The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 61

“MacRyan, are you just going to leave like this?”

“Yes. Grace is calling for me. I have to go.”

Having received a message from his servant that Grace wanted to see him, MacRyan abruptly left the cafe.

His close friend, Shilton, followed him, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Shilton Folford, the Viscount.

He was MacRyan’s only friend.

Few young nobles wanted to befriend the notoriously prickly MacRyan, but Shilton was different.

Since childhood, he had a great interest in dragons, and as a result of persistently staying by MacRyan’s side, they became friends.

“Wasn’t this the meeting I’ve been talking about for days? Can’t you at least show your face to the club members before you go?”

“I have to go to Grace.”

“You’re really something. Haa…”

Shilton sighed, looking fed up with MacRyan’s blindly devoted behavior.

He had planned to introduce MacRyan to the club members today, hoping that MacRyan would meet a wider variety of people and become more social, instead of only focusing on Grace.

But today, once again, the plan fell through because of Grace.

Since this abnormal occurrence wasn’t the first, Shilton decided to just generously understand. If he didn’t understand, MacRyan would obviously choose Grace over him.

“Did you bring a carriage?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll lend you mine. I told them to park it around back, so let’s go there.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Oh? Isn’t that the Beast of the Night?”

MacRyan turned his head at Shilton’s words.

Not far from the cafe they had exited, in front of the grand, white central library, stood the man known as the Beast of the Night.

Looking even more radiant than when he had seen him before.

“Hoo. Even from a distance, he’s quite the figure. He’s certainly worthy of my sister’s keen interest these days.”

“Your sister?”

“He’s already famous among the noble ladies, I hear. He has the looks, the swordsmanship. Besides, there’s a rumor that His Majesty the Emperor is showing interest in him because of the monster incident the other day.”

“The world is going crazy.”

MacRyan clicked his tongue, looking dumbfounded at Shilton’s words.

Ordinary people might not know, but that guy wasn’t a normal human. The energy he felt when they encountered each other at the boutique had a wicked quality to it.

Everyone must be out of their minds. To be interested in such a shady and dangerous guy at first glance.

“Oh ho. Isn’t that Princess Vessian next to him?”

“What?”

Shilton’s words were enough to stop MacRyan, who was about to move again.

It was true. Selonia was standing naturally next to the guy, as if they had come to the library together.

“Looking at them like this, the two of them look quite good together.”

“Are you blind?”

“Just looking at their appearances, I mean. Well, if his swordsmanship is that outstanding, he might even receive a baronetcy, or at least a baronial title, despite the difference in status.”

As Shilton seriously spouted realistic possibilities, MacRyan glared at him with angry eyes.

How could he say that Selonia looked good with that shameless guy?

Even beyond status, that guy was out of the question. Selonia was far too precious.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Why are you getting so worked up? Weren’t you on your way to see Miss Bennett?”

Shilton frowned, seeing MacRyan’s excessive reaction. He didn’t know why he was suddenly showing so much interest in Princess Vessian.

Was he regretting letting go of the fish he had already caught?

“…”

MacRyan’s mouth shut tightly at Shilton’s words.

He was right. It was ridiculous for him to interfere like this after letting go of Selonia’s hand first.

Yes. He should lose interest. Didn’t he have Grace now?

MacRyan recalled the comfort Grace had given him when they had first met.

‘Selonia is really too much. She had the Duke, yet she held onto both Reyev and MacRyan, not letting them go. She knew how you both felt, but she pretended not to know, using you both.’

‘There’s no way Selly would do that…’

‘MacRyan, don’t you understand yet? You were used… Poor MacRyan. I’ll always be by your side from now on.’

Her words, that she would always be by his side, were engraved in his heart like an enchantment.

He regained his senses and started walking again. But he couldn’t help but be bothered by Selonia and that guy.

Especially the energy that guy possessed. It was an energy he had felt somewhere before…

“Mac, are you going next week?”

“Where?”

“Lord Horay is secretly capturing monsters and bringing them in, I hear.”

Shilton followed, chuckling.

Even after hearing that Duke Denroha had paid reparations because of monsters, he was still capturing them again.

MacRyan was disgusted by the foolish and extravagant games of the nobles.

“Monsters…?”

Suddenly, MacRyan stopped in his tracks and turned his head sharply.

Then, with narrowed eyes, he looked at Tan, who was standing far away.

A dark and intense energy, like being in a forest of monsters.

His golden eyes flashed sharply.

* * *

Inside the carriage returning from a fruitless search.

Selonia was heading towards the store ‘Florence,’ having gained no hints from the library.

The dream she had the night before kept lingering in her mind, so she even asked the librarian about black magic, wondering if she should look into it.

‘Do you happen to have any books on ancient magic?’

‘All materials related to ancient magic are designated as forbidden books and can only be viewed by His Majesty the Emperor.’

It had disappeared into the annals of history, and no one but the Emperor could learn about ancient magic.

Was she going to have to catch Gillian tonight and make him talk?

‘Or maybe Tan…’

Selonia briefly considered a method, but it was too dangerous, so she decided to put it on hold for now.

She would look for other options first and consider it as a last resort.

‘Hmm?’

At that moment, Selonia looked at her hand, feeling a sudden warm sensation. Tan, who was sitting next to her, had grasped her hand, which was resting casually on her thigh.

And very tightly at that. As if he didn’t want to let go.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“But why…”

Ella was in front, so she didn’t finish her sentence, but she conveyed it with her eyes. Why did you hold my hand when it didn’t hurt?

He raised the corners of his mouth as if he had read her eyes.

“Just because.”

Then he gave a brazen answer.

Selonia’s mouth dropped open.

Why was this man acting like this since last night?

She was dumbfounded by his incomprehensible actions and words, but then she realized that Ella was in the carriage with them and looked straight ahead.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Then Ella hurriedly cleared her throat and subtly turned her head. With an expression that said, I didn’t see anything.

It was a situation that anyone would misunderstand.

Just as Selonia was about to open her mouth to say something, the carriage suddenly stopped with a screech.

“I, I’ll go check it out!”

Ella, who had been sensing the atmosphere and thinking she needed to leave, seized the opportunity and quickly got out of the carriage.

Thud.

As the door closed, only the two of them remained in the carriage.

Selonia turned her head sharply and glared at him, snapping.

“Why are you doing this, really?”

“Doing what?”

“Why do you keep grabbing my hand without permission?”

The question she wanted to ask the most was why he had kissed her hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask that question.

She didn’t know why.

It felt like something would become irreversible if she asked that question.

“Because I want to hold it. Is that not allowed?”

Tan looked straight at Selonia as he spoke. He was quite amused to see her flustered expression.

“Of course, it’s not allowed. My hand isn’t your property, and you can’t just grab it whenever you want.”

Selonia retorted sharply.

In the first place, he had said he would hold her hand every midnight when she felt pain, but he had never said he could grab it whenever he wanted.

“Is that so?”

Tan’s red eyes flashed with a strange light. The corners of his mouth lifted into a cool smile.

Selonia trembled without realizing it, unable to understand the meaning of that smile, but she calmly replied.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then what do I have to do to grab your hand whenever I want?”

“…Excuse me?”

“What do I have to do to grab your hand whenever I want?”

In that moment, red eyes filled with an almost obsessive desire blazed like the sun.

Selonia’s eyes shook violently as she met his gaze.

She felt strangely uneasy today.

His gentle smile, and his gaze that didn’t seem to want to leave hers, felt as if they were binding her whole body, corner by corner.