The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 90

<90>

“So, what do you think? If the person closest to you turned out to be the Demon King.”

“……You’re not the previous Duke.”

Her usually calm, blue eyes sharply scrutinized Ious.

No one could hear those words and remain oblivious. This person knew that Tan was the Demon King.

Moreover, though he himself might not have realized it, he had just slipped up, saying ‘His Majesty the Demon King.’

The Duke who had subjugated monsters would have no reason to honor the Demon King. This wasn’t Ious Hushbrook.

And it seemed he didn’t realize that she knew Tan’s true identity.

That’s why he spoke as if revealing a shocking truth.

“Hahaha!”

Ious, mocking Celonia for finally realizing the truth, rose from his seat.

He had no intention of harming her, knowing his lord would be furious. However, since he had come all the way here, he intended to intimidate her.

To make her realize who he was and where she was. To prevent her from ever coming near this place again.

“Who are you?”

Sensing danger, Celonia stood up.

Then, revealing his malice with a bitter smile, Ious approached Celonia and reached out his hand.

No, he tried to reach out. But he couldn’t move.

Ious’s face was filled with bewilderment.

He couldn’t even extend a finger towards the woman.

Because of the energy emanating from Celonia. He had felt it the first time he saw her, but this was his lord’s energy. The power only the Demon King possessed, to subjugate and command all demons.

“Why do you have His Majesty’s power?”

“What?”

“Just why do you……!”

The moment Celonia frowned at Ious’s incomprehensible words, a black figure appeared between them.

“What are you doing?”

Tan, who appeared like a thunderbolt, glared at Ious with bloodshot eyes, snarling.

“Tell me, you. What were you trying to do?”

“Kkeueok!”

Tan seized Ious’s neck with one hand, as if snatching him up.

His bloodthirsty red eyes stared into Ious’s bloodshot eyes as he interrogated him.

“Tan!”

“Heueok, I didn’t do anything……!”

As Celonia grabbed Tan’s arm in surprise, Ious coughed and struggled to speak.

“Heueueuk, I didn’t do anything……!”

“You expect me to believe that now?”

Tan ran a hand roughly through his hair, the hand not gripping his neck, and sneered.

He felt it clearly. The hostility and murderous intent Ious held towards Celonia.

He had warned him not to touch her. How dare he not know his place.

His blood-red eyes momentarily changed, as if black paint had been added, turning murky. His unfocused eyes burned solely towards Ious.

Soon, his hand rose high into the air.

A massive flame ignited in his hand. Not a red flame, but a blue one.

“I, I really didn’t! Kkeueueuk! I didn’t do anything!”

Ious convulsed and thrashed, seeing Tan conjure a blue flame as if holding a sacred fire in his hand.

The moment he touched the blue flame filled with the Demon King’s murderous intent, he would be annihilated.

“Tan, stop it!”

Celonia tried to pull him away.

Anyone who touched that threateningly blazing, enormous flame would instantly burst into flames and turn to ashes.

“Don’t do it.”

Celonia, seeing Tan unresponsive, ended up standing in front of Ious, blocking him.

“Move.”

Tan spoke mercilessly to Celonia, who was shielding Ious.

The fire gathering in his hand grew larger and larger.

“Stop it.”

“I said move.”

Celonia, with her arms spread wide, blocking him, stared at Tan with unwavering blue eyes.

“…….”

At those words, Tan’s eyes, which had been turbid as if he had lost his reason, returned to their red color.

In the end, he released his grip on Ious’s neck.

She didn’t want it, and how could he move his hand after hearing her say he couldn’t stop it? It was an irresistible force.

“Heueueuk, cough, cough!”

Ious coughed, his hands on the ground.

“Go. Quickly.”

Celonia looked down at Ious and spoke before Tan could change his mind.

Ious, thinking it was best to escape for now, clutched his neck, which was red with handprints, and ran away as fast as he could.

