Chapter 202

“So, in the long run, was the Saintess deemed more valuable to exploit?”

“In the novel, you weren’t like that. You were single-mindedly devoted to the female lead, and that’s why readers loved you so much.”

“Was I?”

“The male lead saved the female lead from her tragic family circumstances, and the female lead emotionally awakened the male lead. It was a mutual salvation narrative—a perfect recipe for a hit.”

“……”

“The male lead constantly rescued the female lead when she was in danger and told her he loved her, Saintess or not…”

“……”

“I mean, in the novel. It’s all just a story.”

“So I was that much of an idiot.”

Shane let out a short, incredulous breath.

“He discarded you, someone who had been by his side since childhood, like an old shoe, for an illegitimate noble who wasn’t even confirmed to be the Saintess?”

“……”

Adeline couldn’t exactly deny it…

“And he claimed it didn’t matter whether she was the Saintess or not? That was supposed to be me?”

Shane’s quiet rage simmered, as if he’d been personally insulted. Adeline, who had no intention of offending him, panicked.

“And he even brought his affair partner into your home? If you’re going to be an idiot, at least have some shame. What a lunatic.”

“But isn’t it true love…?”

“That’s just a lack of basic decency, Adeline. Don’t try to sugarcoat it with love.”

It was a scathing critique.

And to be fair, it wasn’t wrong.

In the novel, the male lead had been engaged, regardless of whether the relationship was amicable or not, or whether there were emotions involved.

If he had ended his engagement before starting a new relationship, no one would have criticized him.

But the male lead, who brought the Saintess into his life, acted as if his fiancée didn’t even exist.

In the novel, Shane Blanchard was depicted as a devoted male lead, utterly loyal to the female lead.

‘Adeline Bertrand’ was insignificant to him, so he likely didn’t see any reason to formally end things with her before falling for the Saintess.

However, from Adeline Bertrand’s perspective, her fiancé bringing another woman into her home and protecting her while pushing Adeline aside was unjust treatment—even if she was portrayed as a villainess.

Could a man who cheated on his fiancée really be considered impressive? Adeline now found herself questioning the male lead’s appeal.

Then again, arranged marriages were often like that.

Personal feelings and intentions weren’t usually taken into account.

But Adeline decided to stop talking.

Anything she said would probably annoy the current Shane, who might accuse her of siding with the fictional Shane. Baseless jealousy was impossible to soothe.

“And then? What happened to the villainess version of you?”

Shane smoothly changed the subject. Adeline, momentarily lost in thought, snapped back to reality.

“Well, ‘Adeline’ went mad with jealousy and committed all sorts of evil deeds.”

“Ha, Adeline who’s gone mad with jealousy?”

“What?”

“Nothing. I just want to see it.”

The tone of his amused voice made it clear what he was thinking.

As if imagining something delightful, he pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck, the sound soft and lingering.

Without lifting his lips, he whispered against her skin,

“I’d love to see that.”

“I’m not kidding… She tried to kill Genevieve out of jealousy. Isn’t that terrible? She went to confront her directly, hitting her, kicking her, all of it.”

“And then?”

Why does he sound so excited…?

The kiss on her neck tickled, and Adeline reflexively shrugged her shoulders. Her eyes met Shane’s, who was smiling mischievously. Her face flushed red.

“She even got her parents and brothers to help plan a poisoning. And they all went along with it.”

“Sounds fun.”

“…She even hired assassins…”

Though every one of her attempts failed.

Looking back, Adeline realized that everything she had experienced was essentially the same as the actions taken by the novel’s ‘Adeline’.

“The female lead wasn’t just surrounded by the male lead. There were others, like His Highness Edwin, Lucian… even the ‘sorcerer’. They all fell for her. And understandably so. She was so beautiful and charming that you couldn’t help but root for her. Even I did.”

“……”

“Oh, and the ‘sorcerer’ in the novel was male. He seems to be dead now, though.”

But she wasn’t entirely sure.

‘Could he really be dead?’

The sorcerer, Keith, had been killed, but in his place, Kaitlyn had emerged as the new ‘villain’.

Later, Adeline learned they were twins. There might have been a deeper connection between their fates.

Dark magic was already reviled by the world, and its curses or mind-control techniques only worked on those with weaker mental fortitude. Its limited practical use meant few studied it deeply.

Furthermore, dark magic consumed the caster the more it was used.

There was always a reason why certain techniques weren’t widely practiced. While dark magic was easy to infiltrate with, its repercussions were severe when discovered.

Having failed to kill her, it was unlikely Keith had escaped unscathed.

‘Come to think of it, Kaitlyn said something about Keith’s body…’

She had muttered like a madwoman, but Adeline hadn’t caught the exact words.

“Maybe he really is alive. Like me.”

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