Chapter 14

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 5. The Female Lead is in Danger (2)

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Edelaine spent a torturous stretch of time waiting for Genevieve.

She had to stuff herself full with a dinner she didn't even want.

And she endured Edwin's relentless chatter, prying into the details of her last five years.

Above all, Shane refused to leave her side.

Is this really how you spend your wedding day?

At least she didn't have to worry about dodging their wedding night, but this didn't feel right either.

I need a drink or something.

"Booze..."

"You've already had one glass. No more."

"Aw, come on. There's still some left."

She shot him a glare, as if to ask whether he was really so stingy about one bottle, and Shane let out a hollow chuckle.

Then he placed his large palm on her forehead before pulling it away. His brows furrowed as he did.

"You've got a slight fever. You haven't slept a wink."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Alcohol's poison when you're this tired. I'll brew you some tea instead—be satisfied with that."

"Tea is so boring. Do you know how many cups I've had just today?"

"I'll add a splash of milk."

She figured he'd summon a servant, but Shane stood up himself.

Edelaine's mouth hung awkwardly open and shut, neither grabbing him nor urging him to hurry back.

Edwin watched quietly before speaking up.

"Feels like you've got a valet, not a husband."

"Want to buy him off me?"

She could let him go at a 99% discount right now.

"No thanks. Even I wouldn't dare use a pushy valet like that—gives me the chills."

Was it a higher-up's chronic habit to laugh alone at jokes that weren't funny at all? Edelaine watched Edwin chuckle to himself, his eyes slightly reddened from the alcohol rising to his face, and thought coolly to herself.

Her emotions were a tangled mess.

She decided against asking Shane what he was thinking anymore.

It was already beyond the point of no return, and she knew full well his intention to never let her go easily.

Still, she couldn't help but feel some anger, so whenever Shane was in front of her, sharp edges slipped out unbidden. Sure, if they were tallying up who was more pissed, Shane had the edge—but that didn't mean she had to just take it lying down.

I get the resentment, at least.

Right after the kidnapping, Shane had been easy to understand.

The shock of betrayal upon learning that someone he'd thought dead was alive—and had faked their death right in front of him.

The resentment toward a person he'd truly worried over and poured his affections into.

The fact that he got angry proved he'd treated her with that much sincerity.

That was why Edelaine couldn't truly resent Shane, even after the kidnapping, the confinement, or being blackmailed into marriage.

She couldn't make sense of revenge via marriage, but the resentment was justified—so she'd planned to either make him hate her enough to discard her or persuade him into a divorce.

But that smiling face of his... it didn't look like the face of someone nursing a grudge at all.

And when she softened her prickly attitude, Shane responded just like he used to.

Like back then, when he'd been tender and devoted even to the fiancée trying to push him away.

This was even more troubling.

Edelaine still couldn't live at Shane Blancard's side.

"You look lost in thought, Edelaine."

"That's pretty insensitive to say to a bride on her wedding day, Your Highness. I'm a fresh political marriage victim right now. Of course my mind's racing—we're supposed to be on our wedding night."

"If you two were a real married couple, I wouldn't have come. Aren't you grateful? For the interruption."

"Oh yeah, I'm just thrilled..."

"I'll put you in my debt for this one."

"Now you're strong-arming me into debt too."

Edwin let out a smirk of a laugh.

Edelaine tried to snatch his glass and down it, only to get blocked by Shane, who returned at that perfect moment. Must be a protagonist perk, that timing.

Genevieve finally arrived just before midnight.

"I'm so sorry I'm this late."

"Late? You weren't sleeping anyway."

Around 10 p.m., as Shane had started trying to shoo Edwin out, his eyebrows twitched. Edelaine pretended not to notice and pulled Genevieve into a hug.

"Oh my god, Genevieve. You're eating properly, right? Why are you so skinny?"

It was an idol physique from her past life.

Her slender frame fit perfectly in Edelaine's arms, pitiful to the point of heartbreak.

"I heard you got attacked! And you went right back to work after? For real?"

"Ah, who told you that?"

Edwin raised a hand. Genevieve wrinkled her nose as if she'd expected as much.

"It was just a poisoned arrow meant as a threat. I didn't even get hurt..."

"Threats and poison don't get a 'just' after them!"

"Well, yeah, it startled me a bit..."

"I can see you're just saying that to be polite."

"Honestly, it didn't even faze me that much, and nothing's happened since. All it's done is beef up my security detail—such a hassle. That's why I'm late today too. Had to ditch them all."

"...And the culprit's still at large...?"

"Uh, well, yeah..."

"And yet! You don't even know fear! Sneaking out alone!"

Even in this world, after alcoholism, safety negligence was a social ill.

