The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!-Chapter 295: Close To Victory

Adeline stood by the window of her study, her fingers lightly tracing the cool glass as she stared out at the overcast sky. It was the day of the wedding.

Cassian and Annora.

She exhaled, pressing her forehead against the windowpane. She had told herself that she had let go of whatever she had felt, yet the heavy weight in her chest told her otherwise.

Would it truly be alright for her to sit this event out?

She turned away from the window, seeking clarity from the only person she trusted without hesitation. Her brother.

"Is it really alright if I sat this event out? It just does not seem appropriate," Adeline asked, her voice carefully neutral, but Alaric knew her too well.

Her older brother glanced up from the documents he had been reading and studied her with his usual calm expression. He didn’t answer immediately, instead placing his quill down and folding his hands in front of him.

Then he smiled. "It’s fine, Adeline. You don’t need to go."

She hesitated. "But—"

"I’ll be there. And so will my wife. You don’t need to force yourself."

Adeline exhaled in relief. She hadn’t even realised how much she had wanted to hear those words. She would be alone in the house since her father had gone into the world to live that retirement life, which was off because he did not want to do that initially. And Aaron was at the border of course!

Thankfully the Richmond family already left for the celebrations, they would not miss the opportunity to kiss up to other nobles and possibly scam them for some money. By the time they came back, she was prepared to toss all of their belongings outside and ask them to leave.

Alaric wasn’t Aaron. He understood things without her needing to say them outright. He should also know what she was planning.

Unlike Aaron, who was blunt and straightforward, Alaric was perceptive. Emotionally intelligent.

He always had been.

And he had never liked Cassian.

Even now, Alaric found himself reflecting on his own dislike for the First Prince.

He wasn’t blind. He saw the way Cassian and Adeline gravitated toward one another, even when neither of them seemed to understand why. A constant push and pull.

But in Alaric’s eyes, Cassian was a selfish man.

A man who would discard or use anyone to his advantage the moment it suited him.

And giving his sister to someone like that was unthinkable.

Still, Alaric knew one simple truth: he could not control Adeline’s heart.

She had been close to Dimitri and Benedict, but Cassian was different. There was something unnameable between them. Something unspoken yet undeniable.

Alaric saw it in the way Cassian’s gaze would linger on her longer than necessary.

He saw the way Adeline would react to him, she looked at others as friends but with Cassian, she would always get a little nervous.

Dimitri’s departure was something Adeline had accepted.

She had been sad, but she understood why he had left. He had greater potential—she had always known it.

She never resented him for leaving.

But Cassian?

Cassian had cut her off entirely.

No warning. No explanation.

Nothing.

And that had devastated her.

Alaric still remembered the days after she had stopped receiving replies. How she had locked herself in her study, pretending she wasn’t hurt. Pretending she wasn’t waiting for a letter that would never come.

She took a long time to recover.

Because being betrayed after giving someone your trust is hard.

But knowing from the beginning that someone was untrustworthy, yet letting them prove you wrong, only for them to hurt you exactly as you expected?

That was worse.

And now, that same man—the one who had hurt her—was marrying the Saintess.

Alaric wasn’t surprised.

He was, in fact, relieved.

Because for all the ways Adeline had struggled, for all the unspoken things between her and Cassian, this wedding was an ending.

Maybe now, she could finally let go.

Adeline sat down in the chair across from him, watching him carefully. "You don’t think I should go at all?"

Alaric’s gaze softened. "You owe them nothing, Adeline."

She looked away, folding her hands in her lap. "I know that. But I feel like if I don’t go, it means..."

"It means nothing." His tone was firm. Besides what more do they need? The Marquess and Marchioness were present, they didn’t need anyone else’s presence.

Adeline swallowed, nodding slightly.

Alaric knew her well. Too well.

If she went, she wouldn’t just be watching a wedding.

She would be watching the final confirmation that Cassian had truly chosen someone else, her attempts to wake him up failed.

And though she had already spent so long trying to move on, a part of her wasn’t ready to see that.

But now, with Alaric’s words settling in her mind, she realised...

She did not need to see it.

She had already started walking away.

Annora stood before the grand mirror, admiring her reflection with a satisfied smile.

The wedding dress she had chosen was nothing like the one from her past life. Back then, she had dressed as the perfect Saintess—pure, modest, an image carefully crafted to appease the empire. A lie.

But this time, she had chosen something bolder.

The gown was exquisite, with delicate embroidery of gold threading against white silk, its fitted bodice accentuating her figure before flowing into cascading layers of fabric. The sheer sleeves shimmered subtly under the candlelight, giving her an ethereal glow. She looked breathtaking. But more importantly, she looked powerful.

She smirked. Today was not just a wedding. Today was the day she would win.

Everything had led to this moment. The empire gathered, the nobility present, the Holy Temple watching.

She had started to show disdain towards every one... Even a bit towards Dimitri... They were all novel characters, but she, she was awake. She was the only one who knew the truth, the truth of this world.