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Chapter : 21
Even Extras Can Decline the Death Route (21)
“Haah…”
I had lost count of how many times I had sighed like this.
The continuous stream of sighs perfectly represented my mood.
Why was I getting so angry?
I just couldn’t understand Iart’s feelings.
“Did I make some kind of mistake?”
I wasn’t exactly good at dealing with people either.
I had lived so far pretending nothing bothered me, but in truth, I had always been a solitary person.
So, I thought I could understand Iart’s feelings better, since he was in a similar position as me.
But seeing him blow up in anger, there was a strange sadness I couldn’t shake.
Maybe it was just my mood influencing me.
Knock, knock.
Even though it was almost evening, and I had no appetite and was thinking about taking a nap,
I got up at the sound of the knock.
“Ireneah, are you there?”
It was Serena, her voice tinged with a slight tremor.
“Yeah, come in.”
When Serena opened the door and stepped in, her face was a little flushed.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, and she fiddled with her fingers, whispering:
“Um, your brother…”
“My brother? Edwin?”
“Yeah. He came to the kitchen earlier looking for you. He said to call you, so I thought you might be in your room.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Following Serena down the corridor, I caught sight of Edwin standing outside the building.
“Brother.”
“Ireneah.”
Edwin turned around and greeted me with a bright, warm smile.
Behind me, I heard Serena take a sharp breath, “Huh.”
For some reason, the scene felt oddly familiar.
“What’s the matter?”
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“No, I don’t have an appetite.”
“Let’s eat together. I went home for a bit today. Mother made your favorite salmon sandwich.”
Edwin shook the wooden basket in his hand lightly.
“Salmon? Really?”
Just hearing the word “salmon” seemed to bring my appetite back to life.
Thinking about a sandwich with crispy lettuce and thick slices of salmon made my mouth water.
“Yeah, and the weather’s nice, so let’s eat in the garden.”
“Sure!”
Edwin’s gaze passed over my excited expression and moved behind me.
“Oh, right. Thanks for helping, Serena.”
“No, no! It was nothing!”
Serena quickly waved her hands, blushing.
How could someone be so easily readable?
I thought Edwin must already know at this point.
“Thanks, Serena. See you tomorrow!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Serena waved her hand in a slightly flustered way.
Her envious gaze stuck stubbornly to my back as I walked across the garden.
‘He must be pretty popular.’
I carefully took in Edwin, walking a few steps ahead of me.
I had noticed the first time I saw him as well: his tall stature, broad shoulders, and even with clothes on, his well-defined muscles were noticeable.
Coupled with neatly styled hair and a kind, gentle face, it was an oddly harmonious combination.
Yeah, if you raised a large dog, this would be the feeling you get.
Definitely a style that would attract a lot of people.
“Let’s eat here.”
Edwin pointed to a patch of neatly trimmed grass under a large tree.
He set a place for us to sit and lightly tapped the ground next to him.
No sooner had I sat down than Edwin handed me a sandwich.
“Wow, looks delicious.”
“Eat quickly.”
I took a big bite of the sandwich.
The flavors spread through my mouth, making me smile without realizing it.
After a moment, I realized the sandwich in my hands had already disappeared.
Was I really the one who said I had no appetite?
It was a bit embarrassing, but I couldn’t resist salmon.
“Has anything been going on lately?”
As I noticed some sauce on my hands, Edwin naturally handed me a handkerchief.
I took it, quietly admiring his considerate manners.
“Yeah, nothing much. Thanks.”
“Your neck wound is almost gone too. That’s good.”
“…Yeah.”
Things I had momentarily forgotten came back to mind.
I looked down at the handkerchief in my hands.
It was the same color as the scarf Iart had tied for me.
“Isn’t working full-time exhausting?”
Rather than exhausting, it was actually a little enjoyable.
I felt like I had gotten a bit closer to him.
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“…But why do you look so gloomy?”
Edwin spoke in a soft, soothing tone.
“Can you tell?”
“Of course. It’s not like I’ve only known you for a day or two.”
Even so, it seemed he didn’t realize I wasn’t the real Ireneah.
Well, that part was fortunate.
“Did something happen?”
The breeze blew through, making my hair flutter.
Edwin naturally reached out and tucked my hair behind my shoulders.
At first, it was embarrassing.
But once I considered him family, it wasn’t a big deal.
“Um… I think I might have made His Highness angry.”
“You? Why?”
“I don’t really know. I said it with good intentions, but maybe he took it differently.”
