Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 203

Adeline shook off her thoughts and continued speaking.

“The villainess ‘Adeline’ in the novel committed countless evil acts, but every time she was stopped, exposed, and eventually killed.”

Whether it was the male lead or one of the supporting male characters who killed her, she didn’t know. At this point, it didn’t matter to Adeline.

After all, the novel and reality were different.

However, Shane’s eyes darkened. Tightening his interlocked fingers with hers, he asked,

“By me?”

“Huh? No? I don’t know who it was.”

“It was me, wasn’t it?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Without much change in his expression, Shane nodded.

“Then it must have been me. It sounds like something I would do.”

Adeline froze for a moment, staring at him. Shane gave a soft smile, leaning in to place a light kiss on her slightly parted lips.

“What’s this, Adeline? Acting surprised now.”

“No… it’s just that it does feel kind of surprising.”

Shane smiled playfully, as if to say, ‘Doesn’t it?’

Though his large frame made his affectionate gestures seem incongruous, he knew exactly how well his cuteness worked on her and wasn’t afraid to use it.

“You don’t dislike this kind of thing anymore, right?”

“I hate that you know me so well…”

“Take it back. Even joking that you hate it hurts my feelings.”

Pouting as if genuinely wounded, Shane grumbled. Adeline buried her face in her hands.

‘Where did the stalwart male lead from the original story go, and why is there a sly fox sitting here instead?’

As if he could see right through her, Shane smiled leisurely before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“That poor Adeline, being killed just for being a little jealous.”

“Think about it, Shane. The things Adeline did to the female lead in the novel are exactly what happened to me in this world. Assassination attempts, poisoning attempts, kidnapping…”

“……”

Shane wrinkled his nose in displeasure, and Adeline kissed the bridge of his nose in response before continuing her story.

“I had to do something. The best choice was to stay as far away from the ‘characters’, the protagonists, as possible. I planned to break off our engagement first and then move to some distant countryside.”

“I see.”

“But you refused. You wouldn’t even listen to me. You said a sudden breakup would just seem like a childish whim and that I had no grounds for it. You followed me everywhere, asking why, making things so difficult.”

He had stubbornly pressed for answers, asking relentlessly who had told her to do such a thing.

Come to think of it, Shane had been just as persistent back then.

“Honestly, I thought that as long as I didn’t commit any evil acts, I wouldn’t be killed. After all, the ‘Adeline’ in the novel and I are different. But then, the nightmares started.”

It was as if the nightmares were there to remind her of her role.

“The nightmares only ended when I died. I tried everything, but no matter what, I always died in the end. I couldn’t dismiss it as a meaningless dream because everything in reality played out exactly as it had in my dreams.”

“……”

“I first met Lloyd and Lucian in places I had seen in my dreams. Shane, I saw the scene of you bringing Genevieve countless times—dozens, maybe hundreds.”

Adeline slowly unraveled her story, occasionally answering Shane’s questions in detail.

Surprisingly, Shane believed her without a shred of doubt.

‘This isn’t a story anyone could believe easily.’

More than anything, wouldn’t it be shocking to learn you were merely a character in someone’s fictional creation?

Yet Shane didn’t seem to care. While Adeline herself felt her words sounded like absurd ramblings or foolish delusions, Shane listened with utmost seriousness.

Not once did he say, “That can’t be true,” or “It’s impossible.” He seemed to accept her words simply because she said them.

“So, I ran away. I believed it was the only way. I intended to watch over your happiness from afar. If I removed myself, the two of you could have your perfect happy ending.”

“What a noble act of self-sacrifice.”

Shane muttered sarcastically, his brows furrowing.

But he quickly added,

“Sorry. That was out of line.”

“It’s fine. I don’t have a leg to stand on anyway…”

“Kiss me, Adeline. Just thinking about that time makes me want to cry.”

Shane skillfully coaxed her into a kiss, and Adeline, by now used to it, kissed him without hesitation. Their lips met warmly, lingering for a moment before parting slightly. Shane leaned in for another, unable to hide his dissatisfaction with the brevity of the first.