Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 138
At times, Mia would let things slide, pretending she didnât know that Kaitlyn looked down on her like she was an ignorant fool.
In truth, Mia just wanted to leave the oppressive environment of Brubewein behind, and she even pitied Kaitlyn for being trapped in it, laboring endlessly under the false promises of the royal family.
Yes, Mia pitied Kaitlyn.
âLetâs leave together, Keith.â
âI canât, Princess. I really canât.â
âWhy? Do you feel like you owe your adoptive parents?â
âThatâs part of it.â
âOr is it because of Kaitlyn?â
ââŚâ
âKaitlyn will never leave Brubewein. Your parents would never let her go.â
âIf Kaitlyn isnât there, then Iâm not either.â
âKeith.â
âIâm not the one who can make you happy, Princess.â
ââŚBut I like you.â
âIâm sorry.â
Mia let out a small sigh.
“My arrogant friend, youâve crossed the line this time.”
“⌔
“I thought youâd understand how wide the world is once you left the nest. Do you really think youâre that special? What can you do without Keith?”
At least Keith knew his place.
“Without him, youâre nothing but half of what you used to be. Isnât it time you realized that?”
Mia spoke with intention and then left, telling Kaitlyn to pack her things and return to their homeland soon.
Keith… understanding his place.
Kaitlynâs head pounded, and her heart thudded as if it were beating inside her skull.
Mia hadnât just insulted herâshe had dragged Keith, her dead brother, into it as well. How dare she? How dare she talk about Keith like that?
The humiliation from someone she considered beneath her caused Kaitlyn to bite her lip so hard it bled.
She didnât even remember how she, too, had once belittled Keith.
Thinking she was better than Mia, better than Keithâthose were all delusions of her own.
In reality, everyone had viewed her as foolish, and now that realization was unbearable.
“How dare you⌠how dare you⌔
Kaitlyn had nothing left to protect.
Her only sibling was dead, and the Brubewein royal family, to whom she had devoted her life, had abandoned her. Not only had they discarded her, but they had taken her most precious possessionâher twin brotherâs bodyâhostage, using it to blackmail her.
If she acted rashly or didnât return to their homeland immediately, they would cut Keithâs body into pieces and throw it to the animals.
The future she believed she was destined to enjoy had crumbled like a sandcastle in an instant.
Where did it all go wrong?
Kaitlyn believed she was entitled to everything. She was a high-ranking sorceress who could control not only people but even monsters at will. Even royalty feared her power.
Without me, they wouldnât survive. Iâm powerful. I control people.
Her cheek still stung from Miaâs slap.
She never expected that simple, naive girl would report everything sheâd been doing. Kaitlyn had underestimated Mia far too much.
“Ha, haha.”
Even a cornered rat will bite a cat.
“Well, this is just perfect⌔
Kaitlyn let out a deflated, hollow laugh.
Yes, with nothing left to protect, she felt lighter.
Perhaps her fate had been sealed the moment Keith died.
Kaitlyn decided it was time to contact her last resort, the one she hadnât reached out to until now.
***
“Your Grace, the lady is waiting for you.”
Shane glanced at his anxious-looking subordinate.
He had expected the Empress to keep him tied up for a while, but it seemed heâd been released surprisingly quickly.
‘Or maybe she had rejected him early and returned,’ Shane thought.
It was Edwin who had used the Empress to call Adeline. Shane knew the game Edwin was playing but allowed it because he understood how hard it was to win Adelineâs heart.
Shane had spent years openly confessing his love, declaring that there was no one else for him, but Adeline had never acknowledged it.
It wasnât just that she didnât acknowledge itâshe didnât believe it either.
âIf she were the kind of person who understood without words, I wouldnât have had to suffer so much.â
Adeline had a tendency to see only what she wanted to see. Even with her eyes wide open, she would often act like she couldnât see anything at all.
Whether it was stubbornness or pride, there was a truth she held onto firmly, and until that was broken, no matter how sincerely Shane whispered to her, it would be dismissed as nonsense.
Shane draped his coat over his shoulders and left the office.
