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Chapter : 11
Even If I’m an Extra, I’d Rather Avoid the Death Route (11)
After finishing a short break, I returned to the banquet hall.
The thoughts I ultimately failed to erase gradually turned into a desire to help Iat.
There wasn’t much I could do right away, but at least for today.
At the end of those thoughts, what came to mind was the situation Iat goes through in this episode.
‘Watching it, I remember how upsetting it really was…’
Behind the romantic meeting of the male and female leads that plays out on the surface, Iat’s darkness begins.
Just the fact that Luella stands by his side makes people around her feel pity for her.
They think she suits being with the well-regarded male lead far better than being with the crown prince everyone avoids.
All of this slowly drags Iat toward the abyss.
‘Should I look for the male lead first?’
I slowly scanned my surroundings, careful not to stand out.
Recalling the male lead’s appearance.
‘Light gray hair, eyes the same color.’
How tall was he again?
It wasn’t a common hair color, so I thought he’d stand out right away.
It seemed he wasn’t in the banquet hall.
“Where could he be?”
On the terrace, perhaps. Or strolling through the garden.
Probably one of the two.
The terrace usually meant someone wanted to be alone, or was enjoying a private rendezvous, so it wasn’t a place you could approach carelessly.
As I was about to move toward the garden—
A sharp laugh from nearby caught my attention.
“Did you see today as well? Anyone who saw the two of them together?”
It sounded familiar—turns out it was Melissa, the one who had been needling Luella earlier.
“Unless the duke truly cherishes his only daughter like his own flesh and blood, I wonder why he’d send her off as the crown prince’s partner, whose position could crumble at any moment.”
“Well, that might be a bit much…”
“Aren’t you all thinking the same thing?”
At Melissa’s laughter-laced words, everyone exchanged awkward glances, but no one stepped forward to respond.
“Or maybe…”
Her words dragged on, and the curl of her lips twisted upward in mockery.
“Maybe two people with flaws of their own just happened to find each other.”
Covering her mouth lightly as she laughed, Melissa looked every bit the villainess.
I didn’t recall a character like her at all.
Just who was she, going around spreading gossip about Iat and Luella like this?
‘Ugh, dealing with that type is seriously exhausting.’
Just watching drained my energy.
I suppose people like that exist everywhere.
Judging by the expressions of the nobles around her, she didn’t seem particularly influential anyway.
You don’t avoid filth because it’s scary—you avoid it because it’s dirty.
“How intriguing.”
Just as I was about to pass by the cackling Melissa, who seemed to be enjoying herself alone, a gentle voice rang out, and murmurs spread through the crowd.
“…Marquis.”
Melissa muttered, her voice suddenly subdued.
With a sinking feeling, I turned my gaze—and there they were, gray eyes glittering under the lights.
‘Found him.’
Rather than finding him, it was more like he appeared at just the right moment.
He was the youngest head among the few marquis families in the empire.
Seeing his face jogged my memory of the details.
Argen Eshtarn.
Around the time Argen came of age, the marquis passed away in an unfortunate accident, and House Eshtarn nearly collapsed.
The family believed Argen was still too young to become the head.
Just as the marquis’s brothers were about to fight over power, Argen boldly sought out the emperor.
After a single day of conversation, he won the emperor’s favor.
Thus, seated as head of the family at such a young age, Argen endured envy and jealousy and firmly established himself.
A textbook example of a perfectly positioned male lead.
“So, what’s the conclusion, Miss Melissa?”
His innate kindness and gentle tone were his strengths, but when he occasionally let slip a sharp remark, it cut all the deeper.
“Pardon? N-no, that is…”
Melissa’s eyes darted around.
The surrounding nobles watched quietly, clearly entertained by the situation.
“From what I can see, His Highness the Crown Prince and the young lady are both remarkably kind and generous people.”
Argen’s smiling eyes sparkled.
“That’s probably why they so readily overlook their noble names being tossed around like this.”
Beneath his smooth words, sharp barbs revealed themselves.
By now, Melissa’s face had gone pale, and she was biting her lip nervously.
“I—I’m sorry.”
Avoiding Argen’s steady gaze, Melissa bowed her head deeply.
“An apology implies you believe you did something you couldn’t stand by, doesn’t it?”
“N-no… that’s not…!”
The smile vanished instantly from Argen’s face as he looked at the flustered Melissa.
“It seems Count Revene didn’t teach you not to speak irresponsibly about things you can’t take responsibility for.”
The hem of Melissa’s voluminous dress was crumpled from how tightly she’d been clutching it.
“What’s going on here?”
When Luella appeared among the frozen crowd, Melissa’s expression crumpled in despair.
Everyone except the people directly involved looked positively thrilled.
Their faces seemed to say, As long as it’s not me, and it made my stomach churn.
“Miss Melissa was entertaining everyone, so we were just chatting for a moment,” Argen said smoothly.
Melissa stared at him, eyes wide.
“I see. Thank you, Miss Melissa. I was feeling uneasy because I couldn’t pay attention to everyone,” Luella said with a bright smile as she stepped closer.
She took Melissa’s hand in hers.
“Oh my, Miss Melissa. Your hands are so cold.”
