“I'm sorry I deceived you. I didn’t want to...really.”
[So stop playing criminal and talk already. You're not just a pretty face with eyebrows, you can talk. You got a good voice, use it...]
"Ha..."
Shane grinned in disbelief.
“I'm serious. I'm sorry. Tell me how I can make amends."
"..."
“Or...I can offer compensation. It may be insignificant, but if you tell me what you need, I will find a way...”
[To be honest, money was tight.]
[Five years of a secluded, modest life left a little for a rainy day, but it certainly would not have been enough to cover the compensation that Shane Blanchard expected.]
[Even if Adaline inherited the entire Bertrand family fortune, that wouldn't be enough.]
“Anyway, I will do my best...but you also need to think realistically.”
“Realistic, that is. Fine."
Shane ran his hand through his hair and smiled widely. The tension subsided a little, and Adaline felt a slight sense of relief.
"You're right, Adaline."
Adaline responded with a wide smile. [Finally, the conversation started to move somewhere!]
“To be realistic, I can't keep you locked up forever. And since Genevieve is involved in this, she too cannot be kept silent forever.”
"..."
“Perhaps, even if her husband is against it, she will want to save you. She admires you after all. This could very well have already reached the Emperor.”
[That's...not exactly what I meant...]
[He really threatened Genevieve using her husband's life...]
There was not a shadow of emotion in the voice with which he said her name. [Suddenly it became truly clear: the heroine’s husband, who was mentioned in passing, exists.]
[And it was strangely absurd that it was not someone else who was talking about this person, but the main character himself.]
[The heroine has a husband. And this is not the main character.]
Shane clicked his tongue.
“So that’s what I’m thinking, Adaline. If we're being realistic..."
“W-What do you mean...?”
“How exactly can I keep you close?”
"..."
“What should I do with a woman who faked her own death and hid for five years.”
"..."
"If I let you go now, you'll run away again."
She couldn't argue with that.
[If it weren't for the false notification of her mother's death, she would not have returned to Delmez for anything in the world.]
And even if she did not regret, the feeling of guilt for abandonment haunted her constantly.
Shane silently watched Adaline, who failed to object, and then said quietly:
"I'll put you back in your place."
“...In my place?”
“In the status of my bride. "Adaline Bertrand."
"Have you forgotten that I'm officially dead?"
“I know this better than anyone. But if you spread the rumor that the Saint has resurrected you, everything will work out.”
"..."
“In fact, you didn’t die, but were in a coma due to a serious wound. The saint prayed and brought you back to life. Isn’t it a noble and inspiring story?”
“Then Genevieve is in danger!”
[Immortality and resurrection are the eternal dreams of humanity.]
[If it becomes known that the Saint is capable of not only healing and purifying, but also returning to life, the entire continent will fall upon her.]
While Adaline turned pale, Shane remained completely unperturbed.
“Well, it will become dangerous, so what?”
He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
“If you ask, I will try to protect her.”
“Is this the Guardian Saint speaking?!” Do you even understand that..."
Shane just smiled lazily, a smile that didn't show any concern for Genevieve.
“My bride, this time you will definitely marry me.”
"Shane, you..."
“If you try to escape, Genevieve will die first.”
"..."
“And then the Bertrand family will fall, Adaline. I hope you don't think I'm joking."
"..."
“If necessary, I will place you in front of the ashes of the ancestral mansion.”
Adaline tried to detect any hint of humor or empty boasting in his words.
But in his barely noticeable smile one could read only sincere determination.
[He's definitely gone...]
[It wasn't just crazy. He was a dangerous madman.]