Chapter 7 – The Male Lead Is the Villain (6)
“You’re not actually going, knowing full well it’s a trap, are you?”
“Then what am I supposed to do? If I want to leave flowers, I need Lucian’s help. If the price is playing along with one of his little games, I can deal with that.”
“Should I come with you?”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll stand out more.”
Lloyd was strikingly handsome, and now that he was seventeen, he had grown tall. He was hard to miss. A woman wearing a black veil wouldn’t seem strange, but if even her attendant covered his face, that would look suspicious.
Looking at Lloyd’s displeased expression, Edelene asked,
“What are you worried about?”
“Your… safety, perhaps?”
“You? Worried about me?”
“…”
The look on his face was priceless. Edelene burst out laughing.
Lloyd’s charm was that he would never, even if his lips split open, admit he was worried.
“No matter what, Lucian won’t kill me, Lloyd.”
“I know, but…”
“Then what are you worried about?”
“…”
He didn’t answer immediately. For someone usually so firm, it was rare for him to swallow his words.
Edelene waited patiently.
Lloyd finally said,
“The saintess and the duke got married. But this city is too quiet, isn’t it?”
“It’s been over a month. People in this city get bored quickly.”
“And besides… No, it’s nothing.”
“You could just say you’re worried about your noona.”
“Even if my mouth tears open, I won’t say that.”
Provoked, Lloyd almost added that the duke’s eyes had looked strange.
He would soon regret not saying it.
***
It didn’t take long to understand Lucian’s intention.
Shane and Genevieve.
The male and female leads of the novel had supposedly reached its happy ending.
It had been five years.
If spotting them from afar counted as a reunion, then this was it.
‘Looks like the newlyweds came to watch a play together. Good for them.’
Edelene snorted.
If seeing them like this now could make her regret or feel hurt, she would never have been able to prepare such a ruthless exit.
Despite all the hardships, she had never forgotten the number one rule of any transmigrator or reincarnator in romance fantasy:
No pointless romance. No unnecessary emotions.
My life comes first.
The protagonists will be fine without my help.
Just like those two.
That place had never been hers.
Seeing them together only confirmed that her choice had been right.
Even from afar, they looked perfect together.
“His Grace is escorting the saintess again today.”
“Well, he’s the official patron…”
“They’re truly the perfect pair.”
“I heard the saintess is preparing for a purification journey…”
“To make sure no other nation steals her away…”
Edelene ignored the whispers and pulled her veiled hat lower.
No one was paying attention to her.
But if the protagonists’ superhuman eyesight somehow spotted her, that would be a disaster.
A dead person would quietly live in a corner.
The protagonists could live happily ever after.
Lucian had prepared a private VIP box on the second floor of the theater.
It came with drinks, snacks, and alcohol.
There was no way she would focus on the play. She planned to kill time with snacks and then curse Lucian out when he showed up.
‘He really has awful taste.’
In the novel, he had been a villain.
And even now, as a crime boss, he never did anything that didn’t benefit him. If given the choice, he preferred the option that caused someone discomfort.
Even after they had grown somewhat close, that part of him hadn’t changed.
He was cooperative because she had helped him early on.
But that didn’t mean he stopped enjoying messing with her.
Still, this time, Lucian had miscalculated.
Shane and Genevieve—somewhere out there—couldn’t hurt her.
‘I was the one trying to bring them together in the first place.’
There was no reason she would suffer now.
***
“If you go like this, I’ll never forgive you. No. Don’t…”
“Open your eyes, Edelene! Please…”
I’m glad you’re happy, Shane.
Whenever she remembered that day, she felt a small pang of guilt.
She only needed to show that scene to Genevieve so the saintess could awaken.
But she had ended up showing it to Shane too. That had been a mistake.
When she last checked, he had been far away.
But after she was injured, she found herself in his arms.
She had been startled too.
She had been cruel to the kind and gentle Shane.
