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 - 25 - Connection

“The Pope… passed away?”

“We just got the news. It sounds like the whole country is in an uproar.”

The morning after Eliza’s birthday party, I went to the dining room after getting dressed, and that’s when my parents told me about the Pope’s death.

Even someone like me, who doesn’t know much about politics or religion, could guess how serious this was and how big of an impact it would have. My parents also seemed quite shaken.

“But… hasn’t the Pope been around since the founding of the country?”

“Yes. That’s why the entire balance of power will probably change.”

“Will the Arclight family be okay…?”

“We’re in the neutral faction, so we won’t be affected much. Besides, our family’s reputation is already ruined. It can’t get much worse.”

My father gave a wry smile as he said that. It’s all because of me. Still, I was relieved to hear that this news wouldn’t cause more problems for our family.

“But the Langridge marquis family… they’ll be in trouble.”

“Huh?”

“The Langridge family has always been part of the Church faction. Now that the Pope is gone, the Church has lost all its power. Without that backing, their position will be very unstable.”

“No…”

I began to worry about Rufus.

Just a while ago, I was feeling hungry, but now, even though a delicious breakfast was laid out in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to touch it.

“Maybe… maybe that’s why he broke off the engagement when he did—because he heard something about the Pope’s health.”

As the leading family of the Church faction, the Langridge family had to know about the Pope’s condition.

My father said Rufus might have been worried about how things would change after the Pope’s death. He likely broke off the engagement with me to remove anything that could become a problem for them.

Thinking about how Rufus still worried about me even while dealing with all of that made my chest hurt. I felt embarrassed remembering how I said I wanted to ‘talk sometimes’ yesterday, not knowing any of this.

I want to help him, but there’s nothing I can do for him now. If I got involved, I would only make things worse.

Even though the breakfast included my favorite dishes, everything tasted bland and empty.

◇◇◇

A few days later, Gerald suddenly came to visit my home. I brought him to my room, and we sat facing each other.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen…?”

“Sorry for the sudden visit. Actually, I got new information from the man who took over Norman’s body.”

Judging by Gerald’s serious expression, it wasn’t good news. I braced myself and waited for him to continue.

“From the start, he kept yelling for us to let him out or he’d be killed. But he wouldn’t give any details, so I thought he was just saying that to escape. But yesterday, he finally realized things were really bad, and he started talking. We finally understand why we were kept alive in that place.”

Gerald let out a small sigh and continued.

“If one of the switched people dies… the other one dies too.”

“What…?”

The shock escaped my lips before I could stop it. But it did explain why they didn’t kill us after stealing our bodies, and instead just locked us away in that place.

It also made sense—hiding us away where no one would see us. And forcing us to work probably just helped them earn a bit of money on the side.

And then it hit me. If he might be killed, that means…

“Norman is… in danger?”

“If that guy’s telling the truth, yes. He said they have a day every six months where everyone must meet face-to-face. That day is coming up next week. If he doesn’t show up, they’ll think he betrayed them—and they’ll kill him.”

“No…”

“Even with the restriction magic in place, they wouldn’t want him to leak anything. If they just need to shut him up, they can kill the Norman still in that place. They don’t need to find the guy who escaped.”

My heart thumped uncomfortably at this terrifying thought.

To think that missing just one meeting could get you killed… clearly, there was no trust or compassion among them. It wasn’t teamwork—it was a strict hierarchy.

Gerald said the man cried out, “He only sees us as pawns!” and “He’ll really kill me!”

He had taken Norman’s body and tried to kill me. Part of me felt he deserved this. But with Norman’s life on the line, this was a completely different matter.

“Still, we can’t just release the man who tried to kill you, saying it was ‘the only way.’ For now, let’s focus on finding that place and saving Norman. If it looks like we won’t make it in time, then we’ll think of another solution—even if it means letting him go.”

“Okay… I understand.”

“Please, Sadie. Don’t push yourself. I don’t want anything to happen to you again like before. I’ll handle it.”

“…Okay.”

“Thank you. You’re such a good girl.”

Gerald reached out and gently patted my head. I heard that his family has always been on the Royal side, so they weren’t affected by the Pope’s death. That gave me a small sense of relief.

Because time was short, Gerald left quickly. I felt guilty for always depending on him so much.

“…Please, let Norman be safe…”

I tried to remember everything about the place I had seen, and even tried identifying the location using trees, plants, and animals. But nothing matched. There was no place where everything I remembered came together.

I kept thinking about what else I could do. And then suddenly, one name came to mind—Lord Lloyd. He once said he liked me. Maybe… just maybe, he knows something.

Even the smallest piece of information could help now.

With that hope, I wrote him a short letter asking if we could talk—and sent it to him.