The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 108

Selonia carefully observed Raymond’s actions.

‘Is he trying to burn what he’s holding?’ she wondered.

He must be at the incinerator to burn something.

But what is he burning that requires him to come to the incinerator himself?

Burning trash was the servants’ job. It meant that Raymond, the Duke’s aide, didn’t need to do such menial tasks.

Of course, if it was something secret that the servants shouldn’t know, it was appropriate for Raymond to handle it himself.

But why in the dead of night when everyone is asleep?

Besides, his suspicious behavior of looking around as if trying not to get caught was definitely strange.

“Could it be….”

In an instant, Selonia’s eyes narrowed as a thought flashed through her mind.

Could it be that what Raymond is trying to incinerate is something her father shouldn’t know about? That’s why he secretly came out at this hour.

Even if Raymond was her father’s most trusted confidant, she couldn’t completely trust him.

Even Guild Leader Gillian of Finest secretly betrayed her father from behind.

She couldn’t be backstabbed again.

‘I need to check.’

Selonia grabbed a sturdy tree and peeked out.

Raymond, standing far away, was seen opening the handle of the closed incinerator machine upwards.

As the lid opened, Raymond didn’t hesitate to lift the bundle he had in his arms and pour it into the incinerator.

The white papers from the bundle fluttered as they went into the machine.

‘Secret documents?’

Just as she was thinking that, Raymond put the bundle into the machine and lowered the handle.

As the opened machine closed, he dusted off his hands as if he was done and left the incinerator.

‘Quickly, quickly!’

Selonia bit her lip in anxiety, waiting for Raymond to turn the corner and leave.

Paper burns quickly, so she had to run and check as soon as possible.

As she was internally stamping her feet, Raymond turned the corner and completely disappeared from sight.

As if waiting for it, she quickly ran towards the machine.

As soon as she arrived, feeling the cold morning air, she grabbed the machine handle and opened it.

Inside the machine, flames blazed, devouring the papers that were sliding in. Sparks flew everywhere along with ash.

It was fortunate that a few sheets were hanging at the entrance because Raymond didn’t bother to push the documents deep inside.

Of course, if time passed, even those documents would eventually be burned by the sparks.

Since she had to quickly take out the documents on the outside, Selonia looked around.

Then, she found a long pair of tongs that could be used as a poker next to the machine.

Picking up the tongs, she quickly pulled out the hanging documents and placed them on the floor.

The documents, which were losing their shape from the corners due to the sparks, were stomped on with both feet.

The embers were easily extinguished by her stomping.

She managed to salvage a total of four documents. The rest were sucked inside and burned without a trace.

With a regretful heart, Selonia bent down and picked up the papers.

Brushing off the clearly imprinted footprints and dirt, she quickly read through the documents.

“Invoices?”

Unlike what she thought were secret documents, all four documents were invoices. Documents stamped with the payment of the billed amount.

The items were not listed, but what was a bit unusual was that it was her father’s personal seal, not the family seal, that was stamped on them.

But why would Raymond secretly throw away just invoices?

While continuing to examine the documents with unresolved doubts, Selonia focused on the stores that issued the invoices.

Two were invoices issued by a dress boutique, and the other two were invoices issued by a jewelry store.

Most of them were stores where women’s consumption took place.

However, Selonia had not recently purchased any dresses or jewelry. If she had purchased them, the expenses would have been covered by the family.

Could it be that her father has someone he’s seeing? So he’s handling it with personal expenses?

It seemed like a plausible inference, but it was not enough to answer Raymond’s suspicious behavior.

“Why….”

Selonia, lost in thought, looked back and forth at the documents several times, and then her whole body stiffened as she carefully examined one document.

Because something came to mind from the familiar store name where an enormous amount was billed.

Erzell Jewelry.

It was the jewelry store that sold the limited-edition necklace that Grace wore at the hunting festival.

The one and only necklace that she had seen in the sample book but had not purchased.

The invoice did not list the items, and the amount of the necklace was not written in the sample book she saw. But with this amount….

“Could it be… this….”

Her hand holding the paper was trembling.

* * *

“Have a good day, Lord.”

As always, Ius bowed respectfully to Tan, who was leaving the mansion early in the morning.

“If you try any funny business again and get caught, then your existence will disappear without a trace. Keep that in mind.”

Tan glared at Ius with his red eyes and spat out a warning. As if he meant it, there was no mercy in his eyes as he looked at his subordinate.

“Yes… I understand.”

Knowing that, Ius swallowed his resentful feelings and replied.

With a cold attitude, Tan passed Ius and left the mansion.

Ius, or rather Tom, who was in Ius’s body, clenched his fists as he watched the back of his lord moving away.

“Damn it…!”

A curse that Tom had been holding back burst out of his mouth.

Since the day he rushed at that woman, he had been walking on thin ice every day.

It wouldn’t be strange if he was killed by his lord at any moment. However, the reason why his lord kept him alive and by his side was because of that woman’s words.

Because of that woman’s one word that it would be a problem if the late Duke died right away.

So, Tom should have died a long time ago, but he was not being killed by his lord because of that woman’s words.

How dare, how dare a mere human woman try to control the great Demon King in her hands…!

Tom bit his trembling lips. His eyes, with his jaw twitching so hard he was grinding his teeth, blazed fiercely. Stained with anger and betrayal.

“This can’t be happening. My lord can’t be like this.”

He can’t be so obsessed with just one human woman, leaving behind countless subordinates waiting only for the Demon King’s return. Especially to the human woman who killed him.

Besides, somehow, his lord’s energy was getting weaker day by day. It was clear that this woman was stealing his lord’s energy.

No, in the first place, that wicked woman was trying to take all of his lord’s energy and monopolize it. Because she knew that she shared the same energy as his lord.

He must never let that happen. How dare she covet someone else’s power…!

So, he had to make his lord come to his senses somehow before that.

“Tom!”

It was then.

Tom hurriedly raised his head at the voice he heard after a long time.

Through the open door, he saw Jack, who had just gotten out of the carriage, running towards him.

Jack, who had left for the Demon King’s castle in the north to find a catalyst that would help his lord regain his memory, had returned.

“Jack.”

“Look what I found!”

At that, Tom looked at the large object in Jack’s hand.

Soon, Tom’s lips curled up bitterly as he recognized what the object was. Because he had an idea of how to put everything back in its place.

* * *

Selonia’s face had turned gaunt as she greeted the morning with sleepless eyes.

She couldn’t sleep at all because her heart was pounding.

“Lady, are you okay? Shall I call the doctor?”

“I’m okay. I just had a sleepless night.”

“Are you really okay? Shall I tell the Duke that you won’t be able to attend the meal?”

Selonia shook her head at Ella, who was worried.

“No. Tell my father that I’ll be down soon.”

Selonia got up and went into the bathroom.

She repeatedly washed her face with cold water in this cold weather to sharpen her mind. She stared intently at her face reflected in the mirror, holding her numbly cold cheeks.

Her blue eyes in the mirror were trembling with more confusion than ever before.

Nothing has been confirmed yet. She shouldn’t jump to conclusions easily.

Raymond may have embezzled her father’s personal money. It can’t be her father. Why would her father….

“Haa….”

Selonia, letting out a deep sigh, put strength into her hands gripping the sink. Because her hands kept trembling if she didn’t give them strength.

It won’t be. It can’t be. She’s mistaken.

Selonia bit her lip tightly and muttered inwardly as if hypnotizing herself.

But once a suspicion has sprouted, it doesn’t easily go away.

So, in the end, she had to find out for sure in order to get rid of this suspicion.

Selonia moved her stopped steps. To the dining room where her father was waiting.