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 - 27 - A Ray of Light
“Sadie, say aah.”
“Ah… aah…?”
When I hesitantly opened my mouth a little, a spoon with ice cream slid in. A refreshing sweetness spread inside my mouth, and I couldn’t help but whisper, “It’s good.”
Neil smiled in satisfaction as he watched me, and right away scooped more ice cream with his spoon.
“You’re cute. But you’ve lost weight again, haven’t you? You really need to eat.”
“I don’t think sweets have any real nutrition though…”
“Well, yeah, but still. Come on, say aah.”
Ignoring Gerald’s calm remark, Neil offered me another spoonful of ice cream.
…Today, the three of us—Neil, Gerald, and I—were meeting at the café in Neil’s hotel. Gerald brought me out for a change of pace.
“So in the end, no one found anything.”
“Yeah, it’s tough. I mean, it’s kind of hopeless for us—who barely know how the world works—to solve all this on our own.”
We still didn’t know where that place was, or who the man who took over Norman’s body was so scared of.
We had no information at all. We didn’t even know what we were supposed to be looking into.
The more I thought about how Norman must still be suffering somewhere, the more anxious I got. Because of that, I’d lost my appetite lately. That’s why Neil kept trying to get me to eat sweets today.
“Only four days left until the scheduled day. Maybe it’s smarter to just focus on preparing to release him.”
“…Yeah.”
“It’ll be okay. I promise, Sadie, I’ll protect you.”
Remembering how that man tried to kill me the other day, I started to feel scared again—but Gerald gently held my hand right away.
When I thanked him, he smiled and said like always, “Of course.”
“Man, I just want to wrap everything up fast, get a cute wife, hang out with everyone sometimes, and live a happy life.”
Neil sighed and leaned way back in his chair. I was honestly surprised to hear he thought like that.
“You want to get married, Neil?”
“Of course I do. I want kids too.”
“R-Really…?”
“What about you, Sadie? Don’t you want to get married?”
“I… don’t really know.”
I didn’t have time to think about things like that right now. Still, I understood I couldn’t stay single forever and keep being a burden on my family.
But with all the bad rumors about me, I didn’t think anyone would want to marry me anyway. That’s what I thought… until—
“Then marry me.”
“Huh?”
“I may not look it, but I think I’d make a great husband.”
Suddenly, Gerald said that. Across from us, Neil muttered, “Bold move.”
“What do you think? I highly recommend myself.”
He said it like a joke, but now that I knew how he really felt, I didn’t know how to respond.
All I could manage was a quiet, “Thank you.”
◇◇◇
After that, we decided to put strong, trustworthy guards around the man who had taken over Norman’s body, and cast a restriction spell on him. The plan was to release him the day before the scheduled meeting.
But I still couldn’t give up. So the next day, I asked Father for help, and through his connections, I got permission to enter the First Royal Library inside the castle. There are three libraries in the castle—the higher the number, the more valuable the books. Even the First Library has texts not found in the National Library.
I picked out a few books that caught my attention and sat at a nearby table to read.
“Lady Sadie?”
“Oh, hello.”
I turned when I heard my name and saw Lord Lloyd. He had just finished work and was heading back to his room.
He smiled and said it was rare to see me here, then glanced down at my open notebook.
“…What’s this?”
“Um, just some doodles…”
They were quick drawings of plants and animals I remembered, so I wouldn’t forget them. I got embarrassed and tried to hide the notebook in a hurry.
But then I remembered—he said he grew up doing farm work. Maybe I should try asking him a few things.
“You draw very well. And a lot of these are familiar to me. May I take a look?”
“Y-Yes, please do.”
“Thank you.”
Trying to push down my embarrassment, I handed the notebook to Lord Lloyd.
As he flipped through the pages, his expression slowly changed to surprise.
“How do you know about creatures that only live in rural farmland areas?”
“Well, it’s a long story…”
Then, he suddenly stopped flipping pages.
“…Have you ever been to the neighboring country?”
“What? No, I haven’t.”
“Then how do you know about this insect?”
He pointed at my drawing of that rainbow-colored caterpillar I hated so much.
“You know it too, Lord Lloyd…?”
“Yes. It’s used to make dye, so it actually sells for a good price. I used to catch them as a kid and sell them to buy books.”
My heart began to race.
“They only appear for one week every three years, and they only live near my hometown. That’s why it’s strange for you to know about it.”
“Please—tell me everything you know!”
Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I had just assumed that place was somewhere in this country.
Before I knew it, I was gripping Lord Lloyd’s arms tightly.