The Male Leads Were Stolen by the Extra Chapter 78

 

Present.

 

“Hahaha. Now that I look at it, your eyes are very similar to the Grand Duke’s.”

 

The Emperor was chatting with Ius, laughing cheerfully.

 

“The Grand Duke must have taken after his father for his exceptional swordsmanship.”

 

“You flatter me.”

 

Tan, who was beside Ius, bowed diligently, following the etiquette he had learned over the past few days.

 

“If you plan to stay in the capital a little longer, how about attending the hunting festival?”

 

The Emperor’s eyes lit up with interest, observing Tan’s sturdy physique.

 

He wanted to see if Tan could slay a monster with a single blow.

 

The hunting festival was just around the corner, making it a perfect opportunity to test the Grand Duke’s skills.

 

“Duke Cherville has always won the hunting festival, so this might be a good opportunity to see who’s the better.”

 

The Emperor glanced back and forth between Ian and Tan, who stood silently, and encouraged a showdown.

 

The gathered nobles’ eyes sparkled with interest. The Beast of the Night, renowned for his ability to punish criminals and slay monsters with a single blow, was now a Grand Duke, attending the Hunting Festival, and even taking on the annual champion, Duke Cherville.

 

There was no spectacle more exciting than this.

 

“How are you? Grand Duke Hershbrook, Duke Cherville.”

 

The Emperor expertly questioned their intentions, demanding a definitive answer.

 

So they wouldn’t stray later.

 

“…I will do my best.”

 

Ian bowed his head to hide the veins rising on his forehead and obeyed the Emperor’s command.

 

A duel between him, the commander of the Imperial Moonfire Knights, and the Grand Duke, whose origins were unknown.

 

And against this lowly fellow. The humiliation was unbearable.

 

“I will.”

 

Tan chuckled, finding Ian’s fists trembling with amusement in his response.

 

Meanwhile, Sellonia was now in a state of enlightenment.

 

“Hahaha…”

 

Sellonia’s eyes were blank, and she just laughed in vain. She couldn’t hear a word, whether it’s about a hunting festival or not.

 

“Whoa… Miss, I can’t believe it right now.”

 

Ella muttered, lost in thought.

 

Sellonia thought,

 

Perhaps she’s not the heroine of this world. Things she doesn’t know about are happening everywhere.”

 

“Wow… Sir Tan was the Grand Duke’s illegitimate child. That must be why no one knew about Sir Tan! He lived in hiding in the North.”

 

Do you believe that?

 

Sellonia desperately wanted to say this, but couldn’t. Everyone who didn’t know Tan’s true identity had already been fooled by her words.

 

The story told by Grand Duke Hershbrook was this:

 

Tan was the Grand Duke’s illegitimate child, living in seclusion with his mother in the North. The shock of his mother’s death left him lost and he wandered. The Grand Duke, belatedly discovering that he had a son, sought out Tan and bestowed upon him the title of Grand Duke.

 

Sellonia stared blankly at the cheerful atmosphere they shared.

 

Tan blended seamlessly into the Emperor, Ius, and the nobles.

 

She hadn’t noticed it in her confusion, but now she realized that Tan wasn’t wearing the clothes she’d gifted him from the Verondi Boutique.

 

He was wearing a navy blue suit that fit his frame perfectly, and the ornate accessories adorned his face, further enhancing his features.

 

She’d never seen him like that before. He looked like he’d dressed up for work.

 

“How on earth…?”

 

Why did he become the Grand Duke?

 

Has his memory returned? Is this why he’s plotting revenge?

 

“Selly, this father is truly astonished.”

 

Galloway, who had arrived at his side without realizing it, was also shocked by Tan’s identity.

 

“Did you know?” 

 

“No. I also didn’t know.”

 

Sellonia denied it immediately. If there was one person here who was most surprised, it was her.

 

“Haha. What a life. Today is your day. Don’t be like this, enjoy the banquet. Don’t worry about Duke Cherville. This father will send you home.”

 

Galloway patted Sellonia’s shoulder gently and walked towards the awaiting nobles.

 

“Princess, I apologize for being late. Congratulations on the banquet.”

 

At that moment, a faint voice was heard, accompanied by the sound of someone hurrying towards her. Sellonia turned her head, creaking.

 

It was Roana, who had been absent.

 

Her cheeks were flushed, as if she had run, and her dress and hair were somewhat disheveled. Her lipstick looked slightly smudged.