“…Good intentions?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, wait a second.”
Edwin raised a hand to his forehead and slightly furrowed his brows as he looked at me.
“What do you mean by good intentions?”
“Huh? I mean, literally good intentions.”
“So, you mean you like the Crown Prince?”
“Huh?”
Hearing it put that way, it wasn’t exactly wrong, but it felt different.
“I’m asking if you like him as a man.”
“Who would hear that?”
“Answer quickly. Is that the case?”
Edwin’s expression twisted sharply.
Was this what Serena meant?
“No, not in that way. I’m just a fan, purely.”
“Fan?”
“Yeah. I just want him to be happy, to do well. That’s it.”
“Haah…”
Edwin shook his head, sighing.
“Ireneah, I don’t really understand your actions lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t even know when you act like you know the Crown Prince so well.”
“….”
“Why are you telling him you hope he’s happy?”
I had no answer.
I had read the novel he was in, he was my favorite, and of course, I couldn’t answer honestly.
Moreover, it was hard to explain in words.
Because he reminded me of myself, my past kept coming back.
And Iart’s unconscious actions—like pouting while blushing, or naturally supporting my head when I fell—stuck in my mind.
It was a complex emotion that couldn’t be defined with a single word.
“I don’t really know either. But anyway, it’s not the kind of feeling you think it is.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I could be sure.
Romantic feelings practically didn’t exist for me.
In fact, in this situation, it would just be a luxury.
“Alright, if you say so, I’ll trust you. What can I do?”
Still doubtful, Edwin forced a smile.
“So, what did you say?”
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I tell him about the mania?
From what I had seen so far, Edwin was on my side in many ways.
Of course, he was a little overprotective.
But I concluded that I could trust him.
“I wanted to tell you because I think I found a way to prevent the mania.”
“…Mania?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
Edwin’s eyes widened, showing his surprise.
“Well, I happened to give him dessert when the mania started. At that moment, he returned to normal.”
“Really?”
“Yes. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but I confirmed it a second time.”
Edwin pondered my words, then suddenly grabbed my shoulder tightly.
“So that means he faced the mania again! Is he hurt?”
“Ah, calm down! You’re making me dizzy!”
He seemed unaware of how strong he was.
Shaking my shoulders back and forth, my head nearly snapped.
“…Ah.”
I shouted and grabbed Edwin’s arm, and only then did he stop moving.
“Ah, thank goodness he’s fine, or else we wouldn’t even be sitting here eating!”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t want to, in case something like this happened. Nothing went wrong, right?”
“Haah…”
Edwin pressed his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
He was definitely an overprotective older brother.
Is this how siblings are normally?
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you that. He seemed angry, though.”
Edwin, who had been staring at me, suddenly said something unexpected.
“I don’t know if it’s related, but…”
“What is it?”
“About two years ago, before you got engaged, there was a girl who came to the palace.”
How many hidden stories were there?
I thought the story of Evening Primrose I knew might just be the tip of the iceberg.
“What was her name…? Anyway, she was often seen with him at the time, and rumors spread widely.”
“I see.”
“She was similar to you.”
“In what way?”
“She would say things like she hoped His Highness would be happy.”
So far, nothing bad.
I didn’t think it was something that would make Iart angry.
“But then, one day, she suddenly disappeared.”
“…What?”
“Without a trace. No one knew if she was dead or alive.”
A completely unexpected ending.
The next day.
Even though it was a holiday, I woke up earlier than usual.
The conversation I had with Edwin yesterday kept replaying in my mind.
Perhaps my presence reminded Iart of that girl.
If that were the case, my desire to help might have been causing him distress.
“Ugh.”
Nothing seemed to go as planned.
Before returning from the conversation with Edwin, Serena came to mind and I asked her a question.
―By the way, aren’t you dating anyone?
Edwin just smiled faintly without answering.
―You seem popular. Don’t you like anyone?
When I asked teasingly, he let out a small sigh.
―I don’t know.
―Tch, you keep so many secrets. Anyway, tell me if you meet someone.
Edwin stared at me for a moment, and his expression seemed to harden slightly.
I asked if he was angry, but he soon returned to his usual self, smiling and saying no.
“Romantic feelings…”
It was a type of feeling I had never even considered.
I assumed no one would ever like me, and I didn’t have the luxury to care.
I was too busy just trying to survive here to think about what these feelings were.
Wanting to date like other people, wanting to be loved—
I had never had such feelings.
“Well, I guess it’ll be the same going forward.”
