Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Prologue

【Wedding of the Century! The Blessed Bride’s Beautiful Smile】

【Saint from Commoner Origins, A Tumultuous Life Reversal Story: The Continent Wept】

【Exclusive Interview with the Saint’s Closest Confidant, In-depth Coverage of the Century’s Greatest Wedding!】

The time of endurance had been long and arduous.

“So I went through all that hell just to see this one article…”

Edelaine pressed her moistened eyes firmly with her index finger. Like a person facing death seeing their life flash before their eyes, the hardships of the past swept across her vision in an instant.

The wedding of the century, featured prominently on the front page of the newspaper, was adorned with all manner of flowery language. The Saint’s smile, beaming just as brightly, was dazzling to behold.

A radiant smile without a single flaw.

Edelaine felt like she could kiss that smile.

It was certainly worth it.

After all, Edelaine had sacrificed even her own life for this article.

‘Well, the world thinks I did, so it’s practically the same thing.’

Social death, something like that?

Edelaine smiled as she folded the newspaper.

‘Edelaine Bertrand’ had died five years ago.

More precisely, she had staged her death.

She had abandoned everything she had gained from birth and lived in hiding alone, all to make this wedding of the century happen.

‘Being reborn into a world from a novel I read in my previous life, and being in the villainess position—it’s a common story.’

She hadn’t known from the beginning that this world was inside a novel. At first, she simply thought she had been reborn.

When Edelaine was around three or four years old, she recalled her previous life as easily as remembering last night’s dinner menu. She couldn’t remember exactly how she had died, but she naturally recognized the fact that she had been reborn.

And she wasn’t particularly flustered by it.

Whatever, if you live long enough, you might remember your previous life. If your memory is too good, that could happen, right?

The parents she gained in her second life were generally capable and intelligent people, but they had a slight weakness for spoiling their youngest daughter.

They held the useless belief that their youngest daughter should have everything she wanted and live the most brilliant life possible. They did everything they could to make that happen, one of which was arranging an engagement with the handsome and wealthy eldest son of a ducal family.

Little did they know that this decision would send their daughter’s life into ruin.

‘I didn’t know either.’

That the pretty little duke would one day become the male protagonist who would sweep the Saint off her feet and unfold the romance of the century.

When she learned the true nature of this world at age nine, Edelaine didn’t panic.

Whatever, if you live long enough, you might remember your previous life.

If your memory is a bit good, that could happen.

Even when she learned that death was predetermined for her, though it was somewhat startling, it was fine.

She was still alive, after all.

And.

‘I’m an n-year veteran romance fantasy reader! Plus, this is my second life!’

In her previous life, Edelaine had been a heavy reader who devoured every romance fantasy on every platform.

It was during the trend of stories about possessing or reincarnating as novel characters, so Edelaine had read hundreds of such novels. The positions varied, but usually villainesses and supporting characters were the mainstream.

The lesson taught by the protagonists of hundreds of romance fantasies!

Never fall into pointless romance!

It was the biggest trap that countless possessed and reincarnated souls couldn’t overcome, falling into the quagmire.

Since realizing her previous life, Edelaine had made constant efforts not to fall into the trap.

Unable to avoid the engagement, she instead appealed that she would gladly give up her position at any time!

“For true love, we shouldn’t cling to empty formalities, Shane. Don’t forget that we’re engaged purely out of necessity and mutual interest.”

She devotedly served the suddenly appeared Saint!

“What do power and status matter before our savior? Please protect this world.”

While organizing the chaos around her, she even saved a child who was in mortal danger.

“Come with me. I’ll become a place where you belong. I’ll never abandon you.”

Not only that, she even pretended to display noble self-sacrifice, risking her body to save the Saint.

“No, Edelaine! Don’t die!”

“Goodbye…”

And thus, her exit.

That day’s performance could have swept the Best Actress awards at various film festivals.

All of this was to see the ‘ending’ of the story.

The end.

Happy ending.

And so the protagonists lived happily ever after.

That one line.

Be happy, everyone! I’m disappearing now, farewell!

While I’m gone, please bear the fruit of love, find the light, and reach your ending!

Fighting!

