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Chapter : 23
Even as an Extra, I Refuse the Death Route (23)
“Excuse me? What…?”
“I don’t mean anything by it, so please don’t misunderstand me and just hear me out.”
Arjen smiled faintly and, before I realized it, picked up the teacup in front of him.
Why is he dragging this out so much?
He seemed to have a knack for setting the mood.
“So… what is it?”
“Did you, by any chance, personally request this from the princess?”
Clinking the teacup down, Arjen’s gaze was unusually serious as he asked.
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“I mean the position assigned exclusively by His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
I had never once said I would personally handle Iart for Rella.
Of course, I thought it would be better in many ways for me to remain in that position, but still…
It was actually Rella who had asked for the recommendation without consulting me.
“No, it’s not that…”
“Not that?”
“It was a necessary position, though.”
It was something that had made me feel a bit uneasy, but I didn’t think it was necessary to tell Arjen.
Talking about Rella here could easily end up like Melissa’s situation, after all.
“Necessary, huh.”
Arjen rubbed his chin lightly, mulling over my words.
“It’s not anything significant. I just needed tools to make a new dessert, and that requires His Highness’ approval.”
“I see…”
“I was allowed to present my dessert at the princess’ banquet because the head pastry chef wanted me to first show my skills.”
“Ah, I see.”
Arjen nodded quietly as he listened, and our eyes met.
“Thank you for explaining the whole situation. So, in conclusion, it was entirely the princess’ decision to request the recommendation from me.”
“…….”
He was correct, but for some reason, it felt like I was being interrogated.
Maybe it was because Arjen gave off a strangely heavy atmosphere.
Was this really a matter serious enough to question like this?
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I being rude?”
I must have unconsciously frowned, because Arjen immediately offered an apology.
“No, not at all. I just wondered if there was some problem.”
“Ah, no problem. It’s just that…”
Arjen hesitated for a moment, trailing off.
“I thought it would be best to be careful in various ways.”
“Excuse me? Careful about… what?”
“Hmm, I can’t make statements without certainty that might cause misunderstanding. I’ll tell you once it becomes clear.”
As soon as I returned to the royal palace, I headed straight to the kitchen.
Arjen said it would be best to rest, but the ingredients I had bought were freshest when used immediately.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult task, so I wanted to finish quickly and rest.
Perhaps thanks to the medicine, my body didn’t feel too uncomfortable either.
“What on earth was that about…”
Arjen never revealed the purpose of his question.
Anyway, I hadn’t lied, so it probably wasn’t a major issue.
Still, a vague uneasiness lingered, refusing to go away.
What did he mean by “be careful”?
Judging by the conversation, it could either be Iart or Rella.
Would Arjen, the male protagonist, really warn me to be careful of Rella, the female protagonist?
Then the remaining possibility was Iart.
Did he simply mean I should be cautious of his madness?
Or, was there something else I didn’t know?
“There’s never a moment of peace, is there…”
Both my mind and body were restless.
I temporarily pushed the thought aside and hurriedly moved my aching body.
“All done.”
Now it just needed to sit in the fridge for two or three days.
Looking at the neatly stacked lemons in the glass jars, a satisfied smile escaped me.
“Oh! Ireneah!”
“Eek!”
The sudden voice made me startle and cry out.
I thought no one would be here since all kitchen work was finished.
I quickly turned around.
“……Princess?”
I blinked, doubting my eyes.
It was so unexpected that I wondered if I had imagined it.
But the one smiling faintly and approaching was indeed Rella.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No, it’s fine. I didn’t expect anyone to come. Sorry for yelling. By the way, what are you doing here…?”
“What were you doing at this hour?”
Huh.
Rella cut in naturally, approaching me as she spoke.
She had just interrupted me deliberately, hadn’t she?
It was so natural I almost fell for it.
“Oh, I was making some honey lemon.”
“Honey lemon? This one?”
Rella pointed at the glass jars on the counter.
“Yes.”
“Oh, it’s pretty.”
“Thank you.”
“Who is it for, then?”
It seemed like a casual question, but it felt oddly sharp.
I forced a small smile and answered.
“Yes, it’s a gift.”
“For whom?”
“I need to give a return gift to His Highness.”
There was no reason to hide it.
Rella paused for a moment at my answer.
Then her gaze slowly shifted from the jars to me.
“To Iart? A return gift?”
She tried to maintain a gentle tone, but it was cold.
Perhaps if I hadn’t been paying attention to her, she wouldn’t have even noticed—though it was a subtle difference.
