The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 49

Having introduced himself as Grayson, he made the sign of the cross and finished the greeting by nodding slightly.

Meeting a high-ranking figure, even a bishop, was a first for Lillian, and she widened her eyes. Cedric smiled slowly.

“I invited him. In our empire, there is a tradition to receive blessings on your seventeenth birthday. You do know about it, don’t you?”

“Of course, but…”

Even though you received blessings, it only involved visiting a temple on your birthday or afterward to pray and receive the priest’s blessings. It aimed to remind that the gods have kept you alive for this long, so please take a look, even if it is just once. Hence, people of all classes visited temples directly without distinction between nobles and commoners.

But for a priest, or rather, a bishop, to personally attend a banquet?

“A few days ago, I asked for some free time to visit and receive blessings at the temple. Then the bishop personally visited me to offer his blessings.”

“Ah… I see. Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Lillian responded with a curtsey, and Grayson smiled warmly.

“It’s me who should be thankful. I’ve heard a lot about Lady from my side. So, I’ve always wanted to meet and offer my blessings. It’s an honor to meet you in person and bestow my blessings.”

“You’ve heard about me?”

“Yes. Aren’t you famous? Known as the Miracle Child.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Lillian realize why Grayson had wanted to meet her in person.

He wanted to meet the Lady of the rumor who had disappeared and then returned like a miracle.

‘But even so, there was no need to visit me in person.’

Am I thinking too strangely?

Lillian was a bit puzzled, but as far as she knew, a bishop was a very high-ranking figure. Of course, Cedric was also highly regarded, but the clerical hierarchy was strictly defined by holiness. Nobles only had to prove their lineage, but in the church, positions were divided entirely based on holiness.

The higher the holiness, the more God’s love you received, and priests receiving God’s love had tremendous influence. This was why even a duke couldn’t treat a bishop lightly.

“The Holy Prayer Service is when a bishop bestows his blessings. If you don’t mind, could you clasp your hands in front of your chest and close your eyes? I will recite the Blessing Prayer.”

“…Alright.”

In the end, Lillian closed her eyes without asking anything. She could feel Grayson’s hand on her head, and she faintly heard the blessing prayer he recited.

“May you find the true path, free from sinister evil, and may your journey be filled only with light and salvation, free from chaos, as you walk the path without straying, and may all your intentions come true…”

Was the blessing prayer always like this?

Among her studies in etiquette, theology was included. Of course, she hadn’t delved deeply into her education to become a priest; she had only learned simple prayers. But she remembered reading the blessing prayer as part of her etiquette studies.

‘Free from sinister evil…? I don’t remember such a verse.’

The blessing prayer was supposed to congratulate and encourage a young person who had safely grown into adulthood, without any trouble or accidents. It would naturally praise them for their peaceful upbringing so far and offer support for their future journey.

However, she had never heard phrases like “free from sinister evil” in the blessing prayer.

‘Am I just overreacting?’

Lillian wondered if she was overreacting when she sensed something strange. Just as she was about to open her eyes to confirm her doubts, the blessing had already ended.

But when she opened her eyes, she was immediately distracted by the strange events around her.

“Oh my, what’s happening?”

“My goodness… Is what I’m seeing real?”

The surrounding area was so noisy and chaotic that it was almost surreal.

However, the atmosphere was far from the cheerful buzz expected at a party; instead, it felt ominous.

Lillian quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere. When she turned her gaze to the center of the commotion, she saw an elderly lady and a girl who appeared to be her granddaughter.

Cedric also noticed them and approached, and the elderly lady was the first to greet him.

“Are you doing well, Duke Cedric? It’s been a while.”

“…Lady Agnes. Who is this next to you?”

“Oh, this is my granddaughter, Odile. She’s a very kind and smart girl. She lost her parents, and I have no children, so we decided to live together and support each other. Odile, introduce yourself. This is Duke Maynard.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Odile Kenis.”

With a shy expression, the girl lowered her head, raised the corner of her dress, sat down slowly, and then got up. Odile’s eyes were the same emerald green as Cedric’s.

And her hair color was the same pitch-black as Cedric’s.

When Lillian saw Odile’s face, her blood ran cold.

“…Swan.”

If Swan had grown up to the age of seventeen, this is what he would have looked like.

Odile bore an uncanny resemblance to Swan.

* * *

The moment Odile and Cedric locked eyes, everyone in the room had the same thought.

‘They really look alike.’

The resemblance between the two was so striking that you couldn’t deny their blood relationship. While Swan may not have looked as much like Cedric when he was younger, the seventeen-year-old Swan would have likely resembled him more as he matured.

What was certain was that Odile, who had just appeared, bore a strong resemblance to both Cedric and Agnes, his deceased wife.

Cedric didn’t voice this fact, but Lillian could feel it. Cedric’s expression mirrored her own as they both witnessed the reappearance of someone they had thought they would never see again—the momentary shock, the familiarity, and the emotions welling up at the sight of the person.

“Agnes… Lady Maynard and…”

Odile resembled Cedric, but to anyone who had seen Agnes’s portrait, it would have been impossible not to recognize the striking resemblance between Odile and Swan. Swan was the spitting image of Agnes, and that’s why Odile, bearing Swan’s face, also resembled Agnes.

The way this scene appeared to others was clear.

A crowd gathered around them in an instant.

“L-Lady Kenis, where did you find this young lady?”

“We met at the Heriford orphanage. It was a fateful encounter. Isn’t that right, Odile?”

“Yes, I still remember when Mother first approached me and told me to come with her.”

Odile appeared bright, lovely, and cheerful. She quickly won the favor of those around her, and people became increasingly interested in her story as they heard about the poor orphan girl’s life.

Particularly, those who sensed that Odile might be Cedric’s real child began questioning her about her birthday and origin.

“If it’s the Heriford orphanage, isn’t it in this vicinity?”

“And I heard her birthday was just a few days ago, making her not much younger than the Lady!”

Everything unfolded like a perfectly prepared script. As each piece of information about Odile emerged, the fact that she could be Cedric’s real child seemed to become clearer.

“Your Grace, isn’t it possible that Odile is your real daughter?”

It was only when someone finally voiced that thought that Cedric snapped out of his momentary daze.

The situation was centered around Odile, and her face bore a striking resemblance to Agnes. That’s why Cedric didn’t immediately regain his composure.

“…Honestly, I can’t be sure.”

In his hand, he held the pendant that had disappeared with the child.

If Odile was indeed his real child, why was the pendant separated from her? Cedric wasn’t ready to make a definite conclusion yet. However, Odile was eerily close to the image he had painted of his long-lost child—a child he believed he would recognize as a miracle and fall in love with if he ever encountered them. A child who looked just like Agnes and him, someone who could be beyond doubt.