Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 142
Shane gently cupped Adeline’s face in both hands.
Damn it, she’s so cold. Why is she so cold? Her faint breathing and weak pulse felt like they could stop at any moment.
“Where’s the healer?”
“They’ve been called. They’ll be here soon,” Edwin replied.
Shane clenched his teeth.
Fool, idiot. How could I have thought it was okay to leave her side, even for a moment?
He had vowed never to leave her, to stay close.
Once again, I wasn’t there when you were in danger.
“You can’t die in front of me again, Adeline…” Shane whispered. “You can’t, Adeline. If you do, I’ll die too. I truly will.”
Because a life without you isn’t worth living.
The few seconds it took to wait for the healer felt like an eternity.
Then, a small twitch. The fingers that had been lifeless on the ground moved. Kneeling beside Shane, Edwin grasped her hand. Though faint, she had moved on her own. Shane and Lloyd both noticed the slight motion.
Her chest, which had seemed still, rose sharply. At the same time, Adeline gasped loudly and opened her eyes wide.
“Haa, haaa! Cough, cough!”
Her body convulsed as she coughed violently, her shoulders shaking. Shane held her head steady, while Lloyd and Edwin each took one of her hands.
“Cough, man, I really thought I was dead…”
Adeline muttered between coughs, letting out a breathless laugh. She felt like she could finally breathe again.
If she hadn’t experienced the sensation of losing consciousness so many times in her nightmares, the terror would have been overwhelming.
Her voice was startlingly calm.
Adeline’s eyes widened as she realized three men were staring at her in disbelief.
Then she noticed the black blood staining her neck and the empty vial on the floor, piecing together what had happened.
“You weren’t too late, Lloyd.”
“…..”
“See? It’s a good thing you kept it—ugh.”
She suddenly paused, catching her breath as Shane gripped her head in both hands.
His blue eyes, not blinking, stared intently at her. Adeline noticed the wetness near the corners of his eyes.
“You were scared, weren’t you, Shane?”
“…..”
“…Don’t cry…”
Shane, without a word, took in every detail—her blinking eyelids, her green eyes regaining life, her pale skin slick with sweat, the warmth returning to her body, and the slight movement of her lips. His lips were trembling.
Adeline raised her arms and gently hugged him.
“I’m not going anywhere…”
“Ugh.”
“…I promised, didn’t I…?”
Shane pressed his lips to the pulse in her neck. Only when he felt the steady thrum under his lips did it begin to feel real.
His warm breath grazed her skin, and Adeline soothingly ran her fingers through his hair. She didn’t know when Shane had arrived, but it was clear how shaken he was. And he wasn’t the only one.
Edwin had collapsed to his knees, his legs weak. Lloyd, too, had been biting his lip, his face damp with sweat. All of them had been terrified.
Adeline met Edwin’s eyes and then reached for Lloyd’s hand.
Lloyd’s hand was cold. Normally, he would have pushed her away, but today he let her be. His hand trembled, and he seemed to be calming himself.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
“What exactly did you do wrong that warrants an apology?!” Edwin snapped, his voice filled with irritation.
“I mean… I scared you.”
“How did you know?” Lloyd asked, speaking up for the first time.
Adeline turned to him. He gritted his teeth.
“How did you know someone was trying to poison you?”
“What?”
“If you didn’t know, how could you have prepared the perfect antidote in advance?”
“…..”
“Lloyd.”
“If you didn’t have this antidote, if I hadn’t been here, by now…!”
You’d be dead. You wouldn’t have woken up.
Everyone in the room understood the words Lloyd couldn’t say.
Shane, still holding Adeline, pushed her back slightly, putting space between them.
Adeline held her breath. She didn’t dare look at Shane’s face.
He had begged her, pleaded with her not to do anything dangerous. Although being poisoned wasn’t something she had planned…
“You knew.”
His voice was low, but unusually tender.
Adeline couldn’t answer. She hadn’t known, not exactly. But she couldn’t say she hadn’t suspected. The antidote was something Lloyd had given her in a dream.
Instead of meeting Shane’s eyes, she glanced at Edwin, who shook his head stubbornly. Lloyd, too angry to even look at her, kept his eyes down.
And Shane…
“You knew, didn’t you, Adeline?”
Her heart sank.
