Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 6

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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 1. The Male Lead is a Villain (5)

“You look pretty well for someone who never sent a single greeting.”

“No news is good news, after all.”

The man called Lucian shrugged his shoulders.

She never dreamed she’d end up exchanging conversation like old friends with this man.

‘He’s the boss of a criminal organization, no less.’

Despite looking like someone who’d spend his whole life holding nothing but a pen at a desk, he was someone who made his living killing people with a calm face.

Anyone could see he was a villain and a bad guy, but without this man, Edelaine’s exit couldn’t have been perfect.

It was Lucian who got her the paralytic drug, and the medicine that made her appear to stop breathing temporarily.

He was also the one who secretly spirited away the unconscious Edelaine and helped her escape overseas.

And the one who made a corpse-like doll to put in the coffin.

‘He did it all.’

Edelaine was the one who made the request, but Lucian was the one who fulfilled it all.

To Edelaine, he was like Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

‘I’m glad I saved him when he was hurt and cleared his debt.’

Edelaine, who had been picking up people according to the timeline, had utilized them well in the right places at the right times.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t Lucian get entangled with the female lead?’

The organization boss who was supposed to fall head over heels for the Saint and throw away all his charisma to become a lovesick doormat still seemed to be maintaining his presence.

She had already taken care of things early on for the smooth romance between the male and female leads… But Edelaine knew better than anyone how powerful and terrible the novel’s compulsive force could be. It wouldn’t be strange if they were entangled somewhere.

‘I’ll casually ask about it later.’

Since he didn’t seem like he’d tell her for free, she’d have to probe while pretending not to be interested.

Lucian was useful but a friend who cost too much money.

“Still, you did contact me occasionally through Lloyd.”

“Contact only has meaning when it goes both ways. You just one-sidedly conveyed what you wanted to say.”

It was mostly requests to get things she needed. Edelaine said with an embarrassed face.

“Sorry? But you weren’t really curious about my news anyway.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Since they weren’t close enough to report every detail of each other’s lives anyway, Edelaine’s apology was light.

“Still, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to hear about mother’s death.”

“You’re good with words.”

While hiding, she had vaguely believed her family would be safe. That everyone would be happy if only she disappeared.

The news of her mother’s death, which she received not long after rejoicing that the happy ending had finally arrived, mocked Edelaine’s shallow hope head-on.

She didn’t regret faking her death and making her exit, but she had done something terrible to the family who loved her.

After realizing this world was inside a novel, while suffering from nightmares and preparing for death, Edelaine couldn’t give deep affection to her family.

Even knowing they worried about her, she had no leisure to look back at them. She must have hurt them a lot in that process.

“At least I gave you a chance to offer a single flower, so be grateful.”

“You’re going to leave after just offering flowers? You said you’d return when the Saint got married.”

“Well, I’m supposed to be dead in this city. I was thinking of visiting secretly… It would be strange for a dead person to return.”

“If you just said you wanted to reclaim your identity, there would be many ways.”

“Why bother?”

She wanted to see her family, but she didn’t want to cause them confusion because of her.

Five years had already passed.

There was no need to trouble people who had already forgotten and were living well.

“So you’re planning to hide again without meeting anyone?”

“I have to. I don’t want to cause confusion.”

“How about asking your former fiancé? He’d handle the situation well without any confusion.”

“He’s already a married man. He would have forgotten his dead former fiancée long ago…”

Edelaine smiled faintly without realizing it.

The last time she saw him was his crying face, which had weighed on her mind, but now thinking he would be happy made her feel pleased.

“Hmm.”

Lucian smiled ambiguously.

‘That bastard always smiles like he knows something.’

Edelaine inwardly shuddered. Even after becoming close, she couldn’t let her guard down around Lucian.

There were countless times he’d take her out to play and then use her for his own benefit.

Lucian was fundamentally someone whose inner thoughts couldn’t be read, making it hard to trust him completely.

If she didn’t pay money, he wouldn’t tell her everything he knew, and even when called a friend, he wouldn’t hesitate to trap her for his own benefit.

‘The Crown Prince was like that too, anyway none of my so-called friends were normal…’

What was wrong with her social relationships?

