Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 97
A masquerade ball guarantees anonymity.
However, itâs hard to completely conceal oneâs identity just by covering half the face. Even if people couldnât recognize you from afar, exchanging a few words would generally give them an idea of who you were.
Especially for a famous person like Shane, it was even harder not to be recognized.
âIs he even trying to hide?â
While few knew Lucian’s face, Shane was so famous that his face often appeared in newspapers. Even from a moving carriage, anyone could tell that it was Shane Blanchard.
He was someone who should be incredibly busy, so why was he at a masquerade ball?
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âFamous for its debauchery.â
Lucianâs voice passed through her mind like a devilâs whisper.
At a masquerade ball, even if you recognized someone, it was polite to pretend you didnât. Many people used anonymity to shed their status and indulge in a night of freedom.
â…No, if he were going to cheat, he would have done so when I encouraged him to date Genevieve…â
If Shane Blanchard were the type to cheat easily, Adeline wouldnât be in this position. Of all the men she knew, he was the farthest from being unfaithful.
She knew he wouldnât cheat after he had professed his love.
But even if Shane did cheat, Adeline had no right to say anything. It would be ridiculous to accuse him of infidelity after pushing him away so much.
Moreover, the love Shane spoke of now was close to hate.
If the love was real, so was the hatred.
There was no rule that love meant they had to be faithful to each other.
As he had wished for her unhappiness, he might be giving her the gift of a life with an unfaithful husband.
Although things had been good recently, she hadnât actually spoken to Shane, so she couldnât be sure. She didnât know what he was thinking.
Lucian might be here for his own reasons, or perhaps…
âStop being so brazen, self.â
Adeline briefly suspected that Lucian had brought her here knowing Shane would come.
Lucian would do something like that.
Even if he had cooperated with Shane out of necessity, he would still want to repay the grudge for stepping on his face.
âAnyway, if I get caught, Iâm fvcked, so I better stay hidden.â
But she couldnât stay crouched under the table forever. If someone found her, it would look even more suspicious. Adeline crawled away from Shaneâs direction and stood up cautiously once she felt she was out of his line of sight.
âDoing all sorts of things…â
Storytime about crawling at a masquerade ball…
For a while, she was tense, thinking Shane might approach her, but she soon realized that was a far-fetched idea.
People swarmed around Shane so much that she couldnât be seen from a distance. He was almost surrounded by a wall of people.
To anyone, he was unmistakably Shane Blanchard, and people had no intention of leaving him alone. He rarely attended social gatherings, so who knew when such an opportunity would arise again.
Moreover, he was alone without even Edwin, who usually made it hard to approach him.
Recently, though he had appeared at parties with Adeline to meet potential sorcerers, Shane never left her side. He dismissed anyone who tried to speak with her, telling them to meet separately later.
âSince itâs hard to meet separately, they talk to him at social events…â
But now Shane Blanchard, with just a mask on, was conversing with people. Most of them were women.
Despite being married, Shaneâs mere presence alone was enough to tempt them.
She knew she had no right to complain and that she must not be caught here. Yet, seeing him chatting so amicably made her feel uneasy.
Oh, she wanted to chew on something, anything.
âHow was it before?â
As she nervously chewed on a canapé, Adeline recalled past memories.
When she was avoiding Shane, she tried hard to distance herself from him.
After Genevieve appeared, she encouraged him to stick with her, but even before that, she had tried to avoid him as much as possible. She knew she would be more miserable if she grew more attached.
