Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 30

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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 7. Villains Are Originally (1)

“How bold you must be…”

“I don’t know, but probably normal size. My alcohol tolerance is average.”

“You must have about five or six lives.”

“I only have one, which is why I’m suffering like this.”

“Or maybe you enjoy pain.”

“I hate pain more than anything in the world.”

“Then why on earth are you doing this?”

“My body just moved before I could think…”

For example, it’s like the instinct to reach out your hand before thinking when you see a child about to get hit by a car.

Edelaine, who had been making excuses, looked at Lloyd while resting her chin on her hand.

“I had my reasons too. Shane was there with me.”

“I heard the culprit was a giant over 190 centimeters tall.”

“Well, yeah. That’s right. He suddenly went crazy and attacked. Listen, Lloyd. I think there was a mage among them. Unless he was being controlled, he wouldn’t have attacked without warning or calculation in a space with so many witnesses…”

“You even knew the culprit wasn’t in his right mind.”

“I told you Shane was next to me.”

“You trusted that bastard?”

Would saying she trusted him make her a fool? Edelaine hesitated without answering immediately. Lloyd sent her an openly disdainful look.

Edelaine protested weakly.

“Ah, surely he wouldn’t let me die.”

“You seem to have forgotten why you’re in this situation now.”

“There were many eyes watching too.”

“He seemed like someone who thinks things through.”

“…”

“Would such a person bribe newspaper companies to set traps, forcibly kidnap and confine someone, and even force a marriage by holding family lives hostage?”

“Exactly. If he was going to let me die meaninglessly, he wouldn’t have done such troublesome things.”

Lloyd raised his brown eyes to look at Edelaine. His expression showed surprise at her unexpectedly cold words, so Edelaine smiled a little.

“To get revenge by making me unhappy, he’d have to keep me alive first, so paradoxically, Shane’s side is the safest place.”

“You were… thinking?”

“How exactly have you been evaluating me…”

“I thought you had completely fallen for his honey trap.”

“…”

He seemed sulky about being left alone all this time. Though it wasn’t easy to notice since he had no expression, there was spite in his lips and eyes.

‘When Shane is nearby, he stubbornly refuses to approach.’

Inevitably, there was almost no time to have leisurely conversations with Lloyd. It was limited to leaving short memos on reports placed in the study.

The memo contents were mainly nagging like ‘You lack exercise’ and ‘Increase your water intake’. It must be her imagination that it sounded like what a veterinarian would say when taking a puppy to an animal hospital.

This time too, if Shane hadn’t made a fuss calling the doctor as soon as he returned home, and if he hadn’t left again after hearing the diagnosis that she was fine, Lloyd wouldn’t have approached her. He would have stood far away and criticized her with a memo saying ‘Are you crazy?’…

Shane didn’t say a word the entire way home.

Seeing him angry that she almost got hurt seemed like he was worried, but they weren’t close enough for him to comfort her like Lloyd did, so Edelaine also kept her mouth shut.

‘I shouldn’t have let him pat my head either.’

Edelaine changed the subject.

“When does Lucian have time?”

“He says he’s scared of your husband and doesn’t want to meet.”

“Only Shane is scary? Isn’t he afraid of me getting angry after he sold me out?”

“He didn’t say anything like that.”

She could almost see Lucian’s grinning face. Saying that when a friend with no remaining debts came up for sale at a good price, there was no reason not to sell her off.

There really wasn’t. Edelaine felt a little disgusted with herself for inwardly agreeing.

“Lucian probably won’t cooperate again.”

“Lucian doesn’t want to die either.”

“Then I have no choice but to persuade him…”

Whether persuasion or escape, both required time.

Edelaine decided to postpone immediate escape for now and take care of what needed to be done first.

“Lloyd, pull up a list of the nobles who were there today and investigate them.”

“Only nobles?”

“Yes. Only nobles.”

Now that everything had changed, the only clue from the novel she could use was the fact that the mage was from imperial nobility.

Lloyd would get angry again if she said it was thanks to being attacked, but she was now able to narrow down the vague list of mage candidates. She thought it was fortunate.