Still, as long as she paid the price, Lucian was a good collaborator.

He even had the ability to make living people appear dead.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

And why are your eyes so wide?

“No, just. I was thinking you really don’t know anything.”

“Know what?”

“About what happened after you disappeared.”

“Everything went well.”

“So that’s what you think.”

“The Saint also safely married the person she loves… Everyone became happy, right?”

“Puhaha!”

Lucian burst into laughter as if he’d heard a truly amusing joke. Edelaine was shocked.

“Hic, did you just laugh…?”

She’d seen him pretend to smile many times, but this was the first time she’d seen him laugh sincerely. She got goosebumps.

“Don’t laugh! It’s scary as hell! What are you plotting!?”

“I’m not plotting anything.”

“…”

“I’m not. You really don’t know anything, truly.”

He kept saying she didn’t know this, didn’t know that right to her face, which annoyed her. Edelaine said sullenly.

“If you’re just going to tease me, leave. I’m tired.”

“I was about to leave anyway. Unlike someone, I’m a busy person.”

Busy killing people around… Anyone listening would think he was doing volunteer work. Edelaine snorted.

Lucian said.

“Cheer up, Edelaine. A lot has changed while you were gone. It’ll be interesting.”

“It’s not interesting at all. How can you say such things to someone whose mother passed away.”

“Ah, right. That was the story. Sorry, forget I said that.”

“…?”

His unnecessarily warm smile felt ominous.

Lucian whispered something to Lloyd and then left without lingering.

“What did he say?”

“He said to come anytime if you get tired of being by your side, my lady.”

“…Will you go?”

“He said you couldn’t survive a single day without me.”

“I’m a sunfish.”

“I don’t know what a sunfish is, but I’d rather not see you die because of me, so I’ll refuse.”

“I really love you, you know.”

“Yes, yes.”

Lloyd smoothly deflected Edelaine’s habitual confession, just as habitual as Lucian’s recruitment attempts. Muttering that this aspect of her was truly wicked.

“Let me hug you, my little brother!”

“Just try to touch me.”

Edelaine giggled because Lloyd’s disgusted reaction was cute. He was just like a teenage little brother.

“Are you really not going to return to the Bertrand Family?”

“At this point?”

“I still don’t understand why you had to do such a thing, my lady.”

“You didn’t ask questions like that when you were helping me.”

“I was in a position to carry out orders. But if everything is truly over now that the Saint has married, as you said, then there’s no need to throw away what you rightfully should have had, is there?”

“What shamelessness. It’s a bond I severed with my own hands.”

Edelaine smiled bitterly.

Though she hadn’t formed deep attachments, that didn’t mean she felt no guilt.

‘Back then, I was only thinking that I’d die if I didn’t step down from the stage… I couldn’t consider my family’s position.’

Edelaine only realized after leaving Delmez that she had been mentally cornered at the time.

People can’t think straight when they can’t sleep properly.

She could barely remember about half of those days spent tormented by nightmares.

“Shame doesn’t help much with living. Just be shameless once and claim your share of the Bertrand Family’s wealth. Aren’t our living expenses getting tight now?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever given you insufficient living expenses…”

“How long do you think you can live without working?”

“We still have plenty of money.”

Fortunately, their finances were quite comfortable.

It was thanks to diligently collecting material compensation every time she let the Crown Prince and Lucian use her.

“Then what about the flower offering? Since it’s the Bertrand Family, they won’t just let anyone in.”

“Lucian said he’d help me sneak in secretly at night. He even got me theater tickets to kill time until then.”

“How much are these?”

It pained her that Lloyd seemed to have become a money demon over the past five years. Edelaine resolved to become rich so her servant could live without worrying about money.

‘Now that I’m free, maybe I should ask Lucian to create a new identity for me and start a business.’

Edelaine said.

“He called it a homecoming gift.”

“You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“Of course he’s plotting something to mess with me. That’s his hobby.”

Lloyd let out a short laugh. Edelaine shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m probably not very useful to him anymore anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“…”

“If you’re upset about it, reclaim your status.”

“No.”

You can’t burn down a thatched cottage just to catch bedbugs. She would leave Delmez immediately after offering the flowers.

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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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