Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 59
A Villain, by Nature
“How big is your liver to have such brazenness….”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a normal size. I have an average tolerance for alcohol.”
“You must have about five or six lives.”
“Just one, which is why I’m struggling.”
“Or you enjoy pain.”
“I hate pain more than anything in the world.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“My body just moved on its own….”
It’s like when you instinctively reach out to grab a child about to be hit by a car before you even think about it.
Adeline, who had been making excuses, rested her chin on her hand and looked at Lloyd.
“I did think it through. Shane was with me, after all.”
“I heard the culprit was a big guy over 190 centimeters.”
“Well, yes. He suddenly went berserk and attacked. Listen, Lloyd. I think there was a sorcerer among them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked in a crowded place without any warning or plan….”
“You even knew the culprit wasn’t in his right mind.”
“I’m telling you, Shane was right next to me.”
“You trusted that guy?”
Would I be a fool if I said I did? Adeline hesitated and couldn’t answer immediately. Lloyd gave her a look of blatant disdain.
Adeline protested softly.
“Oh, come on, would he really let me die?”
“It seems you’ve forgotten why you’re in this situation in the first place.”
“There were many eyes watching.”
“Yes, sure. He seems like a person who thinks things through.”
“……”
“A person who buys off newspapers to set traps, kidnaps and confines, and forces marriage with family lives as hostages?”
“Exactly. If he was going to let me die easily, he wouldn’t have bothered with such troublesome actions.”
Lloyd raised his dark brown eyes to look at Adeline. His gaze showed surprise at her cold words, making Adeline smile a little.
“If he wants to make me miserable as revenge, he has to keep me alive, so paradoxically, being by Shane’s side is the safest.”
“So, you’ve been thinking…?”
“What did you think of me…?”
“I thought you fell for his charm— hook, line, and sinker.”
“……”
He seemed sulky from being left alone for so long. It was hard to tell because he rarely showed emotion, but his lips and eyes betrayed his mood.
‘When Shane is around, he stubbornly avoids approaching.’
Consequently, there was almost no leisurely time to have a conversation with Lloyd. They only left short notes in the reports left in the study.
The notes mainly contained nags like, “You need more exercise,” or “Increase your water intake.” It would be a mistake to think they sounded like advice from a veterinarian.
If Shane hadn’t noisily called the doctor as soon as he got home and left again after hearing that she was fine, Lloyd wouldn’t have approached. He would’ve stood far away, leaving a note saying, “Are you crazy?”
Shane hadn’t said a word all the way home.
He seemed worried, judging by his anger over her almost getting hurt, but since they weren’t on terms where he would comfort her like Lloyd, Adeline kept her mouth shut.
‘I shouldn’t have patted his head either.’
Adeline changed the subject.
“When will Lucian be available?”
“He says he doesn’t want to meet because he’s scared of your husband.”
“Is he only scared of Shane? Isn’t he afraid of me getting mad at him for selling me out?”
“He didn’t mention that.”
Adeline could almost see Lucian’s shxt-eating grin. He would say there’s no reason not to sell a friend who’s left without any remaining grudge for a good price.
There really wasn’t. Adeline found herself a bit annoyed that she agreed with it.
“Seems Lucian won’t cooperate again.”
“Seems Lucian doesn’t want to die, either.”
“Then persuasion is the only option….”
Whether it was persuasion or escape, it would take time.
Adeline decided to postpone her immediate escape and tackle the tasks she needed to handle first.
“Lloyd, compile a list of the nobles who were present today and investigate them.”
“Only nobles?”
“Yes, only nobles.”
The only clue from the novel that was still usable in this changed situation was that the sorcerer was from the empire’s nobility.
Lloyd would probably get angry if she said it was thanks to the attack, but it helped narrow down the list of potential sorcerers. She considered it a stroke of luck.
Adeline couldn’t believe it was a coincidence that Genevieve had become endangered right after her return to Delmuz.
‘Is there really such a thing as coincidence in this world?’
It was as if the world had started turning its gears again, having waited for the missing “villain” to return.
It felt ominous.
