Chapter 37

"Really, it's very delicious."

"Uh-huh."

That evening, Rufus and I were sitting across from each other in the restaurant of the only hotel in town.

The food in front of us was very delicious, but there was an indescribable atmosphere between us.

"......"

"......"

Thinking about it, since I returned to my own body, I hadn't spent any normal time with him.

That's why I didn't know what to talk about. I'm sure it was the same for him. Rufus would occasionally look at me, as if he wanted to say something.

...When we were kids, we used to chat happily without thinking about what to talk about.

Thinking about this made me feel a bit lonely, but I didn't want to waste this opportunity, so I decided to ask something safe.

"Have you been busy with work lately?"

"No, it's normal."

By the way, the incident where we used the gate without permission was apparently smoothed over by the higher-ups due to their good behavior. They didn't receive any punishment, which was really good.

Rufus didn't seem to mind being spoken to or asked questions. I wanted to know more about him, so I decided to ask various things.

"Did you become close with Lord Kevin after joining the Knights?"

"Yeah, we were in the same year. We used to train together late into the night."

"Is that so? That's great. You two seem really close."

"Yeah. We often go out for meals and drinks."

"Hehe, I see. By the way, why did you become a knight?"

"Because Saedy said it was cool."

"…Huh?"

I couldn't help but let out a surprised voice at the unexpected answer. Rufus, who didn't mean to say it, quickly covered his mouth with his right hand.

…Because I said it was cool? I've always had a vague admiration for knights, so I might have mentioned it to him casually.

But Rufus became a knight years after I was taken over by someone else. Despite all the unpleasant and painful experiences he must have had.

When I muttered, "Why," Rufus lowered his eyebrows and smiled, looking troubled.

"Because I liked Saedy."

His voice was filled with a bittersweet tone, and my heart skipped a beat.

When we were kids, I knew he liked me. And I knew it was in the past.

"…Thank you."

Rufus had always remembered my words. It should have been a happy thing, but for some reason, my chest ached. Why was that?

"Even so, I can't forgive myself for not realizing you had changed."

"Father told me that Rufus was always worried about me."

Just the fact that he didn't abandon me in that state showed how much he cared about me. Besides, Rufus has always been kind to me.

"Thank you so much. I'm really happy that we can talk normally now."

I'm glad he believed in me. Just as Rufus was about to say something like, "I'm with you," a man passing by our table called out to him.

"Hey, isn't that Rufus?"

"…Mr. Anton?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time."

The man, who seemed to be the former Knight Commander, had been traveling the country alone after retiring. He was very happy to run into Rufus after several years.

"Is this your fiancée, Rufus?"

"Uh? Well, I'm—"

"I've heard a lot about you from him."

"…He talks about me?"

"Yeah, he always talks about you."

Rufus looked flustered and said, "Stop it." Maybe he was talking about my worst moments back then.

"Would you like to join us for a drink?"

Rufus looked at me for permission. I didn't want to get in the way of their reunion, so I politely declined and decided to return to my room.

◇◇◇

"…Rufus?"

After getting out of the bath, I went out to get a drink and saw Rufus, supported by Mr. Anton, staggering.

His face was red, and it was clear he was quite drunk.

"Hey, you're just in time. This guy is completely wasted."

"Really?"

"…I'm not drunk."

"Most drunk people say that."

Rufus, who was all mushy from the alcohol, looked so cute that I couldn't help but smile. Mr. Anton looked apologetic, as if he had let him drink too much.

Mr. Anton carried Rufus to the room and dropped him on the bed. Rufus lay down obediently and didn't seem to be feeling ill, which relieved me.

"Take care of Rufus. He's a really good guy. Stay with him."

"Sure, if you don't mind."

Mr. Anton might not know that our engagement has been dissolved. After seeing him off, I hurried to pour water into a glass and went to Rufus.

"Rufus, are you okay? Can you drink some water?"

When I placed the water on a nearby table and called out to him, I noticed that Rufus was staring at me.

"…Cute."

Before I could react to his words, I was pulled by the arm.

Before I knew it, I was lying on top of him, tightly embraced.