Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 185
Happy Ending, Nowhere to be Found
The sorcerer had been captured.
Adeline gripped the railing and blankly stared at Delmuz Harbor, which was as bright as day.
The wind from the winter dawn over the sea was harsh and cold, so several blankets that Lloyd had somehow managed to find were draped over her shoulders along with Shane’s coat. They smelled of sweat and mildew, but it was better than nothing.
‘When I returned to Delmuz, I entered through this harbor too.’
It was just a few months ago.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
That morning, looking out at Delmuz Harbor where she had returned after five years of seclusion, Adeline had firmly believed that Shane and Genevieve had already reached their happily ever after.
Since the male lead and female lead had married, surely that was the happy ending, wasn’t it? She had no doubt that her choice for them had been the right one.
But there was no such thing as a happy ending.
The future Adeline had believed in twisted and tangled beyond recognition.
The people she thought she knew changed as if they were different people, and even the marriage of the female lead, which she thought would bring happiness, met the worst possible conclusion.
‘Is it really over…?’
The villain had been captured, but everything felt utterly ruined.
The ending she had seen in her dreams was always one of death, so the fact that everyone was alive made it feel far from the end.
But if there was no predetermined story, then life had no definite ending.
A world with no guaranteed future or happiness, and yet no predetermined end.
In such a world, Adeline was the only one who found it unfamiliar.
Lloyd held out a steaming mug.
“You should drink this to warm up.”
“What’s in it? The smell is strange.”
“Fish soup.”
“……”
“If you leave any, I’ll pour it down your throat myself, Master.”
“You really think using polite speech is enough…”
The fishy soup was among the worst things Adeline had tasted in her two lifetimes. It was certainly in the top three.
She nearly shed tears at how bad it was.
With her forehead resting on the mug, she mumbled,
“It’s a relief that you’re alive, Lloyd…”
When she closed her eyes, she could see Lloyd lying down, blood pooling on the ground like the sea.
His hand had dropped limply.
She wanted to hold back tears, knowing that Lloyd would scowl if he saw her like this, but she felt she could cry for three days and nights just recalling it.
Lloyd, watching Adeline rub her red nose and eyes with the back of her hand, spoke offhandedly.
“I heard everything.”
“Heard what?”
“That you were going to sell me off to Lord Lucian.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t forget this grudge.”
“No, Lloyd, that’s…”
Her tears disappeared instantly.
“You said you wouldn’t abandon me.”
“It was a misunderstanding! I was just preparing for an emergency…”
Lloyd glared at Adeline with a pout.
“There won’t be any ‘emergency’, and even if there were, I would manage just fine on my own. Don’t bother with unnecessary meddling.”
Now, she understood why he had been in a foul mood all along.
“Drink it all. Otherwise, I won’t forgive you.”
“I’ll drink it…”
To forgive her simply for finishing the fish soup—how softhearted of him.
As Adeline obediently brought the fish soup to her lips, Lloyd averted his gaze and looked around the deck.
Shane and Edwin were talking with the knights they had brought, all with serious expressions. They were probably discussing how to handle Harrison, Kaitlyn, and the Kingdom of Brubewein.
Shane didn’t want to be separated from Adeline.
He had softly suggested to her that killing Harrison and Kaitlyn would be best, reasoning it would prevent future troubles. When Adeline snapped at him for his persistence, he reluctantly kept his distance.
If Edwin hadn’t dragged him away, Shane would likely still be by Adeline’s side, wearing a dissatisfied expression.
Genevieve was bustling around the ship, tending to the fallen sailors.
Thankfully, none of the sailors with cracked heads had lost their lives.
As for her husband, whom she had saved out of mercy, she didn’t even spare him a glance.
