The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 122

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“It hurts! Let go of me!”

Grace shouted, her voice shrill, her wrist throbbing.

Ian, who had been dragging her by the wrist, stopped abruptly in an empty corridor.

He released her wrist roughly, as if discarding it, and turned to face her.

“What do you think you’re doing, Grace Bennett?”

His overbearing gaze and angry tone threatened to overwhelm her.

“What am I doing?”

Grace retorted, glaring at him as she examined the angry red mark on her wrist.

“How dare you send a letter of annulment to the family without telling me?”

Ian was furious. Not only had Grace sent the annulment letter without his consent, but she had also sent it through the family, ensuring his parents found out.

His parents, who had always disapproved of their engagement, were enraged by Grace’s letter, deeming it a disgrace to the family.

To make matters worse, the story had been leaked and published in the newspaper, damaging his reputation over the past few days.

Naturally, he had no intention of simply agreeing to the annulment. He had tried to meet Grace several times, even amidst the urgent search operation for the missing artifact.

However, she refused to see him, selfishly conveying her desire for a swift annulment through a servant.

“How dare… Ha!”

Grace scoffed, crossing her arms and considering Ian’s words. There it was again. That infuriating ‘how dare’.

No matter how she tried, she could never overcome that arrogance. Ian’s obnoxious attitude, as if he were always superior in their relationship and always held the upper hand.

She had indulged his whims out of necessity, but she no longer needed to.

“Why are you dragging this out? Let’s just annul the engagement.”

Grace, confirming they were alone, snapped without restraint.

Her eyes, which once held a gentle curve for Ian, were now cold and filled with contempt.

“Not on your own terms. It’s not going to happen without my permission.”

Enraged, Ian stepped closer to Grace. His blazing blue eyes looked down, as if plotting to crush her.

His insides were churning. Even his fiancée was defying him now.

“How dare you even speak of annulment to me?”

His gloved hand seized Grace’s chin, holding it firmly in place. He made no attempt to be gentle, his grip threatening to crush her jawbone.

In Ian’s heart, a flicker of love for Grace remained, but surging anger consumed everything. Anger at her for undermining his pride and dignity.

He could no longer control his reason.

“It hurts! Let go of me!”

Grace struggled, trying to pry Ian’s hand off her chin, but he held on like a vise.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! MacRyan!”

Grace called for MacRyan when hitting and pinching Ian’s arm proved ineffective.

But MacRyan was nowhere to be seen. She had definitely seen him following them, so where had he gone!

“Gale!”

Having no other choice, Grace called out.

Immediately, a man who had been discreetly keeping his distance ran towards them.

The man rushed forward and shoved Ian’s shoulder, attempting to break his hold on Grace.

Or rather, he tried to.

Ian drew his sword without hesitation, turning on the intruder.

In a swift motion, Ian swung his sword at Gale.

Gale dodged, but the unexpected attack resulted in the tip of the sword grazing his shoulder.

“Kugh…!”

Gale groaned, clutching his deeply cut shoulder.

“Are you crazy?!”

Grace shouted, her face terrified. Her eyes were wide with shock.

He wasn’t usually one to draw his sword first, no matter the situation, but this was serious.

“How dare you block my way? Who is this guy? Is he the one you’re seeing?”

Ian’s gaze, raking over Gale as he clutched his bleeding shoulder, was fierce enough to behead him.

He stared at Gale for a moment before lowering the blood-stained sword and turning back to Grace.

“Do you know what I gave up to choose you, an insignificant nobody? And yet you’re talking about annulment? Without my permission!”

“Why, why are you acting like this! It’s pathetic!”

“The annulment is off. Announce in the newspaper that you were wrong. Apologize to me, now.”

Ian, sword in hand, took a step towards Grace.

He had given up Celonia, whom he had been pursuing, to choose Grace. He had accepted the disadvantages that came with it.

But now she was the one initiating the annulment. Showing no gratitude, not knowing her place.

How dare she, how dare she…!

His anger was so intense it felt like he was going blind.

“A, am I crazy? Don’t do this! This is the Imperial Palace!”

Grace stepped back, her face pale.

“Stop it.”

Gale, protecting Grace while clutching his shoulder, tried to intervene, but Ian seemed deaf to his words.

Grace was filled with dread.

Ian’s eyes looked so deranged that she could no longer recognize him as the man she knew.

Besides, what were those black veins? Thick veins were rising on Ian’s neck, but they were not blue, but black.

Moreover, the darkening black color was slowly spreading beyond the veins, staining his neck.

“Kuh… If you want to be safe, it’s best not to provoke me any further, Grace.”

Ian growled like a beast, uttering what sounded like a final warning.

Sensing the danger of the situation, Grace turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Her only goal: to return to the banquet hall.

With so many people present, Ian wouldn’t be able to do anything. And if the Princess used the tea leaves she had given her, the Grand Duke would protect her.

“…”

The moment he saw Grace running away, Ian’s reason shattered.

