The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 24

Celonia, chin resting on her hand, was deep in thought.

Guillian was her father’s man. As the vice-guild master of Finest, he held her father’s complete trust.

But what if he was working for her father while secretly harboring other intentions, or concealing something from her?

It was just a guess, nothing concrete.

So, she needed to investigate.

She couldn’t make accusations without evidence, so she decided to look into it herself for the time being, without informing her father.

“Ah, Miss!”

“Ella?”

Just as she was about to gather her thoughts and stand up, she heard Ella’s voice calling from outside.

For a moment, she was puzzled. Then she remembered leaving Ella with Rubeus to prevent the Demon King from following her to the meeting with Guillian.

Sensing something was wrong, Celonia hurriedly opened the door.

“What is it?!”

“B, big trouble! Rubeus is doing something to the beast!”

Ella ran down the hallway, her face pale with fright.

Celonia immediately rushed out.

* * *

While waiting for Celonia, who had dashed off to meet this Guillian, he leaned against a wisteria tree.

Not far away, loud shouts echoed rhythmically.

He squinted at the source of the shouts, enjoying the cool breeze and warm sunlight.

The men she called knights were swinging their swords in unison to the commands of one person.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue with a displeased expression, as if he had tasted something foul.

He didn’t know much about swordsmanship, but even a passing ant could tell that something was wrong. Their swordsmanship was so pathetic that he simply turned away.

“Hey.”

He called out to the maid who was squatting next to him, idly digging at the ground with a pebble.

She was the maid who was always by Celonia’s side. He thought her name was Ella.

“Y, yes?! Me?”

Ella, startled, squeaked out a reply.

He had been staying at the estate for a week, but he had never spoken to anyone other than Celonia.

Not even to Ella, who was always with Celonia.

So, Celonia was the only one who had to endure his constant questions.

“Yes. You.”

“H, how may I help you…?”

Ella quickly put down the pebble and stood up.

“Ah. Are you hungry? Shall I have a meal prepared?”

Ella clapped her hands, certain she had guessed correctly.

He always pestered the young lady to eat with him, so she assumed he was hungry again.

“No.”

But he had no intention of eating.

He didn’t need to eat anything, and the act of eating itself was troublesome and bothersome.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Having to pick up food with a fork and knife three times a day.

However, the only reason he insisted on eating with Celonia was because he liked the atmosphere at the table.

The savory smell of freshly prepared food and the soft clinking of cutlery.

And Celonia, who would nag him for being helpless but still put food on his plate.

He simply didn’t want to miss that scene.

“When is your mistress coming back?”

“Miss? Um, she’ll probably be back soon. She never meets with Guillian for long.”

“Go back to digging.”

He got the answer he wanted and turned his gaze away from Ella without hesitation.

“But, don’t you really remember anything?”

“……”

“Nothing at all? How can this be possible?”

But Ella, seeing her chance, began to pepper him with questions.

“What does it feel like to have no memories? Is it frustrating and stuff?”

“Hey.”

“It must be so 답답 [stuffy/suffocating], right? How… it must be so hard for you. But I’ve never seen someone with amnesia before!”

“You little…!”

He was about to raise his voice because Ella’s chatter was driving him crazy when a voice came from elsewhere.

“Ah, we meet again.”

He turned his head and saw a familiar face.

“Lord Rubeus, I greet you.”

Ella recognized Rubeus and bowed deeply.

Rubeus Sid.

He was the commander of the estate’s knights, and he had been present when he had dinner with Celonia and the Duke a few days ago.

“Yes. Where is the young lady? Why are you here?”

“She has gone to meet a guest for a while. I was told to stay with the honored guest.”

“I see. Were you watching the training, sir?”

Rubeus turned his gaze to the man who was staring blankly at him and spoke.

He still had his arms crossed, looking down at Rubeus, and opened his mouth.

“Not really.”

“Is that so? I thought you were interested in swordsmanship since you’ve been staring since a while ago.”

“Not really.”

He replied indifferently.

This Rubeus or whatever was just a nuisance.

Besides, there was something about those eyes that bothered him. The purple eyes hidden in the thin, slit-like eyes, like a snake’s.

He hated those kinds of people, so he just ignored him and turned his head.

“I didn’t know you were still staying at the mansion.”

Rubeus said, his voice sharp, to the man who was ignoring him.

There was sarcasm in his tone.

Sensing that, he raised one corner of his mouth and tilted his chin as if telling Rubeus to continue.

“Even if the Duke told you to stay as long as you like, anyone with a sense of shame would have left by now.”

“Shame?”

One of his eyebrows cocked up.

Shame? What was that supposed to mean?

“It’s… like knowing a sense of embarrassment.”

Ella, noticing that he didn’t understand, tiptoed and whispered softly into his ear.

He had been asking his young lady about everything, big and small, from head to toe.

Even so, he didn’t understand.

A sense of embarrassment? What was that?

“Ha. Just because the Duke calls you an honored guest doesn’t mean you’re anything special.”

Rubeus scoffed in disbelief, his expression hardening.

Rubeus didn’t like this guy from the start.

Beast of the Night?

Even if he was called by such a ridiculous nickname, this man was just a thug from the back alleys.

Yet he dared to stay at the estate as the young lady’s benefactor. And he had been sticking by the young lady’s side for a week.

He didn’t like it.

She was his flower, whom he cherished and adored, afraid to touch her lest she break, secretly watching her with longing.

She was a delicate and fragile person, like a narcissus that had bloomed nobly, someone he could never reach, so he had only kept her in his heart, yet this guy dared.

“It seems you’re trying to seduce the kind-hearted young lady and freeload off her, but you won’t get away with it.”
Rubeus, who had revealed his true feelings, approached him closely and growled.

“You’re just a beggar who wandered the streets, a parasite who was lucky enough to stay at the estate.”

As if he had decided not to hide it any longer, Rubeus’s expression as he glared at him was filled with disgust.

“Leave the estate immediately. And don’t hang around the young lady anymore.”

“What if I refuse?”

He smiled mockingly at Rubeus’s ridiculous behavior, looking more amused than ever.

His unwavering smile in the face of the warning was enough to provoke Rubeus.

Rubeus gritted his teeth, a flash of petty anger passing through his purple eyes.

“I heard you’re quite strong. How about we have a formal duel? If I win, you leave the estate immediately.”

“If I win? Will you scram?”

“Ha……”

Rubeus snorted at the absurd words.

He was the commander of the estate’s knights.

In terms of skill alone, he was comparable to Ian Cherbil.

No matter how much bigger he was, he was just a thug who roamed the back alleys.

There was a difference in class and dimension between him and himself.

“Answer.”

His face, which had lost its smile, demanded an answer from Rubeus.

“Fine.”

“Before we start, let me give you a piece of advice. If you don’t want to be embarrassed, you should get rid of the spectators beforehand.”

He patted Rubeus on the shoulder, who was much shorter than him, and took a step forward.

Under the blazing sun, his red eyes burned like flames.

He was going to take him quite seriously. It bothered him that he kept mentioning Celonia in every other sentence.