The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 124

Celonia told Tan the exact truth, without adding or omitting anything.

Despite resolving to tell him without further delay, her small voice was quite subdued, fearing his expression might change upon hearing her story.

Stammering, it took quite a while for her to finish speaking. Tan, who had listened silently until the end, finally opened his mouth.

“That woman is the real owner of this body?”

“That’s right.”

Celonia nodded, carefully observing Tan’s reaction. Whatever he was thinking, his expression was no different than before.

“So that’s why.”

Tan finally understood.

Why Celonia had been so surprised in the Bennet manor’s basement. Why she had pretended to be hurt in front of Galloway Besin.

“That’s all the reaction I get? Aren’t you surprised or embarrassed?”

Celonia was rather taken aback by his lack of reaction. How could he be so calm about such shocking news?

Did he even understand what she was saying?

“Should I be?”

“The me you’ve seen so far isn’t me. This appearance you see is not mine but that woman’s.”

Celonia’s voice rose slightly, more agitated than before.

In any case, a person’s appearance is the most immediate identifier and attraction.

Appearance might not be a consideration for some, but it is for most people.

A striking appearance is appealing. Even Celonia Besin, the protagonist of this world, has an exceptionally beautiful appearance that makes anyone look twice.

She couldn’t help but feel inferior. Her real appearance wasn’t as beautiful.

“What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say I was deceived and kill you? Is that it?”

Tan’s red eyes flashed at Celonia’s self-deprecating attitude.

“That’s not it, but…”

“From the moment you joined the subjugation party, you were in this body. I’ve never met that woman. All I’ve seen is you.”

“But my real appearance isn’t what you’re seeing now.”

“Then let me ask you. Do you know my real appearance with this face?”

“No. But your current appearance is also you.”

“What if I return to my real appearance? Will your feelings change?”

Celonia shook her head at his question, as a matter of course.

There’s no way they would change. With a heart already so deeply in love, it wouldn’t matter what he looked like…!

“…”

Celonia looked at Tan with wide eyes.

“Yes. Me too.”

Tan chuckled and gently rested his forehead against Celonia’s, as if he knew exactly what she had just thought.

He knew very well what Celonia was worried about. He seemed to remember thinking she was pretty when he first saw her.

But that didn’t matter.

He clearly knew when he had fully embraced her in his heart, when he realized he loved her so much he couldn’t help himself.

“It’s not different, it’s special. Having something others don’t have is called special, not different.”

“Since you’re special, don’t worry too much.”

*That was the day. The day I realized I loved you. The day I realized the wind that brushed past you had a fragrance.*

Looking back now, she said those words even knowing I was the Demon King. That’s why I liked her, because she was like that. Because she was someone with warmth without expecting anything in return.

“If it was this simple, I feel like I’ve been suffering alone for nothing.”

Celonia couldn’t help but smile along with Tan. She had finally come to know his true feelings and her own heart.

*Ah, he really doesn’t care. What he truly loves is the complete ‘me’ he has faced so far.*

He is still my reliable ally, without change.

“Then where is your original body?”

“It’s dead. A long time ago.”

“…”

“No! It was just a natural death.”

Celonia quickly added, seeing the murderous glint in his eyes. It was obvious he thought Galloway had killed her original body.

“So the original you would be twenty-four.”

“How did you know…?”

Her surprise was short-lived as Celonia realized the reason.

“How old are you?”

“Me? Twenty-four… Oops, twenty-one.”

“What?”

“Twenty-one.”

She had accidentally said her original age when Tan asked her age before, then corrected it to Celonia’s age.

He remembered that.

“How old are you?”

Feeling unfairly that Tan seemed to know everything about her, Celonia grumbled as she asked.

“Me? I haven’t really counted, but it’s definitely over three digits.”

Tan chuckled as he saw Celonia’s lips pouting and hugged her waist even tighter.

“What’s wrong?”

Celonia stroked Tan’s hair, which was deeply buried in her chest, and thought. *How can the hair of a Demon King, who is easily over 100 years old, be so soft?*

“Celonia, I want to know your name.”

“My name?”

“Your real name.”

Tan, who had raised his head from her embrace, looked into Celonia’s eyes with intense red eyes.

“…”

Facing his serious gaze, Celonia stiffened.

She had never once thought about revealing her real name to anyone. She had possessed this body and had to live as Celonia Besin.