“Lloyd.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Can’t you stop calling me ‘my lady’?”

“I don’t want to.”

Edelaine looked at the servant she had personally taken in with complicated eyes for a moment.

This boy, who only called her ‘my lady’ but never acted obediently, was destined to be picked up by an underground crime organization boss and grow into an assassin who would target her life.

He used to be such a well-behaved and obedient child—how did he end up like this?

“Let’s drink a toast. Today is the day I’ve been waiting for my entire life.”

“You said you’ve been waiting your whole life for the day the Saint gets married.”

“Yes. I’m free now!”

“Well, I wonder about that…”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. If my lady says so, then it must be true.”

Lloyd glanced at the article on the front page of the newspaper.

The Saint smiling radiantly, the exaggerated headlines covering the wedding of the century.

And the face of the man quietly smiling beside the Saint.

Edelaine had repeatedly said that all that mattered was for these two to be united. For that, she had even staged her own death.

Predetermined fate, and a happy ending.

‘Really?’

Lloyd thought as he looked at the man’s face in the newspaper.

Was this really the beginning of the ‘happy ending’ Edelaine had spoken of so much?

‘With those crazy eyes?’

*

Having achieved the ‘happy ending’ she had waited for her entire life, Edelaine decided to return to Delmez, the empire’s capital, after a long time.

It was because of a single letter.

【Obituary: Emma Bertrand】

No matter how unfilial a daughter she was, she couldn’t fail to show her face at her mother’s funeral.

If it had been before the ending came, she wouldn’t have been able to go even if she wanted to, but now that everything was over, she wanted to fulfill her minimum duty as a child. Though she had done nothing but be unfilial, this was the woman who had given birth to and raised her.

But then.

“Time to get up, Edelaine.”

“Huh.”

Why was I kidnapped?

‘And by the male lead, no less.’

Before her eyes, the male lead Shane was smiling gently. His black hair was much longer than Edelaine remembered.

A little older, and a little more…

Edelaine blinked, cutting off her thoughts.

Her still beautiful blue eyes gleamed strangely somehow. It seemed like I saw his blue eyes rippling like the ocean.

A blue color where emotions that could be despair or hope were tangled and clumped together.

“Huh?”

“It’s been a while, my beloved fiancée.”

“You sure like saying fiancée, but you’re married.”

Instead of answering, Shane smiled brightly. Edelaine felt his smile seemed somehow unfamiliar. It wasn’t just affectionate, but felt chilling somewhere.

She could see cold madness.

“If I knew you’d be fooled by something like an obituary, I should have put one out long ago.”

“What…?”

Edelaine drew in a breath. She didn’t know where this place was, but she felt she shouldn’t just stay still.

As she tried to half-raise her lying body, Shane approached her closely. In the darkly cast shadow, Edelaine instinctively pulled back her body and leaned against the headboard again.

“Shh, calm down.”

“You kidnap someone and tell them to calm down?! Does that make sense?!”

“I’m anxious that you’ll disappear again if I don’t.”

His voice was still gentle and his face smiled prettily, but something was off. The man who stared at her without looking away for even a moment wasn’t in his right mind.

Shane smiled affectionately. His blue eyes gleamed murkily.

A large hand touched her cheek. The gently stroking palm was warm, and the skin was slightly rough and firm. Edelaine unconsciously frowned.

The hand was trembling faintly.

Had she felt wrong? After doing something like this, there was no way he’d tremble while touching her.

The one who should be trembling was herself.

But somehow, even knowing she was trapped, she didn’t think this hand could harm her.

Shane wouldn’t do that.

She had that kind of faith.

“It feels like I’m dreaming. To think you’re really alive and moving.”

“Really? It feels more like a nightmare to me.”

“Really? It finally feels real to me now. Unlike you.”

His words had thorns.

“Where is this place? Let’s go out and talk first. I’ll explain everything, okay?”

It seems we need to talk. Shane twisted the corner of his mouth at Edelaine’s words.

As if she was talking nonsense.

“Then you’ll run away again.”

“…No…”

“My pretty fiancé who’s also good at lying.”

“…”

“Now you can’t go anywhere.”

Shit, I’m screwed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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