Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 31
The stage for the return of ‘Adeline Bertrand’ was a charity event scheduled to be hosted by the church.
Of course, Adeline’s opinion was not considered in the slightest.
It was arranged to show her face to the public briefly before the wedding. She didnāt need to stay long, but it was necessary to show her with Saintess Genevieve and Crown Prince Edwin.
Her partner was Jeff.
“Shane said heād come even if itās late. Donāt be too disappointed, Adeline.”
“Rather, I prefer it.”
She didnāt want to see Shaneās face if she could help it.
Since the day she returned after meeting Edwin, she hadnāt seen Shane for ten days. Thankfully, it made her feel at ease, even if just for a moment.
Today, however, she couldn’t avoid it.
āIām glad my partner is Jeff. At least I donāt have to see him yet.ā
When she clung to his arm like a child, Jeff’s eyes softened.
“Iām still better, right?”
“Of course. Thereās no comparison.”
“Heād cry if he heard that.”
Jeff chuckled.
The eldest son, Patrick, who was to inherit the title and the estate, didnāt seem to have any personal relationship with Shane, but the relatively free second son, Jeff, seemed quite comfortable with him. From what she had heard over the past few days, it seemed so.
They must have had some minor interactions since childhood, but she didnāt know the details.
After realizing that the world wanted her dead, she had perhaps tried even harder than Shane to avoid her family. As a result, despite being blood-related, she knew less about them than outsiders.
All she knew were their roles in the original story and their personalities from childhood.
The only person Adeline kept close was Lloyd.
She associated with everyone else only superficially.
So superficially, in fact, that she couldnāt remember the faces and names of people she had been quite friendly with a few years ago.
“What if someone talks to meā¦?”
In terms of the āsettingā, today was supposed to be the day after that day five years ago for Adeline.
So, she should remember the faces and names of her acquaintances, but unfortunately, Adeline didnāt remember who she had been close to. In fact, that wasnāt the only thing she couldnāt remember.
“Thereās no need to be nervous. Weāre right behind you.”
Patrick, who was escorting Emma instead of the busy Gregory, spoke firmly. Contrary to his reputation as a gentleman, he was quite intimidating.
Jeff bent down to whisper.
“Stand tall, Adeline. If anyone says anything, just tell me.”
“With my brothers acting so scary, who would dareā¦.”
Typical of a villainous familyā¦.
It was a relief Gregory wasnāt here. Even with just Emma, Patrick, and Jeff, they were already intimidating enough to scare the faint-hearted.
āTheir eyes are like hunting dogs.ā
Hiding behind her family seemed like a good way to avoid people talking to her. She felt a glimmer of hope.
Adeline entered the ball with an unnecessarily majestic background.
*
Adeline Bertrand instantly drew everyoneās attention.
Her platinum hair, meticulously styled, shone brilliantly under the lights of the ball. Simple pearl ornaments gave her an aura of radiance.
A beautiful woman with a slender, long neck, cream-colored skin flushed with a rosy hue, and large, green eyes like those of a deer appeared unchanged from the past.
As if time had reversed.
Even the murmuring stopped. People held their breath and stared at the woman who had returned from the dead.
The martyr who died saving the saintess.
Had Adelineās fiancĆ© not been Shane Blanchard, her death might have been commemorated as a great sacrifice.
But it wasnāt because of the rumors circulating between Shane Blanchard and Saintess Genevieve.
For the two to be together, the existence of the sacrificial fiancƩe needed to be downplayed.
Although it no longer mattered now that the saintess had married another man.
āItās really Adeline Bertrand.ā
āMy Godā¦. Could it really be true?ā
āI even placed flowers on her coffin.ā
āThis is unbelievableā¦.ā
Among those whispering were a few young ladies who had been close to Adeline.
Some turned pale as if they had seen a ghost, while others seemed delighted, but no one dared to approach her.
This was because the Bertrand family members surrounded Adeline Bertrand with ferocious protectiveness, ready to tear apart anyone who dared to utter nonsense.