Edelaine couldn’t believe it was a coincidence that Saint Genevieve became endangered as soon as she returned to Delmez.

‘Are there really any true coincidences in this world?’

The world began turning its gears that had stopped, as if it had been waiting for the missing ‘villainess’ to exist.

That felt ominous.

***

That day, Shane returned late at night.

Edelaine, who had taken a leisurely bath and gone to bed early, opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Even with her eyes closed, she had too many thoughts to fall asleep.

Edelaine sat up and stared intently at Shane. His cleanly washed face was at least more bearable to look at than during the day.

Though his complexion was still pale without any color.

Shane approached and examined the area around Edelaine’s neck. Edelaine lifted her chin and stretched her neck long to make it easier for him to see. Careful fingers touched her neck.

“Not even a bruise. Thanks to someone rescuing me as soon as I was caught.”

“…”

“The doctor said I was fine too.”

There wasn’t even a trace of her neck being grabbed. Even the fussy Lloyd criticized her actions but didn’t worry about injuries.

The hand that had swept down from below her ear along her sternocleidomastoid muscle stopped. Even as his large hand slowly gripped her neck threateningly, Edelaine just watched. And looking straight into his sunken blue eyes, she smiled slightly.

“Do you want to kill me?”

“…”

“Then will you divorce me?”

Edelaine quietly watched Shane bite his lips.

Even knowing full well that these words would hurt Shane, she couldn’t stop.

“Shane, tell me. What do I have to do for you to let me go?”

“Be quiet, Edelaine.”

Shane’s jaw muscles tensed. The man who had clenched his teeth gritted them as if swallowing his anger.

However, his grip on her neck still had no strength in it.

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.”

“Shut up, please.”

“I got my name back and obediently got married. What more do I need to do now?”

There was no way to break up without causing hurt.

Edelaine had planned to give it some time.

Since there was no immediate way to escape, she was going to wait for Shane to be satisfied.

She thought his feelings would be resolved if she let him be as much as he wanted revenge.

Whether it was lingering attachment to a possession he couldn’t have, or vengeful feelings toward the despicable fiancée who deceived him, if these were feelings that would resolve with time, she was going to wait.

However, if what Shane harbored was love, Edelaine could never accept it.

“You said you wanted me to be unhappy. Should I cry? Should I cry and beg?”

“Edelaine.”

His voice cracked at the end. Edelaine didn’t stop.

“Should I get on my knees and beg you to please divorce me? If so, I’ll do it, I will.”

Shane, who had smiled brightly as if he owned the entire world, flickered before her eyes.

Edelaine wished he would continue to be angry with her.

He should have been angry, not serving her like a servant and staying by her side, not assigning someone to watch over her under the pretense of surveillance. Not with the tenderness of holding her hand and caring for her all night long.

If only it hadn’t been that desperate pallor when she had nearly gotten hurt.

Even the peaceful times like in childhood would have been more bearable.

“Just being here already makes me miserable, so how should I prove this, Shane.”

“….”

“I really can’t stand it anymore. I can’t bear it, so please let me go, okay? Stop this, please. I’m begging you like this….”

Edelaine could only survive by leaving Delmez, and she couldn’t bear becoming a prop in the ‘story’ that was about to begin again.

Since she couldn’t accept it, being halfheartedly kind would only hurt Shane more. Edelaine had to push him away decisively.

A short laugh escaped from Shane’s expressionless lips.

“…Do I.”

Edelaine saw the hand that had fallen away from her neck trembling.

“Look like I’d be hurt by mere words like that? Edelaine.”

“….”

“If you thought I’d break up with you over something like this, then you’re the one who’s been looking down on me too much.”

This time it was Edelaine’s turn to bite her lips.

Shane spoke with a sneer.

Anticipating what would come next, Edelaine squeezed her eyes shut.

“My loving you still seems terrible to you.”

“Stop.”

Shane kissed Edelaine’s closed eyes as he spoke.

“I’ve given up on being loved by you too.”

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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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