The Male Lead isn't Following the Script! -
Chapter 268: Nothing In His Eyes
Chapter 268: Nothing In His Eyes
The envelope was thick and heavy, sealed with wax embossed with an intricate sigil, the golden colours made things obvious, the unmistakable mark of the Holy Temple. Adeline eyed it warily, already sensing the divine energy laced into the parchment. She had seen this before.
Edward.
Her fingers hesitated for only a moment before she broke the seal and unfolded the letter inside. His familiar handwriting greeted her, sharp and elegant, with just the right amount of disdain woven between the lines.
She sighed. She should have known.
It must be so exciting to hear from me again, though I imagine you must also be dreading it. But really, what would you do without me? Life must be terribly dull in that precious estate of yours.
I’ll spare you the small talk because I know you must be shaking in anticipation. I’m following up on that lead. Yes, that one. The one you’ve been praying over so desperately. I must say, it is charming how you cling to hope. Truly, it is almost inspiring. Almost.
Just follow my lead, little Saintess.
Burn Away.
"Burn Away?" Adeline read that line out loud because she was confused as to what he meant.
Adeline barely had time to let out a huff of irritation before the letter ignited in her hands. Was she even surprised at this point?
Bright golden flames consumed the parchment instantly, curling around her fingers, licking at her skin. For anyone else, the fire would have been a death sentence, a punishment for simply existing.
For her, it was an inconvenience.
Edward knew exactly what he was doing. The flames had been triggered by the word she uttered, didn’t it? He knew her well enough, and this annoyed her. She was used to pain, and this did not hurt her. Aaron had fire magic, she was used to this.
This felt like a way of mocking her. If she was burnt by the letter, she could heal herself using her holy powers and he knew that. He did not warn her on purpose... It was simply his way of being wicked.
Adeline clenched her jaw and let out a slow breath. The holy magic within her pulsed, rushing to the surface. The pain dulled, and within moments, the burns faded away as if they had never been there.
She flexed her fingers, watching as the last embers crumbled into nothing.
"Petty as always," she muttered under her breath.
Still, despite his arrogance, the letter was important.
They were finally making a move.
For weeks now, she had been waiting for an opportunity like this. The enemy they had been tracking—the one who held the key to breaking the strange chains wrapped around Cassian, Benedict, and Dimitri—was finally within reach.
It had taken months of effort, of investigating dead ends, of sending out people. And it was finally uncovered... The hidden faction operating in the shadows, puppeteers who worked from behind the scenes, wielding power over even the strongest of men.
And now, Edward was going to move against them.
Adeline should have been relieved. This was progress. This was the moment they had been waiting for.
But she knew better than to trust Edward’s motives.
He didn’t care about Cassian, Benedict, or Dimitri.
No, this was about something else. Something personal.
Adeline lowered herself into the nearest chair, staring at the scorched remains of the letter.
Edward had always been secretive, but she had learned to read between the lines. There was something he wasn’t saying.
Adeline sighed as she folded her arms, staring at the now-vanished remnants of Edward’s letter.
He hadn’t left any instructions. No meeting place. No time. No further details.
Typical.
She understood what this meant—she had to go to him.
That meant making the trip to the Holy Temple, a place she detested more than anywhere else in the empire. The very thought of stepping foot inside its pristine halls made her feel like she was willingly placing her head on the executioner’s block.
She could already picture the disdainful glances of the priests, the apprentices staring at her weirdly, and worst of all... Annora.
If there was one place where running into Annora was inevitable, it was the Holy Temple.
But what choice did she have?
Edward’s cryptic summons left her no room to delay. If she hesitated, she might miss this chance. She had to move forward.
And so, she did.
The Holy Temple
The moment she stepped past the gates, she felt it.
The lingering stares. The hushed murmurs.
Adeline had never been welcomed here since that incident, the incident where she humiliated the Temple. She had their Head Priest killed.
The temple had long been under Edward’s influence, and now there was Annora, her reputation as the beloved saintess remained untarnished. Adeline, on the other hand, was seen as the enemy along with the Royal Family.
Did she care? No, but it was still uncomfortable to go there. She shook her head, no. She was not going to worry, she was going keep her head held high and maybe perhaps throw some provoking glances. Why should they have all the fun?
She was here for answers and she would get it.
Her steps echoed through the marble corridors, and just as she had guessed, Annora appeared before her. This woman was like a ghost that just would not leave her alone.
She didn’t speak at first, merely gazing at Adeline with that same unreadable expression.
Adeline met her eyes, unwilling to cower.
Annora stood in front of her, not allowing her to leave. What was this childish behaviour? Was the Holy Temple a place where they did not teach them how to be an adult, Edward and her were truly alike in this apect.
"Annora," she said coolly.
Annora tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips.
"You seem troubled, Adeline."
Adeline hated that voice—soft, lilting, always carrying an undertone of pity.
"Not at all," Adeline replied. "I was just thinking how much brighter this place would be if it weren’t filled with hypocrisy."
Annora’s smile didn’t waver, but her eyes darkened.
"I see you’re just as bitter as ever."
Adeline smirked. "And you’re just as self-righteous."
Their gazes locked, a silent battle waging between them.
It would have continued had Dimitri not appeared.
Adeline’s breath caught in her throat.
Dimitri?
He strode past the pillars, his dark cloak swirling behind him, his sharp eyes scanning the temple halls as if he didn’t belong. And he didn’t.
Did he ever visit the Holy Temple in the original story?
No.
Never.
Dimitri despised this place. The temple had done nothing for him when he was a starving refugee, nothing to save his people when they cried out for mercy. He had no reason to be here.
More than that, the author had ensured that the male leads had little to do with the temple’s affairs. It was Annora’s achievement alone—cleansing the corruption, reforming the order, making it her own. None of the male leads had interfered.
So what was Dimitri doing here now?
Adeline’s mind raced with possibilities. There had to be something she missed... If not, what could explain this change? If they were controlling the male leads and making them act like how they did in Annora’s past life... That is in the original story, then he should not be here.
So what has changed? She was struggling to understand, did this mean that she could not rely on her memory... It was already poor to begin with, she barely remembered the original story, she suspected it was due to the author but did not say anything.
Dimitri was looking at her as if he didn’t recognise her at all.
He gave her one slow glance, eyes scanning her from head to toe, before turning away and walking right past her.
He didn’t speak.
Didn’t acknowledge her.
Didn’t even glare at her in disgust, the way Benedict did.
He ignored her.
Something sharp lodged itself in her chest.
She told herself she was prepared for this. That she knew how things would unfold. That Dimitri had no reason to trust her, no reason to even see her as an ally.
But it still hurt.
She could handle hatred. She could handle anger.
But being nothing in his eyes?
That was worse.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered—would she rather him be like Benedict, who looked at her with rage and disgust?
She didn’t know.
All she knew was that this—being ignored, as if she didn’t even exist—felt worse.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain control.
For some reason, only Cassian ever seemed to experience his awakening when she acted like a villainess.
She clung to that hope.
Even if Dimitri and Benedict turned their backs on her.
Even if Edward mocked her.
Even if Annora stood before her, looking like a saint in the eyes of the world.
Cassian was different.
He had to be.
Because if he wasn’t...
Then she truly had no one left.
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