10. Engagement Ceremony (1)  

“Judy!”  

Judging that her life might be in danger because of an intruder, Theo hurriedly opened the door and rushed inside. But Judy was on the bed, drenched in cold sweat, groaning in pain.  

“S-s-save me. I don’t want to die……. I don’t want to die…….”  

The moment Theo faced Judy, flailing even her arms in the air, it felt to him as though the fear and confusion she was enduring were being transmitted to him as it is. He carefully took hold of the hand that had been waving through empty air.  

“Judy.”  

“Hic…….”  

The small, thin hand caught in his grip trembled—shiver, shiver. But soon the trembling subsided, and the pained expression on her face slowly eased. Then, little by little, her eyelids lifted.  

“Theo!”  

Judy sat up at once and threw her arms around Theo. Having awakened from a terrifying nightmare that left her whole body soaked, relief flooded her—yet the fear still did not fade, and she burrowed deeper into Theo’s arms.  

“Those men tried to kill me……. Sob, no matter how much I begged them to spare me, they kept strangling my neck…….”  

“That will never happen to you.”  

Theo calmly patted the back of the sobbing Judy.  

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Judy.”  

Her rough breathing gradually settled, and soon—as if she had never been unstable at all—she was sleeping again, breathing softly. These must have been exhausting days. It was a reality she had to accept, yet inside, she must have suffered alone, writhing in agony from an extreme rejection of it.  

And so, right now, Theo wanted only one thing.  

At least here—at least in his arms—he wanted her nights to be peaceful.  

***

Judy carefully reviewed the list of invitations piled beside her. In particular, she confirmed the names that absolutely could not be missing—Earl Wesley and Judy Grant as well. Would Asilly show up at the engagement ceremony? Had Wesley and Asilly met separately and confirmed the fact that her body had been swapped? Not knowing for sure made her feel frustrated, and it spilled out as a sigh.  

“Hoo…….”  

“Why? Is there anyone missing from the list?”  

The study door opened, and Theo came in.  

“Huh? No. No one’s missing, but I’m worried someone might not show up.”  

“Asilly?”  

“Yeah.”  

Part of her wanted to check directly what condition her own body was in, and she also wanted to show Asilly—who had her body—the scene where Wesley would definitely have his engagement broken that day, clearly and unmistakably.  

“She’ll come.”  

Theo was certain.  

“She’ll think it’s the perfect place to ‘act’ like she has amnesia in front of many nobles.”  

Hearing Theo say it, it made sense. Judy was fairly well-known among noble young ladies. For one thing, she was the Marquis’s only daughter, and also close friends with Theo, the heir of the Crawford Dukedom—so quite a lot of people tried to approach her, pretending to be close. In short, even if she did not intend it, she was someone who drew attention. And Asilly had always quietly envied a Judy like that.  

‘Judy, you’ve got it so good. Everyone likes you.’  

“Oh. A lot of people will be interested in Judy, who had such a big accident, right?”

“Exactly. Asilly’s always been the type who wants attention. The person who should get the most attention that day is you. But she’ll think that with her appearance, she can steal that spotlight.”  

He was not wrong. As Judy agreed, she suddenly felt puzzled.  

“But how do you know that so well?”  

“It was weird that you didn’t know.”  

Tsk……. Since that wasn’t wrong either, Judy couldn’t even retort. Theo carefully reached out and stroked Judy’s long hair.  

“So don’t worry too much. She’ll definitely come to our engagement ceremony.”  

“Yeah!”  

Theo smiled with satisfaction at Judy’s brave answer. But soon his face slowly hardened.  

“They say the dress arrived. The servants are waiting outside.”  

“Really? Then let them in. I’ll try it on.”  

When Theo opened the door himself, servants came in carrying engagement-ceremony dresses on hangers for her to try on. When they also brought jewels to match, Theo stepped outside.  

“We will help you change into the dress.”  

“Okay.”  

Slide—her current dress followed the smooth lines of her body as it was removed, strangely pleasant.  

***

Judy faced herself in the mirror. Standing there in an elegant yet dazzling dress that reminded her of a single pink rose, she wore a rather tense expression.  

After the servants draped her in jewels and finished her hair, then withdrew, Judy looked over the list of today’s visitors that Luke had personally brought a moment ago. Wesley was marked as having arrived, but there was still no sign of Asilly’s visit.  

“It’s okay. There’s still time.”  