As the sound of his running footsteps faded away, only the two of them remained in the drawing-room.

“What was that bastard trying to do to you?”

Tan grabbed Celonia’s shoulders and asked, examining her thoroughly.

At his actions, Celonia lowered her heavily sunken eyes and bit her lip tightly.

Right. She had thought it was strange from the beginning. How Tan had suddenly become the Duke, and Ious his father.

She had tried to ignore it because she liked things as they were now, but she had realized it all too clearly.

They were in cahoots, and Tan already knew his own identity.

She had vaguely felt it, but now she had been confronted with it so much that she really couldn’t pretend not to know.

“Since when?”

“What?”

“Since when did you know your identity?”

“…….”

At her words, Tan’s entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning.

The red eyes looking down at Celonia shook violently. Because she had learned the truth he had been trying to hide.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you lie?”

Celonia asked Tan accusingly. If he had told her, she would have stopped before her feelings deepened.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have just let things go this far.

But now that things had come to this, what was she supposed to do…….

“If I had told you.”

Tan’s shaking eyes coldly sank at her question.

“Wouldn’t you have just run away?”

He could read in her eyes that she was only thinking about escaping from him now.

Even now that she knew he was the Demon King, nothing would change. Tan had no intention of letting her go at all.

“I told you to believe what you see. Nothing changes.”

“…….”

Looking at his eyes, as if trying to soothe her, Celonia thought.

Was it really that simple? The truth that the two of them knew now was so heavy.

“Am I nothing to you?”

Tan stared intently at her, who was trying to decide things on her own.

He had chosen Celonia even knowing his identity because of the month they had spent together every midnight, the countless emotions they had shared until now.

But could she just throw it all away?

“……This is not the time for that question.”

“No, answer me. Am I nothing to you?”

His obsessive eyes demanded an answer from Celonia.

Celonia could only move her lips, unable to say anything.

There was no way he was nothing.

She had acknowledged that she loved him, even though she was the only one who knew his identity.

And she had hoped. She hoped that Tan wouldn’t realize what his own identity was. But he knew…….

It wouldn’t be a lie that his memories hadn’t returned.

But now that he knew his identity, no one knew what would happen if he regained his memories.

The feelings he had now might change with the returned memories.

That was what she feared.

“It’s late. Let’s talk about it later.”

Celonia decided to avoid the situation for now. With her current emotions, she would only be swept away to one side.

She quickly passed Tan and walked towards the door.

Soon, her white fingers grabbed the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.

Thud.

“Don’t go.”

The door closed again, and strong arms trapped her.

Tan stood behind Celonia, who was facing the door.

“I love you.”

Celonia’s eyelids fluttered at the heartfelt confession that poured out along with the warm body heat felt from behind.

It felt like her heart was sinking. Unable to do anything. The mind she had been struggling to hold onto had already begun to leak out through the large cracks and was fluctuating.

It was then.

His arms, which had been holding the door, strongly embraced her waist as if to completely ensnare her.

Of course, he couldn’t let her go like this.

He was afraid that she would be disappointed in him, so he didn’t do anything she didn’t want. He had worked hard because he didn’t want to become nothing, and he had come up to be by her side.

But if all of this was useless, then…….

Tan lowered his head, hugging her so tightly that his back was bent. His forehead leaned against her slender shoulder.

In an instant, her small body was completely buried in his large body, and her soft, drooping hair touched Celonia’s ear and cheek.

“What more do I have to do?”

“…….”

“Tell me. Please.”

The voice that penetrated her ear along with his breath was trembling faintly, filled with desperation.

Celonia’s heart also crumbled at the truth of his confession, asking for a way to avoid an unwanted ending.

“Don’t think too deeply. Just think about what you want right now.”

In addition, Reyef’s words washed over her like a wave, filling the already collapsed heart.

Ah, really…….

It was already too far to turn back.

She loves him. Even knowing everything now, she couldn’t help it.