So she fled abroad and hid for five whole years.
Adaline almost never left the house and carefully made sure that no one could find her.
As soon as she moved away from the main characters, the painful nightmares stopped.
[For this alone it was worth faking my own death.]
For the first couple of years, she consciously followed the news.
In the articles, the name of Genevieve, who had awakened as a Saint, kept popping up, and the Duke of Blanchard was constantly mentioned next to her, supporting her as a “Knight Saint.”
[As expected. They live comfortably.]
When Adaline was convinced that the world was spinning smoothly without her, she stopped being interested in the news.
This discovery left a bitter aftertaste: nothing had changed. Her disappearance didn't change anything.
[But everything went according to her plan.]
[So there is nothing to regret.]
This was the path Adaline chose herself to survive.
She gave up everything she had for the future.
[The heroes were supposed to get married safely and live a happy life. And she just wants to survive.]
To receive notification of the death of her mother immediately after the news about the happy ending of the heroes, perhaps this was her karma.
Adalyn cried for a long time after reading the notice.
She tried not to think about returning to the family she had once abandoned for the sake of salvation.
She thought about everything for several days, and eventually decided to return to her homeland.
[At least to lay flowers for the last time.]
[If only to atone a little for the mother who lost her daughter and never understood why.]
---Having crossed the border illegally, Adaline took almost a week to get there.
She disembarked the ship early in the morning and headed to the hotel that Lloyd had pre-booked.
After living in a village where there was not even a hotel or even a normal shop, the luxurious hotel she found herself in seemed almost like a different world to her.
[Five years in the wilderness have erased the urban Empire from memory.]
[The past life now seemed alien. Almost a stranger.]
Lloyd broke the silence:
“If you urgently need to go to the toilet, don’t hold back.”
"Not urgent."
“And you look tense.”
“The memories just came flooding back. I think...about my life."
"Ah, memories." - he chuckled. “Memories of how you fooled the whole world around your finger?”
“...Can you express yourself a little more softly?” - Adaline muttered.
[Sometimes the same thing can be called differently: someone will say that it was a scam, and someone will say that it was a brilliant idea.]
[She liked the second one better.]
“They didn’t teach me such things.”
“Then learn from my example.”
“I can’t learn from one example, lady.” - he retorted calmly.
[Lloyd never gave up the last word.]
[And he called her “mistress,” although he acted as if she was nobody to him.]
[It’s easier just to call him by name. Or... "sister".]
[He served her out of duty, but not out of respect. And Adaline was fine with that.] For all his prickliness, Lloyd was an indispensable servant.
As soon as they entered the room, he immediately got down to business, carefully arranging things, even those that she had not asked for.
[He was meticulous down to the last detail.]
[Without him, Adaline would not have survived her seclusion. Perhaps she would even starve to death.]
"Lloyd, without you I would have been dead a long time ago..."
“You understand that this is not something to be proud of, right?”
“But I'm proud. You are my pride."
He looked at her with an expression of slight pity, as if he was ashamed of her.
[If he had been her mother, Adaline’s back would have been burning with slaps long ago.]
And at that moment, without knocking... the door swung open.
“Who else is this?”
Adaline turned around slowly.
The person who entered behaved as if this was his own home.
[However, this is how it is.]
[The hotel belonged to him.]
And since she had transmitted the time of arrival through Lloyd in advance, there was nothing strange about his appearance.
[Unless she didn't expect him to burst right out of the doorway.]
“I see you’ve settled in well.”
"Thanks to you."
A man with long brown hair and a cool, collected appearance.
His eyes are the color of spring green, sharp and attentive, like those of a wild animal.
His tall stature, slender, flexible body, broad shoulders and long neck gave him sophistication.
He looked so refined that it seemed as if he had never sworn in his life...
...but as soon as he opened his mouth, 70% of what was said consisted of venom and curses.
“Long time no see, Lucian.”