Chapter 13

"……What could this mean?"

With only two days left until the ball, I sat on the sofa in my room after finishing my lesson with Mother, rereading the letter from Neil.

If Neil isn't the real Neil, is this a lie to separate Gerald and me? Or is Neil the real Neil, and Gerald is hiding something? Either way, it's the worst for me.

Especially if it's the latter, I might not be able to trust anything anymore. After all, the person I rely on the most is Gerald.

At that moment, I ironically remembered Gerald's words: "Just continue as usual, and draw a line in my heart, just a little bit." I don't want to doubt him, but for now, I decided to feel this way.

Eventually, it was noon, and I headed to the dining room to have lunch with my parents.

Father said he had something to talk about with me, and he seemed to be in a good mood, which made me feel relieved that it wasn't bad news.

"Actually, Sae. We've found a tutor for you."

"Really?"

"Yes, and it's someone who is among the best in the country."

"Wait, why would someone like that take me on...?"

"Apparently, it's through a recommendation from someone, but they wouldn't tell me anything more. They say they will teach you not only academics and manners but also magic."

"Magic...!?"

Why would such a great person agree to be my tutor? We have no idea who recommended them, and neither do my parents.

But I was incredibly relieved that I finally found a tutor and that I would be learning magic. Moreover, they might start as early as tomorrow, and I decided to have them cram as much as possible before the ball.

"But Sae, are you feeling well? We just had your magic power measured, and you're not tired, are you?"

"Yes, I'm very energetic."

Actually, two days ago, after hearing that I had saved a child with magic, people claiming to be from the Ministry of Magic visited our house. They measured my magic power, and when they saw a clear reaction from me, they were very surprised, saying they had never seen anything like it before.

At the time, my body had been taken over by someone else, and my soul and body were out of sync, which might be why there was no reaction before. I tried to explain this desperately, but they didn't seem to believe me at all.

They probably thought it was more likely that the measuring device, which had never malfunctioned before, had a problem. It's so sad. But they did say they would investigate the matter. I wonder if they really will.

After finishing lunch and returning to my room, Hara immediately made me some tea, my favorite sweet milk tea. As usual, I decided to talk to her.

"Hey, what do you think would be a good way to thank Rufus? If I give him something, it might be a bother, but would a letter be okay?"

"Yes, that might be the safest option."

In the end, I fell asleep in his arms that day and didn't even get to say thank you.

Besides, I wouldn't have been able to save the child on my own. It was definitely thanks to both of them. I wanted to properly thank Rufus and Tim, who had been involved and helped me.

By the way, I'm embroidering a sword belt for Tim as a thank you, as per his request. I heard it would serve as a charm, and I'm sewing it with all my heart, a little bit every day.

"…Would it be okay even if my handwriting is messy?"

"If it's heartfelt, it will be fine."

Thanks to my daily practice, I feel my handwriting has improved a lot. Still, I'm embarrassed.

After finishing my tea, I immediately went to my desk and wrote a thank-you letter to Rufus. But then I thought,

"Would it be bad to send this to the Langridge Marquess family?"

"…It might not reach him directly."

Perhaps it would be better not to send the letter, I wondered. Then, Hara suggested, "Why don't you deliver it to the knights' guild yourself?"

"The knights' guild?"

"Yes. They can accept gifts and letters through the reception, so you can give the letter to them."

"I see…"

The knights are very popular with noblewomen and citizens, and they receive a constant stream of gifts and presents. That's why they have a system in place for such things.

"Tim is supposed to be training at the guild today. You can observe, and it's a safe place with many knights, so your husband might allow it."

"Yes, I'd like to see it…!"

I wanted to see Tim and Rufus in their knightly attire, so I immediately started getting ready to go. As usual, my parents assigned me three guards, and I got into the carriage.

◇◇◇

"Too cute"

"Hmm"

"Your writing is so round and cute, like an angel's halo"

"Interesting"

That evening, in a private room of a small restaurant, Rufus was staring at a piece of paper as if it would develop a hole, repeating "cute" and "happy."

Today, Sae Arclight had visited the knights' guild and delivered a letter to Rufus, and he had observed her.

Rufus, who noticed her presence before anyone else, moved as if he were facing an S-class monster, and it was clear to everyone that he was excited.

In the midst of this, he accidentally made eye contact with her and waved. He seemed to be debating whether to turn around or not. She must have thought he was ignoring her, as she lowered her hand and smiled sadly.

In the end, he panicked and approached her as she was leaving, pretending it was a coincidence, saying, "I didn't notice you were here." What happened to his vow not to get involved?

"Ultimately, what do you want?"

"…I don't know."

Rufus covered his eyes with one hand and muttered.

"I'm not saying I don't believe her."

"Huh?"

"But right now, there's almost no reason to believe her. In this situation, where the church is unstable and the marquess family's position is uncertain, acting on the desire to believe her would be foolish."

For Rufus, who lost his mother at a young age, the marquess was his only family.

Moreover, despite saving a child recently, Sae Arclight's reputation in society is still at rock bottom. With rumors of her involvement in criminal activities spreading, getting involved with her would be suicide.

Besides, I'm also concerned about Eliza. She was so desperate in her plea. There might be some reason behind it.

"For now, I intend to keep an eye on her from a distance and not interact with her publicly. I failed today."

"…So you're a stalker?"

"No. I asked Miss Ramona to be her tutor because the Arclight family's tutor position had been open for a long time."

"Miss Ramona?"

"Yes."

Miss Ramona, or rather, Lady Ramona Ingram, was Rufus's childhood magic teacher and a very influential figure among the women in the country.

"You managed to convince her?"

"I promised to do anything."

I couldn't help but sigh at Rufus's matter-of-fact response. He really is something.

But as I watched him, I started to hope that she really had switched places with a good person.

"…Really, so cute."

The writing on the envelope, "To Rufus Langridge," was far from good.

Still, he treated the letter like a treasure, reading it over and over again, a happy smile on his face.

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