Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 111

The more she slept, the more her energy drained. It was much better to stay awake.

After lying in bed without leaving the bedroom for over a month and a half, she gradually got used to the nightmares.

She already couldn’t overcome the physical exhaustion from lack of sleep, but repeatedly experiencing the terrible dreams started to dull her emotionally.

Adeline maintained her composure enough to look around even if Shane was stabbed in front of her. When someone tried to kill her, she could pretend to be calm. It was easier than watching someone else die.

Of course, this didn’t mean she was fine.

When she woke from the dream, she had to cry for a long time, and she struggled with the confusion of whether it was a dream or reality.

But she had to endure it, so she wouldn’t lose her reason in tears and miss anything important.

Thanks to this, she gathered a few hints.

‘This is no job for a human being….’

Adeline looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She looked so haggard that it’s as if she were on the brink of death.

Lack of sleep had sunken her eyes, and crying had left them sore and swollen.

Her skin was rough, and her hair was a mess. The beauty she had inherited from her parents was now unrecognizable, looking more like a beggar. She looked even worse than when she was young and merely sleep-deprived.

‘A terminally ill beggar…?’

At least she was clean, thanks to daily baths. If she were still in seclusion, she wouldn’t have been able to wash or eat for days.

Having hit rock bottom before, Adeline felt a bit proud that she hadn’t completely lost her humanity amidst all this. She had grown up.

She had said she was okay despite her appearance, so it was no wonder she was laughed at for lying.

Lloyd’s dissatisfaction seemed to be growing, as his cute face increasingly puffed up like a blowfish. When she complained that his touch didn’t feel loving, he glared at her sharply. If she annoyed him any further, he might soon hit her.

‘Is this confinement or recuperation….’

Using confinement as an excuse, she was just lounging around to recuperate. If it weren’t for the nightmares, it would have been an ideal life for Adeline. It was amusing to think that confinement suited her, but there was no better way to describe it.

Shane said he had given up on confinement.

Shane diligently brought her meals.

In the mornings, if she seemed to have fallen asleep again at dawn, he waited until she was fully awake and made sure she finished a bowl of soup before leaving. For lunch, he had Lloyd monitor what she ate. He returned home promptly for dinner.

With her poor condition, she had no appetite.

Sometimes she felt like vomiting because her stomach couldn’t handle it, but she couldn’t skip meals because Shane would refuse to eat as well. What was he, a childish kid on a hunger strike?

‘He must be busy, yet he’s overexerting himself.’

Despite coming home every morning and evening, Shane was undoubtedly incredibly busy.

The incident of the Saintess Genevieve being attacked was gradually being resolved.

With the Pope on the verge of death and the incident not something that could be publicly disclosed, the church swiftly discarded the main culprit and cut ties. Edwin thoroughly crushed the church’s discarded scapegoat but seemed to maintain a balance.

Even handling the aftermath of the incident kept him busy, and the Winter Founding Festival was just around the corner.

Invited guests from various countries were arriving, and the streets of Delmuz were bustling with unseasonal warmth and excitement.

Wherever there were festivals and crowds, incidents were bound to follow.

Given his status, there were countless events where Shane had to show his face as the Duke of Blanchard. Normally, Adeline would have accompanied him.

‘Soon, I won’t be able to use my health as an excuse to stay in seclusion….’

She couldn’t ignore her parents’ and brothers’ letters forever.

Genevieve persistently sent letters, and several people she had befriended to investigate the sorcerer candidates were also flooding her with letters. Lloyd was handling them, but it was only a matter of time before he reached his limit.

“Master, please don’t smile.”

“You’re so mean….”

“If you don’t mind your lipstick getting smudged, then go ahead and smile.”

“Mm.”

When Adeline closed her mouth at Lloyd’s words, the maid sighed in relief and finished applying her lipstick.