“He gave me a scarf the other time.”
“……I see.”
Her reaction made me realize I needed to clarify.
“Oh, it’s not like that. It’s just that he gave it to me because he accidentally hurt my neck.”
Since Rella had already misunderstood that I liked Iart, I said it just in case.
But her reaction left me flustered instead.
She let out a small laugh.
“Misunderstanding? Do you mean the kind where you think the two might like each other?”
“Huh? No, not exactly…”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Good if she didn’t misunderstand—but her tone seemed slightly mocking.
“No matter how flawed the Crown Prince is, there’s still a limit.”
“…Huh?”
“Just as a party deserves a magnificent dessert.”
It wasn’t my imagination.
Rella was clearly mocking me.
Her sudden shift in attitude was surprising, but I welcomed it.
“I see that’s how you feel.”
Perhaps expecting me to be intimidated, Rella looked at me with surprise when I answered with a smile.
Then she snickered quietly.
“You’ve always been interesting, Ireneah.”
As she mocked me, Rella loosened her grip on the jar.
Clink.
The jar fell to the floor, shattering with a sharp sound.
“Oh dear, my hand slipped.”
With one side of her mouth curled up, Rella laughed—a look closer to a villain than a heroine.
It was distinctly different from the Rella I knew.
Indeed, this was the Rella of the second episode.
“It’s fine. There’s still enough ingredients, so I’ll just make it again.”
No need to get angry or flustered.
People like her just want a reaction.
Sure enough, Rella ground her teeth as if frustrated seeing me unfazed.
“It’s late. See you next time, Ireneah.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“We might see each other often from now on.”
With that, she gracefully left the kitchen.
“Haah…”
Honestly, I had been a little tense.
After all, facing someone who openly displays hostility isn’t easy.
I wondered why.
One thing was clear: Rella didn’t like me.
Perhaps she even hated me already.
“Is it because I’m close to Iart?”
In the story, Rella and Iart weren’t in love.
Rella struggled being near him, and Iart felt guilty because he knew that.
He thought it would hurt her more if she stayed close.
“Something’s definitely off.”
A kind, angelic heroine, a crazed villain harassing her—yet things were clearly diverging from that archetype.
“I should go ask Shell.”
Somehow, I felt Shell would know.
Whether he would tell me was another matter.
“Haah… and when am I going to clean this up?”
Not only were the shards broken, but the spilled ingredients were scattered across the floor.
I sighed and rolled up my sleeves.
By the early dawn, I finally went to bed.
Making a new batch hadn’t taken long, but cleaning up was the problem.
Perhaps due to the honey, no matter how much I wiped, it felt sticky.
After repeatedly boiling water, pouring it, and wiping, the cleaning was finally done.
“Haah…”
Yawns escaped me constantly, tears forming at the corners of my eyes.
“Good morning.”
I suppressed another yawn as I entered the kitchen and greeted the morning.
“Ireneah, didn’t sleep?”
Serena had come close, her tone concerned.
“…Is it that obvious?”
“Yes, your eyes are hollow. Are you okay?”
“I have some matters to attend to. Thanks for worrying, Serena.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Serena smiled shyly and waved her hand.
“Ah, by the way, the head pastry chef was looking for you earlier.”
“Me?”
“Yes, probably inside there.”
“Thanks.”
I turned in the direction Serena pointed.
Why would the pastry chef be looking for me?
Had I left traces despite cleaning yesterday?
Hopefully, I wasn’t going to get scolded.
“Uh, head pastry chef.”
I cautiously called him and studied his expression.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem angry.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“I heard you were looking for me. Is something wrong?”
“This morning, His Highness suddenly went on a business trip.”
“…A business trip?”
Ah, now that I think of it…
In the story, Iart had indeed gone on a business trip.
So, which kingdom was it…?
“Yes, the Tartan Kingdom.”
Right, the Tartan Kingdom.
From what I remembered, it was a kingdom rich in resources.
But its technology was lacking, mainly relying on distribution.
The Carton Empire also maintained friendly relations with Tartan.
“I see.”
“So, there’s something you need to do until His Highness returns.”
“Me?”
The pastry chef smiled faintly at me.
“You wanted to make your own tools, right? Seems like a perfect opportunity now.”
“Oh.”
Right, I had forgotten amid other distractions.
It was also a good chance to earn points with Iart and naturally bring up what I wanted to discuss.
“Well, if you don’t need it, I could grant you leave instead.”
Since I didn’t respond immediately, the pastry chef shrugged.
“No, no! I want to! I’ll do it!”
