Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 11

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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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Chapter 2. Unwavering Devotion is Another Word for Obsession (2)

The clue came while investigating Lucian.

The Crown Prince was enthusiastically focused on eradicating underground criminal organizations, and had requested Shane’s cooperation as well.

Shane had no interest in who was killing whom. He didn’t care either way, but he couldn’t leave Delmez. It was the only place where traces of Edelaine remained, even without her.

He had to hold onto even those traces to be able to breathe.

‘If I had known he would risk his life to protect some Saint.’

He wouldn’t have bothered picking up that dust-covered girl in the first place. If he had just left her to be beaten to death by her father’s foot, Edelaine wouldn’t have had to die.

While she never spared him a single glance, she smiled as warmly as sunshine at that girl, so he thought she must have been quite fond of her, but to think she would throw away her life to save her.

Shane regretted it countless times.

If he could turn back time, he would want to.

If he hadn’t picked up Genevieve.

If he hadn’t left Edelaine’s side.

Whether she hated him or not, if he had just stuck by her side and protected her so no one could harm her.

But no matter how much he regretted it, Edelaine didn’t come back.

Then at least, as Edelaine had wished, her legacy should save the world.

Shane invested money and power generously so that Genevieve could be recognized as a Saint, and kept her busy traveling throughout the entire continent.

“Genevieve is human too, Shane. Even if you were working slaves, you wouldn’t be this harsh.”

“Mind your own business. She’s not dying, is she.”

“Not dying isn’t everything.”

“If she can’t do it, she’ll say she can’t do it.”

“Only if you’d listen when she speaks.”

Prince Edwin clicked his tongue.

“Some people were saying you’ve fallen head over heels for the Saint…”

Their eyes must be crooked. There was no way that could be the attitude of someone treating a person they’d fallen for.

“Genevieve is also suffering from guilt. What you’re doing is more than enough.”

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You just don’t say it out loud…”

Edwin and Shane were master and servant, relatives, and at the same time close to being friends. They had spent the most time together since childhood. That’s why he could speak like this.

He just felt sorry for Genevieve.

Along with the words that he trusted she would know what to do as the one who survived instead of Edelaine, she was used purely as a tool without even being allowed to die uselessly.

Even though it looked like nothing but exploitation to Edwin, Genevieve endured it silently.

‘I knew he was obsessed with Edelaine, but.’

Edelaine was someone close to a friend for Edwin too. As a young lady from a noble family with good bloodline, she had a refreshing personality and was smart, making her useful. Edwin quite liked Edelaine, who would grumble about being used every time but would still take appropriate goods and compensation.

But Edelaine herself didn’t particularly like Shane. She openly avoided him.

Since it was a one-sided relationship, he thought the feelings wouldn’t be deep.

‘To think it wouldn’t change even after almost 5 years since her death.’

After Edelaine’s death, Shane seemed like a completely broken human.

Excessive single-mindedness was this dangerous.

Edwin picked up the materials he had received and said.

“It’s a bit awkward to bring this up, but there’s something I need you to confirm. Do you know the servant that Edelaine kept around?”

“I know him.”

How could he forget that damn brat’s face.

While she wouldn’t even meet with him, she picked up some little kid and kept him by her side, feeding and clothing him.

Shane gritted his teeth. He recalled that face that would stick close to Edelaine’s side and act smug as if he was loved unlike him.

“That servant seems to have had connections with the rat bastards’ leader. Especially from 6 years ago, he was going in and out like it was his own home for almost a year.”

“Are you saying you suspect Edelaine committed crimes together with those rat bastards?”

“No? No! I’m not crazy enough to do such an insane thing in front of you!”

Even if he suspected it, he wouldn’t have brought it up in front of Shane.

“It’s just that the activities around that time were suspicious! Edelaine frequently stayed at the hotel that bastard runs, and also…”

Shane snatched away the materials in Edwin’s hands as he stammered through his excuses.

A strange light appeared in the blue eyes that quickly read through the text.

One possibility began to sprout.

*

Everything was Edelaine’s plan.

She had created a magnificent show. The audience was the entire world.

Of course she had acted like someone who was going far away.

If she had been preparing all of this from long ago.

“Ha, haha.”

The white arm that had fallen before his eyes was still vivid.

