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 - 56 - Beyond Regret 4

“That’s right, I remembered a little. I thought red really suits you, Rufus.”

The moment she said that, it felt like I’d been hit hard in the head. Even if she had lost some memories, her personality shouldn’t have changed.

Sadie was always honest. She wasn’t the type of person to say something random or fake.

‘I want to stay with you just a little longer, Rufus.’
‘If only I had returned to my real body sooner… then Tabatha wouldn’t have done something so foolish, and I could have stayed by your side, Rufus.’
‘Your hand is so warm, Rufus.’

All the strange feelings I had until now… I guess I wasn’t wrong. My suspicion turned into certainty.

—This woman is not Sadie.

I realized that Mabel had switched bodies with her, and I was filled with overwhelming anger and disgust like never before.

This woman ruined Sadie’s life, her friends’ lives, and mine too. I wanted to draw my sword and kill her right this moment, but I held back, clenching my fists tightly.

I’d heard that if one person dies while their bodies are switched, the other dies too. More than that, this is Sadie’s body. I couldn’t let even a single scratch be put on it.

Even though Mabel was right in front of me, I couldn’t do anything. The frustration and helplessness made me feel like I was going mad.

“…Rufus?”

Mabel, using Sadie’s voice and body, looked at me with worried eyes as I stayed silent. I swallowed the urge to tell her to never call my name in Sadie’s voice and opened my mouth.

“Sorry, I was just remembering that time.”

“Hehe, I see.”

Mabel said, “I want to keep wearing it from now on,” and picked up the necklace.

“Hm? I can’t seem to put it on properly. Hey, Rufus, could you help me?”

“…Yeah.”

Mabel handed me the necklace and turned her back to me, moving her long, beautiful silver hair forward.

Even though her slender neck and pure white nape were in front of me, knowing the person inside was someone else, I felt nothing.

Why didn’t I notice something so different for ten whole years? I was consumed by deep regret.

“……”

But for someone who had been so careful all this time, why was Mabel slipping up so easily now?

As I wondered, the answer quickly became clear.

—Mabel doesn’t believe that I, Rufus Arclight, would ever lie to Sadie.

Even though I was treated badly for ten years by Sadie—who had actually switched with Tabatha—I still kept the engagement and continued to care for her.

Mabel must have heard from Tabatha about how much of a fool I was. It had been the talk of high society for ages—why didn’t I break off the engagement?

This woman completely looked down on me. She had let her guard down. And that was, without a doubt, going to work in my favor.

The fact that my own foolishness was finally going to be useful was more ironic than I could bear. But now was not the time to be picky about methods.

“Is it done?”

“…Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

Mabel smiled sweetly—Sadie’s exact smile—and it made my heart ache.

Sadie was probably now trapped in Eliza’s body, locked away somewhere in the Haynes baron’s house.

Even though she had finally returned to her real body, she’d been robbed of it again and was probably alone right now. Just thinking about that made my chest feel like it was being torn apart.

More than anything, thinking about how she took the poison and had no antidote worried me.

If something happened to Sadie in Eliza’s body, it would also affect Mabel’s life. So I wanted to believe that they must have given Sadie the antidote somehow.

I also needed to find out exactly when and how the body switch happened. There were still too many questions about the magic tool.

Anyway, I had to rescue Sadie as soon as possible.

With that thought, I quietly stood up.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah, I have work to do. I’ll make time to visit again soon.”

“…Thank you, Rufus. It must be hard to come here even though you’re so busy.”

“For you, this is nothing.”

I gave a small smile and gently touched her hand. Mabel smiled shyly in return. I felt nausea rise from the pit of my stomach, but I kept going.

“You must feel uneasy, losing your memory like that. If there’s anything you need, just tell me right away. I’ll do anything for you.”

“Thank you… Rufus.”

Mabel’s eyes sparkled with emotion, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears as she squeezed my hand back.

—She completely trusts me now. I swore to myself that I would absolutely drag this woman down to hell.