The Male Leads Were Stolen by the Extra Chapter 72

 

Sellonia wasn’t sure whether her desire for Tan stemmed from recruiting him as a knight for her family or from a romantic attraction, but it was clear.

 

“Not yet. But both my father and he are quite positive about him becoming a knight for our family.”

 

“Ah… I see. That’s right. Everyone wants to join the Knights of the Basin family.”

 

Sellonia smiled brightly as she spoke, and Dahlia’s eyes drooped, as if she were deeply disappointed.

 

“I’ve been rude, Your Highness.”

 

Then she moved away, her shoulders hunched.

 

“My goodness. What’s with that rude behavior? To suddenly interrupt a conversation?”

 

“That’s true. I’ve heard she’s young, but she needs to relearn her manners.”

 

Pellaine and Able mocked Dahlia as she left.

 

“Do you think so too, Princess… My goodness!”

 

Pellaine, who had been talking to Abel for a while, turned to seek the quiet Sellonia’s agreement, and was startled.

 

“Princess, are you alright? Do you have a fever?”

 

Sellonia’s face was as red as a carrot.

 

“…I’ll go get some fresh air for a moment.”

 

Sellonia, looking utterly flustered, quickly headed to the terrace.

 

As soon as she hurried onto the deserted terrace, she clutched her left chest. Her heart was pounding furiously.

 

Fever surged through her face.

 

Her eyes, always calm and blue like the sea, were now trembling with uncontrollable force.

 

‘W-Why did I do that? Why did I tell such a lie…?’

 

She lied to Dahlia.

 

She had never dreamed of Tan becoming a knight of the Duke’s family. Even if she had, she would have vehemently opposed it. But why did she lie to that young lady, telling her that Tan would become a knight of the Duke’s family, that he would become part of her family?

 

“What is this…”

 

Sellonia buried her face in her hands, her face flushed with self-reproach.

 

She felt embarrassed and ashamed of the lie she had spouted.

 

The meaning of that lie was ultimately to tell her not to take a single glance at Tan.

 

Why would she lie like that…

 

No. That’s only natural.

 

‘Because no one should know his true identity. That’s why.’

 

Sellonia, confused and racking her brain, finally came up with a somewhat uneasy answer.

 

Yes. That must be the reason.

 

If not… then the problem would only get worse.

 

“Miss, I thought Sir Tan would come with you today.”

 

Ella, who had followed quietly, muttered with a gloomy expression. Sellonia silently agreed. She knew Tan would definitely follow her to the celebration today.

 

As always, he followed her wherever she went, especially in crowded places.

 

Of course, if Tan had tried to come along, she would have absolutely told him not to.

 

She was determined not to yield, even if he had insisted.

 

Yet her worries were unfounded. She couldn’t even bring herself to say anything.

 

He simply ate breakfast and left. He didn’t even seem to know that she was having a celebration at the palace today.

 

“I thought Tan would definitely follow you. He’d be incredibly anxious if he sent you off alone.”

 

“I’m not even a child. What’s there to be anxious about?”

 

Even as she said that, a strange sense of resentment made Sellonia grumble involuntarily.

 

How could he possibly grab her hand?

 

He confused her by saying something like that… Why did he even say that?

 

“I thought Sir Tan would be by your side, his eyes burning brightly, since many men would be approaching you today.”

 

“What?”

 

What is he talking about?

 

Sellonia stared at Ella, her eyes wide.

 

“What could be wrong? He couldn’t have done that…”

 

“Ella, you…”

 

Sellonia opened her mouth to see Ella mumbling, not knowing what she was saying, but then turned her head.

 

“They’re the Saviors…”

 

“Oh my. Are they attending the celebration today? By the way, next to them…”

 

Behind her came a murmur of voices from the closed terrace door.

 

Sellonia opened the door, hearing both ecstatic and puzzled voices.

 

At her reappearance in the hall, the people who saw her fell silent one by one, and soon all the noise died down. The hall was plunged into silence, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

 

“Miss, over there.”

 

Unsure of the reason, she looked around, but Ella, with an incredibly angry expression, pointed somewhere.

 

Sellonia naturally stared at her fingertips.

 

“…Ha.”

