Chapter 5 – The Male Lead Is the Villain (4)
And finally, that day came.
Shane brought the heroine he had “coincidentally” met—Saintess Genevieve—to the imperial palace.
He had been invited to a party at the house where she was being confined. There, he happened to witness her displaying saint-like powers.
‘Not a coincidence. It’s inevitability. It’s fate.’
Edelene was the only one in the world who knew that.
The world wanted the male and female leads to meet.
The saintess was the only being who could save the world. Any nation or family that possessed her was guaranteed prosperity.
She was basically a winning lottery ticket.
Of course you’d grab her the moment you saw her.
Just like Shane did.
Even if he didn’t love Saintess Genevieve yet, it was only a matter of time.
To Edelene, her fiancé—the male lead—standing beside the saintess as her patron finally looked like he belonged where he was meant to be.
‘Right. I always knew he wasn’t mine.’
She coldly avoided Shane’s gaze when he looked at her.
***
Her preparations to survive inside the novel went smoothly.
Before the underground crime boss could fully establish his power, she helped him and placed him in her debt.
She earned the crown prince’s trust by becoming a useful ally.
She rescued the child destined to become an assassin and took him in as her attendant.
She treated everyone kindly and carefully managed her reputation. Thankfully, she was well liked.
Even when Genevieve was still dismissed as a fake saintess and rumors spread that she was Shane’s lover, Edelene stood firmly by her side.
The only person Edelene kept her distance from was her fiancé, Shane.
She even encouraged him to hurry up and break off the engagement and pursue the saintess.
After all, that was how it was supposed to end.
“Go for it, Shane. Everyone wants you to end up with the saintess.”
“If you say one more word like that, I’m really going to get angry, Edelene.”
“Why would you be angry? I mean it. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I only worry about you. There’s no way I’m breaking off our engagement, even if I die, so stop bringing it up.”
It didn’t work very well. He probably hadn’t realized his feelings yet.
Edelene carefully planned her natural exit.
She chose the day when Genevieve would be attacked by an assailant sent by the mage.
Edelene threw herself in front of the attacker who lunged at the heroine.
“Ahhh! No! Lady Edelene!”
“Edelene!”
“Ghk—!”
Even though she had taken a paralytic, it hurt like hell.
Real blood poured out.
‘This hurts so damn much… I should’ve asked for a stronger paralytic.’
If Genevieve had already fully awakened as a saintess, she would have healed even a fatal wound instantly. This was her only chance.
‘If I didn’t get injured right in front of them, they wouldn’t believe it…’
The saintess had to awaken because of “Edelene’s” death. Even if the circumstances differed from the novel, as long as she died in front of them, they would have no choice but to believe it.
But Shane, who was supposed to be far away, suddenly appeared. He really was everywhere at once.
“No, Edelene! Damn it! Get a healer here, now!”
“Shane…”
It hurts, you bastard… Stop shaking me…
“If you close your eyes, I’ll never forgive you! Stay awake, please!”
And if you don’t forgive me, what then? Even now, she was thinking ridiculous things. It hurt too much not to.
This was the moment she had waited for her entire life.
The moment she would finally leave the suffocating “protagonists.”
Shane’s blue eyes filled with tears. Clear drops fell like shattered glass.
“Edelene, look at me. You have to look at me, okay?”
His tears fell onto her cheek, warm.
She blinked slowly.
Almost screaming, Shane pulled her into his arms.
“Why? Why would you do this…?”
“I had to… protect… the saintess… She’s the only… important…”
“There’s nothing more important than you! Don’t say stupid things!”
“Shane… you’re the one who brought her…”
“Don’t say my name like that… Not now… Open your eyes, Edelene, please…”
My ears are going to burst…
Since when did the fiancé she’d distanced herself from at nine have such a powerful voice?
Her lips moved faintly.
“I can’t… see…”
“If you go like this, I’ll never forgive you. No. Don’t…”
His arms tightened around her. His large body trembled, and his face was filled with something close to terror.
Even Edelene, shameless as she was, felt a pang of guilt at that moment.
