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 - 24 - Birthday Party – 3
“…not good enough for me?”
No matter how I look at it, I’m the one who’s not good enough for Rufus. But Gerald just nodded with a smile as his hand stayed gently on my cheek.
“That’s right. You’re the most beautiful and precious person.”
…How do I look in Gerald’s beautiful eyes? ‘Precious’ is too much for someone like me. He’s clearly overestimating me.
His hand slid down from my cheek and touched my neck. His fingers were surprisingly cold, and I shivered from the chill.
“…I’m not that amazing.”
“No, you are.”
But he really seemed to believe it. He looked at me like I was something dazzling and bright.
“W-we should hurry and go talk to the baron and his wife.”
Feeling flustered, I quickly grabbed Gerald’s arm and started walking to change the subject.
But he smiled and said, “I’m happy,” which made me even more nervous.
“Isn’t that the baron and his wife?”
While walking through the venue in confusion, Gerald pointed to a friendly-looking couple.
They were smiling warmly as they greeted guests, and it was clear they were the hosts—the baron and his wife.
Trying to act natural, we approached and greeted them. Even though we had bad reputations, they were surprisingly kind and friendly. Just from a short conversation, we could tell they were genuinely good people.
The conversation went better than I expected, so I decided to go ahead and ask about Eliza.
“Um, what was Lady Eliza like as a child?”
“She’s surprisingly just like she is now.”
“Yes, even her childhood habits haven’t changed much.”
“…Really?”
They told us that her way of speaking and little quirks have been the same since she was a child—more than ten years ago, way before our bodies were stolen.
“Does she talk about her childhood often?”
“Oh yes. She often says she wants to go back to those days and tells us old stories.”
We listened to more of their stories, thanked them, and then stepped away. Gerald and I exchanged looks.
“Maybe this Eliza has nothing to do with it…”
“From what they said, it seems that way.”
“…But the way the baroness tucked her hair behind her ear when she laughed—that was exactly the same as the Eliza who used to be with me all the time.”
Was that just a coincidence too? The Eliza at this party clearly has memories from before the time of the switch.
Gerald also had a confused look on his face.
“She even used that restriction magic. She probably doesn’t want to give up this life no matter what. I doubt she’ll make any obvious mistakes. I’ll try looking into it from another angle.”
“For Norman’s sake too, we have to figure it out soon…”
“Yeah. I’ll do my best, so don’t worry.”
Gerald gently patted my head. He really is sweet and kind. If I hadn’t heard what Neil told me, I would’ve let myself rely on him completely.
…In the end, we didn’t find any proof about Eliza. In fact, things just got more confusing, and we left the party.
◇◇◇
“…It’s over.”
“Technically, nothing even started.”
Rufus slumped over the table with a strong bottle of whiskey in one hand. He was clearly very drunk.
Even though we had left Eliza Haynes’s birthday party early, I now found myself stuck in the usual room at the marquis’s house, drinking with a very clingy Rufus.
The last time we drank here was the day he broke off his engagement.
“Anyway, I’ve decided not to believe you when you say you won’t get involved. What do you think I stepped in for?”
“My body moved on its own.”
Rufus raised his head and covered his eyes with one hand.
“…She was too cute. It’s not fair.”
The woman he liked had worn the ring he gave her, said she loved it, that it made her happy, and that she would treasure it. Of course he would feel over the moon.
But even so, the way he grabbed her wrist like that in public wasn’t good. If the marquis hears about it, he might get punched again.
Rufus sighed deeply, poured another glass of wine—who knows how many—and drank it all in one go.
“And I’m sure she misunderstood me.”
“Obviously.”
Their conversation had completely missed each other.
Sadie definitely thinks Rufus was telling her he doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore.
“I just meant I didn’t want only a distant relationship where we talk once in a while… but because of him…”
“Don’t blame others.”
He probably meant Gerald Findlay, who stepped in the middle of their talk. It was obvious from his behavior that he liked Sadie Arclight.
Rufus looked like he might cry as he mumbled things like “I want to disappear,” “But she said she wanted to talk to me,” “I’m happy,” and “It hurts.” His emotions were all over the place.
“…Are they a couple?”
“What?”
“I saw them looking at each other… and he touched her cheek.”
After that, the two of them did look unusually close. I couldn’t see Sadie’s expression, but from the side, they looked like lovers.
Rufus had a terrible look on his face, like he’d just seen his whole family killed.
“If they were really dating, she wouldn’t be wearing a ring from another man—even if it’s just a magic tool.”
When I said that, Rufus’s eyes lit up like a fish back in water. Where did that calm, unreadable Rufus Langridge disappear to?
“…Today made me realize just how much I really love her.”
During the party, many beautifully dressed noble ladies came to talk to Rufus. Even Eliza, the birthday girl, gave him special attention.
But Rufus didn’t glance at any of them. He just kept looking at Sadie Arclight the whole time—it was honestly kind of pathetic.
Even if he didn’t talk to her, the way he looked at her was full of emotion. It was only a matter of time before people noticed.
“I’ll go to the temple tomorrow.”
“For what?”
“I want to research what Sadie talked about. There should be some old records there that only exist in that place.”
As a member of the Langridge family, who are loyal to the temple, he would be allowed into the temple’s library. After saying just that, Rufus hugged the empty bottle and passed out like a puppet with its strings cut.
I gently covered him with his coat, like always. Feeling a bit sleepy from the wine, I lay down on the sofa and closed my eyes too.
The next morning, we were woken up by the butler running into the room—with the news that the Pope had died.