Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 136
She, who was supposed to die as the first villain early on, was still very much alive. So, there was no point in questioning the real villain about why they weren’t fulfilling their destiny.
After all, if someone asked her why she hadn’t died yet, she wouldn’t have an answer either.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the nightmares, she wouldn’t care what the villain was up to or where they were living.
If both the minor villains from the early story and the final boss could avoid being killed by the protagonists and live peacefully, wouldn’t that be the best possible outcome?
She hoped the villain was out there somewhere, farming monsters like cattle.
What was actually causing Adeline trouble wasn’t the real villain, whose whereabouts were unknown but who appeared regularly in her dreams to torment her.
…It was Crown Prince Edwin, who had started behaving strangely in front of Shane, acting out in peculiar ways.
‘What did this crazy guy eat that messed him up…?’
After enjoying countless casual romances with no lingering feelings, did the idea of marriage suddenly make him crave more intense excitement in his life?
Still, perhaps because of his role as the perpetual second male lead, or because he had never experienced rejection, his expression of longing appeared surprisingly sincere. If someone hadn’t known Edwin for long or didn’t know him well, they might have been fooled.
But Adeline had known Edwin for so long that they could be considered childhood friends.
She wasn’t naive enough to fall for a few pitiful facial expressions now.
When the nightmares first started again, Adeline had been resolute—she would track down the real villain, kill them, and live happily ever after with the male lead. But as time passed, that fierce determination had faded.
‘Of course, I still want to live.’
It was just hard to maintain the intensity.
She had thought things would start happening soon, but everything remained too quiet.
Little did she know that those around her had blocked every possible threat with airtight precision, Adeline wondered if her lack of action was because she couldn’t do anything, rather than hadn’t done anything.
Is a villain still a villain if they haven’t done anything?
‘Based on what he’s done, the male lead who kidnapped and imprisoned me seems like the biggest villain of all….’
The male lead had evolved so far down a dark path that it felt like the real villain couldn’t keep up.
‘It makes sense, though.’
Besides, the real villain’s enemy wasn’t the early-stage villainess, but the Saintess, and the one Adeline truly had to fight wasn’t the real villain, who had never even harmed her, but the world itself.
The nightmares kept coming.
‘But what if the only way for these nightmares to end is for the sorcerer to die in the end?’
Should she kill an innocent sorcerer?
Adeline still hadn’t made up her mind.
Could she take someone’s life for her own happiness?
After all, the only harm they’d caused her was killing her a few times in dreams.
‘Though, these dreams are so vivid, and they seem deeply connected to reality.’
Nothing had happened yet.
As Adeline sat lost in thought, Lloyd spoke.
“And Lucian also asked me to pass on a message.”
“What is it?”
“He says he declines. It’s boring.”
Adeline laughed, her breath coming out like a sigh.
“What? I thought he’d be interested.”
Lloyd tilted his head in confusion.
The favor she wanted to ask from Lucian involved Lloyd. Just in case Adeline couldn’t overcome her nightmares and died, she had asked Lucian to take care of Lloyd.
Since Lucian had often mentioned scouting him, Adeline had thought he would agree immediately. But it was unexpected.
“Lloyd, take this.”
“What is it?”
“A gift.”
“Can I throw it away?”
“…….”
“A gift is something I can do whatever I want with, isn’t it?”
“Can’t you just accept it, please?”
“Then you’re not giving me a gift, you’re just asking me to hold onto something for you. Please be clear with your words.”
“S-Sorry…?”
“No need to apologize. Well, I’ll hold onto it for now.”
“…….”
Lloyd smirked teasingly at Adeline, who looked like she was about to cry, and pocketed the vial.
