The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 102

The blare of a massive horn, magically amplified, signaled the Hunting Festival’s end, echoing through Mirnar Forest.

As the sun, noticeably lower with winter’s approach, painted the sky in fiery hues, the participants returned, displaying their day’s prizes.

“Am I seeing things?”

“Not Duke Cherbil, not Grand Duke Hushbrook, but really…”

Surprised voices erupted. Everyone expected either Duke Cherbil, Grand Duke Hushbrook, or the Crown Prince to bag a magical beast. They were, after all, the obvious frontrunners.

But *that* unexpected person?

“Did Princess Bessian really catch it?”

“…Apparently.”

Celonia stood proudly beside the dead Griffin, instantly the center of attention.

Beside her, the Grand Duke and the Crown Prince, considered top contenders, stood empty-handed, a stark contrast.

Ian, at least, stood before a slain black bear, its fearsome teeth bared. Normally, the black bear would have made him a strong contender, but today was different.

Princess Bessian had caught a magical beast: a Griffin, capable of flight and aerial combat.

“Are you certain?!”

“Yes, yes! We saw it ourselves…”

Knight Thor, an Imperial Guard member, shrunk under the Emperor’s fierce gaze, answering with rigid discipline.

“Hmph…”

A deflated sigh escaped the Emperor as he looked down from the platform. The situation was so absurd, all he could do was sigh.

He’d even schemed to ensure the Crown Prince’s victory in this supposedly fair Hunting Festival. Yet, the Crown Prince couldn’t even manage that, and the Princess, of all people, had caught the beast.

The Emperor struggled to believe the Princess had caught such a large magical beast, but Celonia’s appearance left little room for doubt.

Her disheveled state, covered in injuries and dirt, screamed of a head-on fight with the Griffin.

Moreover, several witnesses had seen Celonia slay the Griffin in real-time. There was no room for doubt.

Besides, even though Celonia was a delicate woman, she had been participating in subjugations against magical beasts for the past six months.

Reluctantly, the Emperor rose. All seated nobles followed suit.

“The winner of the 45th Hunting Festival is Princess Celonia Bessian.”

The Emperor announced, glaring at the Crown Prince as if scolding him.

“…Wow!”

Stunned by the surprising result, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers after a moment of silence.

Celonia, basking in the cheers, walked onto the platform with a composed expression to receive the Emperor’s congratulations.

“Impressive.”

Tann’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he watched her, prouder than anyone.

“The Lady caught it? You expect me to believe that?”

However, one person dissented.

Even as the Crown Prince remained silent, Ian, unable to accept it, confronted Tann, bristling with discontent.

“What if you don’t believe it?”

Tann’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at Ian, objecting to Celonia’s victory. He couldn’t lash out in front of the Emperor, so he was just hopping around, making him seem as insignificant as a flea.

“This is clearly cheating. You caught it and gave her the victory!”

“Nonsense. Didn’t you hear the knights? They witnessed her slaying it.”

“Enough. Do you really think the Lady could slay that magical beast in the first place?”

Ian retorted, unyielding. Celonia winning the Hunting Festival defied his common sense.

Clearly, Tann was trying to screw him over by having Celonia win as a proxy.

“If she can do it, there’s no reason she can’t. Actually, she accomplished what *you* couldn’t.”

Tann sneered, seeing through Ian’s thoughts, and his cold eyes narrowed. His characteristic arrogance seemed to crush Ian.

How dare he act arrogant in front of him? There was nothing she couldn’t do in this world. If she wished, he would make anything come true for her.

“Even if everyone else is fooled, I won’t be…!”

“Princess Bessian, congratulations on winning the Hunting Festival.”

Ian, furious and close to Tann, had to shut his mouth at the Emperor’s words.

He wanted to turn this place upside down, but with witnesses present, proving Celonia wasn’t the winner would be impossible.

Ian bit his lip in humiliation and mortification. His insides boiled like lava.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Celonia smiled gently, accepting the trophy and bouquet from the Emperor.

The palm-sized trophy, made entirely of gold, was so heavy it was difficult to hold with one hand, and the bouquet was so large it was hard to hold in one’s arms.

“Very well. Who would you like to share this glory with today?”

The Emperor looked at Celonia expectantly.

Customarily, the Hunting Festival winner presented the flowers to the person they wished to share the glory with.

Although a woman was receiving flowers, Celonia’s choice would be tantamount to an implicit romantic declaration.

“The person I wish to dedicate today’s glory to is…”

Celonia paused, scanning the nobles waiting for her answer, then looked down from the platform.

She clearly saw Ian, unable to even climb up here, seething with wounded pride.

This was a first. Until now, she had always yielded the spotlight to the male leads.

But not anymore. She would no longer back down, directly seizing and enjoying all the glory.

She turned her gaze to one place and smiled brightly, no longer hesitating at the sight of genuine pride in his expression.

“Grand Duke Tann Hushbrook.”

At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to Tann.

Tann looked up at Celonia on the platform and smiled, thinking the high platform suited her perfectly.

“Wow…!”

The nobles who saw them let out small exclamations.

Their smiles, deeper and more dazzling than the sunset sky, were so beautiful they would likely not be forgotten for a long time.

However, one woman glared fiercely at Tann and Celonia.

“Are they mocking me? Those *things* are mocking me?”

