Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 56

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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 11. The Villainess Has Grit (5)

 

The more she slept, the more drained she became. It was much better to stay awake instead.

 

Only after spending more than a month and a half lying in the bedroom without coming out did she gradually become accustomed to the nightmares.

 

She couldn’t overcome the physical exhaustion from lack of sleep, but having the terrible dreams repeatedly, she began to grow emotionally numb.

 

Edelaine had reached the point where she could maintain enough composure to look around even when Shane was stabbed with a sword right before her eyes. When someone tried to kill her, she could even pretend to appear quite calm. It was easier than watching others die.

 

Of course, that didn’t mean she was okay.

 

When she woke from dreams, she had to cry for a long time, and for a while she suffered from confusion about whether it was a dream or reality.

 

But she couldn’t lose her reason and cry so much that she couldn’t see anything, so she endured it somehow.

 

Thanks to that, she obtained several hints.

 

‘This is no way for a human to live…’

 

Edelaine looked at her own face in the mirror.

 

She looked so haggard that she appeared to be right on the verge of death.

 

Her eyes were sunken and dark from lack of sleep, and her eye area was also swollen from crying.

 

Her skin was dry and her hair was disheveled – a complete mess. Even the beauty she had inherited from her parents had faded, making her look no different from a beggar. She looked much worse than when she was young and only had trouble sleeping.

 

‘A terminally ill beggar with a sickly complexion…?’

 

Still, it was fortunate that she could bathe daily and remain clean.

 

If she had been in seclusion, she probably wouldn’t have washed or eaten for days.

 

Having already hit rock bottom before, Edelaine was a little proud of herself for not losing her human dignity in the midst of it all. She had become an adult.

 

Looking like this while insisting she was fine, it was understandable that people would scoff at her lies.

 

Lloyd’s dissatisfaction seemed to be building up as his cute face gradually puffed up like a blowfish. When she whined that she couldn’t feel love in his touch, he glared at her quite sullenly. If she provoked him more, it seemed like he might hit her soon.

 

‘Is this confinement or convalescence…’

 

It was like she was just settling in for convalescence under the pretext of confinement. In fact, if not for the nightmares, this would have been a honey-sweet life for Edelaine. It would be funny to say confinement suited her constitution, but there was no more accurate expression.

 

Though Shane himself said he had stopped the confinement.

 

Shane diligently brought her meals.

 

In the morning, if it seemed she had barely fallen back asleep at dawn, he would wait until she was completely awake, then leave only after seeing Edelaine finish a whole bowl of soup. For lunch, he had Lloyd monitor what she ate. He also returned in time for dinner.

 

With her poor condition, there was no way she could have an appetite.

 

Her stomach wouldn’t accept it and sometimes she wanted to vomit, but she couldn’t skip meals because Shane threatened to starve himself if she didn’t eat everything. What kind of immature child goes on a hunger strike…

 

‘He must be busy, yet he’s overexerting himself.’

 

Though he came home faithfully morning and evening, Shane was probably frantically busy.

 

The incident involving the attack on Saint Genevieve was gradually being resolved.

 

With the Pope on his deathbed and the matter being something that couldn’t be disclosed to the public, the Church quickly discarded the ringleaders and cut off loose ends. Edwin thoroughly crushed the loose ends the Church had abandoned, but seemed to maintain appropriate limits.

 

Just cleaning up after the incident was busy enough, but the winter Founding Festival was approaching.

 

Distinguished guests from various countries who had received invitations were arriving one after another, and warm winds and vitality unrelated to the season were filling the streets of Delmez.

 

When festivals were held and people gathered, accidents were bound to follow.

 

Given his status, there were countless occasions where Shane had to show his face as the Duke of Blancarde. Originally, these would have been occasions Edelaine should have attended together.

 

‘Soon it’ll be too much to hole up using health as an excuse…’

 

She couldn’t ignore contact from her parents and brothers forever either.

 

Genevieve also persistently sent letters, and letters poured in from several people she had befriended to find mage candidates. Lloyd seemed to be handling it, but there would soon be a limit.

 

“My lady, please don’t smile.”

 

“That’s too much…”

 

“If you don’t mind your lip makeup smearing, then go ahead and smile.”

 

“Mmph.”

