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 - 35 - The Truth - Part 3

Two days after the letter arrived, Rufus and I sat facing each other in the marquis family’s carriage as it rocked gently along the road.

We were heading to a town a little outside the royal capital, where the archbishop was said to be recovering. Rufus had asked me to make time so we could visit him.

Norman and Eliza, who had been reunited with Neil, were resting at my house. I planned to tell everyone—including Gerald—everything once I returned.

“The archbishop went back to normal…? What does that mean?”

“It seems his family is still living at his house. I visited, hoping to hear something—and the cat was there.”

“Huh?”

He must be talking about that cat—the one that switched bodies with the archbishop.

“They said the cat suddenly got smarter and started liking human food. I’m sure it had the archbishop inside.”

“He really… became a cat?”

“But when I visited a few days ago, the cat looked like a normal cat again. I thought maybe it was just pretending, but the wife said he suddenly started acting normal again one day.”

Apparently, the family had all been away from the house on the day of the incident.

“That timing matches when you all returned to your original bodies. That’s why I think the archbishop also went back to normal.”

His guess is probably right. We don’t know why, but on that day and at that time, several people who had switched bodies because of the magic tool must have returned to normal.

Still, quite some time has passed since we went back to our bodies. So why is the archbishop still hiding out in the countryside like this? When I voiced that question, Rufus said:

“It’s just my guess, but… maybe he had planned to return the magic tool right after switching bodies. But with everything that happened, he had to keep pretending to be insane and run away. It wouldn’t be strange.”

“…Yeah, that makes sense.”

It seemed the temple still didn’t know the truth of what he’d done. Maybe only the Pope and the Archbishop knew about the magic tool all along.

And if he was the archbishop, then he must know more about the tool than any of us, including Tabatha.

“If we threaten him a bit, I’m sure he’ll talk.”

“Yeah, you’re right… Rufus, thank you. You’re helping me even though things are so complicated.”

“I’m doing this because I want to. Don’t worry about it.”

He really is too kind. As I thought that, I opened my mouth and said, “This isn’t much, but…”

“I heard it would be a long ride, so I brought lunch. If you don’t mind, maybe we could eat together later.”

“…You made it yourself?”

“Yeah. I’ve cooked a little before. I made it with the head chef, so I think it tastes okay. But you always eat such fancy meals, so maybe it won’t suit you… Actually, maybe we should just stop at a restaurant instead…”

To my own surprise, excuses started pouring out of my mouth. What was I so nervous and anxious about?

As I started to lose track of what I was even saying, Rufus called my name very gently.

“Sadie.”

“…Y-Yeah?”

“I’m really happy. Thank you.”

“N-No, thank you…”

“I’m looking forward to lunch.”

Rufus looked so incredibly happy when he said that. My heart skipped a beat.

Later, at lunch, he kept saying ‘It’s delicious’ over and over while eating everything I made. It made me want to cry, even though I wasn’t sad at all.

◇◇◇

By late afternoon, we arrived safely in the town and headed straight to the archbishop. When we revealed our identities and showed the letter from his wife, they let us see him right away.

“He bites and jumps at people when he doesn’t like something. But since you’re the Knight Commander, we’re not worried.”

“…I see.”

As we walked down the hall, we were told this. The room we were brought to was at the very back. After a gentle knock, the door was opened.

“Archbishop, you have visitors.”

“……”

In the simple, white room with only the bare necessities, he was sitting on the bed. His hair was pure white. He was hunched like a cat and staring right at us.

That strange sight gave me chills. After the man who guided us left the room, Rufus and I sat down on the sofa.

“I came to talk to you. How long are you going to keep pretending to be a cat and play dumb?”

Rufus said this clearly to the archbishop, who was still staring at us. But there was no reaction.

“We know you stole the magic tool. And we know the body switching has already been undone. If you won’t talk, we’ll go straight to the temple and tell them everything. Even if you pretend to be insane, it’ll be a death sentence.”

“……”

“Or maybe I should just kill you right here. I’ll say you went crazy and attacked us, and I acted in self-defense.”

At Rufus’s harsh words, the archbishop’s eyes trembled. It was probably a threat—but it sounded so serious, it felt real.

After a long silence, the archbishop slowly sat up and covered his face with both hands.

“…Please… I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t kill me. I don’t want to die.”

“Fine.”

So he was pretending after all. Faking insanity just to run away from his crimes—how despicable.

But now wasn’t the time to judge him for that.

“You’re the son of Marquis Langridge, right? What do you want to know?”

First, we asked him to explain everything that happened that day. Everything Tabatha said had been true. And it seemed he also returned to his body at the same time as we did.

But when he found out the Pope had died, he became terrified of his own crimes and kept hiding out here.

Then I told him that many people had lost everything because of that magic tool. After hearing it all, he said ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again—but those empty words meant nothing to me.

“…I didn’t mean for this to happen… I never meant to hurt anyone… I just…”

“Enough. Do you know why you and Tabatha returned to your bodies?”

When Rufus asked this, the archbishop covered his mouth with one hand and gave a small nod.

“…That tool is probably breaking down.”