Adaline was not so much escorted as simply transported to the Bertrand family estate. With Genevieve's help, she prepared to leave, her heart secretly trembling with hope.
[If I manage to leave this mansion...maybe I can escape.]
But as soon as she climbed into the carriage, Shane whispered so that only she could hear:
"Genevieve is in my arms, Adaline."
“You threaten as easily as you breathe.”
“Do you think I’ll limit myself to just threats?”
“...I didn’t even know you were like that.”
“I told you so. You don't know me at all."
Unfortunately, she couldn't argue with that.
Adaline really didn't know anything about him.
[Blind fool. Naive...]
[Yes, she managed to get out of that locked windowless bedroom, even leave the mansion grounds. But did this change anything? She was still a prisoner, just in a different cage.]
And from this everything inside collapsed.
When Adaline arrived at the Bertrand estate in the dead of night, her father was the first to approach her.
"Adaline."
“Y-yes?”
She was very nervous.
Gregory looked at her with a strange expression; there was both surprise and pain in his gaze. Their eyes, green and almost identical, met for a moment before Adaline quickly looked away.
[It's been so long since she last saw her father. And the last years before her departure from Delmez seemed completely foggy: sleepless nights, vague memories, rare meetings.]
[When I realized that I was in the world of a novel, I had no time for family connections... I just tried to stay away from everyone.]
Her father gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
“You have nothing to worry about. We'll sort it out."
"I'm not worried at all..."
“We will return everything to its place.”
[Return? What exactly?]
He patted her on the shoulder again. There was something so solemn about this that Adaline did not dare to ask even one of the dozens of questions spinning in her head.
Patrick appeared.
“How much do you remember everything?”
"A? Um...I..."
“Do you remember how you fell?”
Of course she remembered. The stage that she herself had prepared, as if she had been working towards it all her life. In response to her silence, Patrick clenched his jaw and said:
"Don't ever do something like that again."
"..."
“Never, do you hear?”
"...I'm sorry."
She whispered barely audibly.
[Patrick, the eldest son, heir to the family and estate, always behaved strictly and reservedly. But now...his eyes turned red, his voice trembled with suppressed emotion. He almost burst into tears.]
“Brother, father is calling you.”
"...I'm coming."
“Rest now, Adaline. You're probably still confused."
Jeff touched her head lightly - a light, almost brotherly gesture.
Returning to her room in the main house for the first time in five years, Adaline quietly closed the door behind her... and sank to the floor, leaning her back against it.
[Has our family...always been this warm? Really? No. This was not true at all.]
[They were cold. Detached. Like in a drama about rich corporate heirs...]
[For as long as I could remember, the atmosphere in the Bertrand family was dry, almost formal.]
[No, not even cold, rather individualistic. They were not at odds, but it was difficult to call them close. Everyone had their own worries.]
[Patrick spent almost all his time in the affairs of the marquisate, and was rarely seen. Jeff was on the road all the time, and Adaline communicated with him only through letters.]
[The Marquis and Marchioness were also maddeningly busy. Even if she didn't try to distance herself, they still didn't spend much time with her.]
[It was easier for them to give their youngest daughter everything she wanted than to pay attention to her. But does that mean they were truly close?]
[For the past few years, Adaline has felt like an outsider in her own family. And now...it’s as if everything suddenly became different. When did they change so much?]
“You always have peculiar standards, madam.”
"...Lloyd?"
Lloyd entered the room - with the same innocent face as before. Impeccably dressed, as befits a faithful servant. It seemed as if he had worked in this house all his life.
“I knew there was something wrong with him when you called him kind.”
“He was really kind to me at that moment.”
Lloyd snorted. Adalyn smiled wryly, yes, her judgment at that time clearly left much to be desired.
She hastened to change the subject.
“And when did you manage to get there?”
“I watched the carriage in which you were transported. He was on duty not far from the mansion where you were kept. As soon as you left, I didn’t miss the moment.”
“It would be nice if you kidnapped me at the same time.”
"One? They're crazy."
“Yes, I know...”
He looked unharmed, which was a real relief to Adaline.
"Aren't you hurt?"
"No. It was just locked. The main thing is that you are okay."
“...I have something to say, but...I’ll keep quiet for now.”
If Lloyd started scolding her now, she would probably actually cry.