Princess Titania couldn’t contain her anger. Her face was flushed red, as if it would explode.

“Not only did they look down on me with the lie that they had no feelings for me, but they dare to be so brazen in front of me…!”

Titania bit her lip until it bled at Celonia’s action of handing the bouquet to Tann.

She had acted like she was nothing to the Grand Duke at the Grand Duke’s mansion, but she had been plotting behind the scenes.

Old habits die hard; after the Saviors, it was now the Grand Duke.

“I won’t let either of them get away with this. I’ll kill them.”

Titania’s golden eyes burned like flames.

* * *

“Damn it! His Highness was certain to win!”

The young noble who had bet twenty gold coins on the Crown Prince kicked a stone and stomped forward.

The Hunting Festival had ended.

The nobles leaving the venue couldn’t stop talking, buzzing about the day’s unexpected events.

Especially among the young ladies, the day’s events were a constant topic of conversation.

“So, will the Princess and the Grand Duke announce their engagement now?”

“Won’t they announce it soon? She officially dedicated her glory to him. And the Grand Duke’s eyes were constantly on the Princess, you know?”

“By the way, ladies, did you know? I just realized it today. Beautiful men look good even holding flowers.”

“That’s right! It was like looking at a masterpiece. Hehe!”

The young ladies, recalling Tann’s appearance as he received the bouquet from Celonia, left in a daze, gushing.

“Ha…”

Grace, left behind, trembled with jealousy, wringing her hands.

She naturally thought Ian or Tann would win, but suddenly Celonia won.

Moreover, when Tann received the bouquet, his eyes toward Celonia were so sweet they could melt hearts.

You could tell just by looking at their expressions that they were sincere.

‘Why…!’

Grace gnawed at her thumbnail.

She had taken everything away, but why did an even better man appear and stick by her side again?

Why, of all people…!

“Engagement?”

Grace smiled bitterly. That was out of the question.

No matter what that woman had, no matter what she took, she would take it all away. Even if she couldn’t, it didn’t matter. Everything would be hers.

“By the way, where did McRyan go?”

Grace’s venomous eyes scanned the people leaving the tent.

She had definitely seen him return to the entrance like the other participants before the awards ceremony, but she hadn’t seen him since. He wasn’t in the participant seats either.

Even Reyev, who had arrived late and was sitting with her in the audience, was nowhere to be found.

“Why are these guys acting like this lately?”

Knowing full well she was in a bad mood, where did they go? They should come and comfort her. Really…!

As she grumbled, she saw Ian leaving with a very angry face.

“Duke!”

Grace hurried after him.

* * *

That night.

Two hours before midnight, Celonia said she was tired and would retire early, ensuring no one lingered near her room.

And inside that room.

“Haa… wait, just a moment, Tann.”

Celonia pushed away Tann’s eager lips, gasping for breath.

Everything had happened so fast.

She had dismissed everyone and waited in her room, as he’d said he would come early, and Tann had arrived.

She’d tried to greet him with a smile, but before she could even say hello, he had wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

Celonia, helplessly caught in his persistent kiss, momentarily regained her senses.

Unlike before, her body was clean, without injuries, thanks to healing magic.

“…Why.”

Tann’s eyes, already half-unraveled, stared at Celonia’s glistening lips. His murky voice, tinged with passion, resented her for pulling away.

He had wanted to do this for so long. No, he always wanted to be kissing her lips.

Especially when she handed him the flowers, her smile more beautiful than the flowers, he had suppressed his desires.

But to make matters worse, Celonia had to return to the Bessian estate with the Duke.

That’s why Tann had come early, wanting to be alone with her longer. He wanted to come right away, but he waited, as she said people wouldn’t notice until around 10 o’clock.

“Did the Griffin get back okay?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

As she answered, Celonia blocked his lips with her palm, as he was about to kiss her again.

Whether he misunderstood or couldn’t suppress his desire, Tann kissed her palm.

“Pfft! It tickles.”

Celonia finally laughed at the sensation of his lips digging into her hand.

The Griffin she had caught was fake.

Tann had teleported the real Griffin to a remote mountain, disguising a nearby tree as a Griffin.

It was seamless. There was really nothing he couldn’t do with his power.

Even if he used disguise magic, the corpses caught during the Hunting Festival would be burned and offered to the gods anyway. Everything would burn and disappear without a trace, so it wouldn’t be caught.

But since it wasn’t an illusion, the disguised Griffin really moved alive, and Celonia had to struggle quite a bit to catch it.

And before delivering the final blow, she deliberately waited until people came and showed them the scene of her slaying it. That way, she could win without any objections.

“That guy went well on his own, so stop asking about it.”

Tann frowned, displeased that Celonia was only thinking about the Griffin.

Before coming here, he had already confirmed that the Griffin he had moved to the mountain was flying North.

The North was so far away, and he had never been there, so he couldn’t teleport it there all at once, so this was the best he could do.

“Still, I should at least say goodbye…!”

“Look at me, Celonia.”

Looking at Celonia, who was still regretful, Tann revealed his rising desire.

He didn’t want to be disturbed during this precious time alone.

“Focus only on me right now.”

Tann stared intently at Celonia with obsessive eyes and moved the hand that had been hugging her slender waist.

His hot hand brushed against her skin through the thin slip and gradually moved further down.