Chapter 42

"......Rufus?"

Calling out his name, which had become as rigid as a stone statue, and peering at his face, Rufus said, "I'm sorry, it's nothing," and covered his mouth with one hand. His face seemed a bit red.

On the other hand, Kevin-sama had a thoughtful expression, as if deeply considering something. Just as he was about to say, "Ano,"

A knocking sound echoed through the room. After excusing himself to Kevin-sama, Harla quickly came over, saying, "Excuse me."

"Miss, Gerald has arrived."

"Huh?"

I was surprised by Gerald's sudden visit. I didn't have any plans with him today, and we had just met yesterday. Something must have happened.

It seemed that Kevin-sama was considerate of the visitor, as he put down his teacup and picked up his jacket.

"Shall we take our leave now?"

"A, ah, yes."

When I tried to ask about what he was about to say earlier, he smiled and said it was fine. Rufus, looking confused, had hurriedly stood up and accidentally kicked the table, which looked quite painful. I wondered if he was okay.

After seeing them off to the door, I decided to go to Gerald.

"......You were with Langridge-sama."

"Y, yes."

On my way to the entrance, I met Gerald, who was being led to the parlor by a maid. Gerald and Rufus greeted each other, but the atmosphere was awkward.

"Ah, right. Thank you for taking care of that woman. I will come to pick her up soon."

"Yes, understood."

Just as Kevin-sama nodded, my father, who looked unusually cheerful, said, "Oh, Sadi," and came over.

I knew that an old friend had visited early in the afternoon, but he already seemed drunk, with a red face. When he saw me and Gerald, he smiled happily.

"Sadi, why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh?"

"Did Gerald-sama propose to you?"

At that moment, I could see Rufus's expression change at the corner of my eye. It seemed that my father was quite drunk and hadn't noticed Rufus and Kevin-sama.

"F, Father! Please, let's talk about this later. I'll see the guest off!"

My father finally seemed to notice Rufus and the others. He looked awkward and hurriedly greeted them.

Rufus only muttered, "Yes," in a low voice.

"Anyway, you two should go to the parlor."

Even though the engagement had been broken off, it wasn't something to discuss in front of a former fiancé. I gently pushed my father's back and confirmed that the two of them were out of sight in the hallway before turning to Rufus.

"Um, I'm sorry."

"......Did he propose to you?"

"Um, yes."

Nodding, Rufus looked hurt, as if he was about to cry.

"Do you intend to accept?"

"Well, that's..."

I didn't know how to answer. I didn't plan to marry him, but I hadn't yet declined Gerald himself, and it felt wrong to tell Rufus first.

If I answered ambiguously, he only said, "I see," and lowered his long lashes.

Then, without saying another word, Rufus left the house.

◇◇◇

"What should I do?"

In the carriage on the way back, Rufus, sitting across from me, was holding his head. The misunderstanding about the alcohol had been cleared up, but now he knew that she had been proposed to.

Moreover, it seemed that the proposer was welcome and close to her. With a good family background and appearance, and having shared difficult experiences, he was the perfect match.

"......It's over."

"It's not decided yet."

"No, Sadi will definitely accept."

Rufus seemed to think it was over, but from what I saw earlier, I thought there was still a chance.

'When I imagine Rufus saying he likes other women, I feel really bad. So, I was relieved.'

Could those words have come from jealousy? It made sense that she had said, "I don't want you to drink alcohol in front of women."

"There's no way. I have no qualities that would make her like me."

"Is that so?"

But when I said that to Rufus, he dismissed it as impossible. He seemed to have briefly hoped but then concluded it was impossible.

It was rare to see him, who was usually the most confident, so discouraged and lacking in confidence.

I tried to cheer him up and suggested we go for a drink, but he said he would never drink again and didn't want to be disliked by Sadi any further, and Rufus once again held his head.