Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 225

They say that rank shapes a person, and Genevieve was no exception.

Even when she was revered as a saintess, Genevieve found Shane terrifying, but after becoming the pope, her perspective on him gradually began to shift.

The illusion that Shane was a monster rather than a human was starting to wear off.

So even someone like him can loosen up when he’s happy. He really is just a human being after all.

As the ‘monster’ began to appear more human, Genevieve slowly found herself able to look Shane in the eye or even talk back to him.

Even when Shane glared at her with murderous intent, Genevieve only raised an eyebrow at his impeccably sharp gaze.

Her latest expedition had been brief, lasting only ten days.

Since a long-term expedition lasting at least six months to a year was coming up, she had hurriedly wrapped up her duties to spend as much time as possible in Delmuz.

Even as the pope, she couldn’t abandon her responsibilities as a saintess, so it couldn’t be helped.

Because she was dedicating her remaining free time entirely to Adeline, any interruptions to her path toward her were far from welcome.

She turned her head to look at Shane with a tilted gaze and asked sarcastically, “Shouldn’t you know more about Adeline than I do?”

“……”

“Unlike you, I don’t live with her.”

Shane scowled.

“And I don’t spend all day trailing behind her, digging into her every move.”

“Your tone is insolent.”

“Well, I didn’t say anything wrong, so I won’t apologize.”

“What would I even do with an apology from you?”

“Exactly. Either way, I’m not hiding anything—especially not about Adeline. After all, we promised not to keep any secrets from each other when it came to her.”

The ‘we’ Genevieve referred to wasn’t just her and Shane.

Genevieve never considered herself and Shane to be an exclusive ‘we’. The thought alone made her shudder.

Especially after hearing from Adeline about the novel they were supposedly part of, their mutual dislike had only grown.

Genevieve had always been afraid of Shane, and Shane had always resented and envied her. But after learning that they were fated to play the roles of a married couple, their relationship became one of near-repulsion.

Me, with you? Why? For what reason?

Even standing side by side, let alone being in the same room, felt unbearable.

The mere thought of what Adeline must have endured watching them coexist all that time sent shivers down Genevieve’s spine.

It wasn’t until Adeline reassured them repeatedly, saying, I won’t misunderstand, even if you two embrace each other, that they finally managed to coexist in the same space without immediate friction.

(Though Genevieve had clasped her hands and begged Adeline to never suggest such a thing again, while Shane had sulked for an hour, clinging and leaving hickeys on Adeline’s arm.)

The ‘we’ Genevieve referred to included Shane, Genevieve, and the Bertrand family—essentially the collective of kidnappers.

Edwin and Lucian were not part of that ‘we’.

“If anyone’s hiding something, it’s probably you,” Genevieve quipped, aiming her words at Shane.

She was referring to whatever secret dealings he had orchestrated at the emperor’s secluded villa alongside Edwin, Lucian, and Jeff.

Since becoming pope, Genevieve had gained access to far more information than she had ever imagined while she was merely the saintess.

The hints and implications occasionally dropped by the late pope all stemmed from those classified reports. Thinking about all the scandals the pope had managed to hide despite such overwhelming information made her wonder just how much worse the full truth could have been.

Prayers, my a*s.

Shaking off the thought, Genevieve said, “I don’t know anything, and I haven’t even seen Adeline yet. Could you move aside?”

Shane ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His restless eyes indicated that something was clearly going on.

Genevieve added, “Why don’t you just ask her?”

Since revealing her secret, Adeline hadn’t hidden anything. She often said that keeping secrets before had been exhausting, and now she answered any question posed to her.

“She said she’s not hiding anything, so maybe she really isn’t.”

Genevieve tilted her head slightly, her trust in Adeline unwavering—even if Adeline were to claim wine was water.

“Fine. Go.”

“Oh… okay…”

Genevieve shook her head as she left Shane, who remained on edge.

It was only natural that a sane person wouldn’t be able to understand a madman. If she couldn’t understand him, it meant she was still sane.

After all, love didn’t seem to be healthy, either mentally or physically.

Genevieve clenched her fist, steeling her resolve.

Adeline is family, so that’s enough. Forget love. I’ll just work like a dog, earn money like a dog, and spend it like one!