The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 53

The first thing was having a sweet brunch in bed as soon as she opened her eyes. Eating in bed was something Lillian hadn’t done since she was twelve, but she couldn’t resist the bread with butter and jam being brought to her mouth. After a satisfying meal, the maids took Lillian to the bath.

The second thing was a delightful bubble bath. Whenever Lillian had a lot on her mind, she would immerse herself in the bath for an hour or two. Of course, it was her way of having some alone time, but the maids agreed that during such times, she shouldn’t be left alone.

“It tends to lead to negative thoughts when left alone at times like this.”

“We need to show our support for the young lady!”

Thanks to this, Lillian found herself receiving a grand bubble bath from the maids, speaking English she didn’t understand.

Next, she enjoyed a soothing herbal tea, tried on newly purchased dresses, chose the outfit that suited her best, and then spent time unwrapping the piled-up gifts one by one. Even though Lillian usually received gifts from various places on her birthday, this time, the size of the gifts was extraordinary, perhaps because it coincided with her debutante ball.

There was a fountain pen set that took a year to make, and diamonds were now almost covering the floor. The most expensive gift was an intricately crafted clock with jewels, said to be taken from the royal treasury by Prince Lenox, according to the letter.

“With such splendid gifts, there’s plenty to talk about in the social circles. We could talk about gifts alone for a whole day!”

The maids’ words made Lillian smile.

“If I go out into society, I’ll do that. Thank you all. I’m fine.”

Naturally, at this point, Lillian could understand why the maids had been dragging her around since early morning. Thanks to them, her mood had considerably improved.

‘My thoughts are much clearer now.’

It was definitely better than yesterday.

Yesterday, she felt confused or anxious, to the point where she wanted to jump off a building. When she opened her eyes, there were people putting in so much effort to lift her spirits. Although they might not hold as much significance as Swan, they were undeniably contributing for her sake.

‘The situation isn’t as bad as I thought.’

So, without being too afraid, she decided to meet her. She needed to find out the connection between her and Swan first.

‘I should tell Dad that I want to meet Mr. Odile.’

Since she hadn’t mentioned what she wanted for her birthday gift yet, asking for that would be appropriate.

Lillian made up her mind.

While the maids were cleaning up the gift wrappings, Nisha approached and spoke.

“Would you like to go for a snack now, Miss? You didn’t even get to taste the birthday cake yesterday.”

“Yes, let’s. Nisha, join us.”

“Oh, sure!”

And so, the two of them left the room.

Unexpectedly and faster than Lillian’s thoughts, the encounter took place.

“Oh, hello?”

Faster than she expected. And unexpectedly.

“I’m Odile Kanis. Nice to see you again, Miss.”

* * *

Lillian encountered Odile on the staircase.

She was descending the stairs to go to the dining hall, while Odile was ascending the stairs to meet Cedric.

“I came here because the Duke wanted to meet you. I would be delighted if we could establish a good relationship.”

Odile spoke with a bashful smile. His appearance still resembled Swan remarkably, and he seemed charming, but Lillian felt her tumultuous emotions instantly quieting down as if someone had poured cold water over them.

The reason was simple.

‘Ah.’

This person.

‘It’s not Swan.’

From a distance at the banquet hall, she hadn’t realized due to the overwhelming emotions of meeting Swan again. However, as they faced each other up close, she quickly discerned. This person, Odile, was a fake.

How did she know?

‘Swan has never looked at me with those eyes.’

No, nobody had ever looked at her with those eyes like Swan did.

Swan was genuinely a good child. A child so kind that she could give everything for an untainted friend. Swan was smarter and more mature than others, but at the same time, she loved more than others. That’s why Lillian couldn’t help but love Swan. The child seemed like a culmination of all the kindness left at the Merryfield Orphanage.

However, Odile couldn’t exhibit that purity found in Swan. No, even if Swan had lost some innocence as she grew up, that person wasn’t Swan.

‘Even if others don’t know, I can tell.’

When eyes meet, you can tell. They say eyes are the windows to the soul. You can recognize with the soul.

Wherever Swan is and however she appears, that place would become my hometown and home.

On the contrary, any place without Swan would never be a place for me to settle. No matter how beautiful this world may be filled with splendid things, without Swan, this place would become unfamiliar to me.

‘Right.’

Swan truly won’t come back.

Although it was a well-known fact, with Odile right in front of her, the reality felt like a tidal wave crashing over her.

From Odile’s eyes that imitated Swan’s face, she felt a sense of malevolence. Perhaps it was a kind of malicious mockery.

A warm discomfort surged in her abdomen. Lillian knew the name of this lump of discomfort.

It was anger.

And at that moment.

“…!”

“Could you please step aside? The passage is a bit narrow.”

Smiling brightly, Odile spoke and ascended the staircase first. Passing by Lillian with a shoulder bump, she heard a faint murmur that sounded like a comment.

“Dirty impostor.”

In that moment, Odile’s arm was abruptly grabbed.

From somewhere, Lillian found strength, and her hand held onto Odile fiercely, causing the tendons in his arm to bulge.

“Dirty impostor is probably you, Odile.”

“Ugh! W-What is this?! Where do you—”

“You.”

Lillian forcefully pulled Odile’s arm toward her. Into Odile’s flinching ear, Lillian’s chilly voice whispered.

“In truth, Swan had brown hair, not black.”

* * *

It was a brief moment, but Lillian saw it clearly.

In the heat of anger, Odile’s appearance no longer resembled Swan’s.

Odile had brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles—just an ordinary girl.

Not exceptionally pretty, no large eyes, much like the old Lillian.

Could it have been her own misconception?

‘No!’

It wasn’t a misconception. If she had merely seen something, it might have been a mistake, but…

“When I said, ‘Your hair is not black,'”

Odile’s expression stiffened seriously.

“H-How did you know…?”

After feeling her hair to check the color, Odile slowly relaxed her expression. Still, she seemed unable to shake off an uneasy feeling.

It was confirmed. Lillian hadn’t misjudged.

‘She’s using some method to mimic Swan’s face.’

As if causing Swan’s death wasn’t enough, now they were resorting to impersonating Swan!

Lillian gritted her teeth and ran somewhere. The person she went straight to was the most trustworthy.

“Theo!”

“What’s up, Lillian? Why are you so sweaty—”

“I need your help. We have to find a book!”

* * *

The Maynard library housed numerous books.

The stacks of books spanning generations demonstrated how deep and prestigious the Maynard lineage was. A family that could maintain such a library across generations was rare.

“So, you want to find a book about changing faces? Are you sure that’s the same person who changed their face, not someone else?”

“Yes, I’m sure. When I asked, her expression froze. She stole Swan’s face.”

“Everyone seems to be losing their minds.”

Theo muttered as he piled up books.

“But Swan has been dead for a long time. How can you steal the face of someone who’s dead?”