The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 45

Inside the building made of white marble:

“…So, it’s reported that Lillian Maynard could take the position of Maynard Lady.”

“I see. Is that information reliable?”

“Sir Winston Bernaucher is quite ambitious. Most teachers were unaware of the pendant’s existence, and it was known that Swan is Maynard Lady. So, there should be no leaks.”

After receiving the concise report, a middle-aged man who had been listening nodded slowly.

“What a pity. An child who wants to exploit their close friend’s death to fulfill their own ambitions… Tsk, tsk. If Agnes’s child has died, we have no more business with them. Leave them be.”

However, the messenger didn’t withdraw.

“In fact, there’s something I’d like to inquire about.”

“What is it?”

“I was informed that Lillian Maynard seems to possess ‘that power.'”

At this, the man’s face hardened.

“What did you say?”

“I wonder if it’s possible to transfer that power.”

“If it were possible, I would have tried it a long time ago. It’s an impossible story, unless one is born with it.”

“Then, is there a possibility that Lillian, that child, could be genuine?”

“That’s not possible. Swan is definitely…”

The messenger’s words came to a halt. He seemed to be considering something, then he spoke again.

“…Anyway, if Lillian Maynard possesses ‘that power,’ we should look into it further. To see if she indeed has the power we need or not.”

“What would you do if that child has the power we need?”

“It’s only natural, isn’t it? We should bring her back, by any means necessary. Everything must be placed in the right position to serve its purpose. That’s why both you and I are working hard in our respective positions.”

In response to the man’s words, the other person smiled warmly.

“That’s true, Vice Preceptor.”

“Everything is under the grace of the Lord.”

“Under the grace of the Lord. Well, I’ll see you next time, Vice Preceptor.”

With a polite farewell, the person closed the door and left. The waiting chamberlain spoke.

“Will you be returning to the mansion, Madam?”

“No, today, I’d like to visit the orphanage first. After meeting with Vice Preceptor, I felt like sharing this abundant grace of the Lord with even the humblest children.”

The face of the elderly lady, whose name was Josephine Kenis, was filled with pure joy.

She was one of the largest donors to the temple and a matriarch in the charity world.

Madam Kenis, as she was known.

* * *

Lillian had recently adopted the habit of writing in her diary.

The reason was simple.

‘I’ll need stories to tell Swan later.’

In truth, Lillian didn’t particularly enjoy writing diaries. Maybe it was because she didn’t like using pen and paper much.

Above all, she didn’t want to write a diary before. Reflecting on the day would bring up both hungry memories and sad memories, and she didn’t want to revisit such things. She even had the thought that recording such things was pointless.

However, after receiving Swan’s diary and feeling the intuition that she might stay longer than she initially thought, Lillian also felt the urge to give a diary to Swan.

Even though it was a diary, the way she wrote in it wasn’t always in a monologue style.

[xx.xx. Blue

Today, Theo was acting a bit strange.

He suddenly came to see me out of the blue and asked if I liked him. Then he asked if I liked him more than Damian. I told him, ‘Why would I dislike you?’ and said it’s obviously him, but he just laughed and left with a sour expression.

Could it be that he felt left out after Damian and I have been spending time together lately? Or maybe he felt threatened because Damian got a haircut and became handsome?

Damian used to have relatively long hair for a boy, but now it’s an ordinary length. Thanks to that, he’s gone from being pretty to handsome. When he grows up, he might be as handsome as Dad.

Come to think of it, Theo used to think of the orphanage kids as family, so his life might feel lonely now. I don’t particularly miss those kids, but Theo goes to the orphanage every weekend.

He asked me to come with him, but I declined. I’m not ready to visit your grave yet.]

[xx.xx. It Was Warm

Swan, I’ve learned a lot of things.

These were things you needed to learn, so I’ve been learning them diligently, no matter how difficult it gets.]

Literature is somewhat enjoyable, and history is interesting, but studying nobility is truly challenging. I like learning about Lord Sheffield’s estates, businesses, titles, and manners. However, memorizing all the families related to that lineage makes me want to tear up the family tree!

If Damian didn’t help me memorize all of this, I might have really done that. Thanks to him, I found out that the Portier Marquis family has various business interests aside from the doll workshop. In fact, some of their relatives have ventured into the opera world.

Because of that, Damian is a good singer. When I play the piano, Damian sometimes sings along, and the truth is he plays the piano even better than me. No matter how hard I try, I can’t make the sound as soft as he does. If it were you, you’d play better than me because you were more skillful with your hands.

Remember? You made that floral arrangement. I tried to follow your example and asked Mary for some flowers, but I failed. Maybe I’m not cut out for it, unlike you.]

[xx.xx. Very Cloudy

I’ve decided to grow out my hair.

Today, when I was trimming my hair, Nisha asked if I was planning to grow it out. So, since everyone said short hair was cute, I said I’d keep it short. But then Nisha told me that it wasn’t the short hair that was cute but me. I’m not cute. Everyone still thinks I’m a ten-year-old kid. When I first came to the mansion, I thought they knew I was at least five years old, but they still see me as an innocent child. So, I’ve decided to grow out my hair, especially because Sally really wants me to. Maybe if I grow my hair, I’ll look a bit more like you?]

[xx.xx. Rain All Day

I saw a huge portrait of the late Duchess Maynard today, aside from the one in the pendant. It was a truly massive portrait, even if I stretched out my arms, I couldn’t cover it all. She looked very much like Swan. If Swan had grown up, she might have looked like that. Below it was written, “Agnes Neipiër Maynard.” “Neipiër” is the Duchess’s maiden name; she was said to be a daughter from the Neipiër family. Since Stefan finds washing dishes the most tedious, I could use that time to collect many stories about the duchess. So far, these are the stories I’ve collected.]

1. The duchess used to be a knight in the Maynard Order. She wasn’t incredibly skilled as a knight, but she was known to be very diligent. She had intended to live her entire life as a knight, but after an accident involving a carriage, she retired and married my dad not long after.

2. The duchess gave birth to a child, and her health deteriorated rapidly before she passed away. It seems her condition was not due to severe mental trauma, as she was the one who had warned not to upset her since the child had been kidnapped. The doctor had advised against childbirth, so it’s possible her health was already fragile. Could it be related to the aftereffects of the accident?

3. The duchess’s birth family, the Neipiër family, had disowned her when she was pregnant, but she appeared again after marrying my dad to gain acceptance. As a result, my dad accuses the Neipiër family of driving people away. I haven’t met them yet.

Dad tries to keep the duchess’s story hidden from me as much as possible.

So, despite my efforts to collect information, this is all I’ve got. I’m curious.

How did the duchess learn about the kidnapping, and why did she ask not to find the child?

If I knew this, I might get closer to the kidnapper. – Swan]

[xx.xx. A Bright and Clear Day

My seventeenth birthday is approaching.]