Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 23
That Villainess, Resurrected
The male lead is a villain, the villainess has been kidnapped, and the female lead married another man.
So, what genre is this novel now?
‘A horrendous hybrid….’
At the very least, it couldn’t be called a romance fantasy novel anymore.
Adeline tightly shut her eyes. With fraud, kidnapping, and imprisonment, was this a crime thriller now?
‘The only common point is that my survival probability is terribly low.’
Whether as a villainess in a romance fantasy or a victim in a crime thriller, the role was always one with slim chances of survival.
‘What a life, fxxxing hell.’
Currently, Adeline was kidnapped, locked up in an unknown location, with her future depending on a deranged lunatic—the final villain of this world.
In her past life, she hadn’t committed any notable sins, so why was her current life so fxxxed up?
‘It’s unlikely that Lloyd can come to rescue me. No, he shouldn’t come.’
Thinking about Shane’s resentful gaze and ice-cold threats, she doubted he would spare Lloyd.
Moreover, Lloyd was originally someone who would have excelled as an assassin, more suited for agile and covert combat than fighting head-on.
So, what should she do now?
Adeline tried to think with her sluggish mind. Maybe it was because she had spent her time in hiding, eating and playing without thinking, that her thoughts wouldn’t connect well.
In fact, there wasn’t a sharp solution to begin with. All of Adeline’s cards had disappeared five years ago.
‘Should I just beg desperately? Pride doesn’t fill your stomach. As long as I can survive, then whatever.’
She could kneel and apologize as much as needed, but the problem was that this method didn’t seem likely to work with Shane.
Her stomach prickled with pain. It seemed like her stress-induced gastritis was acting up again.
In any case, just lying there wouldn’t solve anything.
Determined to beg for her life, Adeline resolutely got out of bed.
Since Genevieve had come in without trouble, it seemed the door wasn’t locked. This could be due to Shane’s confidence that he could catch her wherever she ran, or the entire mansion might be under surveillance.
Either way, she didn’t want to stay any longer in this windowless room. She felt like she might develop depression.
However, just as Adeline got up, the door opened again.
Thinking it was either Shane or Genevieve, Adeline stiffened. The other person did too.
“Oh, my goodness.”
A thin voice trembled. Adeline choked out a sound.
“Mother…”
Her mother, Marchioness Emma Bertrand, looked much more gaunt and frail than Adeline remembered. Her pale complexion and sunken cheeks made her look like a patient.
“Is it really, really you, Adeline…?”
“…….”
“Adeline, my daughter!”
Emma rushed forward and hugged Adeline. Adeline, too frail to push her away, felt like her mother might crumble if she pushed too hard.
“My daughter… My daughter is alive…! A-Adeline!”
“Mother….”
“Let me see your face, let me see….”
The hands that cupped her cheeks were cold and rough. Emma’s fingertips, trembling as they traced Adeline’s eyes, almost made Adeline burst into tears. Emma had become so terribly emaciated.
Standing still, unable to breathe or know what to do, three familiar faces appeared behind Emma.
Her father, Gregory, and her two older brothers, Patrick and Jeff.
And behind them followed Shane and Genevieve. Seeing Shane’s smirking face brought her back to reality.
“Mother, let go,” Patrick said in a cold voice.
“You’re doing something despicable, Duke Blanchard,” Gregory said, clicking his tongue and pressed his nose.
On the other hand, Jeff scoffed.
“Where did you find a woman who looks so similar? You said you would show us something Adeline left behind, and this is your ploy?”
“I buried my sister with my own hands. This is a vile act. I will formally….”
While pushing Genevieve forward, Shane said,
“The coffin buried in the ground was empty. When she went into the coffin, she was almost dead. That was the limit of the Saintess’s power at the time.”
Shane lied smoothly without even wetting his lips.
