Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 62
As Adeline averted her gaze, Shane spoke.
“Donât worry. I havenât done anything up to now, right? I canât promise I wonât do anything you dislike, butâŚ.”
“Whatâs with that ambiguous statementâŚ.”
“At least I wonât force myself on you. I wonât do it unless you want it.”
“That will never happen!”
“You used to say you never know with people, right?”
“This is different!”
“Alright, alright, letâs go to sleep.”
“Go sleep in your own bedroom. Itâs not like thereâs only one bedroom in this mansion.”
“My bedroom is here.”
“âŚThen Iâll leave.”
But his arms around her waist were as solid as rocks, and she couldnât break free. Adeline slapped Shaneâs arm repeatedly. Naturally, he didnât budge. She struggled and kicked, but soon she was tangled up, with her legs intertwined with his.
“I said Iâm going!”
“Itâs no use, Adeline. Iâll follow you wherever you go.”
“âŚâŚ.”
“So just sleep here. This bedroom is the most comfortable, isnât it?”
“There are so many bedrooms in this mansion. I donât care if they arenât tidy. I can sleep anywhere, really. Just throw a blanket on the floor for me. I thought my back would hurt, but the straw under the blanket made it surprisingly comfortable. Actually, I donât even need a blanketâŚ.”
When she fled abroad, she had stayed in temporary shelters for months.
The hideout Lucian provided was too risky. Adeline trusted Lucian’s abilities, but there was always that one-in-a-million chance. If Lucian got caught, the hideout would be exposed immediately.
Adeline moved to a country much farther than the planned settlement she had told Lucian about. From the start, Lucian, who had helped with the escape, and even Lloyd, were not informed of the final destination.
âI remember Lloydâs expression when he got the ferry ticket at the original destination.â
Although it wasnât a fatal wound, the injury where her stomach was pierced was never light. Crossing the border in that condition again was madness, he would have thought.
âCouldnât you just treat the wound and leave the place Lucian provided?â
âItâs not that I donât trust Lucian. I mean I do, butâŚ.â
âSo, you donât trust him.â
ââŚOf course, I believe Lucian will handle things properly since he was commissioned. I believe that. But people are multi-faceted beings. You never know whatâs going on inside their minds.â
âYou donât trust anyone.â
âLloyd, I trust you.â
âYou speak well. Keeping secrets from me until this moment.â
âI did it to spare you the stress. I gave you many responsibilities. I felt bad about that.â
âIf you feel bad, then walk properly. Donât lean on me. Do you realize Iâm shorter than you?â
Sneaking across the border while injured was truly tough. She barely ate or slept. It felt like she was going to die, but the joy of being free from nightmares got her through.
Lloyd suffered a lot.
Really, a lot.
Since it took too long to convert valuables like jewels and accessories into cash, and they attracted too much attention, she bought a house with the cash she had. Naturally, it was shabby.
They lacked the necessary furniture and items for living, so they slept on blankets on the bare floor for a while. Back then, she was even injured, so now, being healthy, she didnât even need blankets.
But Shane was immovable.
“I wonder why you had to sleep without blankets.”
“……”
“I’ll restrain myself from asking because I might get angry again.”
“Why would that make you angry…?”
“How can I not be angry when you suffered?”
“……”
She hadnât thought of that answer. After all, wasnât he the one causing her the most suffering now?
“What was your super capable attendant doing?”
“Lloyd was sleeping beside me without blankets too…”
“Ah, beside you.”
“We had no choice. It was a one-room place.”
Even without looking up, she could sense his crooked smile. Shane seemed satisfied with that, hugging Adeline and resting his chin on her head.
“Then I have no choice either, Adeline.”
“What! Do you think I donât know how many bedrooms there are in this house?”
“I canât sleep without you.”
Adeline was momentarily speechless at his low voice.
She wished she could dismiss it as a lie immediately.
“I feel anxious and canât sleep unless Iâm holding you.”
She knew all too well the pain of struggling to sleep due to anxiety.
“Just give up, Adeline. No matter what you say, Iâll never let you go. Youâll never be able to leave my side⌠forever.”
Letâs just sleep now.
It was a terrifyingly possessive statement and a profound confession at the same time.
Adeline stared at Shaneâs face, eyes closed, for a long time with a bewildered expression. Her insides were in turmoil, and her head throbbed.
She knew without looking that her face was turning bright red.
