The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 53

Two days later.

The celebration was just around the corner.

In a few days, the celebration would be held at the Imperial Palace.

Celonia went out to handle things step by step before the celebration.

“Wow! To actually see the Princess in person!”

Maxwell jumped up and down, seeing Celonia standing in front of him under the bright sun.

“Thank you for your help.”

Celonia expressed her gratitude to Maxwell, a boy with striking freckles.

They were currently in the slums.

Thanks to Maxwell, she expected to easily achieve her goal today.

On the way to the slums, Celonia borrowed Ella’s clothes, worried about being recognized. Her long, voluminous hair was tied up in a single braid, and she wore a simple robe.

“Was it difficult to come here?”

“Stay away from her if you value your life,” Tan growled as Maxwell stuck close to Celonia, grinning.

His red eyes, burning like a fuse, glared at Maxwell.

“Brother! Why would you say such a hurtful thing!”

Maxwell brushed off Tan’s warning with a smile, as if he had heard it many times before.

‘Oh, impressive?’

Celonia was impressed by Maxwell’s easygoing nature.

Most people who faced Tan were frightened and turned pale, but Maxwell was different.

From the start, calling Tan ‘Brother’ showed he had extraordinary courage.

She came to the slums to find Storm, an underworld guild.

The guild’s hideout was located at the edge of the slums, in a remote place where people rarely ventured.

There was only one reason for coming here.

The information about Grace that Gillian had provided was no longer trustworthy, so she wanted to commission another guild for information from scratch.

She wanted to proceed as secretly as possible, so she was looking for an underworld guild. Just in time, Tan introduced her to Maxwell, saying he knew someone well-versed in that world.

So today, she came to meet the leader of Storm, a guild known in the underworld, though not as much as the Finest Guild.

“This is where Brother used to live.”

Before going to the guild building, Maxwell pointed to a spot.

Following his gesture, Celonia, who was heading into the slums, turned her head.

At the end of her gaze, she saw a makeshift shack.

It was made by weaving together pieces of planks, forming a sort of house, but it looked so fragile that it seemed like it would fall apart with a few hammer blows.

“The best royal suite in the slums,” Maxwell said with a smile, noticing Celonia’s interest, and pulled back the cloth that served as a door.

The hidden interior was revealed.

“You lived here?”

She widened her eyes in surprise.

“Yeah.”

Tan nodded.

Unable to believe it, Celonia looked around with wide eyes.

Maxwell said this was the best place in the slums.

All that was in the room, where almost no light entered, were a few piles of blankets. That seemed to be the bed.

The floor was just bare dirt. It was damp and humid.

The gaps between the planks that formed the ceiling were wide, with empty spaces that were not filled in.

If it rained, water would leak in and the floor would become muddy.

She had heard that he had wandered around without memories and lived in the slums, but it was beyond her imagination.

Since he had wandered around without memories, he obviously couldn’t have lived in a luxurious room.

She had vaguely guessed, but seeing it with her own eyes made her heart uneasy.

“I don’t really sleep much, so it was livable,” Tan said, looking at Celonia with a smirk. It was obvious that she had a worried expression.

“Who said anything?”

At his words, as if he had read her mind, Celonia turned her gaze away, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

Why is he smiling again?

It seems like she sees him smiling even when she just makes eye contact.

“To be smiling…”

Maxwell, who was stuck between the two, mumbled blankly as he saw Tan’s face smiling.

Soon, he shook his head as if he had seen something that wasn’t there.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Tan’s face was expressionless.

That’s right. He must have been mistaken.

There’s no way Brother would have given such an open smile.

“The guild is further inside.”

Maxwell regained his senses and continued the guidance.

With him in the lead, Celonia, Tan, and Ella passed through the slums and went further inside.

“This is it. Please go inside.”

Maxwell pointed to a building as if to indicate they had arrived, bowing politely.

Celonia smiled softly at his excessive behavior, which wasn’t burdensome but rather cute, and examined the exterior of the building in front of her.

Was it because it was a guild based in the underworld and had to be inconspicuous?

The exterior of the building was truly shabby, so much so that it looked like an abandoned house where no one lived.

The building, with only gray bricks remaining, had all its windows fallen out.

Even if a passerby saw this building, it exuded an eerie atmosphere that wouldn’t arouse curiosity.

“I’ll go with you.”

Tan approached Celonia, who was still unable to move her feet.

“Ella and I will go and come back.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

Tan narrowed his brows. It was obvious that she looked a little hesitant.

“The two of us are enough. Don’t come in.”

Celonia, who had returned to her usual self, spoke to Tan with a serious face.

She wasn’t so much scared as just a little surprised by the unfamiliarity. It would be reassuring to bring Tan, but she didn’t want to let him know the details of the request.

“Celonia.”

Tan, upon confirming the unique, determined look in her eyes, reached out instead of backing down.

“A leaf.”

His hand naturally removed a fallen leaf from her hair.

“Ah, thank you.”

Celonia was momentarily startled by the affectionate way he said her name and his actions, but she calmly thanked him.

Hmm?

But something was strange.

Even though he was done, Tan kept touching her hair.

His gaze couldn’t seem to leave her hair, as if it had honey on it.

“Is it always like this?”

Tan muttered, continuing to stroke the ends of her lavender hair with his rough and calloused hands.

Because the silky, smooth texture felt good.

Strangely enough, everything about her was soft—her hands, her body, even her hair.

It was so surprising every time he touched her.

“What is?”

“Are you always this soft?”

“Well, I guess it’s because I have less muscle mass than men. And most hair is like this.”

Celonia answered without being surprised this time, as he always asked her questions about this and that.

Furthermore, she didn’t really care that he was touching her hair.

He not only held her hand every night, but he also leaned on her shoulder all the time, so what was hair to her?

Perhaps that’s why Tan and Celonia were unreserved about touching each other, so much so that people who saw them often misunderstood.

“Then I’ll go and come back.”

“Call me immediately if you need anything.”

Celonia nodded instead of answering and entered the building without hesitation. Ella followed Celonia right away.

Tan stared blankly at her back, clenching the hand that had touched her hair. His expression was full of longing.

“B, Brother…?”

He had even forgotten that Maxwell was next to him.

Maxwell was dumbfounded by the sight before him, unable to close his mouth.

His brother… that is, Tan’s actions had left him speechless.

As soon as the Bethian Princess entered the slums, he guarded the surroundings like her guardian dog, following her around.

Moreover, that smile he had dismissed as a mistake was real. His brother had truly given the Princess a genuine smile.

He had known him for three months, but it was the first time he had seen him smile like that.

And now, he had a regretful look on his face, even though she would be back in just a few minutes!

“Brother! Since when?”