Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 19
‘Unwavering Devotion’, Just Another Way of Saying ‘Obsession’
His engagement to Adeline Bertrand was arranged by their families.
House Bertrand, counted among the nobility of the Green Windsor Empire, meant that their engagement had been the talk of the town from the very beginning.
Even if they had been betrothed separately, the union of such prominent nobles was naturally a matter of great interest—especially since the imperial family had wholeheartedly welcomed the union of the two families.
House Bertrand had dominion over lands abundant in minerals and resources, and they were also a family of active businessmen.
The imperial family was suspicious that the wealthy Bertrand family might harbor other intentions. Before this engagement, there had been attempts to arrange a marriage with a member of the imperial family, but the Bertrand couple had rejected such proposals using various excuses. Instead, they proposed an engagement with House Blanchard.
In any case, Duke Blanchard was the brother-in-law of the current emperor, effectively creating a tie with the imperial family.
Shane understood all these dynamics by the age of ten when the engagement was set. Thus, who his fiancée was had never been important to him. Even the monthly tea times they had together were devoid of any expectations.
“Is he my fiancé?”
“…Yes. His name is Shane.”
“He looks so pretty…”
Adeline was a unique child.
‘Surely, she’s at least four years younger than me.’
She would bring up topics that might be difficult for a child to handle, showing such maturity beyond her years, only to then pretend ‘Ah, right, I’m just a kid!’ in a way that was quite amusing.
He was aware that sometimes she pretended to look elsewhere while actually observing his face.
He thought it was quite rude, but that was all.
Shane was generally uninterested in most things.
Having been born with the ability to have everything he wanted and superior abilities compared to others, nothing posed a challenge to him.
Even when with others, it felt no different than being alone, since he never needed anyone’s help.
‘Boring.’
Nothing in the world could excite him. Life was dull and monotonous.
Adeline became special to him about a year after their engagement was arranged.
His mother, who had been frail since giving birth to Shane, eventually passed away.
The duchess, born a princess and married into a noble family, had never been able to truly care for her son.
‘Those blue eyes staring at me are just like those of a reptile. Disgusting.’
‘Shane is still a child!’
‘He doesn’t seem like one! Do you think he’s normal?’
‘…’
‘Please, don’t bring him near me. He gives me the creeps.’
Shane thought it was harsh to say that about a child she had borne, but it wasn’t surprising.
Adults sometimes did not hide their discomfort around a child who did not act his age.
If asked whether he loved his mother, Shane would not be able to answer. Therefore, he couldn’t blame his mother for not loving her own child.
After all, his mother had always been someone who looked down on him from a few steps behind. He didn’t truly know her. They hardly spoke.
He was aware she had given birth to him, but that was all.
Thus, when his mother died, he was not particularly sad. Still, he knew to feign sorrow to appear respectful to others and avoid troublesome situations.
Adeline attended the funeral with her parents.
The young girl, who had been silent up to exchanging a few conventional phrases, suddenly burst into tears when left alone with Shane.
And then, she abruptly hugged Shane tightly.
“Still so young, and yet so pitiable…”
“Uh, yes?”
“There’s no need to pretend to be an adult all the time. It’s okay to cry.”
He wasn’t crying because tears just wouldn’t come, but Adeline was shedding heavy tears as if her own mother had died.
Shane gently pushed Adeline away a bit and said,
“Adeline, calm down.”
“Huh?”
“I’m okay, really.”
Shane smiled faintly.
“See, I’m smiling.”
Adeline occasionally stared blankly at her face, so this was an attempt to console her.
However, Adeline burst into even louder tears.
“Why are you comforting me?!”
“Huh?”
“You dum-dum, you’ve become an adult too soon, hiiing.”
“That’s not true…”
“Why isn’t anyone hugging you? Come here, you dummy. You’re still so young, just a child…”
“But you’re younger…”
As Adeline cried, she hugged Shane’s neck again. Although Shane had to stoop down due to Adeline’s shorter height, he couldn’t help but smile.
This young girl treating him like a child was something he was aware of, but this was the first time it was so explicitly done.
‘So small…’
His shoulders were already soaked. Shane patted Adeline’s back, thinking if he let her cry any longer, this small body might dehydrate.
‘How can she cry so hard?’
He himself hadn’t shed a single tear despite losing his mother.
Still, Adeline’s small, warm hand grasped Shane’s tightly.
