Inside the room, Ace let out a long, resigned sigh.
He leaned back into the couch, one hand lazily covering his face.
"These people…" he muttered, "so irresponsible with money. Eighty percent of my gold savings... gone, just like that…"
The door creaked again.
Ruby bounced in, hands behind her back, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Hehe~ Brother," she chirped sweetly. "You do remember I have a stake in those golds too, right?"
She tilted her head, her voice saccharine as honey, and gave him an impish grin.
Ace cracked one eye open and sighed again. "Of course you do…"
Ruby beamed and plopped down beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "So technically~ you lost our money."
Ace groaned, not from the scolding, but the weight of responsibility. Ruby might tease, but she had a point.
Ruby had chipped in from her modest novel earnings too, mostly out of pride, not practicality. It still counts.
"So, what brings you here?" Ace asked, allowing Ruby to climb onto his lap.
