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 - 20 - Gerald Findlay 2

“Then, will you… give it to me?”

“Yeah, sure. But since we’re… and if we…, then let’s… okay?”

A small version of me sat close beside a beautiful boy in a field of flowers, happily chatting.
The deep black eyes he looked at me with burned with a heat he couldn’t hide.

Then, the boy took my tiny hand and, like a wedding ceremony vow, placed a flower ring on my finger.
I blushed and smiled shyly.

He gently stroked my cheek, smiling just as happily.

“It’s okay. I’ll always love you, Sadie.”

◇◇◇

“…That was a dream…?”

Murmuring this, I sat up in bed.

It felt oddly real. I tried to remember, but all I could recall was that it was a warm, nostalgic, and gentle dream.

After that, I got ready, ate breakfast with my parents, and went around to properly thank Hara, Tim, and the guards who were safe.

Apparently, all the beasts had been wiped out by the knights who arrived afterward.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, milady.”

“I’m really glad all of you are safe too…”

People said that without Tim and the guards being there, there would’ve been deaths before the knights arrived, so they were very thankful.

Right now, they’re investigating what caused the monsters to appear in the city.

But that man had spoken as if he’d called the beasts on purpose—to separate me from my guards.
If he went that far to kill me, was it just to silence me?

And who was that woman named Tabatha, who was also supposed to be killed with me?

There are too many things I don’t know.

…I wonder if Gerald is talking to that man now, the one who took over Norman’s body.

If that could be the key to solving everything, then I hoped it helped.

While thinking that, I was working on embroidering Tim’s sword belt in my room to distract myself.

“Milady, you have a guest.”

“Who is it?”

“Sir Neil Bassell.”

“Eh? Please, send him in right away!”

When I heard that Neil had suddenly come to my house, I hurriedly put away my needle and thread and stood up. He soon appeared, carrying a big bouquet of flowers and smiling dazzlingly bright.

“Sorry for dropping by like this. Gerald said today’s meeting was postponed, but I was worried. Here, these are for you.”

“Thank you.”

He said he came to check on me, but I didn’t have any serious injuries.
Just scraped my knee a little.

Still, I happily accepted the lovely flowers and the cake he brought as a gift.

I asked the maid to bring tea and had us left alone. Then I told Neil everything that had happened yesterday.

“Oh, so you saw it—Gerald’s dark side. He almost killed someone in that place too.”

His words left me confused and unsure.

“Ki—killed…?”

“Remember about a year ago, that one slave who tried to attack you? Didn’t you think it was weird how he suddenly disappeared afterward?”

“…I remember.”

About a year ago, one of the male slaves working in the same area had dragged me into a nearby shed and tried to assault me.

Gerald rushed in and saved me, so nothing happened, but it was really, really scary.

Neil said, “Since you saw it, I guess it’s okay to tell you now. I just want you to be careful.”

Then he continued:

“Gerald almost killed that man too. He broke every finger on his hands and feet. If Norman and I hadn’t stopped him seriously together, he really would’ve killed him.”

Neil said they handed the man over to the guards with a made-up excuse, and he didn’t know what happened after that.

“He kept muttering stuff like, ‘Don’t look at Sadie like that,’ ‘You’re not allowed to touch her,’ and ‘Sadie is…’ It was honestly creepy.”

“That can’t be…”

“That’s why I told you to be careful around Gerald.”

I had no idea something like that had happened after the attack. Eliza was the one who comforted me back then.

Even if he was angry for my sake, breaking all the fingers on both hands and feet—it was far from normal.

But thinking about how Gerald acted recently, I could believe it wasn’t impossible.

“Why would he go that far…?”

“Because he’s in love with you, right?”

“Eh?”

I let out a silly little sound, and Neil softened his expression.

“At this point, it’s more like worship or obsession than love, maybe? I don’t really get it—and I don’t want to.”

“……”

“But it’s amazing, really. Gerald doesn’t care about looks or status or anything. He really just loves you. Of course, I love you too, Sadie.”

Neil said that with a childlike smile. I love both Neil and Gerald too.

But I had no idea Gerald felt that way. I thought we were just close friends—like family.

“I don’t think Gerald would ever hurt you, but you should still be careful. People like that, if they snap, they might lose control.”

“…Okay. Thank you, Neil.”

“Don’t mention it.”

What kind of face should I make the next time I see Gerald?

There’s no way I can act like nothing’s changed.

◇◇◇

“Sorry to come by suddenly.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

Two days later, I had an unexpected visitor.

It was the man I met at the café before. I also remember seeing him at the ball with Rufus.

He introduced himself as Kevin, vice captain of the knight order and the second son of a count.
After thanking me for fixing his little sister’s stuffed animal, he continued with, “Actually…”

“A friend of mine is very worried about you.”

“Huh?”

“They heard you were attacked by an frost wolf in the city.”
“Ah, yes.”

To be honest, the stuff after that was even more intense, but we kept what happened with that man a secret—only Neil knew. Gerald was supposed to handle it.

“My friend got so worried after hearing that, they couldn’t focus on work, and it even messed up their eating and sleeping. So, they wanted you to have this with you at all times.”

He handed me a flower-shaped ring. A large diamond sparkled in the center, and tiny gems decorated the petals. Even I, with no eye for value, could tell it was expensive.

“It’s a magical tool for self-defense. Made by the best magician in the country, so I assure you it works.”

“What?”

“The details are written here. I know this is sudden, and you must be uneasy, so feel free to have it checked at the Magic Ministry.”

Made by the best magician in the kingdom… I couldn’t even imagine how much it cost. There’s no way I could accept something like that.

And more than anything, who was this person so worried about me that they couldn’t sleep or eat?
I could only think of one possible person, but Kevin refused to tell me until the end.

I said I couldn’t accept such a precious gift, but he just said, “Think of it as helping someone,” and I couldn’t say no.

After seeing off Sir Kevin, I returned to my room and tried on the ring right away.

Even I could tell—if it were just for defense, it didn’t need to be designed so beautifully.
It clearly showed how much care and thought went into it.

“…So pretty.”

When I held up my hand to look at it, I couldn’t help but sigh.

It was so beautiful, and for some reason, it felt so natural—like it belonged on me from the very start.