It would have been enough for him to hear that his fiancée died protecting the saintess.
Even now, though the nightmares had stopped, his voice—howling like a beast who had lost its mate—sometimes echoed in her ears.
But now he must be perfectly happy.
Surely he had long forgotten his troublesome fiancée…
Edelene sensed someone approaching from behind and spoke, assuming it was Lucian.
“Lucian, what are you thinking—”
That was the last thing she remembered.
She opened her eyes beneath a ceiling she didn’t recognize.
***
“You stupid idiot! You should’ve chosen someone trustworthy, damn it…!”
Was she really so desperate for someone to trust that she chose Lucian?
She had been foolish to think that saving his life once or twice would earn lifelong loyalty.
Lucian was a man who calculated everything.
She had known that when he helped her escape Delmez five years ago, his debt had already been settled.
“I should’ve known when that bastard smiled like that…”
She hadn’t expected ignoring that ominous feeling would come back to bite her like this.
The door opened again.
Without even looking, she shouted,
“Shane, I’m really sorry for deceiving you. You can hit me until you calm down, but can we just talk—”
She tried to negotiate with a sincere apology and compensation.
For the sake of the heroine’s happiness, she absolutely could not ruin Shane’s marriage.
If he was angry, she would apologize. If he wanted something, she would give it, as long as it was reasonable.
Just let me out of here first!
“Lady Edelene…”
That voice—
“…Genevieve?”
The wife.
The heroine.
‘Damn it. This just keeps getting worse.’
What were the chances a wife wouldn’t misunderstand the woman her husband had locked in a bedroom—especially if that woman was his former fiancée?
Edelene was one step away from becoming the other woman.
“You’re truly alive! My goodness, how is this possible…!”
“Genevieve. Um… it’s been a while?”
Five years of hiding had apparently destroyed her social skills.
Faced with Genevieve’s tearful eyes—filled with shock and emotion—that was all she could manage to say.
Edelene felt ashamed at the worst possible moment.
She used to dominate Delmez’s social circles with dazzling conversation.
Now she had turned into this awkward mess.
“When His Grace told me, I couldn’t believe it. I saw you take your last breath with my own eyes. I even attended your funeral… To think you were alive all this time…”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you. There were… complicated circumstances I couldn’t explain.”
Very complicated circumstances.
Involving a previous life.
“If you were alive, how could you not send even one letter?”
“Th-that…”
If I was going to send a letter, I wouldn’t have gone that far in the first place…
She couldn’t say that out loud to a crying Genevieve.
Genevieve was a good girl.
Even though she was the heroine destined to take her fiancé, Edelene had rooted for her while reading the novel.
She was the typical righteous protagonist—upright and kind despite a harsh upbringing.
When Shane first brought her to the palace, she had been timid, overwhelmed by the sudden change in her circumstances.
Rumors had spread that she was merely the young duke’s lover, since she hadn’t yet proven her powers.
Edelene had openly defended her.
She had taken care of her like an older sister.
Genevieve had followed her like a chick following a hen.
Edelene had even subtly encouraged her romance with Shane. Each time, Genevieve had blushed bright red.
‘Now she really looks like a seasoned professional.’
Years had passed since she proved she was the true saintess.
After traveling the continent to purify the world, Genevieve now wore white robes that suited her perfectly.
“Um… could you let me out first?”
Edelene didn’t know how much Genevieve knew, but she seemed soft-hearted enough to persuade.
She tried trembling pitifully.
Genevieve’s expression turned strange.
“I can’t do that, Lady Edelene.”
“Huh?”
Her refusal was gentle but firm.
“If I let you go, I’ll get scolded.”
“What does that mean? Even if he’s your husband, he doesn’t have the right to scold you unilaterally!”
“Pardon?”
“Huh?”
“…Ah.”
Genevieve let out a small sound of realization.
What? What are you understanding by yourself? Let me in on it…
Anxious, Edelene asked,
“You did get married… right?”