 

And the scent of a strong perfume wafted through the air. A heavy, men’s cologne, something Roana wouldn’t wear.

 

“Thank you, Lady.”

 

However, since she had already heard from the ladies that Roana was in a relationship, Sellonia simply expressed her gratitude without question.

 

“Lady Roana! Why did you just come now!”

 

Pellaine spotted Roana and approached her, making a fuss.

 

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

 

“Well, the one called the Beast of the Night is the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke of Hershbrook! He even inherited the Grand Duke’s throne!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Come here for a moment.”

 

Roana was startled, and Pellaine, noticing Sellonia’s pale expression, led her away.

 

This won’t do.

 

Sellonia, who was alone with Ella in a corner of the hall, away from everyone else, slowly moved her legs.

 

Her head ached so much she thought she might need some fresh air.

 

“Lady Sellonia.”

 

Just then, a man with a familiar voice blocked her path.

 

Sellonia slowly raised her gaze, observing the shoes that filled her vision.

 

When she fully raised her head, a man with blue hair and purple eyes was staring at her.

 

It was Reyev.

 

***

 

“Grand Duke… Haha.”

 

McLion muttered, holding a glass of champagne, then chuckled in amusement.

 

A moment ago, something incredible had swept through the celebration. The man known as the Beast of the Night was actually the Grand Duke’s son.

 

“That can’t be true.”

 

McLion didn’t believe it.

 

Because the sinister aura emanating from that dark figure was that of a monster.

 

The day he saw Sellonia and that jerk far away in the library.

 

McLion transformed into his true form without hesitation and flew to the northern forest of monsters.

 

Unable to enter in his true form, he transformed back into a human and entered the forest. The moment he did, he knew. The pitch-black, intense aura he felt from Tan. That aura permeated the entire forest.

 

He hadn’t sensed it from the lower-level monsters, but the closer he got to the higher-level ones, the more similar it felt to the aura he’d sensed from Tan.

 

Even the monsters, supposedly dormant after the Demon King’s death, were quite active. Just like a few months ago when they had come to subdue the Demon King, he’d been in danger from several monster attacks.

 

They said it was dormant, but isn’t this similar to when the Demon King was alive?

 

‘What the hell?’

 

McLion narrowed his eyes, as if in agony.

 

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

 

Could it be…?

 

No way. The Demon King is dead.

 

They’d been struggling for half a year, barely surviving, to kill him.

 

It was clear. He’d confirmed he wasn’t breathing, and he’d even seen the Demon King’s corpse.

 

So what the heck was this aura?

 

‘And what the hell are they.’

 

McLion stared sharply at the former Grand Duke Ius Hershbrook and Kelvin Feinegar, the Grand Master of the Grand Duke’s Knights.

 

They, along with the noble elders, also exuded a faint aura he’d sensed from the monsters.

 

They were members of the Grand Duke’s family, emitting the same aura?

 

This smelled suspicious.

 

Although it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to recognize, he was a dragon.

 

He needed to be sure. McLion decided he needed to keep a close eye on the Grand Duke’s family.

 

“How dare he oppose me.”

 

At that moment, a voice filled with anger came from beside him.

 

McLion turned his head and saw Ian, trembling with a flushed face.

 

‘What else is wrong with this brat?’

 

Ian, dissatisfied with something, was chewing his lips, his forehead bloodshot.

 

“Arrogant bastard.”

 

Ian muttered in a sinister tone.

 

That bastard, Tan, wasn’t only the Grand Duke’s secret illegitimate son, but he had also inherited the title. In an instant, their positions had been reversed.

 

That’s why he’d been so arrogant towards him from the beginning.

 

Because there was something he believed in. He knew all along and was playing a trick on Ian.

 

Obviously, Sellonia knew too.

 

How dare those two bastards…!

 

Ian couldn’t shake this humiliation.

 

His pride, which he always considered superior to everyone else’s, had been shattered.

 

The bastard even dared to provoke him once again, saying he would attend the hunting festival.

 

I absolutely could not lose this time.

 

“I won’t let either of them get away with this.”

 

With a twinkle in his eye, Ian swore.

 

He’s going to teach that bastard a lesson during this hunting festival. He was determined to make sure Sellonia saw him clearly, so she wouldn’t be able to climb in front of him again.

 

Ian found it increasingly difficult to control his anger. His common sense faded, leaving only instinct.

 

This was because more than half of his burning heart had turned black. Like an animal, not a human.