Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 49

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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 10. Happiness is a Sandcastle (4)

 

Masquerade balls guarantee anonymity.

 

However, covering just half your face made it difficult to completely hide your identity. While you might not recognize someone from afar, after exchanging a few words, you could usually figure out who they were.

 

Especially famous figures like Shane were even harder not to recognize.

 

‘Does he think covering that much actually hides him?’

 

While few people knew Lucian’s bare face, Shane was so famous that his face frequently appeared in newspapers. Even seeing him from a carriage, that was definitely Shane Blancarde.

 

Why would someone who should be frantically busy come to a masquerade ball?

 

“He’s famous for being promiscuous.”

 

Lucian’s voice brushed past her mind like a devil’s whisper.

 

At masquerade balls, it was proper etiquette to pretend not to recognize someone even if you did. Many people used the anonymity to escape their social status and indulge in a night of debauchery.

 

‘…No, if he were going to have an affair, he would have gotten together with Genevieve long ago when I was cheering for their romance…’

 

If Shane Blancarde were a man who cheated easily, Edelaine wouldn’t be here now. As far as Edelaine knew, he was the man most distant from infidelity.

 

She knew he wasn’t someone who would cheat while speaking of love.

 

But regardless of that, even if Shane really was having an affair, Edelaine had no right to say anything about it. It would be ridiculous to confront him about cheating when she had pushed him away so adamantly.

 

Moreover, the love Shane spoke of now was closer to love-hate.

 

If the love was real, then the hatred was real too.

 

Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you have to be faithful to each other.

 

As he had said he wished her unhappiness, he might want to give her the gift of a life with a cheating husband.

 

Though the atmosphere had been good these past few days, she hadn’t actually had conversations with Shane, so she couldn’t know for sure. She didn’t know what Shane was thinking.

 

Like Lucian, he might have business here, or perhaps…

 

‘Stop being so shameless, myself.’

 

Edelaine briefly suspected that Lucian had brought her here knowing Shane would come.

 

Lucian was capable of that.

 

Even if he had been forced to cooperate with Shane, he would want to repay the grudge of having his face stepped on.

 

‘Anyway, I’ll be screwed if I’m caught, so I need to hide.’

 

But she couldn’t keep crouching under the table forever. If someone discovered her, it would look even more suspicious. Edelaine turned her back to Shane’s direction and crawled away, carefully standing up when she felt she was out of his line of sight.

 

‘I’m doing all sorts of ridiculous things.’

 

Let me tell you about the time I crawled at a masquerade ball…

 

For a while, she was tense that Shane might approach and talk to her, but she soon realized that was a foolish thought.

 

People were swarming around Shane, so he probably couldn’t even see her standing far away. He was practically surrounded by a wall made of people.

 

That man was obviously Shane Blancarde to anyone who looked, and people had no intention of letting him go. Since he rarely attended social gatherings, who knew when such an opportunity would come again.

 

He was even alone now, without Edwin who was usually difficult to approach.

 

Recently, he had shown his face at parties with Edelaine as she tried to meet mage candidates, but Shane never left her side for a moment. When anyone tried to talk to him, he would dismiss them saying to come meet him separately later.

 

‘But it’s hard to meet separately, so that’s why they approach at social events…’

 

That same Shane Blancarde was now actually having conversations with people just because he had a single mask on. Most of his conversation partners were women.

 

Shane Blancarde was married, but just coming to such a place alone provided plenty of room for seduction.

 

Rationally, she knew she wasn’t in a position to say anything, and that she shouldn’t be discovered here either. But seeing him chatting so cheerfully and amicably didn’t make her feel very good.

 

Ah, she wanted to chew up anything and everything.

 

‘How was it before?’

 

Edelaine irritably chewed on canapés while mulling over old memories.

 

When she was avoiding Shane, Edelaine had made constant efforts to push him away.

 

After Genevieve appeared, she encouraged him to stick with her, but even before that, she had tried to avoid him whenever possible. Because it would be painful for her too if she became more attached.

 

She had many things to prepare for and it was bothersome to receive people’s unnecessary jealousy. Even when she saw him standing side by side with other women, she could sincerely cheer him on, thinking it wouldn’t be bad for him to try dating before meeting the female lead.

