Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 21

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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 5. The Female Lead is Dangerous (1)

The bell rang.

The great bell of the cathedral, which only rang twice a day at 6 AM and 6 PM, was ringing at midday to bless the future of the two people who had become husband and wife.

To Edelaine, it sounded not like a blessing but like the toll of a curse.

Dong, dong.

Or perhaps it was the sound of life tolling its bell.

She should have seduced at least one crazy man who would burst in at this moment and kidnap her. Edelaine regretted it belatedly. I should have dated more seriously…

“With this, you two have become husband and wife under the goddess’s name. May blessings accompany your future.”

Saint Genevieve clasped her hands together and bestowed her blessing in a reverent voice.

Now even Edelaine couldn’t stubbornly insist that she and the female lead had switched places.

With the male lead and female lead together, she couldn’t help but think it would be perfect if they just switched positions, but Saint Genevieve had a husband. No matter what, she couldn’t encourage adultery.

“Edelaine. Lift your head.”

“…”

Besides, if the adultery partner was this kind of person—the source of all evil and a crazy dog with insane eyes—she felt even more sorry.

Shane lifted Edelaine’s veil with his white-gloved hand.

“You should smile.”

“…Would you be able to smile if you were me?”

“I think I would.”

Shane lowered his voice and tilted his head slightly. Edelaine turned her head to the side, following his gaze.

The central worship hall at midday was filled with sparkling sunlight. Thanks to the air that was as transparent as it was cold, people’s faces could be seen clearly.

The former Duke of Blancarde didn’t attend due to health reasons, but the crown prince who brought the emperor’s congratulatory message filled his place instead.

Branch nobles of the Blancarde family and prominent figures had also come in droves.

She could see Emma and Gregory, Patrick and Jeff, all seemingly moved to tears.

Lloyd would be somewhere over there too, and Lucian was probably hiding and watching as well. It was fair to say that everyone she roughly knew had gathered in this place. Shane looked at Edelaine again and said,

“Everyone is safe. Thanks to you.”

“You’re really a bastard.”

“Since you’re complimenting me, try smiling.”

“…”

“A bride getting married with the Saint’s blessing looks just like a sacrifice being sold off…”

Edelaine burst into laughter despite herself.

She wasn’t being sold off, but she was indeed trapped as a hostage unable to move. If she hadn’t been threatened with Saint Genevieve and her family’s safety, Edelaine would have somehow escaped long ago and never set foot in Delmez—no, in this empire’s territory—ever again.

“Yes, even like that.”

“Ah, hey, wait…”

Shane’s index finger lifted her chin, forcing her gaze upward.

‘Huh…’

Edelaine’s eyes widened.

She knew Shane was handsome.

When she was young, in this world with no entertainment, she would often admire Shane’s face like a silent movie. She was confident that even if it were an actual movie, it would have swept all kinds of art awards without a single line of story or dialogue.

Even just being a named character guaranteed basic good looks, and being the male lead made it go without saying.

So she thought she knew well enough… but she didn’t.

Edelaine made a strange expression from bewilderment. It must have looked quite amusing to Shane.

It was an unpleasant wedding.

It was a hastily arranged event in just a month, a union where happiness or love could be found nowhere.

The mind of a crazy bastard who would go so far as to marry just to make the woman who deceived him unhappy was incomprehensible enough to want to peek into, but no matter how enjoyable it was to screw someone over by staking a major life event, that was far from happiness.

But then.

Smooch. His lips touched the side of her lips at an angle and pulled away.

Regardless, Edelaine just stared blankly at Shane’s face.

A face smiling happily as if he owned the whole world.

***

The reception was omitted.

After finishing the wedding ceremony, Edelaine was immediately transported to the Blancarde Estate.

She was just well-dressed, but how was this different from being a prisoner?

‘Being a prisoner would be better…’

Prisoners have set sentences and aren’t threatened in real-time. In contrast, Edelaine had to live with a man who wanted her to be unhappy, not knowing how her life would unfold.

‘If he’s doing this hoping I’ll be unhappy, should I cry loudly in front of him?’

Would he be satisfied if she screamed in his ear that she was going crazy from unhappiness? Or would it be enough to gloomily lock herself in her room like an unhappy person should?

Of course, Edelaine could do even worse things if Shane would just be satisfied and let her go.

But now shallow shows wouldn’t work anymore.

Acting skills worthy of a Best Actress award were useless. She had already used them once. Shane and her family weren’t naive enough to fall for the same trick again.

Meanwhile, separate from Edelaine’s distress, the servants were steadily stacking up large suitcases.

It had only been about a month since she arrived in Delmez with one suitcase, but her luggage had multiplied as if it had reproduced on its own.

Lloyd had already stepped forward to give instructions, and just like at the Bertrand Estate, he looked as natural as someone who had worked there for ten years.

How could he blend so well with his surroundings even with a handsome face befitting a character…

‘Still, I’m really glad Lloyd came with me…’

Edelaine observed Lloyd with fresh eyes.