Had she never imagined things would turn out like this?
Her flustered state was almost comical, considering how freely she’d been wagging her tongue earlier.
“Ah.”
At that moment, Luella’s wandering gaze met mine.
“Greetings, my lady.”
If our eyes hadn’t met, it would’ve been fine, but now I couldn’t just pretend I hadn’t seen her.
As I approached to greet her, Luella asked,
“You look familiar. What was your name again?”
“My name is Irenea.”
“I see, Irenea. I’m sorry, but could you bring some warm tea?”
“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”
I’d just witnessed the male and female leads meeting, only to be forced to leave immediately.
I hurried to the kitchen as quickly as I could.
“Haah…”
Had steeping tea always taken this long?
A sigh escaped me in frustration.
At this rate, Iat might see Argen and Luella together.
“It’s ready!”
I returned to the banquet hall as soon as the tea finished steeping.
Fortunately, Iat was nowhere to be seen yet.
“My lady, I’ve brought warm tea.”
Come to think of it, Melissa was gone.
“I’m sorry, Irenea. Miss Melissa said she wasn’t feeling well and decided to leave,” Luella said apologetically, her delicate brows drooping.
“Oh, no, it’s fine.”
Well, she couldn’t have been shameless enough to stay after all that.
Only one person among many had left, yet the atmosphere had changed completely.
“Then I’ll take my leave…”
Though I was a noble by birth, I was currently serving as palace staff, so it felt right to step back.
As I withdrew, thinking I’d observe the two of them from afar—
“Ah, wait a moment.”
Luella hurriedly stopped me.
“Yes?”
“Could we talk for a bit?”
I was slightly surprised, but there was no reason to refuse.
“Yes.”
Seeing me nod slowly, Luella smiled again.
“Please enjoy your conversation, and we’ll see each other again.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Leaving Argen and the nobles behind, I followed Luella.
She entered the nearest terrace first, and I closed the curtains behind us.
“I’m sorry to call you so suddenly when you must be busy.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor.”
“You speak so beautifully.”
In the warm atmosphere, Luella hesitated, her lips parting slightly.
“Is your body all right now?”
“Ah…”
Her gaze lingered on my neck, where the bandages were thinner than before but still present.
“I’m fine. The wound has mostly healed—there’s just a bit of scarring left.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
Though she wore her usual smile, something felt subtly awkward.
“I heard you volunteered to become Iat’s dedicated attendant.”
“Ah, yes.”
Resting her hand lightly on the terrace railing, Luella continued,
“I’ll ask honestly—why?”
She looked unusually serious.
After a brief pause, I answered slowly.
“I know a lot of new desserts, and I want to showcase them. I thought the first step was to earn recognition by working as His Highness’s attendant.”
Luella tilted her head slightly.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again.
“Then wouldn’t it make more sense to serve His Majesty the Emperor?”
“That’s true, but I’ve heard His Majesty doesn’t particularly enjoy desserts.”
That wasn’t an excuse—it was something actually mentioned in the original story.
It was also why the head pastry chef worked at the crown prince’s palace.
“……”
Luella fell silent again.
She closed her eyes gently, as if deep in thought.
‘Was Luella always this interested in Iat’s affairs?’
From what I remembered, Luella never involved herself in Iat’s matters in the original story—at least not by her own will.
Later, she was often forced to intervene due to the duke’s pressure, but she never sought things out herself.
She even wanted to leave the palace.
“…Is that really all?”
As I was lost in thought, Luella asked carefully.
“What do you mean?”
“Honestly, I don’t quite understand. It was the first time Iat’s madness harmed someone, and for the person who experienced it to approach him afterward…”
She frowned slightly.
To be fair, she wasn’t the only one who thought that way.
If I hadn’t known Iat beforehand, it would’ve been unthinkable for me too.
“I believe it wasn’t His Highness’s will.”
“His will?”
“He didn’t point his sword at me of his own volition.”
My answer seemed unsatisfying—Luella’s expression twisted subtly.
She took a few steps closer until our eyes met.
“Irenea.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“I won’t press you further, so please answer my next question honestly.”
She hesitated for a long while, then asked in a quieter voice,
“…Do you have feelings for Iat?”
“What?”
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.
“I’m asking whether you love him.”
I did like Iat—but was it love?
“No.”
It wasn’t.
I wanted him to be happy—as my favorite character, as someone similar to me—nothing more, nothing less.
If you called it another form of love, perhaps, but it wasn’t the love Luella meant.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. If I felt that way, I don’t think I could be standing here, talking to you like this.”
“I see.”
Watching Luella let out a relieved sigh made me realize there might be more going on than I knew.
Perhaps if certain circumstances between Luella and Iat hadn’t overlapped, they might have ended up together.
Whether that was something Iat would have wanted, I couldn’t say.
“I’m sorry for asking something so strange.”
“No, it’s understandable that you’d misunderstand.”
“We’ll be seeing each other often, then. Shall we go back inside?”
“Yes.”
After we smiled at each other, Luella walked past me—and her expression changed in an instant.
Clenching her teeth, her lowered gaze slipped past my field of vision and vanished.
So brief it could have been my imagination.
