5 Ruth's POV

I wake up to the chirping of birds at the window, and I am surprised to find the other side of the bed empty.

When I wondered where that man could have gone, the door to the room opens, and he enters with a tray in his hands.

(Aaron) my lady, your breakfast is ready.

This fool I married, he bows to me, to which I put a hand to my mouth to contain a giggle, and I decide to play along.

(Ruth) Okay, you can put the tray aside. If that's all, you can go away. My husband must be here soon, and I don't want him to see me with another man.

Oh, so her husband left you alone? But what a jerk. He must be stupid to want to be away from you for more than a second.

He crossed his arms and raised his head in feigned indignation.

(Ruth) I am not going to allow a mere servant to speak that way about my husband. Retire at this time if you don't want to be fired.

Aaron set the tray on a small table beside the bed and smirked at me.

(Aaron) fired? Oh, I'm shaking. I'm the best Chef you've ever seen in this house. They can't fire me, especially not for telling the truth.

(Ruth) the best Chef? I would say the most arrogant. Of course, I can fire you, what's more, I want you to pick up your things and leave the house. I never want to see you again.

(Aaron) oh, so am I fired? Oh, that's bad, but it's also just you and me alone. So if they are going to fire me, let it be for something worthwhile.

Aaron climbed onto the bed and slowly approached me. I, for my part, continue with my role, and I stay still looking indignant.

(Ruth) if you put a single finger on me, I'll scream, and my husband will come running to beat you up.

Aaron gently took me by the chin and made me turn to see his face.

(Aaron) yell all you want. I'm not afraid of that jerk.

(Ruth) if you don't let go of me right now, I swear everyone will hear my screams all over the city, but if my lips were sealed with a kiss, for example, then I wouldn't be able to scream, and you'd have me at your mercy.

Aaron slowly brought his lips to mine.

(Aaron) oh, what a good idea. I think I'll take you at your word.

Our lips were about to meet when we heard loud knocks coming from the neighbor downstairs.

(Neighbor) By all the gods!! Are you two going to start so early!!?? Some of us want to sleep!!

We couldn't take it anymore, so Aaron and I burst into laughter while the neighbor downstairs kept screaming and hitting our floor.

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After finishing breakfast, I got up and started to do my chores. Aaron had to meet someone at the merchants guild, so he had to leave early.

Once out of bed, I stretch and get ready to start the day. As I leave the room that's our bedroom, I'm already in the kitchen/dining room. Our house consists of 3 rooms; the bedroom, the warehouse, and where we do everything else.

It's a bit small, it's true. I used to be the second daughter of a local baron, and even though my family didn't have much money, I would be lying if I didn't say that even my parents' bedroom was more significant than my entire current house.

But hey. The only thing I miss about that life is the bathroom, now I had to bathe with a washcloth and hot water, but for everything else, I think I'm happier than I've ever been.

I take the dishes we use for breakfast, wash them, and let them dry. I load in a sink with the dirty clothes, and I get ready to go out to clean. I had to wash clothes early to dry, I had to finish packing things, so I'll have a busy day, and I don't want to forget it.

I leave the house and go downstairs. We live in an apartment block, a 7-story tall building, in which the further you are from the ground, the colder and cheaper it is. We currently live on the sixth floor, but that's finally about to change.

I go downstairs, and I go to the community well. There are the other wives washing dishes and clothes. I get along with most of them, so he greeted them as he got ready to wash clothes.

As I carve the clothes, Mrs. Olga, a relatively older woman, approaches me and greets me.

(Olga) Good morning Ruth, how are you doing?

(Ruth) Good Mrs. Olga. Aaron had to leave early, but he told me that he would be in the afternoon to help me finish packing.

(Olga) oh, then it's true that you left us. It's a shame. I hope you don't forget about us when you're in your new home.

(Ruth) eh? of course not, I'll stop by to greet you whenever I have time, and you're always welcome to stop by the store.

Mrs. Olga laughs a little and replies.

(Olga) of course, I'm going, but it's still a shame. Your dear husband is an excellent cook, and it will be a shame not to be able to taste his food so often.

(Ruth) hey, I don't cook that bad either. Well, yes, but I've already improved.

This time Mrs. Olga bursts out laughing, and the other wives around us join her. I inflate my cheeks, and I pout. My food is not that bad.

I finished doing the laundry and said goodbye to the rest of the wives.

I hang up my clothes on the shop rack in the house, and I started to light the fire. It was autumn, and the days were getting colder and colder, and just going outside to do the laundry had almost made my hands freeze.

After fighting a minute with the tinder and the flint, I give up and light the fire using magic. My magic was never very outstanding, but I was born with enough limits to contract fire and water magic, I still cannot do anything more impressive than light a candle or fill a glass, but Aaron has always been amazed.

I spent a couple of minutes warming myself up in front of the fire, and when I can feel my arms again, I am about to start packing.

I go to our bedroom, and in wooden boxes, I begin to pack the sheets and pillows. Although both the mattress and pillows were usually stuffed with straw, which is itchy, two years ago, Aaron gave me a pillow stuffed with feathers, which I have treasured ever since.

I finished packing and began to put away the clothes, all our clothes were already in a trunk, and I only had to put the ones I had hanging in a small closet where I had my only suitable dresses.

When I realized it, it was over. Well, after all, we didn't have much either.

I go to the trunk of our clothes and put my hand to the bottom. After searching for a moment, I find the ring that Aaron gave me when he confessed his love to me.

I put the ring on my finger, sit on the bed, and look around.