Shane cried like a madman. It sounded like a beast howling after losing its mate.
He was still an innocent fiancé. A childhood friend who hadn’t done anything wrong yet.
I’ll never stand in your way, Shane.
You have to be happy. You deserve to be happy. I mean that.
I’m sorry for showing you something so awful…
“You can forget me… No, you have to forget me… If you care about me… be happy…”
“No, Edelene! Don’t die!”
Have a beautiful love…
“Goodbye…”
It was a perfect performance.
After that, she fled overseas and hid for five years.
She stayed completely out of sight, rarely even going outside.
Once she distanced herself from the protagonists, the horrific nightmares stopped.
That alone made faking her death worth it.
For the first year or two, she regularly checked newspaper articles.
There were frequent reports about Genevieve’s achievements as an awakened saintess. The subtle relationship between her and Duke Blancard, who supported her as the “Knight of the Saintess,” was also popular gossip.
‘As expected. They’re doing just fine.’
After confirming the world was moving along smoothly without her, Edelene stopped paying attention.
It wasn’t exactly pleasant to see that nothing had changed even though she had disappeared.
Still, everything had gone according to plan. There was no point in lingering.
She had chosen this path to survive.
She gave up everything she had to secure her future.
The protagonists would marry and reach their happy ending.
And she had survived.
Receiving news of her mother’s death right after the article announcing their happy ending felt like karma.
Edelene cried for a long time after reading the obituary.
It felt like someone was telling her not to think about returning to the family she had abandoned to survive. That she had thrown away her chance.
She hesitated for days but ultimately decided to return home.
At least she wanted to offer a single flower.
To her poor mother, who had lost her daughter without ever knowing why.
She wanted to express her belated repentance.
It took over a week to cross the border illegally.
After getting off the ship in the morning, Edelene headed to the hotel Lloyd had reserved in advance.
The village she had hidden in for five years barely had an inn, let alone a hotel. The luxury of the facilities made her feel slightly out of place.
In just five years, she had almost forgotten what city life felt like.
Now, her time in the city felt like a past life.
Lloyd said,
“If you need to use the restroom, go now.”
“I don’t.”
“You looked strange.”
“I was just reminiscing. Reflecting on my life.”
“Oh. Reminiscing.”
Lloyd smiled faintly.
His face usually looked like that of a well-behaved model student, but with a slight smile, he resembled a sly villain.
“About the time you scammed the whole world?”
“…Do you not know how to phrase things nicely?”
Edelene grumbled.
There was a difference between calling it a scam and calling it a brilliant performance.
If given the choice, she preferred the latter.
“I was never taught.”
“Learn from me.”
“I only watched you. That’s why I didn’t learn.”
He never let a word slide.
What was the point of calling her “Master” when he treated her so casually?
‘At this rate, just call me by name. Or noona.’
He served her out of obligation, but there was no reverence in it.
Edelene preferred it that way.
Despite his cheeky attitude, Lloyd was an excellent attendant.
The moment they entered the room, he began unpacking and organizing without being told.
He was diligent and meticulous, handling even things she didn’t ask for.
Without Lloyd, her years in hiding would have been miserable. She might have starved.
“Lloyd, without you, I would’ve died long ago…”
“You know that’s not something to brag about, right?”
“Yes, and you’re my greatest achievement.”
Lloyd looked at her with faint disbelief.
If he were her mother, she would have been smacked on the back by now.
Just then, the door swung open without a knock.
“Well, well. Look who it is.”
Edelene looked at the man entering as if it were his own house.
‘Well, it basically is.’
This hotel was one of his business ventures.
She had informed him of her arrival time through Lloyd, so she had expected him to show up.
She just didn’t think it would be this immediate.
“You’re alive, I see.”
“Thanks to you.”
The man with long, light brown hair had a cold and composed air.
His green eyes and sharp gaze resembled a feline predator.
He was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a long neck that added to his elegance.
He looked refined and sophisticated, as if he had never uttered a curse in his life.
But when he opened his mouth, about seventy percent of what came out were insults.
“It’s been a while, Lucian.”
