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 - 55 - Beyond Regret 3
A few days later, I visited the Arclight Count’s mansion again.
It seemed Sadie was asleep at the moment, so I was taken to Norman’s room, where Eliza and Tim were waiting.
“How is Sadie doing?”
“Her health has gotten much better. But… it seems her memory hasn’t fully returned yet.”
Eliza lowered her eyes as she answered my question.
She could live her daily life without problems, but I heard she spoke much less than before and often seemed absent-minded. She still needed to rest and be watched carefully.
“But Lord Rufus, is it alright for you to visit this often?”
“I’m using a different carriage to avoid attention. It seems my father and others haven’t noticed.”
“I see. You must be busy, so please take care of yourself.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
I was grateful for Norman’s concern, but lately, work for both the knights and my family had kept me extremely busy.
Even so, I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure Sadie never suffered like that again.
If she wished for it, I wanted to be by her side, even for a little while. With that thought, I cut down my sleep and kept coming here like this.
“I investigated Mabel again, but there’s still no sign of any movement. After she collapsed at the birthday party, it seems she’s been recovering at Baron Haynes’ mansion.”
We still didn’t even know if she was suffering or not.
Sadie took the same poison and drank the antidote right away, yet she still suffered this much. I couldn’t believe Mabel could be completely fine.
Even so, the fact that she never responded to any of our messages felt eerie. Besides, that body she was using originally belonged to Eliza, so there was no end to the worry.
If she had already switched to another person’s body, it was strange that the magical tool hadn’t broken yet. Could it really be that the tool wasn’t at its limit after all?
“…What should we do now? There’s only so much we can do.”
Norman covered his eyes with his hand and sighed.
“Your body is safe, so I’m sure my body is being well cared for at my family’s mansion too. For now, we just have to wait for Sadie to get better.”
“You’re right.”
I heard that the man who stole Norman’s body was still being safely locked up at Marquis Findlay’s mansion.
The other day, Tabatha went to check on things and said that the man was still casually spending his time in the underground cell at Kevin’s mansion, without showing any sign of regret.
“……”
Feeling trapped from every direction made me frustrated with my own helplessness.
As I grabbed my bangs in irritation, Tim suddenly spoke in a strangely cheerful voice that didn’t fit the mood.
“Even yesterday, while the young lady was awake, she kept talking about Lord Rufus. She kept asking what kind of time you two spent together.”
“She asked me about you too, Rufus. Hehe, I guess you’re the one she’s most curious about.”
Tim and Eliza gave me warm, teasing looks, and I felt restless.
Still, hearing that Sadie was thinking about me so much filled me with quiet happiness.
Just then, there was a knock, and one of Sadie’s maids quietly entered the room and bowed deeply.
“Lady Sadie has woken up. She says she would really like to see Lord Rufus.”
“Ah, I understand.”
I told the three of them that I’d come back to see them before leaving and, taking the bouquet I had brought, I headed to Sadie’s room.
The maid guided me, and when I entered the room, I saw Sadie sitting up in bed, gazing absent-mindedly out the window.
“Rufus… You came.”
Her soft, beautiful silver hair shimmered in the sunlight as she turned toward me.
I walked to her side and, as always, sat on the chair next to her bed.
“Thank you. I didn’t think you’d come again today… I’m really happy.”
“I’m glad, as long as it’s not a bother.”
“There’s no way it could be a bother.”
Sadie smiled warmly, and seeing her face looking better than last time made me feel slightly relieved.
“How are you feeling?”
“My body feels much better, but… there’s still a lot I can’t remember. I hope I’m not causing too much trouble for everyone.”
It seemed she remembered the people around her, but parts of her past were still missing.
Then, Sadie’s eyes lit up as she noticed the bouquet I was still holding.
“Is that… for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you! I’ll take good care of it.”
When I finally handed her the bouquet I hadn’t been able to give earlier, Sadie smiled as she took it. Our hands brushed, and I almost pulled my hand away without thinking.
“Your hand is so warm, Rufus.”
“……”
“Rufus?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
But Sadie, without showing any confusion, gently held the bouquet close and looked at the flowers with a happy face.
At the same time, I felt that strange discomfort again. Until now, even small touches like this would make Sadie blush and act shy.
“By the way, yesterday I was talking with Eliza and Hala and—…”
Each of these small things by themselves might mean nothing, but together, the unease in my heart kept growing.
I wanted to believe it was just my imagination, but a theory started to form at the back of my mind.
—My instincts weren’t worth trusting. After all, I had failed to notice the body switch that lasted ten years.
And more than anything, I knew that even doubting Sadie for a moment would hurt her deeply.
“……”
I tried to tell myself it was just because I had gotten too used to expecting the worst.
Then, something caught my eye: a necklace lying on the bedside table.
‘Would you… wear it too, Rufus?’
‘You don’t like it?’
‘No, I’d be really happy! Thank you!’
That necklace was something we bought together at a shop when we went out one time. We got matching ones—Sadie had the red one, and I had the blue one.
Maybe she noticed me looking at the necklace, because Sadie tilted her head and said, “It seems like you’ve been wearing this necklace all the time.”
“Rufus, do you know this?”
“…Actually, I have the same one in a different color. We bought them together. Do you remember?”
Before I knew it, those words—lies—slipped out of my mouth.
—This would be the first and last time I’d doubt Sadie. I told myself that and waited for her reaction.
Then, she brought her hands together and softly smiled, saying, “Ah, I see.”