Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 169
This Knife, At One’s Neck
There was no warmth left in the room.
He scanned the pristine bed, the barely touched teacup, and the single sofa where Adeline had likely sat, pulling her knees up. Blood from the boy had stained the carpet underfoot, turning it into a mess of bloodstains.
Had Adeline cried again?
She must have. She cherished that boy as if he were part of her.
Shane clenched and unclenched his now cold hands. His heart was boiling, but his mind remained cool.
Lucian approached and spoke.
“They got us. All the guards on watch fell victim to black magic and are now unconscious.”
“……”
“They hit us where we didn’t expect.”
No one had even imagined that the Saintess’s husband would be a traitor.
They were so focused on dealing with the sorcerer that they hadn’t considered the possibility that a mole had been planted from the start.
Harrison, the imperial guard, was dismissed as a suspect from the beginning. He had been a close confidant to the Crown Prince for years and had passed the church’s rigorous scrutiny when he married the Saintess. Aside from his skills, he was an ordinary person in both background and personality.
Jeff entered and said, “I’ve handed Lloyd over to the priests. Whether he lives or dies depends on his will.”
“Then he won’t die.”
“That’s likely. If he’s lucky, he’ll wake up soon.”
“There are no traces besides Lloyd’s blood. Adeline and the Saintess were likely abducted without injury.”
“Whoever did this knows how to calculate.”
“Well, I guess that’s fortunate.”
“…It’s oddly unsettling, seeing you stay so calm.”
Even without bloodstains, there was no certainty that they hadn’t been hurt.
What’s more, Shane remained calm and composed, even as he stood in the scene where Adeline and Genevieve had disappeared. He instructed Lucian to inspect the personnel stationed nearby, alerted Edwin, and ordered horses to be prepared.
With a glance at Lucian, Shane said, “I suppose it’s just part of life experience. It’s not the first time Adeline has been kidnapped.”
“Most of those times, though, were because of you.”
Shane acknowledged this plainly.
“Well, that’s true.”
“You’ve posted people, haven’t you?”
“I posted something more reliable than people.”
Lucian furrowed his brow. Although Shane Blanchard had entrusted the job to him, the fact that Shane had taken extra precautions, as if expecting failure, wasn’t pleasant to hear.
“There’s more than one sorcerer in the world.”
Through Lloyd, a magic tool in the form of an earring, which could report Adeline’s condition and location, had been attached to her.
“It feels a bit unsettling…”
“It’s not a harmful object.”
“Get rid of it once this is over.”
Shane didn’t respond. Clearly, he was pleased with a tool that allowed him to monitor Adeline’s condition from afar. Until now, he had refrained from using such tools because he had drawn a line on his methods. Now, there was nothing left to hold him back.
Jeff clicked his tongue.
Of course, Shane was the least rational person, yet they had to appreciate the benefit of his unhinged state now.
Lucian tilted his head, surprised by Shane’s composure.
“I thought you’d lose it and start rampaging.”
Shane glanced at Lucian and smirked.
“If I looked composed, then I’m glad.”
“……”
“If someone like you could see through me, then I’d already be finished.”
Had Lucian wanted him to throw a tantrum and break things? Simply venting his anger was easy but ultimately a wasteful act.
Thinking of how to retrieve Adeline as swiftly as possible, he had no time to lose his sanity.
Or did he even have sanity left? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been of sound mind.
Not when he had lost Adeline, or when he found her again, or even when she cried in front of him.
Please, Shane. Don’t do this. I’m begging you, let it go.
Please.
There was no way he could hear those words and still be in his right mind.
I just want to see you smile.
Shane had only one criterion for his decisions.
When he was young, he acted based on whether “this” would make Adeline happy or sad.
Now, his actions depended on whether “this” was safe or dangerous for Adeline. Anything posing a threat, he killed without hesitation. Eliminated. Carefully, so she wouldn’t be frightened.
If that was considered madness, then he hadn’t been sane since he first loved Adeline.
‘Then again, by that logic, I’m the least safe of all, aren’t I?’
Perhaps it’s because clever Adeline understands that, in the end, she can’t trust him.
“He’s obviously out of his mind.”
There would be no bargaining.
Everyone would die.