It wasn't easy. I will not deny it. It was difficult for me to get used to this life. My family was of the lesser nobility. Although my father always said that we were poor, the poverty of a noble is nothing compared to the deprivation of a commoner.

In this life, I knew what hunger is. I knew what cold is. I knew what hard work was from sunrise to sunset. I knew what it was like not to have a single lily in my pocket and be days away from either of them pay us.

But at the same time, I knew what human warmth was. When we didn't have to eat, Mrs. Olga or other neighbors would give us food or lend us money. I knew what love was, Aaron has been fantastic to me, and he has tried like nobody else so that we can get ahead, and above all. I knew what it was like to be free.

In my whole life, I think I never decided for myself. I only did everything my parents ordered me to do. How I should dress, how I should eat, how I should stand, how I should talk and how I should behave, even about who I should marry.

That's why if I were allowed to change something in my life, I think the only thing would be, having eloped sooner the mansion where I was working and where I met Aaron.

But if I think about it, I don't think he would do that either, as he would have left that poor girl to her own devices.

I regret for a moment that I couldn't do more for that poor girl. Aaron and I argued at length about taking her with us. She was a wonderful girl, and the way she looked at us both gave me the impression that she believed we were her parents. But we already inserted the life ahead of us. We would already have it difficult, and raising a baby would be almost impossible. After leaving the mansion, I cried every night, and I regretted not trying to take the risk, but Aaron told me something true. She was the legitimate daughter of the dukes, sooner or later, she will have a similar destiny to mine, they will want to compromise her, that's why if that girl disappeared, her parents would look for her, and we could never have a quiet life if we just spent it running away.

Deep in thought, I hear the sound of the door opening and Aaron's voice from the hall.

(Aaron) Ruth, are you in the house?

(Ruth) I'm in the room.

Aaron walks into the room and sits next to me on the bed. Seeing him in front of me, with a big smile, I once again kept my sorrows in the bottom of my heart, wishing that like me, that little girl knows happiness just like I did.

(Ruth) How did it go? Did you get to see the store? How's it going?

Aaron, who spent the morning chatting with our benefactor at the trade union, looks at me with a big smile and responds.

(Aaron) everything is going faster than I thought. They are almost finished. They even told me if I can advance the opening.

(Ruth) Are you enraged? That's amazing. What did you tell them? Did you say yes? Please tell me that you said yes.

(Aaron) wait, wait, don't get too excited. I want to have the kitchen to myself for a few days just so I can adapt to the oven, plus we still have the move, there are many things that we have in hand, and we have to do things calmly.

(Ruth) I know, but I feel bad for continuing to use the money they gave us when we signed the contract. I want to start making a profit and thus be able to return it.

Aaron took my hands and smiled at me.

(Aaron) don't worry about it. You'll see that the store will be so famous that they will know that it was the best idea of ​​their life to have put us in front of it, after all. I am the best Chef in the world.

At his arrogance, I stretched my hand, grabbed the pillow, and threw it in her face.

This one complains, but in the end, we end up laughing. Since last year, Aaron has borrowed the oven from one of our neighbors, where he bakes cakes and desserts that I will sell in the city square. Quickly, their desserts became so famous that they practically ran out as soon as they arrived, and two months ago, we received a message from someone in the merchants' union. It seems that someone liked Aaron's desserts so much that he was willing to set up a shop for him to sell them, plus a large sum of money, and our own home near the city's business district. Needless to say, when I heard the news, I almost fell on my back.

Aaron and I got up, started packing things from the warehouse and the kitchen. We went out to lunch, but when we returned, we found that one of our neighbors was already waiting for us with his cart to help us with the move. We apologize to him, and we run to put down our things.

Before leaving, I take one last look at this old building. Here I had tough moments, but also many other wonderful ones. I will miss this place.

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I returned quickly to the kitchen and took the tray that Aaron had prepared for me. In it, he had cut a cake into small slices, along with a few muffins, then I go out again to distribute the guests the sweets. This fact that should piss me off made me smile. Seeing the large number of people we managed to gather makes me very happy for the future of our store.

Our old neighbors and some of the new ones, our regular customers from when he sold desserts in the market, and several people from the merchants' union had come to the inauguration. They all ate with great appetites the things that Aaron had prepared, and although it was only the first day and technically we had not officially opened, we already had a dozen orders for the next few days.

All this made me very happy, and I look everywhere looking for who had not given a free sample, at the same time that he gently pushed away all those who were going for their fourth or fifth.

Behind me, I feel someone tug at my clothes, and when I turn, I see a little girl with black hair and gray eyes. She was dressed quite smartly, and behind her was a maid. I thought she must be the daughter of some wealthy merchant and don't take it anymore.

He took the last muffin from the tray and handed it to him.

(Ruth) take the little one, enjoy it.

I turned around and was about to go for another tray when I heard a voice behind me.

(?) Thanks, Ruth. I appreciate it. Say hi to Aaron for me.

My heart skipped a beat and turned fast, but the girl was already gone.

An immense amount of emotions suddenly flood me, so I start crying, worrying about the people around me. Aaron brings me back to the store, sits me in a chair, asks me what's wrong. I tell him that I'm fine, and please come out to apologize for me and continue serving the guests.

He listens to me but tells me that he wants us to talk when he gets home. I tell him it's okay. And he goes out to continue serving people.

For my part, I stay alone in the store, remembering the months I spent working at the Croiss mansion.

My mind couldn't believe it, but my heart didn't doubt it, as I remembered that distinctive way of pulling my clothes.

You don't know how glad I'm glad you're doing well, Miss Leonora.

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