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Chapter : 07
Even If I’m an Extra, I’d Rather Skip the Death Route (7)
“There’s nothing here?”
“What? No way.”
At some point he must have opened the book, because the man held the inside of it up to me as he spoke.
“There’s nothing written here at all.”
That wasn’t true.
To my eyes, everything I’d checked so far was clearly written there.
Don’t tell me… the contents of this book are visible only to me?
“You really, really can’t see this?”
“Looks like it’s something only you can see.”
I’d expected him to say I was teasing him, or lying, or something like that.
But surprisingly, he seemed to believe me.
“Well, anyway, that’s beside the point.”
The man fiddled with his bound wrists, his expression turning unusually serious.
“So what are you trying to do?”
“Huh?”
“You must have some kind of goal. What is it?”
If we’re talking about my goal…
To survive—and…
Well, I didn’t need to say all of that.
“Survive. I almost died, you know.”
“Really?”
Even when I said I’d almost died, the man stayed calm.
He lightly touched his earlobe.
“Hey, um, by any chance…”
If this man knew that I wasn’t the original owner of this body,
maybe he also knew what had happened to my original body—why I ended up in this one.
“My original body—”
“Ah, I don’t know about that.”
“I wasn’t finished talking yet.”
“You were going to ask if I know what happened to your original body, right? I don’t.”
His perfectly accurate guess left me speechless.
I’d assumed I was dead, but having actually gone through something close to death made it feel even less real.
There hadn’t even been pain—just a white flash before my eyes.
I started to think that maybe I wasn’t dead after all.
Seeing my dejected expression, the man smiled as if there was nothing he could do.
“I don’t know that, but I can tell you something else.”
“…What?”
As if he were about to say something profound, the man straightened his posture and cleared his throat.
“It’s possible for people’s souls to be switched. Through some kind of accident, or by someone who has the power to do so.”
So that meant—
If my body was still alive, then maybe Irenea’s soul was inside it?
As I mulled over his words, he continued.
“But a body without a soul can’t exist.”
After a brief hesitation, he went on.
“If the soul that belonged to this body isn’t inside your original body right now, then your body would have disappeared.”
In the end, it meant that nothing was certain.
Irenea’s soul might be in my body—or it might not.
“…I see.”
I’d expected as much, but hearing it said out loud hit harder.
The man watched me silently for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the window.
“The sun will be setting soon. Don’t you need to go?”
“Oh.”
I’d been so caught up in everything that I’d forgotten I had to go back.
“Well then, I guess I’ll be—”
“Sorry.”
He cut me off mid-sentence.
“I don’t plan on getting involved like someone else. I won’t be telling you anything more.”
“……”
His serious expression was completely different from his playful attitude before, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything else.
I didn’t even know what he meant by that.
After returning to the imperial palace, organizing the ingredients, and heading back to my room, my mind was a mess.
Who that man was, why I was in this situation, what would happen next—
There was so much to think about, yet nothing had a clear answer.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”
I hated ambiguity.
If you’re going to do something, do it properly. If you’re going to talk, then talk.
That was how I’d always lived.
Being thrown into a situation like this was already stressful enough.
“I need some fresh air.”
To clear my head, I changed into comfortable clothes and headed to the garden.
The night sky, dyed pitch-black, was clear.
As I walked while feeling the cold night breeze, my heavy mood eased a little.
Annoyed by my hair blowing around, I lightly gathered it and tied it back.
‘Well, what can I do?’
Instead of clinging to questions I couldn’t answer, I should focus on what I could do right now.
If I followed what the book showed and changed the story, maybe I’d learn something.
That was the only way I could think about it for now.
“…Huh?”
After wandering around the vast garden for a while, a greenhouse I’d never seen before caught my eye.
I must have wandered into an unfamiliar area while lost in thought.
As I drew closer, the greenhouse door opened and someone stepped out.
‘Iart?’
The person coming out was none other than Iart.
I stopped in my tracks at the sight of this unexpected figure.
Iart, who had been walking toward me, also noticed me and stopped, frowning slightly.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
That was probably how everyone did it.
I searched my memory and greeted him as politely as I could.
“Yes.”
Iart nodded with an expressionless face.
In the darkness, illuminated only by a small light, he was still beautiful.
How could a person look like that?
As I stared at him blankly, I realized where his gaze had landed.
‘…My neck.’
The moment he noticed the bandage wrapped around my neck, Iart’s expression twisted.
As if recalling that day, he bit his lip.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut and abruptly turned away.
If I just let him leave like this, he would clearly torment himself with that memory.
