Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 148
“If you starve yourself, I’ll be too sad, Adeline.”
“…When you put it like that, it makes me feel like total trash…”
If they were to break it down, Adeline was the victim, and Patrick and Jeff were part of the group of offenders.
So why did it feel like the emotional roles were reversed?
Jeff spoke up.
“When I say something, you just scoff, but when he says it, you listen.”
“When have I ever ignored you?”
“Come on, be honest. If I had told you to eat, you would’ve brushed it off and ignored me.”
“……”
“This is where you should deny it, you fool. The problem with you is that you have this half-baked sense of conscience.”
Jeff sneered coldly.
Adeline took a spoonful of the soup that Patrick was feeding her. It was Lloyd’s well-made carrot soup. It didn’t quite leave a good taste in her mouth.
“That’s why you’re stuck in a place like this.”
“Says the person who locked me up…”
“For the record, Brother and I were against all this.”
Patrick nodded to support Jeff as he continued speaking.
“But our parents were… really adamant. You met Mother earlier, so you know how she feels. Father is also furious. Of course, he’s not as angry as the Crown Prince or Shane, but he’s grinding his teeth, swearing he’ll tear the culprit to pieces.”
“…Father is terrifying when he’s angry…”
“You know that, and yet here you are.”
“No, but seriously, it’s not my fault! It’s not like I knew the drink was poisoned when I drank it!”
Both Lloyd and Emma acted as though she had intentionally gotten herself poisoned.
Adeline shouted passionately.
“I really didn’t know! I didn’t realize and got poisoned!”
“That’s not something to be proud of.”
Even Patrick, who normally took her side, sighed softly and shook his head.
“In any case, it’s not like our parents plan to keep you locked up here forever. Just think of it as time to rest and recover for now.”
“I’m so tired of resting…”
“Maybe you should first think about how much you’ve thrown yourself into everything?”
Jeff said with a smirk, delivering his sharp truth.
“You’re not even fully recovered, so stop skipping meals and trying to act tough.”
“That’s exactly why it’s hard to just go along with what you say!”
Patrick could say the same thing but make it sound so much kinder.
Jeff scoffed.
“He’s only like that with you. Seriously, whether it’s him or Father, they’re both so fake when it comes to you, our youngest…”
“Jeff.”
“Ugh, fine. I’ll shut up.”
Despite being the type who didn’t back down easily, Jeff rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Anyway, the Brubewein Kingdom is in a huge deal of trouble now.”
“Brubewein?”
“You know, the kingdom with the legend about sorcerers—the one you mentioned before, Adeline.”
“Ah… right. But why?”
“Because the poisoning attempt happened when you were with the Crown Prince. If the poisoner turns out to be from that kingdom, they won’t have any excuse, even if the kingdom falls to ruin.”
Adeline sensed that something significant had happened while she was lost in her dream.
Jeff wasn’t the type to speak carelessly unless he was sure of something. Although he had added that it was still just suspicion, she could tell he was confident.
“Neither Princess Mia nor her lady-in-waiting are the poisoners. We had people watching them, and the attendants we placed around key figures, like the Crown Prince, were all wearing bracelets blessed by the Saintess. There was no opportunity for them to get close.”
“What, have you grown attached to them, Brother? Did I suddenly become the enemy of my future sister-in-law?”
“Cut the nonsense, especially around our youngest. Think about the age difference.”
“Our youngest is literally an adult now, Brother. There’s not much of a gap.”
Jeff ended up getting smacked by Patrick.
After her brothers left, Adeline sat on the sofa, pulling her knees up and clutching her head.
What on earth have I gotten myself into…?
The Bertrand family wasn’t going to stand by quietly, and Shane, Genevieve, and Edwin were all doing whatever they pleased.
Meanwhile, she was left all alone, stuck here.
