Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 171

The kiss between the two didn’t last long.

That was because someone came to call for them.

When a rough-sounding voice, probably belonging to a sailor, said something, Harrison replied, and soon after, the two left the cabin.

Holding her breath, Adeline silently watched Genevieve’s reaction.

What a front-row seat to such a vivid scandal…

The cabin, divided by thin wooden planks, offered practically no soundproofing. No matter how much those walls were wooden, they barely functioned as walls if they allowed the sounds of lips meeting and even moans to slip through.

If Adeline and Genevieve hadn’t hidden first or had made any noise, they would have been caught long ago. Fortunately, two man and woman entered the adjacent room after they were hidden, so they hadn’t been discovered.

Of course, just by stabbing Lloyd and kidnapping the two, the betrayal was already clear.

But the shock of overhearing an adulterous affair added a whole new level.

Inwardly cursing, Adeline clutched Genevieve’s hand tightly.

You wretched bastard, with a face like a bear, you had to go and pull all this. As if betrayal wasn’t enough, now an affair too? At least Edwin had the looks to match his scandalous behavior—not that being handsome justifies cheating, but still, it’s something you can mentally prepare for. But you? Seriously…

‘Who do you think you are, hurting my girl?!’

Genevieve’s face was pale, to a pitiful degree.

Adeline almost wished she would get angry, but her violet eyes were simply calm and quiet, which made it even more painful. Adeline leaned forward, meeting Genevieve’s gaze.

Genevieve, who had been lost in thought, snapped back into focus.

“Lady Adeline? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just… you seemed a bit shaken.”

“Well, it’s not exactly pleasant to hear my husband, with whom I was sleeping side by side until yesterday, entangled with another woman…”

“……”

“But considering that I’ve already been betrayed and kidnapped by that husband, I’m not sure if I should feel shocked again at this point.”

“Oh, really…?”

“If things had happened in the reverse order, maybe I’d be hurt.”

Genevieve spoke in a cynical tone, her gaze flat and unemotional.

Since Genevieve claimed to be fine, Adeline thought it would be rude to ask again, so she swallowed down the words, “You don’t seem fine at all.”

“Well… if you’re okay, that’s a relief.”

The problem was that anyone could see she was not okay.

“Right now, it’s more important to get you out of here safely, Lady Adeline.”

“We have to escape together.”

Adeline quickly added, sensing that Genevieve was about to say something like, If only one of us can get out, you should be the one to survive. Adeline had no desire to hear lines that sounded like they would trigger a death flag.

‘Every time a character says something like that in a situation like this, they end up dying…’

The Saintess meeting a tragic end—if that happened, it was the beginning of the end for everyone. It would open up a dystopian world.

Adeline had a sense of duty to ensure Genevieve’s survival.

Yes, part of the reason was that Genevieve was the female lead and the Saintess.

If she died, the world would supposedly fall into ruin. Even if it was a world that didn’t particularly favor her, it was where her loved ones lived, so of course, she wanted to protect it.

But aside from all those reasons, Genevieve was someone Adeline just wanted to protect.

Not because she was some all-powerful protagonist, but because she felt more like a little sister who had endured a terribly difficult life, stirring up a natural protective instinct.

‘The kind of protagonist who even makes the villains fall for her…’

Maybe it was because Adeline was, in a way, a villain that she’d fallen so easily for Genevieve’s charm. Who would have thought she’d discover her identity as a villain here?

Adeline let out a small laugh, then collected herself and focused on the present situation.

Despite how composed she looked, Genevieve couldn’t be in her right mind.

Even if it had been a loveless marriage, having her spouse betray and cheat on her would be deeply shocking. Moreover, Genevieve had been starting to open her heart to him.

It might not have been a fiery, movie-like love, but it was clear she had quietly allowed him into her life.

She looked at him with eyes that clearly showed she trusted him.

Adeline couldn’t forgive the man who had betrayed that trust, especially knowing that Genevieve, in truth, found it difficult to trust others.

Which was why she needed to keep her wits about her and lead Genevieve out of there.