The sensation of the blood-stained fingers that had touched his cheek and fallen was still clear.

It was all a lie.

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad. A heavy emotion just filled his heart completely.

One thing was certain.

Edelaine was alive.

She hadn’t died.

“It’s good that you’re smiling, but could you get your foot off my head?”

“…Did I smile?”

“You did smile. Annoyingly.”

Shane quietly looked down at the man crushed under his feet.

The man named Lucian was the leader of the rat bastards. It was a nickname Edwin had given him because he was skilled at hitting and running away, meaning he escaped well like a rat bastard. He was hard to catch because he ran away so well in all directions.

But that was only when he was being selective about means and methods.

Shane didn’t discriminate between means and methods when it came to matters related to Edelaine. Whether she was there or not.

“Where did you hide Edelaine?”

“I don’t kno- Ugh!”

A groan burst out as he stepped hard on his skull with his military boot as if to crush it.

“If you confess obediently, I’ll at least spare your life.”

“Fuck, I really don’t know! Lloyd hid her completely!”

“Find her.”

“We did contact through newspaper announcements, but we couldn’t even tell if she was checking them, and even that was cut off over 3 years ago.”

He had tried to track her down before, but Lloyd was such a cautious person that it wasn’t easy. He was an annoyingly capable brat.

Lucian looked up at the man who could crush his head at any moment.

No expression could be found on his neat and clean face. If he said he couldn’t do it, he would kill him just like this.

His blue eyes looked cold at first glance, but beneath the surface, emotions resembling madness were swirling darkly.

Lucian knew well that no words or logic would work on a person with eyes like that.

The type who had no interest in anything other than their own purpose.

He was called quite crazy himself, but that one was real.

‘He’s a bastard you get fucked if you mess with…’

Moreover, that madman had status, power, and wealth all together.

For such a person to be at the top of the Empire, the world must be going crazy.

If Edelaine had noticed Shane’s true nature and tried to run away, he could understand that desperation to some extent.

“So, you can’t do it?”

Shane said.

Even without such a crisis situation, there would be nothing good about offending a big shot like the Blancarde Duke. He had also heard rumors that he had become particularly violent since 5 years ago.

Lucian quickly changed his mind.

“There is a way though.”

What did he care about expired favors and friendship.

“Though it costs money.”

The new play to draw out the hiding Edelaine would cost a lot of money.

*

He gathered the bright golden hair spread across the white sheet and tidied it, then removed the veiled hat.

Shane placed his finger under Edelaine’s nose.

She was breathing.

“She’s alive…”

Even though he had seen her alive and moving with his own eyes, it didn’t feel real.

But the breath touching his fingertip now was real. Her body temperature was warm too.

She was alive.

Shane exhaled deeply and covered his eyes with his hand.

It felt like he was finally breathing again after five years.

Edelaine sleeping peacefully was still beautiful. Nothing about her had changed.

Edelaine, who must have lived happily while completely forgetting about someone like him.

‘Did you want to run away from me that badly?’

He must have been that terrible to her.

She had told him to forget, to be happy.

If that was Edelaine’s last wish, he had tried to grant it somehow.

But he couldn’t forget for even a single moment.

Naturally, he couldn’t be happy either.

Edelaine was still lovely and adorable, but at the same time, he felt an urge to strangle her.

If Edelaine hadn’t existed, Shane’s life would have been dry but not painful.

He couldn’t have been happy, but he wouldn’t have lost anything, would have gotten everything he wanted, and lived a wealthy, prosperous life. He wouldn’t have felt the despair of living at the edge of hell after losing everything like now….

‘But you.’

You still smile well, are playful, and beautiful.

If only you had said I was too terrible and to get lost from your sight.

If only you had threatened that you’d rather die than marry me.

Shane would have pleaded with tears, but in the end would have granted Edelaine’s plea.

Because he was weak only to Edelaine.

But Edelaine died before his eyes.

She made him lose the person he loved right in front of him.

She pushed Shane’s life into the abyss in the most cruel way.

He couldn’t leave her alone in peace.

He didn’t know if she hated herself so much that she wanted to run away even if it meant throwing away everything she had.

“Time to wake up now, Edelaine.”

You’re caught in my hands again.

Now you can’t go anywhere.

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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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