Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 103
The Villainess, Tenacious
Shane Blanchard was born into a blessed environment.
In the Green Windsor Empire, it would be hard to count anyone more blessed than him.
Born into one of the most noble bloodlines, he was destined to inherit the pinnacle position within the tightly woven net of power.
Shane Blanchard inherited the title of Duke at the age of 22.
Despite being the youngest Duke and lord of the largest fiefdom in the Empire, and a member of the parliament at such a young age, no one doubted his abilities.
He was the Crown Prince’s most trusted friend, relative, and vassal, wielding actual control in place of the reclusive Emperor. A splendid knight who joined the knighthood as a young duke and achieved the rank of Sword Master. The ‘Guardian of the Saintess’, who was the first to find and protect the Saintess, the treasure of the continent….
He seemed almost perfect.
However, when you look into Shane Blanchard’s personal life, surprisingly, his life was filled with failures.
Mostly in human relationships.
Shane Blanchard was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. She didn’t care for him, and as he grew, she came to hate him so much that she preferred strangers to her own son.
His first misfortune might have been that he wasn’t a weak and delicate child who would chase after his mother, craving her love.
Shane Blanchard was not childish, and he lacked nothing even without parental care or affection. Numerous servants took care of him, providing him with ample food, clothing, and shelter.
He never cried and understood everything calmly. The more he did, the more his mother detested him.
If young Shane had been a child who cried for his mother’s affection, perhaps she might have found him adorable at least once, but Shane was too intelligent and unemotional for that.
His father never really paid attention to his only son either.
He had long been tired of his wife, who bore the noblest bloodline in the Empire. Though he had no illegitimate children, he spent all his time outside, naturally giving no affection to the legitimate son his wife bore. He cared enough to get angry at his wife for neglecting their son, but that was the extent of it.
Moreover, he found the heavy responsibilities entrusted to him overwhelming.
He was timid and fearful. To hide his true nature, he acted overly authoritative and oppressive. The best he could do was to hand over the Blanchard family to his son early without ruining it.
Though deprived of his parents’ love, Shane Blanchard easily earned the love of those who did not truly know him, as if to compensate.
People were easily captivated by Shane Blanchard.
Humans are naturally drawn to the unfamiliar, especially if it’s rare and hard to attain.
Shane Blanchard was just such a being. Additionally, he possessed an attractive exterior and seemed indifferent to everything around him, a trait that made those who desired him even more desperate.
Many wanted him, but Shane Blanchard kept no one close.
The only person he could call a friend was Crown Prince Edwin. He had a few close aides, but no personal interactions. They were individuals he had saved during his time with the knighthood or those who followed him unilaterally, enamored with his capabilities.
Mostly it was like that.
Shane’s surroundings were filled with people who desired and admired him.
It didn’t matter who he truly was.
No matter how one tried to dress it up, Shane wasn’t a kind person. He was cold and unfriendly, sometimes violent and aggressive, ruthless and bold. Some might call it charisma, but it was simply disinterest.
The irony of being loved for his indifference made him appear perfect to those who chased after him.
But the person Shane truly wanted had never once looked back at him. It was all failures.
Having never sought his parents’ love, perhaps there was only one person who had made him feel failure.
A lifelong failure, still ongoing.
To Lloyd, Shane Blanchard’s life would have been perfect without his failure, Adeline Bertrand.
The more he investigated Shane Blanchard, the more apparent it became.
Shane devoted himself only to Adeline.
