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 - 31 - Unwanted Reunion
“…Why…?”
Why is she here? And she, too, looked like she couldn’t believe I was standing in front of her.
She was wearing the same clothes I used to wear back then. Her body was still worn out. No matter how you looked at her, she was being treated like a slave. Seeing me shaken, the woman laughed like she found it amusing.
“Ahaha, nice to meet you, Sadie.”
“…!”
There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to curse her, blame her, question her. This woman stole most of my life.
But now that I was standing in front of her, my mind went blank. I couldn’t say a single word. So many emotions all came at once, and my vision started to blur.
Just then, Eliza—standing beside me—quietly held my hand.
“Are you planning to escape from here?” the woman asked.
“…Yeah, we are,” Norman replied.
Hearing that, the woman smiled again.
“Hey, take me with you.”
“Don’t say such selfish things—!”
“I know everything.”
At those words, all of us caught our breath.
“If you take me with you, I’ll tell you everything. I’m just as mad at Mabel—I want to kill her myself.”
“…Mabel?”
“Yeah, the one you call E-li-za. I don’t want to die in a place like this, and you still want answers too, right? It’ll benefit us both, don’t you think?”
In order for both of them to get back their original bodies, we definitely needed more information. Of course, there was no guarantee she would tell the truth. And doing what she wanted felt very frustrating. But in this situation, maybe taking her with us really was the best choice.
“…Alright.”
Eventually, I tightly clenched both hands and gave that answer.
◇◇◇
After that, we made it back safely to our country. I first took Eliza and Norman to the Arclight estate. I had them take a warm bath and eat until they were full, and then the three of us sat down in my room to talk.
I told them everything—what happened after I returned to my body, and our current situation. They were both shocked.
Now, they were unsure whether their families would believe them if they returned in those bodies and told the truth. Especially in Eliza’s case—the woman who stole her body would probably be able to act her way through it very well.
I asked them to stay at my house and rest until things settled down, and they both agreed.
“For now, please just get some rest today. I’m going to Lord Kevin’s mansion, so if anything happens, tell a servant and they’ll contact me.”
“Alright. Thank you, Sadie.”
“No, I’m sorry it took me so long to rescue you.”
“You don’t need to say sorry. Thank you.”
After seeing them each off to their guest rooms, I quickly wrote letters to Gerald and Neil, then put on my coat and got into the carriage with Tim.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
“No, it’s alright. Are the two of them okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to you. Thank you so much.”
Lord Kevin welcomed me as soon as I arrived at the mansion. Inside the large room we were led to, Rufus was there too, still looking like the world was ending.
“Mushrooms might start growing in Rufus’s footsteps,” Kevin joked.
“Um, Rufus—please don’t blame yourself. Because of you two, we were able to rescue Eliza and Norman.”
“…I’m such a worthless man.”
“No! That’s absolutely not true!”
“…Should we just leave him alone for now?” Kevin suggested.
After telling Rufus again, “It really is okay,” I sat down in the chair Kevin offered.
Then, I explained everything again to both of them. After seeing the place themselves, and meeting Eliza and Norman, they fully believed my story.
Even so, the air around Rufus felt even heavier now.
“Where is that woman now?”
“She’s locked in the basement prison. When she woke up, she looked hungry, so I gave her a light meal and some water.”
After knocking her out and capturing her, Kevin brought her back with us. I had wondered why there was a basement prison in this mansion, but I was grateful we didn’t have to worry about her escaping.
We chose to talk here at Kevin’s house because it would be difficult for me to bring people into the Langridge Marquis household. Also, bringing that woman to the Arclight house would definitely upset my parents.
To hear what the woman had to say, the three of us went down to the basement.
She was sitting on the floor of the cell. When she noticed us, she looked up—and of course, there was that same smile on her face.
“Lord Rufus, you used to be so kind to me… how cruel of you now.”
“Stop it!”
I didn’t want her to hurt Rufus any more than this. I stepped forward alone and glared at her through the bars.
“What’s your name?”
“Tabatha.”
I remembered that name. The man who stole Norman’s body said it. So it wasn’t a lie.
“Why did you decide to talk?”
“That damn woman. Even though she’s still living the good life in Eliza’s body, she treated me like a slave after I returned to mine. She said I was just in the way and that she’d kill me soon.”
Apparently, they had a falling out. Tabatha seemed to truly hate the woman named Mabel who stole Eliza’s body.
Judging from how the man who stole Norman’s body acted, and from Tabatha’s words, their whole group had a twisted relationship.
“What about the ones who took Gerald and Neil’s bodies?”
“I don’t know about Neil’s, but that guy is dead.”
“What…?”
“The guy who was in Gerald’s body couldn’t stand that life or that body. He killed himself soon after.”
She laughed again, like it was the funniest thing in the world.
“What an idiot.”