A me who died young without achieving anything significant.

A meaningless and dry life with so few good memories to speak of, but still, the only one I had, the only one that was mine.

The poor me whose name I had forgotten myself while living as Celonia.

She felt her vision blurring. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Celonia’s life was abundant without lacking anything, but even so, the hole of loneliness that had been in one corner of her heart was being filled.

Because Tan asked for her name, because he wanted to know her real name.

Because the person who recognized the real me, not Celonia Besin, was him…

“Eun-young. Lee Eun-young.”

As she spoke her name for the first time, a tear streamed down her face along with a smile more radiant than ever.

But the tear didn’t fall all the way down and disappeared by a soft touch. Because Tan wiped it away.

“…What is all this I’m hearing right now?”

It was then.

A man burst out from the bushes with a disbelieving voice. It was Mac Rian.

* * *

“Damn it. Where is she?”

Mac Rian, who had come out to find Celonia’s faint energy, cursed as he looked around.

He could feel her energy a little stronger in this vicinity, but he couldn’t see her at all.

*’It’s impossible for us alone! We need Celonia! Go and ask for her help!’*

Leyeve shouted, struggling to hold back Ian, who had lost his mind and transformed into a corrupted evil.

Mac Rian was pushed out by Leyeve and had no choice but to come and find Celonia, but he knew the truth. That there was no hope even if Celonia went.

The banquet hall was already a mess. It was destroyed and collapsed by Ian to the point where its original form was unrecognizable.

Most of the nobles had quickly evacuated, so there were no major casualties, but the rampage didn’t stop, and as Ian rampaged more and more wildly, the pillars beyond the banquet hall collapsed, and the floor cracked, literally destroying the imperial palace.

Healers who had been called in used the light of healing on Ian, but it was useless.

In the end, they mobilized dozens of ropes to prevent the monster from moving, but it was only a matter of time before it tore them all off and rampaged again.

The knights of the imperial palace, who had gathered, rushed to kill it, but they couldn’t kill it.

It was possible to inflict minor wounds, but it was impossible to inflict fatal wounds because of the huge, pitch-black mask that Ian was wearing.

Mac Rian recognized it as soon as he saw Ian, who had turned into a monster.

That Ian hadn’t turned into a monster, but that the monster’s mask had swallowed Ian. That Ian was inside a huge, beast-like body.

To save him, they had to split the mask and take Ian out.

But the mask, which was packed with corrupted evil, couldn’t be cut with just an ordinary sword. Only perfect good, which contrasted with evil, could cut it.

“Damn it, if the holy knight’s sword and my abilities don’t work, then what…!”

The holy water that Leyeve had was also ineffective, and he couldn’t cut the mask with the holy knight’s sword or his own abilities as a dragon.

If he only had a heart, it might be possible…

“Fucking hell!”

Mac Rian shouted with a frustrated face.

*Causing side effects and running away alone? This crazy woman…!*

Mac Rian turned around, grinding his teeth as he thought of Grace.

Now was not the time to find Celonia. He had to get the heart back from that woman no matter what.

It was then.

“…Tan, there’s something I need to tell you. This body isn’t mine.”

A familiar voice struck his ear from afar.

Mac Rian held his breath and headed towards the sound. And he heard everything Celonia was saying without missing a single word.

“What is all this I’m hearing!”

“What’s the situation? How’s Ian?”

Celonia was surprised that Mac Rian had overheard everything, but she regained her composure and got up from Tan’s lap.

“Don’t change the subject! What is all this I’m hearing? You’re not Celonia!”

“Don’t you know what’s more urgent right now? How’s Ian!”

The two faced off without giving an inch.

Mac Rian glared at Celonia with his blazing golden eyes, but Celonia didn’t avoid his gaze.

She knew he was confused right now, but that could be dealt with later. They had to resolve Ian’s side effects.

“…Damn it! It’s hopeless. Unless we cut through the mask with noble goodness, we’ll have to kill it. If that happens, Ian will die completely too.”

Since it was the situation, Mac Rian had no choice but to step back first.

“You have to cut through the mask? With the holy knight’s sword? Or with your abilities?”

“It’s all useless. It has to be more perfect than that.”

Perfect good?

Something flashed through Celonia’s mind.

“Tan! We have to go to the Duke’s mansion! Quickly!”