‘What should I do?’
One of the reasons I’d liked Iart.
Unlike his cold exterior, he was endlessly gentle and warm on the inside.
The court physician who treated the wound on my neck had been sent by Iart.
Before the madness overtook him, when he expressed his emotions honestly, everyone liked him.
But the curse of madness completely changed his life.
The need to see blood, the markings that appeared on his body—
All of it turned him from a beloved crown prince into someone people avoided.
Those who claimed they cherished him and would stay by his side left one by one.
In the end, the only people who remained were Taron, the head pastry chef, and Sophie, the head maid.
As everyone feared and avoided him, Iart gradually grew used to it.
He stopped showing his feelings and swallowed everything inside.
I’d felt so much pain watching him like that.
I couldn’t let myself be another reason.
“Your Highness!”
I called out to stop him, but I had no idea what to say next.
I couldn’t suddenly say I understood him, or hug him and ask if he’d suffered a lot.
So in the end, what I chose was—
“You’ve got something on your face.”
“…What?”
Ah—come to think of it, was there something like seaweed around here?
At my words, Iart gently brushed one cheek with his finger.
Wow. Incredible.
It felt like I was standing on a photoshoot set right now.
“Your handsomeness.”
Even the look on his face that seemed to say What nonsense is this? was unreal.
No matter what he did, he looked like a scene straight out of a pictorial.
“How can you be so handsome?”
“……”
“Out of all the men I’ve seen in my life—no, out of all people—you’re the most beautiful.”
Iart just stared at me without saying anything.
Ah, was that too weak?
No matter how much he was avoided, looks-wise he was practically number one in the empire.
It wasn’t like he’d never heard that he was handsome or beautiful.
They say it’s always nice to hear, no matter how many times.
Though I wouldn’t know—I’d never heard it myself.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
Iart asked, frowning.
Of course I wasn’t done yet.
“You’re so amazing that you smashed a wall, so now I’m roommates with the maid next door.”
“…You smashed a wall?”
For the first time, confusion appeared on Iart’s face.
Only then did I realize, from the way he looked at my hands, that he thought I’d literally smashed a wall.
“No, no! I didn’t actually smash it. It’s just a figure of speech.”
“…Did you hit your head too?”
In the end, my conversation with Iart last night ended without any real progress.
I wasn’t expecting a heartwarming moment, but it was a bit embarrassing that my nonsense hadn’t worked.
Did you hit your head?
That was basically treating me like a crazy person.
“Ugh.”
I shuddered as the memory resurfaced.
“Irenea, what’s wrong?”
Serena, who was beside me, asked worriedly.
Fortunately, the medicine seemed to be working well, and my condition had improved a lot.
I could move without much trouble, and the pain in my neck was mild.
The scar didn’t look great, so I still had to keep it bandaged.
“Did you have a good time yesterday?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“Come to think of it, we’re the same age. Want to drop the formal speech?”
“Oh.”
Maybe because she’d seemed sharp at first, I’d naturally used honorifics.
I hadn’t expected Serena to suggest it first.
It seemed that what happened that day had left a good impression.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
At my words, Serena smiled.
“Irenea.”
Around the time we were finishing up our work, the head pastry chef spoke to me.
“Yes, Chef.”
“Is the recipe finished?”
“Yes. I’ve checked all the ingredients too.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to it.”
As he walked past me, he patted my shoulder.
“I’m looking forward to it too. What are you making?”
“Do you like carrots?”
“Carrots? I don’t hate them, but I’m not crazy about them. Why?”
“I’m going to make carrot cake.”
At my words, Serena asked back with wide, surprised eyes.
“Carrot cake? Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that… good?”
I shrugged at her doubtful expression.
“Of course.”
“When are you making it?”
“I was thinking of making a small batch after work today. Want to try it?”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Serena bounced happily on her feet.
It was a dessert I’d made countless times before, so I wasn’t too worried—but you never know.
“Then come here after dinner tonight.”
“Okay!”
Carrying the remaining ingredients, Serena walked off at a brisk pace.
As I washed the dishes left on the table, I thought.
I tried not to, but whenever there was even a small gap, the thoughts pushed their way in.
The conversation from the day I’d met that strange man endlessly echoed in my head.
Especially his last words.
He said he wouldn’t get involved. Was he talking about me? Or is there someone else…?
I was the new protagonist who had to interfere with the original story and change it.
Did he mean he wouldn’t help someone like me?
I hadn’t expected much help, but I also hadn’t thought I’d be left with this burden.
The burden of worry.
“Sigh… what a mess.”
