The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 115

For Lillian, forgetting Swan was the most terrifying thing.

Lillian’s constant remembrance of Swan’s death and last words stemmed from this fear.

She was living like this shamelessly, enjoying what Swan left behind.

What if even she forgot Swan? What if the existence of Swan vanished from the world?

The fear that the affectionate child would truly disappear like a dream on a summer night.

The fear that the presence of the person who had loved her with all their heart would be erased, the guilt of consuming that existence choked Lillian.

Lillian often reassured herself that even if she forgot herself, she wouldn’t forget Swan.

But Swan, saying she could forget herself?

Lillian unknowingly pushed away Swan, who was hugging her.

“What are you saying, Swan? You say I can forget you?”

“Exactly. You’re not as tired, lonely, or alone anymore.”

Swan’s small hand enveloped Lillian’s hand. It took both of Swan’s hands to barely wrap around one of Lillian’s.

“It means I don’t need you anymore.”

“That’s… that’s not true. You mean—”

“Lily.”

Lillian desperately tried to deny Swan’s words, but Swan’s voice gently interrupted.

“Even if you forget me, even if I no longer exist in this world, that fact won’t change.”

Swan’s face, bright with a smile like blooming mist flowers, appeared in Lillian’s eyes.

“Thank you for living my share, Lily.”

Live happily from now on.

With that, Swan released Lillian’s hand. Lillian unknowingly tried to hold Swan’s hand again, but for some reason, her hand kept slipping away as if trying to grasp fog.

‘No. No…!’

A strong feeling that she mustn’t let go of Swan here engulfed her. Lillian’s hand reaching for Swan was desperate.

The reason was simple. Tears glistened in Swan’s eyes for the first time.

Swan, who always embraced Lillian with a smile no matter what happened, seemed to cry for the first time.

Lillian reached out once more. She strongly felt that this would be the last time.

But there was nothing in her hand.

As usual, the grip of those trying to hold onto the past slipped away.

“I really love you, Lily.”

Tears streamed down Swan’s cheek. She was smiling. Did she know that something was flowing from her eyes?

Lillian wanted to ask sincerely, wanted to wipe away those tears, but she couldn’t.

Because that was the last image of Swan that Lillian saw.

* * *

The Duke of Maynard was rarely immersed in deep thought.

Apart from after the death of the Duchess of Maynard, such a solemn atmosphere was seldom felt.

Due to the strict security measures, most of the servants remained silent without fully understanding the situation. However, Mary, the head maid of the mansion, knew what had happened.

“What’s going on…”

Mary’s worried gaze shifted inside the room. There lay Lillian on the bed, eyes closed, with Cedric by her side.

The calm mansion had turned blue just a few hours ago. Cedric, who had been working as usual, suddenly asked this around midnight.

― Where is Lillian?

― Miss Lillian is probably asleep. She was tired today, so she finished dinner and went straight to bed.

― So, no one checked on her?

Cedric knew that Lillian had been acting strangely lately. Knowing that she had no intention of confiding in him, Cedric didn’t bother to ask, but he always received a brief report on how Lillian was doing.

And Cedric had noticed that Lillian hadn’t been sleeping well for days. He had encountered her in the library several times late at night.

‘But why did she go to bed early all of a sudden?’

What worried Cedric even more was the part about no one checking on her. He searched around and opened Lillian’s room alone, and his worst fears came true.

When he opened the door, Cedric didn’t see a sleeping Lillian but an empty room with only a letter on the desk.

The letter stated that Lillian had gone to the temple and also mentioned a child named Swan.

It explained that Lillian had been pretending to be the daughter of the Duke all this time.

Next to the word “Duke,” there was a faint trace of “Dad,” which had been erased. Stephan, who had belatedly understood the situation, rushed over with a pale face.

― Your Grace, could it be that Miss—

― Prepare the carriage immediately, Stephan. We must go and fetch Lillian.

Nothing else crossed Cedric’s mind. All he could think about was bringing Lillian back.

If Lillian hadn’t returned as stated in the brief letter, she might not return at all.

He headed straight to the temple, and fortunately, Lillian was unharmed.

She was just unconscious, cradled in Theo’s arms.

Theo, who returned with an unconscious Lillian to Maynard, explained that Lillian had merely fainted.

― I don’t know the details. But… when I regained consciousness, Lillian was lying on the floor, so I brought her out first.

As Theo described, the estate’s physician also said there was nothing wrong with Lillian’s health.

It seemed that she hadn’t regained consciousness due to exhaustion, and she would wake up after some time.

However, for some reason, Lillian hadn’t been able to get up for a whole day.

And Cedric didn’t leave her side for a moment.

‘What on earth is His Grace thinking…’

Mary, having also seen the letter, found herself in great distress.

Her affection for Lillian remained unchanged. Mary had cherished Lillian as her own daughter since the moment she first saw her.

But her feelings for the late Agnes and the lost Miss were separate.

‘The real Miss is dead, and she’s been playing the role.’

And the fact that this had been hidden for over ten years began to trouble Mary.

If this fact were revealed, Lillian would face public criticism regardless of her title as the Duke’s daughter. And there would be no shortage of people who felt genuinely betrayed.

‘Even I’m struggling with this, why would His Grace…’

Still, if there was one thing she earnestly hoped for, it was for Lillian to wake up safely.

So Mary couldn’t easily leave this room and paced around.

‘If she doesn’t wake up today…’

Mary recalled Cedric’s liveliness from yesterday. If Lillian didn’t wake up soon, even though the physician’s neck might be safe, his life wouldn’t be.

‘Shouldn’t we bring in another doctor right away?’

Mary’s thoughts were leaning toward the estate physician being biased when…

“…Lillian!”

With a creak, the chair was roughly pulled, accompanied by Cedric’s voice.

When she turned her head, she saw Lillian slowly rising from the bed.

“Lillian, are you awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“…Swan.”

But there was something off about Lillian’s condition. She got up urgently, her face desperate as if she had lost something important, and quickly got out of bed.

“Miss! You shouldn’t get up now!”

“Just a moment, Mary. There’s something I need to check.”

Lillian’s voice was calm. She easily shook off Mary, who was holding her back, and without staggering, she ran straight to where she should go.

Where Agnes’s portrait was.

In her trembling hands, picking up the still-life painting, Lillian’s hands trembled. The moment she tried to take out the portrait of Swan hidden behind the still-life, Mary, who had arrived late, grabbed Lillian’s shoulder.

“Miss!”

Clatter!

At that moment, the frame slipped from Lillian’s trembling hands and shattered into pieces.

Both Swan’s face and the still-life that concealed it were shattered.

TL/N: This picture cover is in chap 41 I thought I would show you guys what Swan looked like because I wanted to have her memory in this chapter.