Chapter 43

After seeing Gerald off, I returned to my room and collapsed onto the bed with a thud.

It seems that after he finished his errands near our house, he stopped by to give Father the expensive alcohol he had received as a gift, but ended up being caught.

Father seemed to like him because he had been supportive when I returned to my original body.

That’s why, when he learned that I had been proposed to by Gerald, Father was very pleased. He knows that Gerald and I get along well, so he doesn’t think I would refuse.

After seeing Rufus and the others off, we talked for a while. Father spoke as if the engagement was a given, which made me feel very uncomfortable.

“What should I do…?”

Earlier, I had tried to refuse when we were alone. I just couldn’t imagine marrying him. Gerald, noticing my hesitation, said, “You don’t have to rush, I want you to think about it,” but he wouldn’t accept my refusal.

“…sigh”

I sighed and hugged the rabbit plushie on my pillow. It was one of the gifts Rufus gave me as an apology the other day.

It’s probably not something you’d give to a woman my age, but I could easily imagine how hard he had worked to choose it, and it warmed my heart.

I closed my eyes and gently hugged the plushie.

◇◇◇

“Found it. Just the right medicine.”

Two weeks later, when we gathered at my house again, Gerald said this as soon as we sat down at the table.

It seems he had obtained the ‘medicine that causes endless suffering without leading to death’ that was mentioned the other day.

“You found it pretty easily, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t find it; I had it made from scratch because I didn’t want there to be any others. It was quite expensive.”

Because it is a special concoction, it’s not easy to make an antidote. He said it should buy enough time for Mabel to suffer and want to switch bodies.

The medicine in the small bottle in his hand looked like white powder. The tablet in another bottle seemed to be the antidote.

“But will that woman drink it easily?”

“That’s the problem.”

For these two weeks, I’ve been searching for a better way, but I couldn’t come up with anything.

“What if we drink the same thing right in front of her? Mabel might let her guard down and drink it.”

“True, but who will do it?”

“I will.”

As soon as I said that, Gerald, who was sitting next to me, grabbed my shoulder anxiously.

“No way.”

“Why not? It’s safe, right?”

“Even so, Sadey, you can’t.”

“I’m the best person for the job.”

After insisting that I would do it, it seemed that everyone agreed, thinking I was the best person for the job. Only Gerald was still against it.

“…We need to set up a meeting place.”

We had rescued the two from that place and talked to Tabatha, so of course that woman knows about it. If I suddenly invited her for tea, she would definitely be suspicious.

Thinking about a good opportunity, I suddenly realized there was a perfect chance.

“My birthday is next month. How about inviting her then?”

“Indeed, that might be the most natural way.”

As a noble, if I invite a large group, there’s a good chance she would attend as a noble lady.

Thus, we decided to carry out the plan at my birthday party next month. The main character will collapse during the party, and it will surely be chaos.

However, she’s not an easy opponent. I felt it was necessary to do this much. We need to work out the details of the plan and inform my parents carefully so as not to shock them.

“…I’ll think about other options.”

Incidentally, on the way back, Gerald, who had obtained the medicine, said this and was scolded by Neil.

“Miss, why don’t you take a break?”

“A break?”

“Yes. Do something fun.”

A few days later, while walking in the garden with Tim, he said this, perhaps worried that I had been cooped up at home for so long.

Because I had been living like that for so long, I still didn’t quite understand the feeling. Just spending time like this felt like the ultimate luxury to me.

“What should I do, for example?”

“Have a drink. I’ll go with you.”

“Alcohol is scary.”

“If you don’t drink too much, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

If I suggested something else, Tim would think for a moment and then say, “How about going out with Lord Rufus?”

“Huh?”

“With someone like Lord Rufus by your side, you can go out with peace of mind. Of course, I’ll guard you too.”

“But….”

Tim said it easily, but he’s busy. There are also other people’s eyes to consider, and it would be a bother to ask him to go out just for fun.

“Why don’t you just ask him? If he’s busy, he’ll just say no.”

I was surprisingly afraid of being refused. But since I hadn’t been in touch with Rufus for over two weeks, I decided to write him a letter.

I mainly wrote about my recent situation and casually mentioned at the end that if he had time next week, would he like to go somewhere together. The writing in that part ended up being smaller, making it stand out even more.

I put the letter in my favorite envelope and asked a servant to deliver it to the knights. I was worried that it might be a bother or a burden.

“I sent it…”

I hugged the rabbit plushie he gave me, feeling restless. I thought I would be uneasy for a few days until I got a reply.

But just a few hours later, I received a reply from Rufus saying, “I’ll go anywhere with you anytime.”