The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 36

Those teachers who didn’t raise their hands were all the ones who had been involved in the director’s scheme.

They had sensed something ominous from the moment Maynard’s soldiers appeared, but there was no way to escape.

“Y-Your Highness! What are you talking about? Accusing us of impersonating nobility and attempted kidnapping!”

“We’re innocent! There’s no evidence! Please spare us!”

The teachers shouted in protest, but Cedric didn’t bat an eyelash. Instead, he looked down at them coldly.

The attitude of claiming innocence was also displayed by Headmaster Winston, who had suddenly found himself imprisoned in the royal palace dungeon.

“Your Grace! You’re mistaken! If you believe everything that child says—cough!”

Winston, who had been defiant, collapsed unceremoniously on the floor. Cedric walked up to him and kicked him without saying a word. The reason Cedric had kicked the fallen man was clear in his contemptuous gaze.

“Winston Bernauer, you knew about the pendant’s existence and yet concealed it. I know very well that everyone in this room is an accomplice.”

“T-That’s a misunderstanding. I did it to protect Lady Lillian!”

“Oh? Did you create a decoy to protect my daughter? Did you try to kidnap her for that?”

“I-I…”

Winston’s complexion turned pale. He had a gut feeling that Cedric knew everything.

No matter what excuses he made, that expression wouldn’t change. He was sure of it.

Because Cedric had visited Winston yesterday and tossed the pendant in front of him.

— Do you know anything about this?

If Cedric had decided to accept Lillian, he wouldn’t have come to me with such a question.

‘This is a chance to make up for everything.’

Winston began to weave his prepared lies.

— Lillian, that child is not your Highness’s true daughter. She merely stole the pendant and is deceiving you. I have raised children since they were infants, so I can tell. We have a girl named Rose at our orphanage, and she is your true daughter. I guarantee it!

Even with Winston’s passionate words, Cedric only listened silently and left, saying he would come back later with someone.

But as soon as the soldiers under Maynard’s command arrived, things took a drastic turn.

‘Damn it! He must have realized it was a lie!’

The sense of impending doom surged up Winston’s spine as Maynard’s soldiers roughly picked him up and started dragging him away. If he was taken like this, he would be locked up in an underground prison and left to die.

Winston, sensing the gravity of the situation, struggled fiercely.

— Even like this, you thought I would stay quiet? I raised your daughter all this time without any gratitude! Your real daughter is dead! Search for her all your life—ugh!

However, before he could say much, he received a blow to the head from another soldier and lost consciousness.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. We will take him away quickly.”

“…Fine. What about the children?”

“We have sent them all to an annex. They are moving quietly to avoid any trouble.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking.”

Isaac, who had been responding to Cedric, tilted his head as if to ask what he meant.

“According to what Cosmo investigated, this orphanage is funded by the donations brought in by that director.”

“Oh, yes. It’s usually the case with private orphanages.”

“But what will happen to the remaining children if both the teachers and the director disappear?”

“They probably won’t shut down the existing orphanage. The royal family will likely send people to run it as a state institution. Or perhaps a suitable noble family that was previously sponsoring it might take over and continue running it.”

Running an orphanage was a good deed on the surface, so if there were affluent noble families with the resources, there would be no shortage of places to hand it over to. Merryfield Orphanage would likely continue to function smoothly. The treatment might vary depending on who would be in charge, but that was to be expected.

Upon hearing this, Cedric recalled something.

The words of the boy he had met when he first came here.

— Then… please make the kids here happy.

* * *

At that moment, Lillian was in the annex with the children.

The orphanage children’s eyes lit up when they saw Lillian, who had returned in a luxurious carriage, wearing expensive and thick clothing.

“You’ve gone to a nice home, Lillian! We were all worried when you disappeared like that.”

“Can I touch these gloves?”

“Of course, you can. Feel free to touch them. And… I was lucky. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Such hospitality felt awkward. Lillian took off her gloves and handed them to the child who showed interest, then turned her attention to a peer who seemed more reserved.

The reactions of the children around Lillian, who were about her age, divided into two categories.

The first category consisted of those who were curious about how Lillian had been and had bright eyes like young children.

“Is the person who came with you your father? He’s really handsome!”

“Lillian, did you have delicious food there? Like chocolate?”

And then, the second category.

“So, what’s going to happen to us? Lillian, do you know?”

“Don’t say you don’t know. What’s going on? We’ve had strangers staying here since yesterday, and now they’ve even put us all in here.”

This group sensed that something was going awry.

In reality, even children who were somewhat familiar with the orphanage’s routines couldn’t help but notice. After all, Maynard’s soldiers were stationed here, and the children had been herded into the annex as if evacuating, with access restricted and controlled.

However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t hear anything, and the windows weren’t blocked. The children with slightly thicker heads had been glancing outside since earlier, watching the teachers being dragged away.

“I just saw the director being dragged away like a sack of flour. What’s happening?”

“…I don’t know either. But maybe the teachers won’t come back.”

And Lillian knew that she couldn’t remain completely silent after coming here.

Inside the carriage on the way here, Lillian had heard Cedric mention the disposal of the teachers.

— We will handle everything according to the law. Don’t worry too much.

Impersonating nobility was a serious crime. For children, it meant having their tongues cut, and for adults, losing the use of both their tongues and eyes. With additional charges added, very few would likely survive, let alone escape with their lives.

‘Besides, the director even tried to kidnap me.’

Winston, being a noble, would face royal jurisdiction, but Lillian knew that Cedric wielded considerable power. In any case, assuming they were punished according to the law, Winston’s fate would likely be sealed with a death sentence.

Lillian’s revenge was currently in progress.

The problem was the remaining children.

“If there’s no director… Are we going to become a state-run orphanage?”

“I heard state-run orphanages are much worse than here.”

“But if we can’t even become a state-run orphanage, we’ll all be scattered.”

The children, sensing the situation, added their own words, and finally, one of them firmly grabbed Lillian’s hand.

“Lillian, can’t you say something? Let’s ask them to release only the director.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Lillian took a step back in surprise, but once she spoke, the children crowded around her.

“That’s right, we don’t like the director, but if he’s here, maybe we won’t become a state-run orphanage.”

“We don’t know what’s going on, but can’t you ask them to take a look just once? You can make the request, right?”

The children were desperate, feeling the urgency of the situation. And Lillian, who was responsible for the situation, couldn’t simply push them away. After all, it was true that the children’s situation had suddenly become difficult because of her.

“I’d like to ask the Duke for a place for the children, but…”

Cedric still hadn’t mentioned Lillian’s status, and Lillian herself couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Just as Lillian was about to apologize for refusing, a voice came from behind.

“Could you stop that? If you want to save the director so badly, go talk to them yourself instead of pushing others.”

It was Theo, the boy with curly red hair.