Chapter 76

This is the final chapter.

After seeing off the two main characters at the end of the wedding reception, I was being jolted in the Langridge family's carriage.

Rufus was to take me back to the mansion, and we were sitting opposite each other.

"It was a very beautiful ceremony. I was really moved."

"Yeah. I'm glad they look so happy."

Rufus, who had been with me through the entire case of the body swap and spent a lot of time together, seemed to care for the two of them as well, and his face was filled with joy and relief.

"These flowers also need to be protected with a spell as a precious memento of today."

Every time I looked down at the colorful bouquet I held in my arms, I felt happy again.

"...Did you hear the meaning of this bouquet?"

"？ No. Just that something good will happen."

After the ceremony, Eliza had given it to me, saying, "I really wanted to give it to Sadi."

It was my first time attending a wedding, but Eliza had secretly told me that having this would bring good luck. It might be a lucky charm.

"I see."

"Yeah."

"......"

"......"

After this exchange, Rufus became unusually quiet, and I began to worry if he was tired.

Wanting him to rest, I turned my gaze to the window, but suddenly Rufus called my name.

"......Can I sit next to you?"

"Wh-what? Sure, go ahead."

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I nodded hurriedly. Although I had ridden in the carriage with Rufus many times, he had never asked this before.

He quickly moved to the window side, stood up, and came over to my side.

"......"

"......"

Just sitting next to him made my heart beat so loudly and rapidly.

After a while of silence, when I glanced up at Rufus, our eyes met, and his were intense.

"There's a superstition that if you receive a bouquet from the bride at a wedding, you'll be the next to get married."

"Really?"

I felt embarrassed for not knowing and being so excited. Eliza must have known, but why didn't she tell me?

"Y-Yeah. So, does that mean I'll get married soon? I mean..."

Flustered, I blurted out those words and quickly clamped my mouth shut. I couldn't stop regretting such an incredibly embarrassing statement.

I wanted him to laugh it off, but Rufus continued to look at me seriously.

"Maybe. But I've liked Sadi since we were kids and want to marry you."

"......"

Despite being taken aback by the sudden confession, I felt joy spreading throughout my body.

I decided to share my feelings as well and looked back at Rufus.

"Thank you. I want to be with Rufus forever. If you want, I would be honored to be with you."

As I said this, Rufus's eyes wavered.

"I'm really sorry for making you wait so long. I really, really like Rufus."

In the next moment, I found myself in Rufus's arms.

He held me so tightly that it was almost uncomfortable, and I wrapped my arms around his back. Then Rufus whispered, "Thank you," in a voice that seemed about to disappear.

His voice was slightly trembling, and it felt like my heart was being squeezed.

"Thank you for liking me. Thanks to you, I am who I am now."

I don't know how many times Rufus has saved me.

"Yes, I'll definitely save you. So don't worry."

Whenever I was in trouble, he was always there to help me.

I think I was already drawn to Rufus back then, even if I didn't realize it.

"That's not something you need to thank me for."

"No. For someone to not give up on me, even after I was a villain for ten years, is something no one else would do."

"No matter what, I've always liked Sadi."

Rufus smiled, lowering the corners of his eyes, and continued.

"Besides, don't you remember the promise?"

"Promise?"

"You might not remember, but we made a promise ten years ago. In the flower field we both loved."

"..."

Suddenly, I recalled the nostalgic and gentle scene I had seen many times in my dreams. In the flower field, the young me and Rufus were sitting close together, looking very happy.

"– So, will you marry me?"

"Yeah, sure. But we're still kids, so if we still like each other when we grow up, let's get married, okay?"

I nodded at my words, and Rufus put a ring made of flowers on my finger.

And the little him smiled, saying, "It's okay."

I could never remember the exact conversation, but now it came back to me vividly.

Why did I forget?

Perhaps, in the midst of the difficult days in that place, I had suppressed the happy memories and promises of the future because they only made me feel more pain.

But thinking that Rufus had remembered and kept the promise for so long, tears overflowed and wouldn't stop.

Rufus wiped away my tears with his fingertips, then hugged me tightly again, burying his face in my shoulder.

"It really has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"...Yeah."

Rufus's voice was trembling, and I could feel that he had also gone through a lot of pain.

For ten years after Tabitha took my body, and for two and a half years after I lost consciousness, Rufus had been waiting for me.

It must have been an unimaginably long time. The more I thought about it, the more my love for Rufus overflowed, and I truly wanted to make him happy and take good care of him.

"Thank you for liking me for so long."

"Yeah. I'll definitely make you happy."

– The ten years we lost can never be regained.

But I had the certainty that the future we would spend together with our dear family and friends, and with the beloved Rufus, would be filled with happiness to make up for the painful past.

This concludes the story. Thank you so much for reading until the end! I'm glad that Sadi and Rufus finally found happiness.

In the future, I plan to post side stories filled with their happiness and that of those around them.

The book and manga versions are also on sale and are doing well. I hope you will continue to support "The Villainess Who Was Taken Over."

I also plan to write various other stories in the future.

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