraordinary abilities. Louis had never seen anything like it before.
‘No, I feel like I’ve seen someone like her before… I just can’t remember.’
“What? What did you say?”
‘Nothing, my dear. I think I’ll go for a walk like you said.’
“Yes, please do. I can’t help you right now even if you do decide to stay here.”
‘Alright.’
He answered briefly then floated away.
Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle at his last reply.
“They really are related.”
His tone was exactly the same as the current Duke’s. Ruby continued to hum a tune while moving her hands diligently. Even though her hands stung and ached from the cold water, it was invigorating just to be able to move so freely.
Steam drifted from her lips as she let out a long, hazy breath.
