Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 77

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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 14. Deceiving and Being Deceived (6)

She learned for the first time that when a person becomes excessively angry, their stomach churns as if it might turn inside out, bringing waves of nausea.

Genevieve was someone who couldn’t get angry over most things.

From childhood, getting angry had brought her nothing but unfavorable results in many ways.

She could get beaten a little less only by suppressing and enduring the emotions that welled up inside her.

She learned early on that rebelling would only earn her a few more beatings, but wouldn’t change reality.

It was better not to think too deeply and just accept phenomena as they were. She learned that people cannot constantly exert strength to resist, and that when hardships and adversities continue, it’s easier to give up and accept them.

The personality that originated from her defense mechanism to somehow endure her stepfather’s abuse hadn’t changed even now that she had become a Saint.

She could laugh off most misfortunes and calmly accept it even when someone cursed at her face. Though this might seem positive on the surface, it was actually based on cynical defeatism.

Neither the Pope who disgustingly massaged Genevieve’s neck and shoulders saying she was like a granddaughter to him, nor the people who were jealously trying to kill a barely adult woman to receive even a little more love from that old man, could truly make Genevieve angry.

The mouths of people whispering and spreading unpleasant rumors behind her back, nor their persistent misunderstandings, couldn’t compare to the guilt over Edelaine’s death.

In some ways, she possessed the most necessary virtue for a benevolent Saint.

That same Genevieve was now so angry her hands were trembling, not knowing what to do with herself. If there weren’t watching eyes, she even felt the urge to grab whatever was at hand and throw it to break things.

Having stayed close to her for days, she was unbearably furious that she had almost lost Edelaine in a place that was no different from her own home.

‘I definitely prepared thoroughly without any gaps.’

She had tried to find them while Edelaine knew nothing.

Edwin, Shane, and the Bertrand family all worked together in unison. They minimized the people Edelaine could contact and thoroughly investigated the identities of anyone who might approach her, making each of them carry an item blessed by Genevieve.

At least for the past few days, Edelaine had been protected more safely than anyone else.

“Please save me! Please, it wasn’t me!”

Princess Mia of Brubewinn was dragged out by soldiers’ hands.

Genevieve grabbed Harrison’s arm and watched the scene indifferently.

Princess Mia’s charges were unclear. Strictly speaking, she was innocent. She had no connection with the movements of people who could have touched the poisoned teacup, their personal information, or anything else.

But there was simply no physical evidence.

It was clear that someone among the guests from the Kingdom of Brubewinn was the culprit. Even light investigation revealed abundant evidence that the Kingdom of Brubewinn was deeply connected to black magic.

No one had paid attention, so it could go undetected.

In fact, if they had only used petty tricks to gain small benefits, it wouldn’t have been worth interfering with.

Mia, who was forced to her knees before Edwin, looked for familiar faces hoping someone would save her. Hope appeared in her hazel eyes when she spotted Patrick Bertrand.

Contrary to his reputation as a blunt person, Patrick Bertrand smiled quite well at Mia and often spoke to her. Mia was convinced he had feelings for her. Though different from Keith, she thought that man could lead her to a different world…

But Patrick only looked down at her with expressionless, stern eyes.

Not only the servants, maids, and attendants brought from Brubewinn, but even the officials couldn’t utter a word of protest despite their country’s princess being dragged like a dog and forced to kneel. Mia realized with her whole body what it meant to be from a weak nation.

Edwin stepped forward and spoke.

“I’ll give you a chance to make excuses. You’re still royalty, so it would be harsh to have your head cut off without leaving a single last word.”

“No! It wasn’t something I did! Please believe me! Caitlin, where is Caitlin Blair? Ask her, I don’t know anything!”

“Princess Mia. For people like us, not knowing is itself a crime.”

There was no time to leisurely interrogate each person one by one, attaching excuses or justifications.

As long as Princess Mia was royalty, she had to take responsibility. The crime of failing to control her subordinates was also great.

“I definitely told her not to, not to…”

“Look at this, she knew what that woman was going to do. Since she knew and still brought her, we can’t say she’s without guilt.”

“That woman acted on her own! Brubewinn has nothing to do with it!”

“After using her to your advantage, you’re quick to abandon her when it’s time to discard her.”

It was quite a cunning change of stance.

Just moments ago she had been acting as if she knew nothing. Seeing that Patrick had judged Princess Mia knew nothing, she was quite skilled at acting.

“Please… It wasn’t something we did, we didn’t know…”

“I told you it’s not something that ends just because you didn’t know, Princess. How long are you going to keep pretending to be stupid?”

