The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 48

No one knew about this girl’s deficiency.

No one knew about the tears she shed in secret.

In this enormous mansion filled with luxury and nobility, Lillian hid as the most humble shadow, closing her eyes. Every time he realized it was behind him, Theodore felt an indescribable ecstasy.

When the ballroom lights went out, everyone returned to their homes. Similarly, Theodore returned to the orphanage on weekends. However, when he returned to the Maynard Mansion, Lillian was waiting for him. Somehow, she had matured much more than he remembered, but in his eyes, she still seemed like the naughty little girl, far from grown up.

She was an orphan who had even been abandoned by her own parents, and she had nothing to her name.

But as long as he had that light by his side, he felt that he would never have to live in the darkness.

So Theodore didn’t bring up Swan with Lillian.

Afterward, Lillian didn’t cry, and it didn’t seem like a big issue at the moment.

But then?

“You… are you planning to marry that guy for that reason?”

“What? No.”

“Don’t lie.”

Theodore’s face twisted. For some reason, he felt extremely disgusted.

Was it because he had tolerated Lillian’s obsession with Swan all this time, or was it because of Lillian’s upcoming marriage? Maybe it was both.

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t become Swan.”

Darn it. He hadn’t intended to say that.

His initial purpose was to ask what she wanted for her birthday.

“What’s wrong with you? How long are you going to hold onto the shadow of a dead person?”

Darn it, darn it!

“Swan is dead, and she’ll never come back. So, just… try to move on from her.”

With those words, Theodore left Lillian behind.

Right after he left, he was hit with an image of Lillian, who appeared to be in shock, frozen in expression. The image wouldn’t leave his mind, and he punched the wall until his fists hurt.

* * *

Move on from Swan?

After Theodore left, Lillian kept pondering his words. Even though she didn’t want to, his words remained in her mind, and she couldn’t help it. It was a shock similar to asking someone who had always walked why they wouldn’t run.

For Lillian, moving on from Swan was not an option.

‘I… no, what can I do about Swan?’

Swan’s death was something that Lillian naturally had to carry as a shackle in her life, much like a disability.

Would anyone tell a person who lost an arm to move on from being an amputee?

For Lillian, losing Swan was like that. There was not a single lie in what Theodore had said.

Just as Theodore didn’t become a different person after losing an arm, Lillian saw no reason to change herself after losing Swan.

Of course, she had no intention of getting married.

‘If I were to marry someone, Damian would probably be the best choice.’

When she thought about it rationally, and especially when she thought of Swan, it seemed even more apparent.

But Lillian was only filling Swan’s place; she couldn’t become her. She knew that very well.

So, marriage was not an option. Someday, she would have to reveal the whole truth, and when that time came, Cedric might even banish her. She didn’t want to tie herself down with something like marriage and make it difficult to deal with the situation when the truth came out.

Lillian stood in Theodore’s place after he left, lost in thought, her expression unconsciously furrowing.

‘…Since when did this become so.’

The moment when such thoughts became natural.

From the moment she lost Swan, she became an imperfect being.

It had been that way all along, and it would likely be so for the rest of her life.

Furthermore, even though Swan had been a part of her own body, she lost her and became even more incomplete by assuming Swan’s role. Now, it had become nearly impossible to separate Swan from herself and think differently.

However, because it had been like this for a long time, and her memories were not clear, it seemed too hopeless and difficult to consider a different way of life now.

‘Do I need to move on from you, Swan?’

After finishing Swan’s revenge and revealing all the truths…

Lillian hadn’t thought about her life after that. If she reminisced about life after completing her revenge, she felt as if she had gone back to when she was ten years old, feeling incredibly lonely.

* * *

Lillian turned seventeen, her worries unresolved.

“Happy birthday, Miss!”

“Happy birthday, Lady Lillian.”

“Thank you, Mary. Thank you, Isaac.”

Starting with the people of the Maynard Duke’s household who were close to Lillian, the exchange of gifts and birthday greetings continued.

Since Lillian had set foot here, the Maynard Duke’s mansion was busier than ever. She remembered that it was even busier than the day when the Crown Prince had visited her personally. The reason was probably the curiosity about the previously mysterious Maynard Lady, who had been shrouded in rumors.

The reactions of those who saw Lillian could be divided into two categories.

“You resemble the Duke more than I thought.”

“Really? I thought you two didn’t resemble each other that much.”

“Well, in terms of appearance… you can think of it as her resembling the Duke’s side of the family. What about the atmosphere?”

“Yes, you’re right. She’s really good-looking.”

Some people were surprised that Lillian and Cedric didn’t look alike, and others were surprised by how harmonious the two seemed despite that fact.

Many people didn’t remember the late Maynard Duchess’s appearance, but fortunately, Lillian’s eyes were not as sharp as Cedric’s, at least when it came to color. Thanks to this, hardly anyone questioned Lillian’s appearance and suspected her birth. This was the only fortunate aspect of her situation.

So, what’s the unfortunate part then?

‘Everything else.’

Lillian still couldn’t escape from Theo’s words that day.

Perhaps what she needed to escape from wasn’t Swan but Theo’s words.

‘He hasn’t talked to me since then.’

She hadn’t even seen his face. Whenever Theo saw Lillian’s shadow, he pretended not to see and disappeared. He was clearly avoiding Lillian. Was he angry? But why? Lillian couldn’t guess the source of Theo’s anger, even if she wanted to apologize.

Thanks to that, the birthday celebration that she had prepared for a long time was not enjoyable at all.

Lillian’s pale face seemed to bother someone or maybe it was Cedric, who was sitting beside her, that took notice.

“Dear, are you nervous? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Uh… a little.”

It was only then that Lillian realized that her face was too stiff.

A moment late, she relaxed her face and nodded her head slightly. Cedric smiled faintly. Even though some time had passed, Cedric looked almost the same as when Lillian had first met him. The only change might be the gloominess of the eyelids that was naturally expected with time.

“Perhaps you’re just not suited for this kind of event.”

“Do you think there’s a type that’s not suited for such events?”

“Of course. I felt that way, and so did my late wife. We both preferred to meet in quiet places rather than attending events. If you’re like me, it might be enough.”

Cedric’s words made Lillian feel a little guilty. The guilt had been a familiar weight, so it didn’t take long for it to press down on Lillian’s heart, even if it had shrunk in size.

However, Lillian had also grown accustomed to ignoring that weight, so she smiled nonchalantly.

“Still, thanks to Father, I can have a great debut.”

“It’s good to hear you say that. Have you decided on a dancing partner for today?”

“Well, I plan to dance with Father and avoid dancing with anyone else.”

As she answered, Lillian absentmindedly toyed with her empty left wrist.

In the end, she didn’t accept Damian’s gift. She didn’t tell Cedric either.

‘Father won’t be pleased if he knows that Damian proposed.’

He would unnecessarily provide an opening for future discussions about marriage.

‘I’m not thinking about marriage yet, so how about I dance with Isaac instead?’

‘It might be too much for him… though.’

As Cedric mumbled as if he was slightly displeased, a guest approached them, cutting through the crowd.

“Good day, Your Grace. Happy birthday, Lady.”

A middle-aged man in high priestly attire.

“Greetings for the first time. I am called Archbishop Grayson.”