Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 207
Adeline decided to confess everything to everyone in turn. Once she resolved to reveal the truth, she had no hesitation.
She planned to tell the full story of her past life and the reality of this world to everyone involved in her kidnapping and confinement.
‘What a relief.’
It felt as refreshing as stepping out of a polluted city and inhaling the crisp, phytoncide-rich air of a forest.
The memories of years spent agonizing alone, unable to share her secret, briefly flashed before her eyes. Even the times she had cursed characters in frustration for failing to speak up now seemed almost laughable.
‘I called them idiots, but the truth was, that idiot was me…’
If not for the risk of putting others in danger, Adeline would never have endured such a secret in silence.
‘If only I’d spoken up sooner.’
She would have warned her parents and siblings not to indulge her whims no matter what.
If, like in the novel, ‘Adeline’ started to act out, she would have instructed them to slap some sense into her. After all, stripping the early villain ‘Adeline’ of her family’s influence would leave her powerless.
Perhaps she could have found a way to avoid the predetermined ending without breaking her engagement.
Even without telling the protagonist Shane, plotting with the villains from the story could have been fun in its own way.
‘Although Shane probably would’ve found a way to join in anyway…’
Adeline added a touch of realism to her musings.
Even when she thought of him as a kind and gentle fiancé in her childhood, looking back now, she saw the streaks of persistence that had always been there. Her rose-colored glasses regarding Shane had long since been removed.
The hardest part of confessing was always the first sentence.
But once the dam was broken, the rest came easily. Having done it twice already, she was now fairly skilled at recounting her tale.
The reactions varied.
Her parents, Emma and Gregory, listened to her intently with serious expressions. Emma didn’t cry or let her expression falter even once. She didn’t ask questions like Shane or Lloyd had, only nodded occasionally as if to say, ‘So that’s how it was.’
After hearing her out, they asked only one thing.
“Is there anyone left to hurt you?”
When Adeline answered no, her parents simply replied, ‘Then that’s enough.’
“Princess Mia was merely caught up in it. Please don’t hate her.”
“She still feels like an accomplice to me, but fine. I’ll try,” Patrick replied, shaking his head.
Their father, who hadn’t listened to a word Patrick said earlier, nodded easily at Adeline’s request. Yet Patrick only smiled quietly, showing no sign of frustration.
Patrick and Jeff each had their own concerns, though Jeff was particularly focused on Keith’s remains.
“I was planning to investigate it myself soon. Good—now I’ll make sure to confirm it with my own eyes, even if it’s a rotting corpse.”
“Take a sacred artifact blessed by Genevieve with you. Just in case.”
Better to be overprepared than caught off guard.
After the Bertrand family members left, Edwin and Genevieve arrived together.
Seeing the two enter side by side, Adeline tilted her head.
‘Genevieve doesn’t seem to match anyone she stands next to.’
Even before they opened the door, Genevieve had been calling out her name and running over like an excitable puppy. Yet standing beside anyone, she always seemed mismatched.
It wasn’t that others were lacking—it was just that Genevieve, who had become even more mature and dignified, shone so brightly that everything else seemed to fade in comparison.
‘She’s the best protagonist, after all.’
Genevieve had grown stronger, not just by enduring hardships but by transforming them into opportunities for growth. Beautiful and resilient—it was impossible not to adore her.
Edwin, on the other hand, seemed somewhat awkward. He spoke less, and there was a subtle distance in his demeanor.
“Why the sudden act of pretending to be a stoic man of few words?”
“With a face like mine, even being a brooding handsome man suits me.”
“Confidence is important, I suppose…”
He must have been tired from work. If his exhaustion led to this peculiar behavior, she could forgive it. After all, despite his busyness, he had come when called.
To Edwin and Genevieve, Adeline not only explained everything but also shared the ending they would have faced if the story had progressed as written.
When she described how Edwin was the classic charming but philandering second lead who couldn’t stop loving the female lead even though she already had a romantic partner, Edwin smiled wryly.
“So, in the end, I couldn’t give up?”