Their engagement ceremony was to be held in the garden of this residence where Theo was staying. Because Theo was Imperial Family, they could have even borrowed the Imperial Palace for the engagement ceremony, but considering the commotion that would unfold at this engagement ceremony, this place was just right. When Judy briefly pictured the scheme they would use against Wesley, her heart pounded violently. Thinking of him made rage surge to the point her whole body trembled.  

Knock knock―.  

Just then, a soft knock sounded.  

“Can I come in?”  

“Yeah. Come in.”  

At Theo’s visit, Judy realized the engagement ceremony would begin soon, and she carefully rose, holding her skirt. When she turned, Theo stood there without moving, simply staring at her.  

“I checked the list of nobles who came today. Asilly didn’t come.”  

Closing the distance toward Theo, Judy spoke while moistening her dry lips, worry subtly rising. But he gave no reaction and just kept looking at her.  

“……?”  

When she came closer and waved her hand in front of his eyes, he shook his head slightly.  

“I came to escort you.”  

“What were you thinking about that you can’t even answer what I’m saying?”  

“Huh? What did you say?”  

“What is wrong with you? Really.”  

At his somewhat odd reaction, Judy let out a silly laugh.  

“I tried to picture your real face for a moment.”  

“…….”  

“It would’ve been prettier, right?”  

At his unexpected words, Judy let out a big, awkward cough. Asilly was certainly beautiful too, but something like this pink dress would probably suit the real Judy’s body.  

“Honestly, it doesn’t suit me, right? If it were Asilly’s face, something more daring—like a deep burgundy—would’ve suited better. Right?”  

“Nothing suits her.”  

“…….”  

That wasn’t true.  

Still, Judy didn’t particularly want to deny it. She had not the slightest desire to praise Asilly’s good points out loud.  

“Let’s go now.”  

He held out his arm as if telling her to link arms. Judy took hold of his solid, reliable arm and left the bedroom with a final, secret resolve.  

***

They made a simple engagement ceremony, swearing that Theo—the sole heir of the Crawford Dukedom—and Asilly—the youngest daughter of Baron Leroni—would be engaged. As it went on, Judy’s blood boiled at the sight of Wesley, who looked on the verge of tears the entire time. After the engagement ceremony ended, still linked to Theo’s arm, she went around greeting the nobles.  

“Congratulations on your engagement, from the bottom of my heart.”  

“You look wonderful together. I’m so curious how the two of you met.”  

To the nobles offering each kind blessing with gentle smiles, Judy forced herself to smile back until her mouth nearly cramped.  

“At a gathering to congratulate Young Duke Crawford’s engagement, is Lady Grant not coming, who could be called the Young Duke’s closest friend?”  

Then one young lady suddenly asked, and Judy—thinking Asilly still hadn’t shown even the tip of her nose—felt a little resigned.

So she really isn’t coming.  

“I’m only asking just in case, but could it be that Lady Grant had a crush on Young Duke Crawford? So she’s too sad about this engagement ceremony to come?”  

“My, you. What are you saying? Lady Grant has a fiancé.”  

“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Why would she get engaged to Earl Wesley with Young Duke Crawford right beside her? That’s just jealousy act—.”  

“Stop it. You really say the weirdest things.”

Another young lady next to the one making a scene hurriedly tried to stop her. To outsiders, it could indeed look that way. Realizing she had spoken too freely, she apologized over and over, face reddening.  

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”  

Judy would remember this young lady’s face clearly and someday give a proper explanation.  

But right now, there was something more important to Judy than this young lady’s words.  

“Young Duke, my shoes hurt so much. I’ll go change into another pair.”  

“Should I go with you?”  

“No. I’m fine on my own.”  

Judy separated from Theo and walked toward the mansion. Wesley, who had been drinking champagne among the crowd, spotted her and immediately started moving toward her. As Judy climbed the central stairs, turned right, and walked down the corridor, the surroundings grew so quiet you couldn’t even see an ant.  

And there was someone who pierced that quiet.  

“Asilly.”  

It was Wesley, who had stubbornly followed her. When Judy turned around, he rushed up at once and grabbed her hand. It felt as disgusting as insects crawling on her skin.  

“Asilly, what is going on? You leave me and get engaged to that bastard Theo?”  

It was the moment when that nauseating man—wearing an utterly lovesick gaze—reached out to touch Judy’s cheek.