Chapter 56

28. — Presence of An Extra (2)

“Yesterday, the day before, and the day before that, the Young Lady went on a date with the Grand Duke, didn’t you? Didn’t you meet him for the past week because you had a good time?”

“…What? Do you think I’ve been dating the Grand Duke all this time?”

Lily nodded her head with her face that she did not know what the problem was, despite the absurdity that erupted. Seeing me touching my face in surprise, she slapped me on the shoulder and spoke.

“Well, you don’t have to be so shy. There’s already rumors spread all over Aren.”

“Ru, rumors…? What’re you talking about?”

“Of course, rumors about Grand Duke Destro and the Young Lady!”

“What?”

“Honestly, since he’s the only Grand Duke of Lian, everyone has to wonder whom he would marry. I heard that the Emperor was also curious about the marriage of His Highness the Grand Duke?”

Lily’s words, seemingly natural, sent shivers down my spine. In a situation where I could somehow feel the coldness, I asked while swallowing dry saliva.

“…I understand that the Grand Duke has such a presence, but why am I tied up with His Highness?”

“That’s…”

“That’s?”

“Obviously, there are rumors that the Grand Duke and the Young Lady had a picnic together at Lake Beach, a dating spot for lovers!”

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Her exasperated words stopped my thoughts for a moment. Nevertheless, Lily did not seem to see me staring blankly as she continued.

“Frankly, I thought something was strange from the cafe that day! Your Highness couldn’t do anything, and the Young Lady seduced him first… No, even if you say you wouldn’t have done that or that you didn’t do it, you still did.”

“Lily, that’s…!”

“Though I didn’t know that the Young Lady and His Highness the Grand Duke were already like that.”

…What is ‘that’ that she was talking about now?!

My head was pounding as I glanced up at Lily with her eyes twinkling. I thought it would be okay because it was a quiet place, but Cain’s appearance seemed to stand out no matter what. After all, he has such a sculpted face and a presence as a male protagonist. There was no way that his presence could be blurry like me.

With a deep sigh, I placed an empty cup on the nightstand by my bed as Lily was staring with her twinkling eyes gazing at my pale pink hair as the sunlight hit it.

“And, more than anything else, I love how the Young Lady’s hair color has become a trend in Aren!”

“…A trend?”

“It’s all the rage! Aren is completely shaking. Seriously, I don’t know if Eli, that geeky bastard, would make a fuss about making a drug that changes the color of the hair?”

“….”

“There’s a lot of commotion at the magic tower! They’re going to try to make a hair dye that changes color every time the sun shines on it, just like the color of the Young Lady’s hair!”

What nonsense is this! 

I touched my forehead at her unexpected words, and Lily, who did not know what was going on inside my head, chattered like crazy.

“Actually, it hurt me so much when the Young Lady’s hair turned white that I counted every time it happened… But, now that everyone says it’s pretty, does that make you feel better now?”

“….”

“No, I even shed tears because I was being silly.”

My heart ached for no reason because of the darkness hidden behind her bright voice. Contrary to her complicated words, Lily’s eyes widened as she awkwardly raised the corners of her lips to return to her happy appearance.

“Then, shall we take a shower now?”

“…Why’s the conversation jumping that way?”

“What do you mean, why? The Young Lady is supposed to go to the Grand Duke’s residence today!”

“…Who? Am I supposed to?”

It was really the first time I had ever heard of this.

Widening my eyes, I asked about a schedule that I had never even heard of, and Lily responded with an indifferent look to my appearance.

“Yes. Yesterday, High Duke Destro said he would send the carriage by noon, so please get ready.”

“….”

“The Young Lady’s going to have a light meal at the Grand Duke’s residence. I thought you had an appointment with the Grand Duke since he told me not to put too much pressure on the Young Lady.”

“….”

“Though I didn’t know that His Highness the Grand Duke was such a sweet person! Don’t make it hard on the Young Lady? ‘You’re pretty even without makeup, Lia.’ Does he say something like that?”

Lily squealed and stomped her feet.

Seeing that, I glanced at her voice with disgust as though her throat was butter-coated.

“How was it, Young Lady? Is the cruel Grand Duke kind to his woman?”

“…I don’t know. How would I even know that?”

“What do you mean? If the Young Lady, who’s his lover, doesn’t know… Who would know?”

At the sound of Lily’s voice, which seemed to be incomprehensible at this point, I took off the blanket that was covering me and got up from my seat.

“What kind of relationship do I have with Cain? I’m like a passing extra or an ex-girlfriend he met by chance before he meets his true love?”

“Yes…?”

“I’m the kind of that ex-girlfriend who’s like, ‘Did the male lead ever date someone like me who’s not like his ex-girlfriend, who would be his unforgettable innocent first love?’”

As I spoke, I became very embarrassed about my role, although there was nothing we could do about it. In the first place, Adelia’s role in this novel was less than that. It was more than enough for people to talk about her since she is now entwined with Cain.

“Th-then, why did the Grand Duke even call the Young Lady to the Grand Duchy today?”

Lily, who had a more bewildered face than me, asked, grabbing my arm as I headed towards the bathroom. I frowned for a moment at her question before replying playfully.

“He wants me to read a book for him?”

“Yes?”

She could not believe it, could she?

I could not believe it either. What kind of book does he want me to read today?

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