Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 210

Genevieve tilted her head and replied,

“Oh, aren’t you? Since the moment you arrived, the entire area has been tightly guarded by the Blanchard household’s private army. The place is still under watch, so I assumed nothing had changed.”

“They even tried to search both me and Genevieve.”

“Still, Lloyd stopped them.”

Adeline was at a loss for words.

Body-searching the Crown Prince and the Saintess? How bold could Shane’s soldiers be to attempt such a thing? Were all of Shane’s private troops fearless beyond reason?

What was even more baffling was Genevieve’s calm explanation that followed.

“With the stunt Harrison pulled, it’s understandable he’d be sensitive about concealed weapons.”

“……”

“Oh, he’s definitely dead. I confirmed it myself to the very end. There’s no chance he’ll come back.”

“That’s not an easy thing to ensure,” Edwin remarked with a sardonic sneer.

Adeline, who had narrowly survived herself, nodded in agreement.

Genevieve added, “When spring comes, I’ll be inaugurated as the new Pope.”

“They’ll probably let you go by then,” Adeline muttered.

“Until then, Lady Adeline, you should work on building your stamina. You… can walk, right?”

“What do you take me for?”

Genevieve gave her a pitying look, like someone gazing at a newborn calf.

“I’d love for you to bless me from the closest position.”

“Well, I couldn’t attend your wedding, so I’ll make sure to… gasp—”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s because of the news of that wedding that you got captured in the first place, isn’t it?”

“…Ah, right. That’s true…”

It was a dizzying conversation.

Adeline and Genevieve exchanged glances before bursting into laughter simultaneously.

Even after revealing all her secrets, Adeline didn’t return to the Blanchard estate.

More precisely, she chose not to go back.

Shane had told her she could return at any time, but Adeline had taken a liking to the one-story house she was staying in.

Whatever lay beyond the gates, her view was filled with a spacious vegetable garden and a modest flower bed. There were no hired hands around, so she didn’t have to worry about being watched.

Adeline decided to stay there until Genevieve’s inauguration.

Huff, huff, gasp…

“Just one more round.”

“I can’t, I can’t! I just can’t…”

Sweat poured off her like rain.

Adeline panted and whimpered, feeling as though her lungs would burst and her throat burned. Her sweat-soaked skin felt sticky, her face was flushed with heat, and her vision swayed.

But Shane paid no heed.

“You can do it, Adeline.”

“How would you know when you haven’t even broken a sweat…”

Adeline grumbled. Unlike her, Shane’s skin was perfectly dry, without a hint of exertion. He smiled leisurely.

“I’m not struggling, after all.”

“Good for you, great for you! Ugh, really, so great…”

“It’s the result of consistent training.”

“I can’t do this anymore…”

At last, Adeline gave up and collapsed onto the ground.

Shane sat down beside her and commented, “You’ve improved a lot, though.”

“…Your compliments are too generous…”

Running two laps around the garden without stopping wasn’t exactly a record-breaking feat. While the house was spacious, it wasn’t as large as a sports field.

Yesterday around the same time, Lloyd had tried to console her, saying, ‘Snails live just fine, too.’ While the boy likely meant well, Adeline had felt insulted.

She had almost argued, asking if she wasn’t at least faster than a snail.

After finally being able to get proper rest, Adeline’s health had improved rapidly.

In just over a month, her complexion brightened, the dark circles under her eyes vanished, her skin regained its glow, and she felt more energetic.

Recently, Adeline had been focusing on building her stamina.

If she wanted to live a life of doing what she wanted rather than merely surviving, she needed health and strength first.

Shane wiped her sweat-drenched face with a towel.

“It makes me so proud and happy to see you working out.”

“Why would my exercising make you happy—no, never mind.”

Shane grinned, and just from that smile, she could tell what he was going to say.

Adeline quickly shut her mouth and averted her eyes, but Shane was already lifting her off the ground where she lay.

“Where’s Lloyd? If Lloyd’s around, I won’t do this!”

“I sent him to Lucian earlier.”