The Knight Who Broke Off Our Engagement and Told Me to Never Show My Face Again Still Clings to Me Today, Even Though I Was Possessed and Turned Into a Villainess for Ten Years - 19 – Gerald Findlay 1

At my whisper, the man stiffened. The arm around my neck tightened even more, making it hard to breathe.

“Don’t come closer! If you get any nearer, I’ll do something to this woman—”

“What? What will you do to her? What are you planning to do to Sadie?”

Even in a situation like this, Gerald was strangely calm. For some reason, he raised his hand toward us.

At the same time, there was a dull snap from the man’s arm around my neck—a sound I didn’t recognize. A beast-like scream rang out, and suddenly, I was released and thrown forward.

When I turned around to see what had happened, the man was lying on the ground, clutching his arm. His right hand was bent in a direction it shouldn’t bend. …Could it be that Gerald used magic?

Before I realized it, Gerald was standing right in front of me, looking down at the man with ice-cold eyes.

“Sadie isn’t someone a guy like you should even be touching.”

Then, without hesitation, he kicked the struggling man hard. Over and over. Again and again.

His expression was blank, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. A chill ran down my spine. The kind, cheerful Gerald I loved so much—he was nowhere to be found.

Unable to comprehend what was happening, I just stood there in shock. But when I finally came to my senses, I quickly clung to Gerald’s back.

“G-Gerald, please, stop already!”

“…Why?”

“That’s Norman’s body. Please, don’t hurt it…”

When I pleaded desperately, he said, “Ah, right,” and gently lowered the foot he had raised. I let out a breath of relief.

Turning toward me, Gerald smiled as always and touched my cheek. I flinched at the contact, and seeing that, his eyebrows drooped in concern.

“I’m sorry. I guess I lost myself in anger.”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Are you okay? You must’ve been scared. But it’s alright now.”

He hugged me as he said that. But the trembling in my body wouldn’t stop.

And now, I’m riding in a carriage that Gerald arranged for me, heading to the Arclight Count’s estate.

Instead of handing over the unconscious man to the military police, Gerald had some people take him away somewhere. He said it was to question him. I was just amazed at how quickly everything was handled.

That same Gerald is now sitting beside me, gently holding my hand. He occasionally checks on how I’m feeling. Compared to how he was earlier, he now seems so calm and kind that I start to wonder if what I saw before was just a dream.

“Um, Gerald… really, thank you for saving me.”

“No need to thank me. I just did what anyone would do.”

“…How did you know I was there?”

“I happened to be in town today too. When I heard the commotion and went over, they told me you were missing. I searched desperately, and just happened to find you.”

Even if it was just coincidence, could he really have reached that place so quickly? Even someone like me, who isn’t that smart, knew it was an incredible stroke of luck.

But if Gerald hadn’t shown up, I would definitely have been killed. No amount of gratitude could ever be enough.

“I’ll protect you, Sadie.”

He said that and gripped my hand more tightly.

“By the way, Gerald, you can use magic too?”

“Huh, I never told you? I didn’t mean to hide it, I’m sorry.”

When I told him that I could use magic, I wondered why he didn’t say anything back then. It left me feeling a little uneasy. Did he really just forget?

“And you can use it so well too, I was surprised. That’s amazing.”

“I studied magic a little before.”

What Gerald used was definitely wind magic. In this country, wind magic is the most common. Next is water magic.

He told me not to tell anyone so that the Magic Minstry wouldn’t find out—it would be a hassle if they did. So I nodded. I thought if people knew Gerald could use magic too, it would support our story about switching bodies. But if he says to stay quiet, I will.

“What will you do now…?”

“I plan to question that man. First, we need to find out who took our bodies, and how.”

“Okay. But that’s Norman’s body, so don’t hurt him, alright?”

“I know. I’m really sorry.”

Hearing Gerald speak in his usual gentle tone eased my heart.

“…I wonder if Eliza is still in that place.”

Since Norman hadn’t returned to his own body yet, there’s a good chance Eliza hadn’t either. Thinking that they might still be living like that made my chest ache.

I started to feel guilty—wondering if it was okay for us alone to be living comfortably.

I knew it couldn’t be helped, but this wave of guilt kept washing over me. As if reading my thoughts, Gerald looked straight at me and smiled.

“It’s okay, Sadie. This is normal. Don’t let it get to you too much. Eat well and get plenty of rest from now on. If you want, we can delay meeting with Neil too.”

“…Yeah. Thank you.”

Gerald really is the kindest person. Even earlier, in such a confusing situation, anyone would’ve lost control like that. He probably just overreacted.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Oh, so you saw it, huh? That side of Gerald. Back there too, he nearly killed someone.”

The next day, Neil came to visit me at home. And just like that, he said it.