The evil that had risen to the tip of his throat quickly spread like poison, blinding Ian’s eyes.

* * *

Inside the Negzite Hall, where the Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and Princess were all present.

“I thank you all for attending to celebrate the twentieth birthday of our beloved Princess. May everyone enjoy today’s banquet.”

As the Emperor concluded his birthday speech for the Princess and sat down, the orchestra began to play lively music.

Celonia leaned against a pillar, holding a champagne glass, alone.

Lechef had gone to find Ian, intending to use the holy water [water blessed by a religious figure, believed to have purifying properties]. She carried a vial of holy water with her, in case she encountered him first.

‘What a crazy father and daughter.’

Celonia bit her lip, gripping the champagne glass so tightly she feared it would shatter.

Having learned of Grace and Galloway’s sinister plan, she could no longer delay.

She had to tell Tan, Lechef, and MacRyan the truth. About the dark magic they were attempting to perform, and that she was not the real Celonia.

She was scared. The look in his eyes, the way they seemed to change, frightened her, but she had to tell him. First, she should tell Tan, who had been waiting patiently.

But why wasn’t Tan showing up?

Besides, why did the main figure of today’s banquet have such a grim expression?

Celonia wondered, observing the Princess’s face as she sat next to the Emperor.

Titania was watching the hall with a hawk-like intensity, her expression suggesting she was ready to kill someone.

Something felt off. There was a strange feeling….

Just then.

The banquet hall doors burst open, and Grace, her hair disheveled, frantically pushed her way through the crowd. She kept looking back, as if someone were chasing her.

‘What’s wrong with her?’

Celonia’s expression twisted in confusion. It didn’t seem like an act; she genuinely looked desperate.

Wait, why was she alone?

Didn’t she leave with Ian and MacRyan?

“Bring that woman here, now!”

As she pondered this, a venomous voice echoed through the hall.

Turning her head, Celonia saw Titania, who had jumped up from her seat, pointing at Grace with a furious expression.

Just as Celonia was trying to understand what was happening.

Kwaaaang!

“Kyaaaak! Wh, what is it!”

“Ugh!”

A deafening roar erupted, and the massive banquet hall doors were blasted into the middle of the hall in two pieces. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the floor where the doors landed was cracked and splintered.

“What on earth is going on!”

The Emperor roared in anger at the chaos that had erupted just as he was about to enjoy the Princess’s birthday celebration.

The Imperial Palace knights, who had been standing guard, moved in unison towards the shattered doorway to assess the situation.

At that moment, heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, drawing everyone’s attention to a single point.

“Th, that’s…”

“It’s a mo, monster!”

The faces of those who recognized the figure turned ashen, and they began screaming and fleeing to the far side of the hall.

“Kuh…”

A massive, black, humanoid figure growled like a beast as it lumbered into the hall.

Beside it, the doorkeepers and knights who had been guarding the entrance lay collapsed.

“…Gloves.”

Celonia recognized it.

The leather gloves embedded in the hand of the black mass, the gloves that Ian had been wearing.

That pitch-black monstrosity, easily three meters tall, was Ian.

“Wh, what is that! Capture it, quickly! Quickly!”

The Emperor, also recognizing the monster, shouted orders.

The Empress was already leading the Princess to safety.

The people, stunned by the monster’s appearance, rushed towards the other exits in a desperate scramble for survival.

The banquet hall, where people were pushing, knocking down, and trampling each other in their panic, had become a scene of carnage.

“Crazy!”

Celonia tightly closed and opened her eyes, trying to grasp the horrifying reality.

In the end, the side effect had manifested. She had heard that healing would be ineffective in this state.

As MacRyan had warned, Ian, or rather the monster he had become, had truly transformed into a creature consumed by evil, recklessly swatting aside the rushing knights and destroying the banquet hall.

She couldn’t stand idly by. Celonia had no choice but to gather the light of healing in her hand.

“G, Grand Duke…!”

Just then, Grace, who was desperately trying to escape, spotted someone and cried out.

At the mention of the Grand Duke, Celonia’s head snapped to the side.

Tan was walking towards her gracefully, leaving the rampaging Ian behind.

“G, Grand Duke, I’m here…!”

Grace rushed towards Tan, relief flooding her face.

However.

Tan indifferently walked past Grace and stopped in front of Celonia.

“Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Tan took Celonia’s hand and headed towards the terrace.

Grace stopped, bewildered.

“Tan! Wait, just a moment!”

Celonia, flustered, followed him onto the terrace, then stopped walking.

“That’s not just a monster! It’s Ian!”

“So?”

“We have to go back. Something terrible might happen. People will get hurt. We have to do something.”

“Why?”

Tan’s eyes locked onto Celonia. It was a questioning gaze.

“Why, what do you mean…”

“Why should I save other humans who are not you?”

With that merciless question, Celonia saw the reflection in his eyes, which had turned red, even the whites.

“Nothing other than you is needed in my world.”

In his eyes, she saw a desolate landscape, an empire consumed by flames, and standing amidst the rubble, only Celonia, alone.