 

A laugh finally escaped her lips.

 

She wondered why it had become so quiet, yet it was the arrival of an uninvited guest.

 

Grace Bennett.

 

She walked briskly into the Neggit Hall, linking arms with Ian and smiling brightly.

 

With Reyev and McLion following, as if escorting her.

 

***

 

The Emperor, hearing that the banquet hall was almost full, began to rise from his seat.

 

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Just then, his aide’s voice called out urgently, and he responded with authority.

 

“What is it?” 

 

“It has come to my attention that Duke Ian Cherville, Count Reyev Hetzel, Count McLion Ford, and Lady Grace Bennet are attending today’s banquet.”

 

“What?”

 

The Emperor clicked his tongue at their brazen behavior.

 

Aren’t they people of interest?

 

Duke Cherville, who had an affair and broke off his engagement with Princess Basin, and his lover, Grace Bennet.

 

And the dragon and the paladin who had left their fellow Princess Basin to protect Grace.

 

To think that they showed up without knowing their place. Young people these days are truly…

 

The Emperor was torn between dismissing this as impetuous behavior and calling it unseemly.

 

Attending a banquet was their freedom, but Princess Basin was the star of today’s banquet.

 

Knowing that, it was quite shameless for them to show up.

 

“Should I send them away quietly?”

 

“No. No.”

 

But the thought was short-lived.

 

A third party wasn’t supposed to interfere in a love affair.

 

“That’s better.”

 

The Emperor’s sharp eyes narrowed. He had already figured out a winning move.

 

The Crown Prince could approach Sellonia, who was already quite upset and troubled by Ian and Grace’s appearance, and give her some strength.

 

If that were the case, the Princess would feel grateful to the Crown Prince, and this could be an opportunity to build a closer relationship.

 

This is going to be interesting.

 

The Emperor, with a look of interest on his face, tapped the armrest with his long fingers and spoke.

 

“Did Helius escort the Princess well?”

 

“Regarding that…”

 

“What?”

 

The Emperor’s expression instantly turned grim at the aide’s answer.

 

“He hasn’t appeared in the banquet hall yet.”

 

“What!”

 

The Emperor slammed his clenched fist against the armrest and leaped to his feet.

 

“He’s wasting this opportunity! What are you doing! Send the Crown Prince down to the banquet hall immediately!”

 

The Emperor’s booming voice sent the knights and attendants waiting at the door scrambling to their feet.

 

The Emperor rubbed his furrowed brow and sat back down.

 

He had urged him with such urgency, by all means.

 

“Your Imperial Majesty, there is another message for you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

The Emperor, already furious with the Crown Prince, spoke in an angry voice.

 

“The Grand Duke of Hershbrook…”

 

The aide continued, handing the document he was holding to the Emperor.

 

He accepted it with a strange expression.

 

***

 

Sellonia had already learned from experience that being so dumbfounded could leave her speechless, yet today she experienced it again. The Emperor held the banquet for her, so if they think, they shouldn’t have come.

 

And yet, they’re here? No one invited them, though?

 

And Ian was striding towards her, arm in arm with Grace.

 

Sellonia naturally saw Grace smiling brightly beside Ian.

 

She wore a voluminous, bell-line dress with an exaggerated frilled hem, her blond hair flowing freely.

 

“Doesn’t it look familiar?”

 

Sellonia took another close look at Grace’s outfit.

 

It felt familiar, like she’d seen it somewhere before. Where had she seen it? I’m sure I’d seen it somewhere…

 

“Huh… Isn’t that dress from the Verondi boutique?”

 

At that moment, a voice from among the gathered ladies pierced Sellonia’s ears.

 

The moment she heard that, a memory flashed through Sellonia. The dress Grace was wearing was one of the designs Verondi had shown her.

 

Sellonia remembered the conversation she had had with Grace that day at the Verondi boutique.

 

[It seems that Lady Grace came to get your dress fitted too?]

[Yes. I think I’ll be wearing a dress soon.]

 

Since she was getting a dress fitted, Sellonia thought it was the wedding dress she’d wear at Ian’s wedding.

 

Look at this?

 

So, the dress Grace was about to wear was for her own celebration?