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 - 41 - Slight Fever
“…Maybe the best plan is to create a situation where that woman wants to switch bodies.”
After I told everyone what the Archbishop had said, Neil quietly made that comment. Right now, the five of us were sitting around the big table in the hall, discussing what to do next.
…After that incident, when I was still pinned down, Neil arrived and stopped Gerald, saying, “What are you doing?”
His voice was surprisingly low and cold when he said, “You can’t do something like that without consent.” He seemed truly angry.
Eventually, Gerald let go of me and sat up. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ll wait for your answer.” Then, as I sat up, he took my hand.
“If you didn’t want that, you can shake me off, you know.”
“Uh…”
“Neil’s so cruel,” Gerald added.
With that awkward conversation, we returned to the hall—and now here we were. Gerald sat next to me, smiling like always. It seemed I was the only one still feeling awkward.
I used to think I understood Gerald better than anyone. But now, I didn’t know what he was thinking anymore.
“What kind of situation would make her want to switch bodies?” I asked.
“Like getting a scar that’ll last forever… or being cursed.”
“N-no way! That’s too much!”
I understood that if we wanted to fully destroy the magical device—which might already be at its limit—the fastest way was to make her use it.
Still, it was Eliza’s body. I couldn’t accept that kind of method. But Eliza, who sat across from me, smiled and said, “That sounds good.”
“If it’s about my body, don’t worry. Let’s just go for it. It’s better than living in this body forever.”
She truly meant it. Eliza had always been unusually bold. When I firmly said no, she looked troubled and lowered her eyebrows.
“She’ll never tell us where the magical device is. This way seems the most realistic and quickest,” Neil said. “Of course, it has to be something that won’t hurt Eliza too much.”
“If only there were a poison that doesn’t kill but causes endless pain,” Tabatha added. “If we have the antidote ready, we can use it as soon as Eliza returns to her body.”
“Does something like that even exist?”
“I’ll look into it. Since I’m the one who brought it up, I’ll test everything on myself before using it on her. So don’t worry.”
After saying that, Neil turned to me.
“I get how you feel, Sadie, but in a situation like this, I don’t think there’s a perfect plan with zero risks.”
“…”
“Well, let’s keep thinking. I’ll look into other options too.”
I knew it wasn’t fair to just keep saying no without offering any new ideas. Even so, I couldn’t stop worrying about Eliza. I needed to search and think of better ways, too.
We also decided when to question the man who had taken over Tabatha and Norman’s bodies again, and with that, the meeting ended.
Afterward, the five of us spent time chatting. I never thought we’d be able to sit together like this in a warm, beautiful place, enjoying tea.
I strongly hoped that one day, Eliza and Norman could return to their original bodies, and all five of us could smile together again.
That evening, I received a letter from Rufus asking if we could meet tomorrow. It sounded like something urgent had come up.
Since Lord Kevin would also be coming, I got even more worried—maybe something serious happened.
I quickly wrote a reply agreeing to meet and asked someone to deliver the letter to Lord Kevin’s house, where it would definitely reach him.
◇◇◇
The next day at noon, I greeted Rufus and Lord Kevin at the door right away.
Rufus was wearing a very formal outfit, but he looked so pale, like he might collapse at any moment. Lord Kevin, who stood slightly behind him, also looked very uncomfortable.
Now feeling even more worried, I brought them to my room. Once we were sitting across the table from each other, I asked the maid to bring tea and then leave the room.
As soon as I heard the door close behind her, I spoke up.
“Did something happen…?”
“…I heard what happened that night.”
“Huh?”
He must mean the night we visited the Archbishop—when Rufus got drunk.
Now I understood why Rufus looked so troubled and why Lord Kevin seemed awkward. I lied and said nothing had happened because I knew this was exactly what would happen if they found out.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll make sure something like that never happens again. I’ll do anything until you forgive me.”
“I—I’m fine! I’m really not bothered by it!”
…Even though, honestly, I kept thinking about that night. Every time I remembered it, I felt nervous and unsettled.
Still, I didn’t want Rufus to feel bad, so I smiled as I said that. But for some reason, he looked even more shocked than before.
“I just want to make it clear—Rufus isn’t the kind of person who tells women he likes them or touches them just because he’s drunk. In fact, I think this was the first time,” Lord Kevin explained.
“Really?”
“Yes, I swear it.”
“I’m… glad to hear that.”
I said it without thinking. Why was I so relieved?
When Rufus saw my reaction, he looked even more down. Meanwhile, Lord Kevin looked a little confused.
“In that case, why did you act like that that night?”
“…That’s, well…”
When I casually asked, Rufus fell silent. Maybe there was something he didn’t want to say, so I quickly added, “Never mind. Forget it,” trying not to push him further.
Just then, Lord Kevin spoke.
“Just now, you said you were ‘glad’—did you mean you’re glad Rufus won’t do the same to other women?”
“Cough! Cough!”
Rufus choked hard on his tea. I quickly handed him a handkerchief, and he took it, saying, “Thank you.”
“Um…”
I thought about Lord Kevin’s question. No, that’s not what I meant.
“When I imagined Rufus saying he loved another woman, it made me feel really awful. That’s why… I was relieved.”
As I said what was truly on my mind, Rufus’s obsidian-like eyes widened. He let out a small gasp: “Ha…”