Genevieve gazed at the furiously scolding Edelaine with a subtle expression before breaking into a bashful grin.

"My bad. I'll be more careful."

"Promise?"

"Yep."

"No more wandering alone, no skipping meals, and take at least two days off a week!"

"Ah, the days off might be tough. I've got a packed schedule already..."

Edelaine hugged Genevieve tight and shot glares at Edwin and Shane.

Edwin spoke up.

"Anyone would think you gave birth to her, Edelaine."

"I did. In my heart."

My precious female lead, whom I birthed in spirit.

Edelaine wasn't the type of reader to nitpick stories critically. She devoured whatever the author served up.

She cried at the tearjerker parts, got mad where prompted. Even if the logic was shaky, she got immersed without noticing while reading.

That naturally made her the biggest cheerleader for any story's female lead.

On top of that, Edelaine had cared for Genevieve herself. The saintess's wretched state when they first met had torn at her heart.

There was guilt too—guilt for not noticing sooner, for getting hung up on the plot point that Shane had to be the one to bring her.

"Um, Lady Edelaine. I'm grateful for that, but... it kinda makes His Grace my dad, so..."

"..."

"I'd be thrilled if you said I was your daughter from before the marriage."

The two who were originally meant to end up married, now cast as father and daughter... Edelaine's face twisted subtly.

"That's ridiculous," Shane said coldly.

"If it's Edelaine's child, married or not, premarital or post—it's mine."

"Genevieve, say hello to your father."

Edwin jumped in. Edelaine squeezed her eyes shut and yelled.

"No! It's weird for those two to be father and daughter! Husband and wife, maybe!"

"I hate both!"

"Then you're not her mother either. She's not your daughter, so let go."

Shane tugged Edelaine's arm, pulling Genevieve from her embrace. Genevieve seemed averse to Shane drawing near and detached without hesitation.

Is their relationship even worse than I thought?

No pink vibes in sight—just a chill arctic blast.

In the awkward, mirthless atmosphere, only Edwin laughed. He spoke.

"Genevieve has been in the news lately. Even resurrecting people..."

Edwin eyed Edelaine with narrowed gaze. She glared daggers at Shane.

All his fault. Every bit of it.

"Got attacked too. Now folks are questioning if the Empire's treating humanity's treasure right. Probably just sour grapes over us hogging the saintess."

"Talking about people like objects..."

Genevieve clasped Edelaine's hand tight, as if to say she was fine.

"Even the Pope seems worried she'll slip away before winter's out—hopes she won't stray far. The council met and canceled her winter purification expedition."

"As long as she doesn't go far, it should be fine, right?"

"They say it's for her safety, but really, they're panicking other countries might use this controversy to whisk her away."

"Like, kidnap her?"

"They'd write 'kidnap' but read 'rescue.'"

"How predictable."

Edelaine had figured the saintess would be treated like humanity's hope. But peel back a layer, and she was just a tool of power.

It felt off, seeing Genevieve respond so flatly and coolly.

"So what should I do? Give me a vacation?"

Edwin grinned. Edelaine would've bet her wrist he wouldn't answer Genevieve directly. Master of the group monologue—he'd pivot to something else.

"You two getting married left me as the only bachelor."

She had no idea when she, Shane, and Edwin started getting lumped together as a set. Count me out...

"Her Majesty's on a holy warpath. If I'd meekly gone back to the palace today, it'd be a lecture summons—so I bolted."

"Your Highness, didn't you have a fiancée?"

A foreign princess, wasn't it? When Edelaine asked, Edwin shrugged it off.

"Oh, yeah... but three years back, that country had a rebellion."

"Gasp."

"Wasn't a match worth meddling in their civil war for, so we took some compensation and called it off. Good deal. Word is, she married the rebel leader a few months ago."

"..."

She didn't know what went wrong to end up like that, but that country was clearly in resistance documentary territory now.

"Her Majesty's dead set on offloading me ASAP. Come the Winter Founding Festival, every marriageable lady on the continent will swarm in."

"Sounds busy for you."

Genevieve's agreement lacked soul. Edelaine nodded sympathetically at Edwin.

Sure, he had the looks and status—probably popular enough. He'd marry someone eventually. Or not. Whatever.

"This winter, you two need to help me out a bit."

"No."

"Genevieve, want to go on that expedition? Might get attacked again, maybe even kidnapped, but you won't die, so it should be fine."

"Ugh, seriously! You're gonna do this?!"

She glanced at Shane, hoping he'd intervene, but the guy who'd rushed their wedding and racked up debt just sighed glumly.

"See? Who said nobody cares about me?"

"Are you a child?"

Edwin beamed.

Devils smile like angels, they say. Spot on.