The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 81

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“Are you really going to keep that bastard by your side?”

Tan asked Celonia, looking displeased.

The two were walking through the hallway, heading back to Negzite Hall.

The increasingly chilly wind, carrying the mingled scents of autumn and winter, and the red sunset sky beautifully painted the scene around them.

“It’s out of necessity,” Celonia replied, also clutching her head, feeling dizzy.

“Celonia!”

Tan, surprised, quickly grabbed her shoulder.

Just as with Emily, she felt dizzy and drained after purifying Reyev, but she endured it.

She didn’t want to show such weakness to Reyev, who should have been the one feeling resentful.

She had instructed Reyev to stay close to Grace without being detected.

Grace still thought of him as her man who had fallen victim to trickery, so Reyev’s usefulness was high.

Just as Grace had taken the male leads from her, Celonia intended to return the favor.

To do that, Reyev needed to play the role of a spy.

“Go back to your room immediately. I’ll take you.”

“I can’t. Did you forget that I’m the main attraction today? I can’t let her steal the spotlight.”

“You look like you’re about to collapse any minute…!”

Tan raised his voice at Celonia, who was stubbornly refusing, but then stopped. He was worried that arguing would only worsen her condition.

Her face was growing paler and colder.

Tan knew that Celonia’s body had suddenly weakened because she had used healing magic on that bastard.

“Why are you going this far? Why are you bringing back those who betrayed you? Do you want to be with them again?”

Tan looked down at Celonia, who was leaning on him for support, and asked in an angry tone.

Through Reyev and Celonia’s conversation, Tan had learned that a woman named Grace had used trickery to change their hearts, and Celonia’s healing magic purified it.

He didn’t like that. Celonia was restoring their changed hearts.

If they knew the truth, they would cling to her, begging her to let them stay by her side, just like Reyev had done earlier.

Why was she trying to restore the hearts of those who had betrayed and left her, whether it was due to trickery or not?

He was anxious. The reason was clear.

He was afraid that Celonia would return to them. That she would choose them over him.

“I just want to know the truth.”

“You don’t want to go back to how it was before?”

“No.”

Celonia took a breath and answered firmly.

She had no desire to return to how it was before. She wondered if she had any lingering feelings, but she realized for sure when Reyev begged her.

Even when he shed tears and apologized for his mistakes, she felt nothing.

It was strange that she could be so cold, even though he had been a colleague for half a year.

She really didn’t care. Her heart didn’t ache, and she didn’t waver. She didn’t even feel sympathy.

Why was that?

She thought about how her feelings could have disappeared as if wiped away by an eraser, and there was only one answer.

Celonia grabbed Tan’s sleeve, who was carefully helping her to sit on a bench with his rough hands.

“Tan, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Tan, feeling a little relieved by Celonia’s firm answer, knelt down to meet Celonia’s eye level as she sat on the bench.

“You…”

Celonia’s lips trembled, but she closed them. She had to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out.

What if he said yes then?

She was afraid, thinking about how all the time they had spent together would change.

She couldn’t deny it now. She really relied on him a lot.

Both rationally and emotionally.

“It’s okay, tell me.”

Tan said soothingly, meeting her eyes filled with confusion and fear. He already knew what question she was going to ask.

“Have you… regained your memories?”

The trembling voice finally finished the question.

“No. I have no memories.”

He answered without hesitation. It was the truth.

He had learned his identity, but his memories had not yet returned.

“Then how are you the Grand Duke?”

“Didn’t you hear?”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“What’s so unbelievable about it?”

Tan smiled playfully to reassure Celonia, who was stiff with tension.

He wasn’t going to tell Celonia the unbelievable truth that Ius and Kelvin were actually his subordinates and that he was the dead Demon King.

If she knew the truth, she would try to avoid him. Even now, she hesitated and feared asking the question.

They had just gotten close, and he couldn’t lose her over this.

So he was going to hide it thoroughly, so she wouldn’t be scared.

“But why is your name Tan? You must have your original name.”

Celonia asked him probing, as she couldn’t believe it at all.

He introduced himself as Tan Hershbrook. Wasn’t that the name she had made up on the spot?

“Because I like it. Didn’t you give it to me?”

Tan smiled and gently held the tips of Celonia’s hands, which were neatly placed on his knees.

There was only one reason why he used the name Tan even though he had his original name: He liked the name she had given him.

He wanted to keep hearing the name ‘Tan’ flowing from those red lips.

“…”

Celonia looked at Tan’s hands, which were caressing her fingertips as if they were precious treasures, and slowly raised her eyes.

The sincere red eyes were only filled with her.

“Was that why you’ve been so busy?”

“There were more things to take care of than I thought.”

Tan grimaced as if he was fed up with it.

Celonia chuckled at the sight. She was relieved that the reason he had been avoiding her for the past few days was not something else, but because of his adoption into the Grand Duke’s family.

She knew it wasn’t a situation to be relieved about, she knew that everything was uncertain, and she knew that the people of the Grand Duke’s family were suspicious, but she couldn’t help but feel reassured by his unchanging attitude.

“I guess I have to call you Grand Duke from now on.”

“Just call me Tan. It’s a name only you can call me.”

There was no playful smile on Tan’s face, as if he was serious.

Did he even know what this meant?

Celonia was very confused when he kept hitting on her out of nowhere without warning.

“Just believe what you see.”

He said firmly in a serious tone, holding her hand even tighter.

Celonia looked into his unwavering eyes and thought.

She knew that all of this was a lie. She didn’t know if he had really regained his memories or not, but she knew that this situation was a lie.

There was no way the Demon King could be the Grand Duke’s illegitimate child.

But, despite that, even though she knew it was a lie, Celonia wanted to believe it.

She just wished that all of this was real.

The reason why she was angry when other people asked about Tan, the reason why she was upset that he hadn’t shown his face for a few days without saying anything, the reason why she had waited for him without realizing it, the reason why she was happy when he actually appeared.

Even the reason why she didn’t feel lonely even without the male leads, the reason why she didn’t feel alone.

She had tried to ignore it, she had tried to pretend she didn’t know, but she knew it clearly.

Celonia had sometimes forgotten that he was the Demon King.

Now, she didn’t feel as scared or terrified of him as she used to.

How could her feelings be the same as they were in the beginning? Tan had always worried about her safety and always stood by her side.

Was that why?

She had wished that his identity wasn’t the Demon King, and she had even hoped that he would never regain his memories.

The time she spent with him was reassuring and good.

“…Why are you doing this?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to climb up to where you are.”

Tan answered without hesitation to her question, as if the only reason he had done all of this was that.

Celonia’s pupils widened.

Really, just for that reason? How should she take this…?

“Let’s go.”

While she was flustered, Tan grabbed her hand and pulled her.

“I can’t go back like this.”

Celonia refused and pulled her body back. Then Tan smiled confidently and lifted Celonia up in an instant.

In that moment, they had moved from the bench in the hallway to the terrace of Negzite Hall.

Tan had teleported.

“What is this……!”

Celonia was about to say something to Tan, but he had already opened the terrace door wide open.

“I’ll make sure you’re the perfect main attraction today.”

He turned his back to the splendid hall and said to Celonia with an even more splendid smile.

Celonia couldn’t help but be excited by the sincere smile that she couldn’t take her eyes off of.