Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 65

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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 13. The Villain is Half (4)

 

‘What the hell is that woman?!’

 

Kaitlyn felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. She felt like she was going crazy from frustration.

 

‘Why won’t anything go my way?’

 

When she departed for the Greenwinsor Empire following the princess, defying her foster parents’ opposition, Kaitlyn was burning with nothing but revenge. She was consumed with the single-minded determination to kill the Saint who had murdered her precious Keith.

 

It would be difficult to directly approach the Saint who was under the Church’s protection, but she never thought it would be impossible.

 

There was no way she couldn’t accomplish what Keith had managed to do.

 

Rather, since Kaitlyn was taking action herself, she thought she could achieve her goal more easily and quickly than Keith. Keith was timid and cautious, hiding his identity while taking multiple steps, but Kaitlyn thought there was no need to hide to that extent.

 

Even if things went wrong, she was confident she could survive unharmed.

 

Even if someone came to capture her, as long as anything living was within her sight, it would all become her shield and weapon.

 

However, even attacking the weakness she had decided to exploit to harm the Saint wasn’t easy.

 

Kaitlyn tried to drive a wedge between the Blancarde Duchess and the Saint.

 

Humans were creatures easily swayed by others’ evaluations.

 

Even if you tried not to care, if people around you kept saying “that person hates you,” you were bound to become suspicious at least once.

 

‘Since they’re such gossip-loving people, it shouldn’t be difficult.’

 

If she dropped a few meaningful words to people under light hypnosis, they would naturally try to take Kaitlyn’s side and agree with her. It was also human instinct to listen more carefully to words from someone you had favorable feelings toward.

 

But as soon as Edelaine’s name came up, people would hesitate while reading the room.

 

“Such talk is, well, delicate. Indeed.”

 

“If it reaches Madam Bertrand’s ears, she’ll be displeased.”

 

“Even if it’s just talk among ourselves, you know…”

 

The middle-aged ladies shut their mouths tight, afraid of earning Marchioness Bertrand’s hatred.

 

These were people who had already been taught a lesson when ‘Edelaine Bertrand’ returned from the dead and they had gossiped carelessly. Whatever they had gone through, some would leave with uncomfortable faces at even the slightest mention of Edelaine.

 

Even ladies famous for loving gossip were reluctant to bring up topics about Edelaine. One of them threatened never to speak to her again, asking if there was any point in risking ruin over a single misplaced word.

 

She couldn’t even attempt to drive a wedge between them.

 

‘What did they do to make people tremble just at the mention of her name?’

 

No matter how precious a daughter, unless she was raised in complete secrecy, it was impossible to avoid becoming the subject of people’s conversations. Even an emperor would find it difficult to control all of that.

 

But the Bertrand family was said to persistently hunt down and inevitably retaliate against anyone who spoke carelessly about their youngest daughter. They were so persistent it seemed petty, not missing even the smallest false rumor.

 

Kaitlyn changed her target to unmarried women of marriageable age who might have fallen for Shane Blancarde.

 

“Oh, there’s no way the Duchess would do that.”

 

“I am envious, but… the Duchess is probably the only one who could handle Duke Blancarde.”

 

“When the Duchess even whispers, she glares at me like she’s going to kill me. Honestly, she didn’t seem human before, but at times like that, even though she’s scary, she seems a bit more human.”

 

“She really doesn’t seem human…”

 

“Did you hear? Someone who made lewd jokes about Duchess Blancarde in the past went bankrupt…”

 

“That too, and recently they say that Duke laughed like he’d lost his mind in front of the Duchess.”

 

“Ah, I saw that myself!”

 

“It gave me goosebumps…”

 

Really, was it necessary to drive someone to bankruptcy over a few curse words?

 

Are they villains? Are they villains…

 

‘And yet she was clinging to him like the most harmless and pitiful person in the world…’

 

To Kaitlyn, Edelaine seemed to be walking on a flower path stained with blood. From that innocent smile, she was surely completely unaware that the people around her were doing such things.

 

Like Princess Mia, who unlike herself had grown up receiving only love.

 

If they couldn’t even let her speak a word, how much more difficult would approaching her be.

 

She belatedly tried to approach by controlling servants of the Blancarde Estate, but ordinary servants couldn’t even get near the Duchess.

 

The Duchess’s personal care was handled exclusively by attendants she had brought from her family home. When strangers approached, either the attendants or the Duke would always be nearby watching, making it difficult even to exchange a word.

 

‘A Duke shouldn’t be personally delivering his wife’s meals…’

 

There was absolutely no gap to squeeze through.

 

Approaching royalty seemed much easier in comparison.

 

***

 

Several days passed.

 

Kaitlyn finally realized why Keith had tried to hide his identity until the very end.

 

Kaitlyn was a frog in a well.

 

The Brubewinn Royal Family and her foster parents had treated Kaitlyn almost like they worshipped her. Even though Keith had faced relatively more discrimination, it was the same for him too.

 

That was because the twins were particularly profitable.

 

Even Princess Mia had said “unlike me, you are the kingdom’s treasure,” treating her with such devotion, but once she left the Kingdom of Brubewinn, reality became clear.

