The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!
Chapter 171: Dependance

Chapter 171: Dependance

She was glad to have been born a commoner. The things she saw in her life as the royal family’s servant...

The world of royalty and nobility was completely opposite to the image they tried to portray. She knew of the dark secrets. As much as she sympathised with the boy, there was not much she could do.

Cassian’s body ached, each movement sending a sharp jolt of pain through him. But his mind was clear. He had survived worse, and he would survive this too.

Lying in the quiet room, he thought about his mother’s words. She had called him useless, a failure. But he knew better. He had chosen to defy her and refuse the engagement she had arranged, not out of rebellion but because of Adeline.

What was it about her that made him do it? If he agreed back then... She would have been engaged to him, but he refused. He could not bear the thought of her hating him.

Was he ever this desperate for someone’s attention? No... He could not rationalise his situation, he sighed and let himself rest.

Back in her chambers, the Empress stared out the window, her mind still churning. She had always believed that power would bring her happiness, but now she realized it was a hollow dream.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I will not be forgotten," she vowed. "I will find a way to make them see my worth."

Her gaze drifted to the distant horizon, where storm clouds were gathering. It was a fitting metaphor, she thought. A storm was brewing, and she would either rise with it or be swept away.

If contacting that ungrateful family was what she needed to do, she would do it. Between her father and the royal family... Hah, both were pathetic choices but she had no other way out. She would have to team with the Southern Duke if she wanted to survive in this palace.

The dining hall was alive with the clink of silverware and the soft murmur of conversation. Adeline sat at her usual spot, trying to focus on her meal. She delicately cut into her food, her mind wandering to the Emperor’s recent proposition

Adeline thinks that the Temple was let off lightly but given the situation at the border, she told herself that they couldn’t get rid of it completely... They still needed the Temple’s help. She did not understand why the author wrote such a dangerous setting.

Even at the end of the story, the monster problem was not quelled.

It was disheartening but what could she do? Nothing. She sighed and continued to eat.

Just as she lifted a forkful of food to her mouth, a familiar, booming voice echoed in her mind, startling her. "Linny!" the Goddess exclaimed with such urgency that Adeline yelped and flinched, her fork clattering onto the plate.

The sudden movement caused her glass of water to spill, sending a cascade of droplets onto the pristine tablecloth.

The Goddess was finally online!

"Adeline, are you alright?" Her father asked, his tone laced with concern. His sharp eyes darted to the spilt water, then back to her pale face.

Adeline blinked rapidly, forcing herself to nod. "I’m fine," she said hastily. "I—I just need to clean up." She pushed her chair back and stood, the hem of her dress brushing against the floor.

This Goddess... She could never get used to these sudden entrances.

A servant rushed forward to attend to the mess, but Adeline waved them off, muttering, "Please excuse me." She hurried out of the dining hall, her heart pounding. Once she was safely out of earshot, she stopped and leaned against the cool stone wall of the corridor, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"What is it, Goddess?!" Adeline demanded, her voice sharper than she intended. She closed her eyes, hoping to keep her composure, but the intensity of the Goddess’s tone had unsettled her.

The Goddess’s voice, normally lighthearted and mischievous, was uncharacteristically sombre. "Something terrible has happened."

Adeline frowned, a knot of dread forming in her chest. "What do you mean? What’s happened?"

There was a pause, long enough that Adeline wondered if the Goddess was hesitating. Finally, the reply came, low and sorrowful. "Benedict’s mother... She’s gone."

Adeline froze, her heart skipping a beat. "What?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. "No, that’s not possible."

She healed the Duchess... She brought her out of the coma! How could this happen?!

"It’s true... I just found out about it, it has been a while since she passed away." The Goddess spoke with a heavy tone. She wishes she was there to warn Adeline... But she couldn’t... She regretted it deeply.

Adeline’s legs felt weak, and she slid down the wall to sit on the cold stone floor. She clutched her chest as if the gesture could steady her erratic heartbeat. "But how? I saved her!" she said, her voice rising with panic. "I used my holy powers to heal her. She was supposed to live!"

"I don’t know how," the Goddess admitted, her voice quieter now. "I wish I never woke up..." She muttered so softly that one would miss it if they didn’t pay attention.

Adeline was too caught up in her emotions to notice that there was something weird about the Goddess.

She had altered the plot—saved the Northern Duchess from her original fate. How could things have reverted to the original timeline so suddenly?

Her thoughts spiralled as she struggled to make sense of it. "How did this happen?" She asked, her voice trembling. "Was it... Anna? Did she—" Her mind flashed to Anna, the stepmother whose ambitions knew no bounds. Could she have orchestrated this?

The Goddess didn’t reply, and Adeline’s panic deepened. She pushed herself to her feet, determination replacing her earlier shock. She closed her eyes and conjured a delicate butterfly of light, its ethereal wings shimmering as it hovered before her.

"Go," Adeline whispered, sending the butterfly northward.

She focused on her connection to Benedict, hoping the magic would guide the creature to the Northern Duchy.

As the butterfly flew away, Adeline clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I need to see it with my own eyes."

She felt incredibly guilty thinking about how she was drowning in self-pity, saddened by the fact that Benedict did not approach her. How could she expect him to act all happy and friendly when he was struggling with grief?

She felt foolish. Her eyes kept scanning the area for something... Anything. Were there any changes that could have caused the... Death. She worried that this was the butterfly effect.

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