Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 223

The weather had nothing to do with a person’s death.

Genevieve understood that the universe wouldn’t align itself with her emotions.

But did the sky really need to be this clear?

The piercing sunlight and the cool breeze felt perversely as though they were celebrating the death of Adeline Bertrand.

Staring blankly at the gravestone bearing Adeline’s name, Genevieve replayed the last moments of that day in her mind, over and over again.

The sound of the man’s crying, who was thought to have neither blood nor tears, had abruptly vanished.

Adeline’s slender arm had fallen limp. Those arms had once embraced her, dried her soaked hair, and wiped the water from her cheeks with a warm smile.

Why did that person have to be buried here?

It didn’t matter that Genevieve had been recognized as the ‘saintess’.

She hadn’t wanted the title of saintess to bring her wealth or special treatment. She had only wanted to repay Adeline for believing so firmly in her worth and abilities.

Genevieve had never truly felt that God loved her.

If God really loved her, He wouldn’t have let Adeline die.

Her life had always been harsh and miserable, but not once had Genevieve ever wanted to die.

Even though she didn’t fully understand why she kept living, she had fought tooth and nail to survive.

No matter how much her body ached and how unbearable life seemed, the thought of wanting to die had never crossed her mind.

But now, in this moment, Genevieve wanted to die more than anything.

She didn’t want to live in a world where a beautiful soul like Adeline—someone who couldn’t be fully described even with the word ‘savior’—was gone.

The fact that she was the one responsible for Adeline lying there was a torment she couldn’t bear.

‘And yet, I can’t even die now.’

Because this life had been saved by Adeline.

When she could have died, she hadn’t wanted to. Now that she wanted to die, she couldn’t.

She thought, surely, that man felt the same way she did now.

Damn this world. Let it all burn to the ground.

Shane Blanchard lived because he couldn’t die.

He wished for a world without Adeline to collapse, yet at the same time, he was terrified that, over time, every trace of her might fade away.

On the surface, he appeared composed. No one noticed that he was rotting from the inside out.

After Adeline Bertrand’s funeral, he never once uttered her name.

No one dared to mention Adeline Bertrand in front of Shane Blanchard.

Like a wounded beast writhing in agony from a wound that would never heal, Shane didn’t let anyone tend to or even acknowledge his pain. He wouldn’t allow anyone to look into it or act as if they understood.

Even his pain and wounds were remnants of Adeline, and he didn’t want those remnants to fade.

In truth, Shane didn’t want even the pain to lessen.

He didn’t mind living in excruciating agony for the rest of his life, as long as even a single fragment of memory remained vivid.

Don’t disappear. Don’t be forgotten.

Let nothing drift away from me.

Shane carried everything within him, wholly and completely.

The world was as peaceful and tranquil as if Adeline had never existed.

Everything ran smoothly.

The saintess awakened, purifying the corrupted world. The crown prince filled the emperor’s absence with competence, cementing his presence both domestically and abroad.

Shane inherited his father’s title and became the Duke of Blanchard, along with all the family’s wealth and power.

No one sought Adeline.

Because Adeline had saved Genevieve before her awakening as the saintess, Adeline’s actions were never officially acknowledged.

The Bertrand family forbade any mention of their deceased youngest daughter.

No one—truly no one—spoke of Adeline Bertrand.

It was as if she had never existed.

Shane couldn’t stand it.

The anger boiled inside him, fueling the urge to destroy everything in sight.

How can the world carry on so smoothly when you’re not here?

How am I still breathing?

When it hurts this much.

Shane realized something.