It had been almost 8 years since she met the boy who turned 17 this year. She had lived almost alone with him for 5 of those years, so he could be called the closest person to her.

A child who would have assassinated ‘Edelaine’… or died at ‘Edelaine’s’ hands if he had failed.

The reason Edelaine decided to take Lloyd in was because whether he killed her or failed to kill her, the only future given to the child was death.

She took him in thinking it would be better than dying, but living together, she felt Lloyd would do well anywhere even without her.

He was so reliable and smart, and turned out to have a good heart too. Of course, considering whose younger brother he was.

Perhaps sensing Edelaine’s gaze, Lloyd looked at her.

“Please get up, my lady.”

“Ah, why. I don’t even have the strength to lift a finger right now. I’ve been tormented since last night. Mother kept crying, and from dawn with makeup and hair…”

“Even if you receive greetings from the estate employees later, you can’t turn away guests. You must get up.”

“Were guests supposed to come? I didn’t know that but you did?”

“I have ears and you apparently don’t. The head butler just told me.”

Edelaine waved her hand dismissively.

“Forget it. Refuse them.”

“Would that be alright?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m the mistress of this estate now. If I don’t want to see them, who’s going to say anything?”

“But.”

“I just got married today anyway. It gives me chills to say it myself, but I’m a new bride regardless, ugh, damn it, and people coming to visit are being unreasonable.”

“I see.”

Originally, she should have returned with the groom after a long reception and spent their first night together.

However, Shane sent Edelaine to the Blancarde Estate first. With Lloyd accompanying her.

Since it was a union between the Blancarde Duchy and House of Bertrand, the media attention was considerable, and Shane ended up handling alone the interviews that should have taken place at the reception.

She was already dreading what kind of articles would come out tomorrow.

“I have no intention of being a good wife anyway. If I annoy them saying they’re in the way, that’s even better for me. Chase them away. It would be even better if you sprinkled salt on them—”

“Saint Genevieve and His Highness Crown Prince Edwin are scheduled to visit.”

“Ugh, cancel it!”

She grabbed Lloyd who was about to go get salt.

Thanks to him being obediently caught, Edelaine was able to prevent the disaster of her servant throwing salt at the crown prince and saint’s faces.

***

The guest was only Edwin.

“Think of it as a small reception, Shane. After helping with such an absurd wedding this much, you should put up with at least this much.”

“I know. That’s why I’m enduring it.”

The groom was there too. Edelaine was greatly disappointed. She should have sprinkled salt.

Shane spotted Edelaine waiting to greet them and smiled brightly. She deliberately looked away, pretending not to notice, and asked Edwin about Genevieve’s whereabouts.

“Genevieve went outside the city wall for purification. It was an urgent schedule, so it’ll be night by the time she finishes and returns.”

“Shouldn’t she rest at night?”

“It was Genevieve who said she wanted to come. The Church’s security has been tight lately because of the recent attack. She said she’d come secretly…”

“Attack?!”

“Oh, didn’t I mention it?”

Edwin elegantly lifted his teacup, took a sip, and spoke. For a moment, Edelaine wondered if what she heard was ‘Genevieve got a fish bone stuck in her throat while eating.’

“It wasn’t serious. Just a threatening poison arrow.”

“A poison arrow… isn’t serious…”

“It’s already been 2 weeks since it happened.”

Edelaine’s mind became complicated on her own.

It felt like it was her fault that Genevieve, who had been safe all this time, was suddenly attacked.

Whether it was because she had resurrected ‘Edelaine Bertrand’, or…

Whether this world had started moving after realizing that a character who should have died hadn’t died.

“Nothing to worry about, Edelaine. She wasn’t hurt.”

Shane said. Edelaine glared at him.

“As long as she’s not hurt, it’s fine? Poor Genevieve, how shocked she must have been.”

“Well, I don’t know if she was shocked, but seeing how she went straight to work, she seems fine.”

Edwin chimed in with a laugh, “Quite spirited of her.”

Edelaine looked with incredulous eyes at the male lead and sub-male lead who were being leisurely among themselves after making the attacked female lead work.

Cognitive dissonance hit her, but she tried to get used to even that. Humans are animals of adaptation, after all.

“Just asking out of curiosity, Shane.”

“Yes, Edelaine.”

He answers well at least.

“You are guaranteeing Genevieve two days off per week, right?”

“She rests more than I do.”

“…”

“What, you won’t worry about me?”

“Have you ever seen a mouse worry about a cat?”

“How cold.”

Genevieve is Genevieve too.

If she was attacked, she should rest for a day or two to soothe her mind and body, but going straight to work. She’s not even a Korean office worker who would go to work even if a zombie apocalypse hit…

‘Is it because she’s a female lead created by a Korean author?’

She could feel the Korean DNA that says even if you’re kidnapped, you must be fed, and even if it’s dangerous, you must go to work.

It seemed like a plausible hypothesis.

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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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