 

Kaitlyn was merely a lower noble from a weak country. She was just another ordinary person whom no one paid attention to and no one feared.

 

Even at parties, without hypnosis, no one would even speak to her. While Princess Mia received several dance invitations and went out to the floor, Kaitlyn stood against the wall the entire time.

 

There was almost nothing she could do.

 

To avoid losing what she had, she had no choice but to be careful with herself. If she threw everything away and charged in, there might be some possibility, but then she would be abandoned by the Kingdom of Brubewinn and her foster parents.

 

‘What’s the big deal about manipulating someone’s memory a little.’

 

To make matters worse, the fact that she had hypnotized Princess Mia was discovered and she was severely scolded by the royal attendants.

 

When she controlled monsters to obtain byproducts, they worshipped her like a god, but the moment it seemed she might cause them even the slightest harm, they tried to tame her with whips like a blade.

 

‘They’d starve to death without me!’

 

It was infuriating, but she had to endure it for now.

 

The Kingdom of Brubewinn’s backing was insignificant, but without even that, Kaitlyn would be kicked out of this Imperial Palace immediately.

 

Keith had tried to protect the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

 

‘If Keith were here…’

 

He would have thought of a good solution at times like this. The void left by her dead other half was this enormous.

 

When Keith was actually alive, Kaitlyn had secretly looked down on him. She had scolded him several times for wasting time worrying about unnecessary things. Why not just sweep it all away instead? Each time, Keith would say that was her role, and this was his role.

 

‘What role…’

 

That’s what she had grumbled inwardly.

 

But after he was gone, she felt to her bones the realization that they could only be complete together. She couldn’t think of any way to avenge him without losing what she had.

 

“Would you like a drink?”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Am I interrupting?”

 

It was Patrick Bertrand.

 

The man who had been dancing with Princess Mia just moments ago was speaking to her.

 

Kaitlyn accepted the glass he offered while looking over his shoulder. Princess Mia was glaring at them with a sullen expression.

 

‘Of all people, it had to be a Bertrand.’

 

He was handsome and the heir to inherit a title, but Kaitlyn could see his true nature.

 

He had a stern expression, but this was just a sister-obsessed fool.

 

“Princess Mia is quite charming.”

 

“Ah, yes… Then you should continue your conversation with Her Highness…”

 

“And innocent.”

 

“…That’s right. She’s someone who grew up receiving a lot of love.”

 

“Knowing nothing.”

 

Patrick smiled coldly. Kaitlyn’s face hardened.

 

“I’m just giving you a warning. Since I’m in a position where I’m responsible for my territory’s people, I can’t just treat it as someone else’s business.”

 

“What are you, talking about…”

 

“You seem particularly interested in my younger sister.”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t have any ill feelings yet, so it would be better if you stopped here instead of making things bigger.”

 

“…You’re saying things I can’t understand.”

 

“If you can’t understand, that’s fine. I’ve clearly given you a warning.”

 

Patrick drained his glass in one gulp and wiped the moisture from his lips with his thumb. Then he smiled once at Kaitlyn, who was biting her lip, and turned away.

 

Jeff had said that Edelaine was looking for a mage.

 

The legend passed down in the Kingdom of Brubewinn, the business using monster byproducts, and the fact that a mage who was clumsily asking around about various things happened to be from that kingdom suggested many circumstantial evidences.

 

However, Patrick couldn’t understand it at all.

 

The fact that his sister wasn’t just tired but frightened by something was something he could notice because he was her older brother.

 

Because he was the big brother who had to protect his sister.

 

Yes, Edelaine was terrified.

 

“Why would Edelaine be so afraid of such a little pest?”

 

She was just a bite-sized morsel.

 

***

 

Until now, Kaitlyn had never left the country even once since establishing herself in the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

 

There were no plans for that to happen in the future either.

 

Kaitlyn had to take charge of important matters in the kingdom, and Keith had handled all the other miscellaneous tasks.

 

It was always Keith who appeared on the surface.

 

Kaitlyn was bold and Keith was meticulous.

 

He always emphasized the characteristic that black magic becomes the most threatening weapon when it doesn’t surface.

 

If there was a large difference in power between the opponent and himself, he would spend tediously long periods of time strategizing.

 

While Keith stirred up the Empire that seemed impossible to conquer, Kaitlyn quietly built up her strength.

 

For the time when she could fully utilize the opportunities Keith provided.

 

Since the Brubein Royal Family also showed sufficient potential, the twins revered them and looked for opportunities to take revenge on the Empire that constantly tried to make the kingdom a vassal state.

 

However, too many things went wrong in an instant.

 

Keith died futilely.

 

Many attempts that should have originally caused great turmoil all came to nothing.

 

Kaitlyn now had almost nothing left.

 

‘Why only you.’

 

I lost Keith and was left alone in this place.

 

I’m trying so hard to somehow avenge my dead brother.

 

Just because I asked a few questions, you have an older brother who comes running and gives warnings.

 

Like Princess Mia, a foolish woman who lives knowing nothing and only receiving protection.

 

She can’t do anything by herself yet probably thinks she’s so great. She probably doesn’t even know what she’s enjoying in life.

 

Kaitlyn now hated Edelaine as much as she hated the Saint.

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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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