Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 59
A Villain, by Nature
“How big is your liver to have such brazennessâŚ.”
“Iâm pretty sure it’s a normal size. I have an average tolerance for alcohol.”
“You must have about five or six lives.”
“Just one, which is why I’m struggling.”
“Or you enjoy pain.”
“I hate pain more than anything in the world.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“My body just moved on its ownâŚ.”
It’s like when you instinctively reach out to grab a child about to be hit by a car before you even think about it.
Adeline, who had been making excuses, rested her chin on her hand and looked at Lloyd.
“I did think it through. Shane was with me, after all.”
“I heard the culprit was a big guy over 190 centimeters.”
“Well, yes. He suddenly went berserk and attacked. Listen, Lloyd. I think there was a sorcerer among them. Otherwise, he wouldnât have attacked in a crowded place without any warning or planâŚ.”
“You even knew the culprit wasnât in his right mind.”
“I’m telling you, Shane was right next to me.”
“You trusted that guy?”
Would I be a fool if I said I did? Adeline hesitated and couldnât answer immediately. Lloyd gave her a look of blatant disdain.
Adeline protested softly.
“Oh, come on, would he really let me die?”
“It seems youâve forgotten why you’re in this situation in the first place.”
“There were many eyes watching.”
“Yes, sure. He seems like a person who thinks things through.”
“……”
“A person who buys off newspapers to set traps, kidnaps and confines, and forces marriage with family lives as hostages?”
“Exactly. If he was going to let me die easily, he wouldnât have bothered with such troublesome actions.”
Lloyd raised his dark brown eyes to look at Adeline. His gaze showed surprise at her cold words, making Adeline smile a little.
“If he wants to make me miserable as revenge, he has to keep me alive, so paradoxically, being by Shaneâs side is the safest.”
“So, youâve been thinkingâŚ?”
“What did you think of meâŚ?”
“I thought you fell for his charmâ hook, line, and sinker.”
“……”
He seemed sulky from being left alone for so long. It was hard to tell because he rarely showed emotion, but his lips and eyes betrayed his mood.
âWhen Shane is around, he stubbornly avoids approaching.â
Consequently, there was almost no leisurely time to have a conversation with Lloyd. They only left short notes in the reports left in the study.
The notes mainly contained nags like, “You need more exercise,” or “Increase your water intake.” It would be a mistake to think they sounded like advice from a veterinarian.
If Shane hadnât noisily called the doctor as soon as he got home and left again after hearing that she was fine, Lloyd wouldnât have approached. He wouldâve stood far away, leaving a note saying, “Are you crazy?”
Shane hadnât said a word all the way home.
He seemed worried, judging by his anger over her almost getting hurt, but since they werenât on terms where he would comfort her like Lloyd, Adeline kept her mouth shut.
âI shouldnât have patted his head either.â
Adeline changed the subject.
“When will Lucian be available?”
“He says he doesnât want to meet because heâs scared of your husband.”
“Is he only scared of Shane? Isnât he afraid of me getting mad at him for selling me out?”
“He didnât mention that.”
Adeline could almost see Lucianâs shxt-eating grin. He would say thereâs no reason not to sell a friend whoâs left without any remaining grudge for a good price.
There really wasnât. Adeline found herself a bit annoyed that she agreed with it.
“Seems Lucian wonât cooperate again.”
“Seems Lucian doesnât want to die, either.”
“Then persuasion is the only option….”
Whether it was persuasion or escape, it would take time.
Adeline decided to postpone her immediate escape and tackle the tasks she needed to handle first.
“Lloyd, compile a list of the nobles who were present today and investigate them.”
“Only nobles?”
“Yes, only nobles.”
The only clue from the novel that was still usable in this changed situation was that the sorcerer was from the empireâs nobility.
Lloyd would probably get angry if she said it was thanks to the attack, but it helped narrow down the list of potential sorcerers. She considered it a stroke of luck.
Adeline couldn’t believe it was a coincidence that Genevieve had become endangered right after her return to Delmuz.
âIs there really such a thing as coincidence in this world?â
It was as if the world had started turning its gears again, having waited for the missing “villain” to return.
It felt ominous.