 

Since he wasn’t hers anyway, she would secretly pray that he wouldn’t act cute and make her covet him.

 

That’s how it was then, but now she found even just watching him converse distasteful.

 

‘Human greed, really.’

 

Thinking it would be better not to look and avoid unnecessary irritation, Edelaine turned her back to him completely and busily moved her hands and mouth.

 

“Is that delicious?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You’re eating it so enthusiastically.”

 

Then a strange man spoke to her and pointed at the plate in Edelaine’s hand.

 

Was he asking for some? Edelaine pointed to the opposite side and said.

 

“There are plates over there too. It’s the same thing.”

 

“I wasn’t asking because I wanted to eat it.”

 

The way he spoke while sending suggestive glances made it clear what he was hoping for. However, Edelaine deliberately pretended not to know and snorted.

 

“If you don’t want to eat it, why ask if it’s delicious?”

 

“Well, because I’m interested in the one who’s eating it?”

 

“I’m not interested. I have no business with you, so go look elsewhere.”

 

“Don’t be like that.”

 

How beautiful would the world be if everyone understood after being told just once?

 

The man seemed to think Edelaine was just playing hard to get and approached sluggishly.

 

“It’s not like you came here not knowing what kind of place this is.”

 

“If I were interested, I wouldn’t be here stuffing my face with snacks.”

 

“Aren’t you deliberately acting out to attract attention?”

 

“Me, attract your attention?”

 

She found herself sneering without realizing it. Edelaine felt regretful. It wasn’t good to take out her frustration on others just because she was annoyed.

 

Her appetite completely disappeared. Edelaine put down the plate she was holding.

 

“Do you know what narcissism means?”

 

“…I can tell it’s not a nice thing to say.”

 

“It would be better not to arbitrarily assign meaning to other people’s actions. If you don’t want to be embarrassed in life.”

 

“That’s not very convincing.”

 

The man chuckled and looked Edelaine up and down.

 

“Here, dressed like that, saying such things.”

 

The dress with one shoulder completely exposed was quite provocative even in Edelaine’s opinion. It was a design she would never have chosen herself, but this man wouldn’t know that.

 

“Here, dressed like this, you’re not the man I want to attract attention from.”

 

“You don’t seem to know who I am…”

 

“Whoever you are, what does that have to do with me?”

 

“If we talk privately, you’ll change your mind. It’ll be more fun than just hiding in a corner eating.”

 

He’s really persistent.

 

The face glimpsed under the mask looked obviously young. Was he still too young to have experienced failure? She could see his confidence that there wasn’t a woman who wouldn’t fall for him if he just tried to seduce her.

 

But to Edelaine, even reasonably handsome faces held no appeal. Thanks to the main characters being positioned around her, her standards for beauty had risen sky-high.

 

“I have something good. Didn’t you come here after hearing the rumors too?”

 

How to get rid of this brat? Her hands were already itching from her existing irritation.

 

The longer the argument went on, the more disadvantageous it was for Edelaine. Even now, she could see several people glancing in their direction.

 

“I’ll make sure you don’t regret it, okay?”

 

The man reached out his hand.

 

She belatedly realized he was trying to touch her mask and moved to swat his hand away, when a low laugh sounded right next to her ear. Goosebumps broke out all over.

 

“Really, I can’t take my eyes off you for a second.”

 

“Huh.”

 

As Edelaine turned around, Shane lifted her up. She couldn’t even make a sound. Her vision suddenly rose and she could see the surprised faces of the masked people at a glance.

 

Among them, someone definitely recognized Edelaine. It was one of the girls who had been following her around.

 

Damn it, at the end of Edelaine’s gaze as she hung her head, she could see Lucian grinning and waving his hand.

 

Edelaine, slung over Shane’s shoulder like a sack, struggled frantically. He held her firmly so she couldn’t move, then looked the man up and down and said.

 

“You wanted to play with something like this?”

 

Just from his cold voice alone, she could imagine his expression.

 

This was the worst.

 

“No, I wasn’t even playing, and also…”

 

Shane let out a hollow laugh as if finding it pathetic and whispered softly.

 

“Yes, let’s have a slow conversation.”

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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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