The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!
Chapter 178: What Can I Do?!

Chapter 178: What Can I Do?!

A sting of pain followed, and then she felt the warm trickle of blood. Startled, she looked down, watching as crimson droplets fell onto the polished marble floor.

She had an idea. An insane idea which will work. She didn’t care that if she was found out, this would spell doom for everyone associated with her.

It was her last resort.

It was not her fault. She was trying her best to survive...

A forbidden ritual came to mind, one she had heard whispered among the court’s darkest circles. It was in the name, it was forbidden, but for her child, she would sacrifice everything to place him on the throne.

Hah... If the Emperor found out... So what? So what if he found out? She laughed manically, that man never cared about her or her child! What more did she have to lose?!

Her breath quickened. If it worked, Cassian would finally be everything she knew he could be. The risk didn’t matter. Not the price, not the consequences. She had nothing left to lose. Even if she had to risk her son’s life. She will prevail. The Empress... The Dowager Empress will be her.

Cassian did not know of his mother’s plans. The plot has changed, she was never this desperate to awaken his powers, nor was there a second child to the Imperial concubine.

Perhaps she did but the child never survived. After all, in the story, there was never a third prince or princess. In the original story, the rivalry was between Lucas and Cassian.

And everyone who read the story knows how that turned out.

Adeline tried to calm down after sending the letter, but she was nervous, very nervous. She tried so hard to change Benedict’s ’past’ but she could not. His mother died. What was worse was the way she died...

Benedict’s resentment towards Cassian and the Royal family increased when he missed his mother’s final moments because of the playdate organised by the Empress... This time, the Duchess died while Benedict was spending time with them...

She invited him... It was her fault... Adeline’s mind was racing and so was her heart, she started to hyperventilate. Her fault... Was it her fault... She interfered, she meddled.

And even if she did, she was not able to change anything. What could she have done differently?

She clutched her chest, her breathing shallow and rapid. Her vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She felt like she was suffocating, drowning in the weight of her own failure.

The words rang in her mind. If Benedict’s character darkened it would be her fault this time. Her meddling did not change a thing.

"Adeline, please. Take a deep breath." The worried author begged her to calm down. She knew it was not her fault. There were a few things they could not change. And even if they tried to... There were some people who were keen on keeping it the same.

The author was frustrated and angry, but not at Adeline, never at her. She knew this child was trying her best with what resources she was given. She cared about those people and never wrote them off saying they were simply story characters.

She wished she could hug Adeline and tell her that it would be fine. But it was impossible. They were from different worlds, worlds that could never interact. Adeline did not even know what she looked like, she only knew her voice.

It was an impossible distance, one that they might never overcome. But still, they were friends, no matter the circumstances. They were worlds apart but they relied on each other.

Adeline froze. The author’s tone, so steady and calm, always felt like an anchor whenever she felt overwhelmed. In her mind, there were many thoughts running. The author chose the wrong person for the job...

I am... I can’t do this! Why me? Why was I chosen? I’m just a teenager.

Adeline had her share of difficulties but why was it that this world affected her the most?

Her parents did not love her. They did not care for her. She was moving out at the young age of sixteen to live with her grandparents. Her parents got a divorce, and neither of them wanted her.

She thought she was used to it but it still felt like a punch in the gut that no one wanted her.

Even her grandparents... They were only grandparents, they never wanted to be a parent to an additional child. They just wanted to have a grandchild but no responsibility came with it, they were so happy forcing that responsibility on their children though.

No one cared about the harm that had been caused to her! They only cared about their desires, what about her? She never asked for any of this!

She didn’t care. At least that was what she told herself.

"I- I am so sorry Adeline." The Goddess apologised out of no where.

Adeline was not too confused, she knew that the Goddess could read her thoughts. Why was she sorry though? It was not her fault I had a family like that.

She laughed in a self-deprecating manner. She was desperate. She loved this world. She loved the friends and family she had. She could not lose it, no matter what.

This was her only chance at a happy life. She will not let anything endanger the world she built for herself, the relationships, the emotions...

With renewed determination, Adeline wiped her tears. She looked up at the ceiling and asked the Goddess, "What’s next? What can I do? I should be able to do something, right!"

"You’re doing your best," the author said. "You care about these people, Adeline. They’re not just characters to you. You see them as real, and that’s what makes you special. But you can’t blame yourself for everything that goes wrong. You’re only human."

"Please, just tell me what can I do?!" Adeline tried her best to not yell.

"Adeline." The Goddess spoke with a stern tone filled with concern. "There is always something you can do. It is never too late. As long as you have the will you will always find a way to make a change."

Adeline seemed to calm down a little, she nodded and looked up with her brows furrowed.

The Goddess was surprised by Adeline’s sudden outburst, but she understood. She shook her head in worry. Adeline was too worried by the fate of this world. She was not overreacting, but she needed a break too.

She was slowly descending into madness.

"So, what should I do?" Adeline asked in a softer manner.