The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!
Chapter 276: Childhood Friends

Chapter 276: Childhood Friends

Had the world collapsed?

No.

Not literally.

But to Adeline, it felt like it had.

She walked away from the meeting spot, her footsteps slow, and heavy. The night air pressed against her skin, cool yet suffocating, as if the entire world had become too small to contain the weight of what she had just done.

Her heart pounded violently, the Goddess’s wailing still ringing in her ears.

She had ignored it.

The pleading.

The desperate, frantic screams told her to stop.

But what else could she have done?

Her only ally in this twisted world was Edward, and even he was a double-edged sword. She couldn’t trust him. Not completely. And now, her other companions—Dimitri, Benedict, Cassian—were shackled by a power she didn’t understand.

She had no choice.

So she had gambled.

Revealing the truth of this world to Annora had been a reckless move. But Adeline had hoped—foolishly—that it would force her into desperation. That Annora would break, and in breaking, reveal what she knew about the forbidden magic controlling them all.

Instead...

Instead, all she had done was to evade her.

Adeline clenched her fists, feeling her nails dig into her palms.

That look on Annora’s face.

That laughter—sharp and hollow, like something had been forcibly ripped from her.

The way her eyes had gone distant, calculating, as if trying to fit this new reality into something comprehensible.

Adeline had taken everything Annora believed in and ripped it apart.

And now?

Now she had no idea what Annora would do with that knowledge.

Would she retreat? Withdraw into herself? Would she spiral into an abyss of self-destruction?

Or—

Would she fight back?

Adeline took a slow breath, pushing down the unease curling inside her.

Annora would return.

She knew it.

She had given her a truth that was too dangerous to ignore.

And when Annora came back, she would demand more.

Adeline just had to be ready.

Her gaze lifted toward the looming silhouette of the Intelligence Guild in the distance.

She still had a mission.

She couldn’t afford to dwell on regret.

Not now.

Not ever.

---

Annora walked toward the Holy Temple in a daze.

She barely registered the passing figures, the faint glow of lanterns, the familiar stone pathways leading to the sacred halls she had once found comfort in.

It all felt... distant.

As if she were moving through someone else’s memories.

Her thoughts refused to settle.

They spun, twisted, tangled around themselves until she felt like she might collapse under the weight of them.

She was the heroine.

Which meant—

The men who had abandoned her.

The men who had turned their backs on her.

The men who had destroyed her.

Cassian. Benedict. Edward. Dimitri.

They were the male leads.

A wave of nausea surged through her, bile rising in her throat.

This was a romance story?

What kind of bullshit romance ended with the heroine being stripped of everything and left to die?

Was this some kind of twisted tragedy?

Had she done something wrong?

Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere, unknowingly strayed from the path that was meant for her?

No.

No, she refused to believe that.

If this was meant to be a story, then she was supposed to have a happy ending.

She was supposed to be loved.

Cherished.

Protected.

Instead, she had been cast aside.

Her fingers curled into tight fists.

Her body trembled.

Something that should have been hers had been ripped away from her.

And she didn’t even know why.

Annora’s breath hitched as she stumbled forward, catching herself against the smooth stone wall of the temple’s entrance.

The world was tilting.

Collapsing inward.

Her vision blurred.

Her thoughts twisted into something dark.

She had no one.

No one in this world had truly been hers.

Except—

Her gaze flickered toward the distant halls where Dimitri would be.

Dimitri, who had once looked at her with admiration.

Dimitri, who was trapped under Adeline’s spell.

Dimitri, who had once been her greatest supporter.

A sharp pain twisted in her chest.

She had already lost everything.

She couldn’t afford to lose him again.

The night air was cold, pressing against Adeline’s skin like a silent warning. She had been walking briskly, her mind racing with everything that had transpired with Annora.

And then—

She saw him.

A figure on horseback, moving swiftly toward the Holy Temple.

Cassian.

Adeline’s breath hitched.

What was he doing here?

She immediately tensed, watching as he slowed his horse at the sight of her. His regal posture, the way his black hair gleamed under the moonlight, and the cold, unreadable expression on his face made her uneasy.

Cassian was never alone.

And yet here he was, no knights, no attendants—just him and his horse.

Something wasn’t right.

Their eyes met.

He was the first to speak.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone wasn’t aggressive, nor was it particularly warm. It was simply... There. As if he was asking out of obligation rather than curiosity.

Adeline felt something inside her twist painfully.

She was tired. Frustrated. At her wits’ end.

And the last thing she needed right now was to deal with Cassian.

So she met his gaze and, with an exhausted exhale, coldly replied:

"That’s none of your business."

Silence.

Cassian didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

He just stared.

His icy blue eyes held an unreadable depth, and for a moment, Adeline felt an uncomfortable prickle at the back of her neck.

She had seen this before.

This expression.

This pause.

It was like something inside him had short-circuited for just a second, a moment where he seemed... Offended.

That was bad.

Very bad.

Adeline bit her lip, forcing herself to stay calm.

She knew how the original story would end if she offended all the male leads.

She had seen it play out in the novel.

Cassian, the perfect Crown Prince, could be cruel when betrayed.

She couldn’t afford to have him turn on her.

Not when things were already spiralling out of control.

So she forced herself to soften her tone, just slightly.

"Why are you here?"

It was a small attempt to sound neutral. Not distant, but not too friendly either.

Cassian’s expression didn’t change, but his next words were enough to make her world stop.

"Annora and I are planning to get engaged."

Adeline felt her heart drop.

What?!

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

She could only stare.

Cassian’s face remained unreadable, calm as if he had just stated a simple fact. But Adeline... She felt like she had just been punched in the gut.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The original story had only recently begun.

Annora was still supposed to be struggling, still trying to assert her power as the saintess, trying to ’cleanse’ the holy temple of its filth, still longing for the happy ending that had been stolen from her.

Cassian—

Cassian was supposed to be indifferent to her.

Why was this happening so soon?

Adeline’s fingers twitched at her sides, her thoughts running wild.

Had she changed too much?

No—

No, this wasn’t just her doing.

Annora had changed, too.

Her memories. Her awareness of the story.

Everything was already off course.

And Cassian—

She looked at him again, at the way he simply sat there, waiting for her reaction.

He was unreadable.

But was he really?

She couldn’t shake the feeling that... He was watching her.

As if he was waiting for something.

Did he expect her to beg?

Did he think she would cry?

The original Adeline had chased after him in desperation, clinging to the last remnants of their engagement even when it had already been doomed from the start.

But Adeline was not her.

She refused to be her.

So instead of reacting, instead of giving him what he wanted, she simply exhaled and looked away.

Cassian remained silent.

His fingers curled slightly over the reins of his horse.

The faintest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

Not enough for her to notice.

Not enough for her to question.

But it was there.

He was about to gallop away, continuing on his path to the Holy Temple, when his voice cut through the silence once more.

"It’s not safe for a young lady to be alone at this hour."

Adeline blinked, glancing back up at him.

Was he... Offering her a ride?

She hesitated.

Cassian didn’t remember her true capabilities.

He didn’t remember the extent of her powers.

The magic controlling his mind had dulled all of that.

To him, she was still just a noblewoman, a defenceless young lady who shouldn’t be walking the streets alone.

And right now...

Right now, she was too tired to argue.

So, with a weary sigh, she stepped forward.

Cassian raised a brow as if surprised by her lack of resistance.

Had he thought she would refuse?

Had he thought she would scoff at his offer?

Just as he was about to extend a hand to help her onto the horse, he added—

"Come on, we’re childhood friends."

Adeline froze.