Edwin, who had sent people to prison, kindly explained.

“Someone has to take responsibility for this, and I judged that you’re suitable. That’s the end of it. Of course we need to catch the actual perpetrator too, but I don’t have time to turn over trash cans and dig through them one by one.”

Edwin’s hand, which lightly brushed Princess Mia’s cheek as if caressing it, lifted her chin to make her look straight at him.

“I was raised gently, so I have a weak stomach.”

So please understand that he gets nauseous when he sees filth.

That angelic Crown Prince was damn…

Princess Mia bit her lips and desperately racked her brain. She had to prevent herself and Brubewinn from being tied together and falling into ruin because of the crime that stupid girl Caitlin had committed.

“We’ll catch and hand over the perpetrator, Caitlin Blair! You can kill or spare that woman as Your Highness pleases, so please just believe in our kingdom’s innocence! We truly never dared to think of rebelling against the Empire…”

Mia had not even a speck of patriotism for the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

She hated her own country that was shackles binding Keith, that was wretchedly poor.

But just because she disliked it didn’t mean she wanted it to perish meaninglessly. Whether she liked it or not, Mia was born and raised in Brubewinn.

If she couldn’t sever her relationship with Caitlin Blair here, even if she was lucky enough to survive, Mia would die by her parents’ hands anyway.

A position where she couldn’t even say it was unfair to have crimes pinned on her without evidence.

That’s what it meant to be a princess of a weak nation.

However, no one in this place was interested in Mia’s life.

Not Patrick Bertrand who had danced with Mia three times and had long conversations with her, nor his family, nor Crown Prince Edwin, Saint Genevieve, and all the people who were afraid of getting caught in the crossfire…

Mia placed her last hope in the Saint who was said to be a merciful pacifist. She crawled toward her on her knees and shouted.

“Saint! Please save me! At this rate, all the people of our kingdom will die!”

“…”

“You know the people are innocent, so please show mercy! Will you condone innocent sacrifice?!”

Genevieve, who had been silent, stepped forward in front of Mia. Mia thought the eyes of Genevieve’s husband, the guard knight, were particularly cold.

Genevieve knelt down in front of Mia, met her gaze, and spoke.

“The mission God gave me is to purify contaminated land.”

“…”

“He never said a single word about saving people.”

Genevieve found her own face reflected in Princess Mia’s hazel eyes, which were trembling like aspen leaves, strangely unfamiliar. It was the first time even she had seen such a cold face without a trace of mercy.

If it’s the way of the world and God’s will that only the guilty are punished, then what sin did Genevieve commit in her childhood to suffer such pain?

The guilty pigs lived fattening their greasy bellies, while innocent people became cold chunks of meat on the streets – that was the world.

The world was not beautiful, and in fact, had no value.

Hardships and adversities are personal misfortunes.

Misfortune has no meaning.

That’s why God doesn’t save unhappy people.

That’s how it was for Genevieve.

Nevertheless, the reason she had obediently lived purifying the world was because it was Edelaine Bertrand’s will.

And because she hoped the things she loved would remain in a somewhat cleaner world.

The reason Genevieve could regard Harrison with love and tenderness, and devoted herself to purifying the world even while overworking, all began with one word from Edelaine.

“You’re the protagonist of this world, so you can be as happy as you want, Genevieve.”

She thought that if she proved she was useful, she might be able to affirm herself a little, and if so, she might be happy, so she devoted herself earnestly to her mission.

It was a miracle that couldn’t have sprouted without Edelaine in the first place.

If they were all destined to die on contaminated land together, wouldn’t it be okay for the world to make some sacrifices for Edelaine’s sake?

Genevieve knew this was twisted thinking, but she didn’t feel guilty about it.

Princess Mia could have stopped that woman. She brought that woman knowing everything.

Failing to manage her own people was her crime.

Then Shane appeared, dragging an unconscious woman by her hair.

Shane carelessly threw the limp woman next to Princess Mia. Mia immediately recognized that the woman was Caitlin Blair.

“All this trouble because of such a woman.”

The fallen Caitlin’s belongings scattered over her with a clatter. Though she couldn’t know the details, they were probably evidence he had brought based on their appearance alone.

In reality, no one would care whether they were real or not.

Mia couldn’t take her eyes off Caitlin.

Even as Shane Blancarde grabbed her disheveled black hair and lifted it up, until he cut her throat.

Keith.

Your other half is dead too.

So meaninglessly.

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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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