 

When Edelaine closed her mouth at Lloyd’s words, the maid finally sighed in relief and finished the lip makeup.

 

No matter how capable Lloyd was, he couldn’t help with grooming. The maid, who appeared to be in her mid-to-late teens, finished the grooming with a tense face and stepped back half a step.

 

Thanks to the light makeup, her complexion looked a little better.

 

“Mother won’t be fooled by this.”

 

“She would be if Madam Bertrand’s eyes were just decorations.”

 

“…”

 

“Give up. Or tell her everything.”

 

Edelaine burst into quiet laughter.

 

The fact that Lloyd, who never asked about anything, would say such things meant his dissatisfaction had really reached its limit.

 

In childhood dreams, she had tried to confess the truth to Lloyd several times.

 

Lloyd usually accepted it without much concern, but before long, he would be killed in very horrible and cruel ways.

 

Edelaine had no intention of telling anyone unless the existence and danger of the ‘mage’ completely disappeared. Even if that meant she couldn’t confess to Shane either.

 

So it seemed she needed to steel herself today.

 

With a knock, the door opened and Shane poked his head in.

 

“Edelaine, are you ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Lloyd’s disapproving gaze persistently followed the back of her head. Edelaine pretended not to notice and got up to go to Shane.

 

“Don’t run, you’ll fall.”

 

“What do you take me for…”

 

“You’ve only been lying down, so your muscles might have atrophied. You need to be careful.”

 

“…”

 

Isn’t that a bit harsh…

 

“I’m joking. Let’s go.”

 

“That wasn’t a joke.”

 

Shane wrapped his arm around Edelaine’s waist, looked down at her face, and said.

 

“Don’t worry, Edelaine. Even if your leg muscles are all worn out and useless, I’ll hold you up well.”

 

Is that really something not to worry about…

 

She had thought he might have changed since he gave up on confinement and didn’t ask about anything, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

 

When Edelaine glared at Shane, he smiled brightly and said.

 

“I wouldn’t mind carrying you around for life.”

 

“I’ll walk. I’ll even take walks.”

 

“How disappointing.”

 

His clicking tongue was full of sincerity.

 

She couldn’t let her guard down.

 

***

 

Today was the day when ships carrying royalty and nobility from foreign countries would arrive at the port.

 

Among the distinguished guests on the ships were promising candidates for crown princess, and the Empire’s key figures including Edwin, Shane, and Genevieve were scheduled to greet them at the port.

 

Edelaine insisted on going to that event together.

 

In her dreams, Edelaine had attended that event and nearly been crushed by materials, but was rescued by Shane. Shane should have been able to save her without getting hurt himself, yet somehow he had been injured.

 

‘I have no idea what happened…’

 

There were fragmented, disconnected memories.

 

Edelaine was certain that the ‘culprit’ was definitely at the center of those memories.

 

The person who had been laughing behind Shane when he stabbed her.

 

The person who had been saying something to Edwin.

 

The person who had comforted Genevieve when she knelt and cried after killing her.

 

Every time she tried to confirm the face, her consciousness would cut out and she would wake from the dream.

 

She didn’t know how she had died, but if she had died and woken up, there must be some hint in that moment. She might finally be able to confirm the mage’s face, or at least…

 

“Edelaine.”

 

Edelaine stopped her thoughts and looked up.

 

The carriage had already stopped.

 

From some point, Shane seemed to have been staring intently at Edelaine’s face. She blinked awkwardly and moved back a little.

 

“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

 

“…”

 

“Watching you waste away while suffering alone is torture, but I know you won’t answer even if I ask. It’s not like you hiding things is new.”

 

“…”

 

“Even if you’re just touching me like this because you pity me for begging you to love me…”

 

Shane lifted Edelaine’s hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

 

“I know you’re not trying to strangely seduce me or comfort me. I’ll endure it, Edelaine.”

 

“It was… strange…”

 

“I’m happy enough with just this.”

 

How embarrassing…

 

“I won’t ask you anything, so just don’t do anything dangerous.”

 

“…”

 

“If you just do that, I’ll do everything you want. I’ll be good.”

 

Indeed, he acted like a gentle puppy.

 

But Shane always wanted words that Edelaine couldn’t give him.

 

This time 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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