Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 178
Neither of them looked presentable at this point.
Their hair was disheveled, and their bodies were covered in blood.
Who could have predicted theyâd end up in a hand-to-hand fight with a sorcerer? If sheâd known, she would have eaten better and built up some muscle.
âItâs okay, itâs okayâŚâ
âI told you, if you keep saying youâre okay carelessly, youâll get scoldedâŚâ
A trembling voice trying to threaten was hardly frightening. When Adeline managed a faint smile, Genevieve squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling.
Kaitlyn let out a mocking laugh.
âWhat a convenient power.â
âUnlike you, our Genevieve is someone beloved by the world,â Adeline said, her voice regaining strength as she sent Genevieve behind her to buy time for her to heal her own injuries.
âHah! The very power that killed my Keith!â
Adeline was about to retort, wondering who the hell is Keith and whatâs all this about? but before she could respond, Genevieveâs hands shoved her backward, and she landed on her backside.
With a look of steely resolve, as if sheâd reached her limit, Genevieve clenched her lips and slapped Kaitlyn.
Their skin should have made a slapping sound, but instead, there was a dull thud. Adelineâs eyes widened.
Genevieve hadnât used her palmâshe had punched Kaitlyn square in the face.
âDonât go near Lady Adeline.â
Her low, chilling voice was ominous.
âWho are you to strike Lady Adeline? Even at my most resentful, Iâve never laid a hand on her! Itâs enough to break my heart to see her hurt herself without a care. Even His Excellency and I tremble at the thought of her getting even a single scratch. So, who do you think you are?â
âWait⌠did you ever want to hit me, GenevieveâŚ?â
Adeline glanced at her cautiously.
Genevieveâs fury was intense and terrifying. Kaitlyn screamed and tried to attack her again, but it was uselessâshe fell back as easily as a paper doll.
âIâd better not provoke herâŚâ
Adeline noticed Kaitlyn biting her lip until it bled, her gaze shifting sharply to something nearby.
In that instant, her body moved on its own.
A man, knocked down by Genevieve, drew a dagger from his belt and charged.
Adeline clung to his thick arm, desperately trying to prevent him from stabbing Genevieve. While Genevieve had easily thrown him aside earlier, the man wasnât affected by Adelineâs weight in the least.
âMy starting stats as a villainess are awful!â
When the sailor shook his arm, Adelineâs body was flung through the air. She landed squarely on Harrison, pinning him momentarily beneath her before she scrambled up.
âGenevieve!â
Kaitlyn was on top of Genevieve, strangling her.
Apparently assuming Kaitlyn could handle Genevieve, the sailor turned his attention back to Adeline and charged. Watching him steady his grip on his dagger and lurch forward, Adeline found herself unable to move.
The large man felt like a truck barreling toward her. And just as one couldnât simply dodge a truck, she was frozen, her body refusing to respond.
If she died here, it would be a pointless death.
Genevieve would cry.
Strangely enough, this felt like that night all over again.
The night Adeline had deliberately thrown herself into the novelâs storyline to escape.
A thug controlled by a sorcerer had attacked Genevieve, and Adeline had deliberately intervened.
She now understood how much pain that staged death had caused.
Her decision to âsurviveâ that night had ultimately saved no one.
Adeline had been as good as dead for the past five years. Now, she saw just how foolish it had been.
If the same thing happened again, Genevieve would never be able to forgive herself. She would suffer, even though it wasnât her fault. She was too kind.
Adeline had to survive, for Genevieveâs sake.
And then there was Shane.
There were things she needed to say to Shane.
If she died here, he would never forgive himself.
Before her thoughts could even finishâ
Before the dagger could touch herâ
The man collapsed, his eyes wide open.
Something warm splattered across her face.
âGood thing I made it.â
Above the fallen man, Shaneâs voice rang out.
Adeline, gasping for breath, looked up slowly to see Shane standing there, looking down at her with cold eyes.
âThis time, I wasnât too late.â
