The Extra Decided to be Fake

Episode 54

Swan’s death occurred seven years ago from now. In other words, there was a significant time gap between the appearances of Swan and Odile. Therefore, Lillian also pondered on this aspect. Wasn’t the reason Lillian left Merryfield Orphanage in the first place to prevent the director, Winston, from creating a replacement for Swan using the pendant? To achieve this, he personally destroyed all traces of Swan, and in the end, there was nothing left of Swan’s belongings but a tattered diary.

Considering Lillian herself had no trace of Swan, how could someone else steal Swan’s face?

Finally, Lillian thought of one possibility.

“There’s one possibility.”

“What is it?”

“Before… the director called a painter and secretly had a portrait of Swan drawn. It was a quiet affair, and other kids probably didn’t know about it, and I had forgotten too. But I saw it when I went to steal the custody certificate.”

A portrait of Swan that was in the director’s office.

It was placed behind a wardrobe along with the pendant. At the time, Lillian found it curious why the director cherished Swan so much, but now, thinking back, there must have been a reason to preserve a portrait that didn’t seem that valuable.

“Maybe he planned to sell it to Dad at a high price. Dad, when it comes to children… he can do anything.”

If it was about records of a lost childhood, Winston would have tried to buy it at any cost.

Was it for the purpose of selling? Winston had created the portrait very intricately.

“So if someone got hold of the portrait, stealing Swan’s face would have been possible.”

“But… the current orphanage director is Uncle Mil.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Lillian was also familiar with Milourd.

Though he seemed a bit eccentric, he couldn’t pass by children in difficult circumstances. He used to share food with the kids, and it seemed like he even taught Theo various things later on.

Lillian didn’t think that Milourd, with such a character, would steal Swan’s face.

Rather.

“It’s probably the work of the kidnapper.”

“Kidnapper?”

“Yeah. The missing case at this mansion was actually a kidnapping, not a disappearance. And the culprit hasn’t been caught yet. My goal is to catch that criminal.”

It seemed strange that a kidnapped child would be in the orphanage. Lillian naturally thought that Winston had some connection to the kidnapper.

So she tried to meet Winston secretly, but…

—Is it about Winston Bernauer? He passed away, Miss.

—Wha- he’s dead?

—Yes. Didn’t you hear about it, Your Excellency?

Isaac was the one who informed Lillian about Winston’s death. He had developed quite a liking for her after meeting her a few times, and after hearing about the numerous scars and injuries Lillian had when she first arrived here, he felt sympathy towards her.

Of course, Isaac didn’t think that Lillian was investigating the kidnapper or the Mainard Lady missing case, but when Lillian heard the story, she had an intuition.

‘The director was used and left in the dark!’

That meant the clue to the kidnapper disappeared.

Now, if someone created Odile’s face, it meant that the mastermind behind it was also behind Winston’s death.

In other words, it was the same person’s doing.

“I can never forgive this. They must pay for their sins.”

“To do that, we need a way to expose Odile’s deceit, right?”

“Yeah. Do you think there’s a way among these?”

“Among these?”

Theo questioned back, unknowingly turning around. Behind him was a space lined with books. An endless library of books.

Do I have to go through all of that?

‘…Me and this kid?’

Suddenly, Theo felt a bit overwhelmed.

‘Should I talk about this or not?’

Above all, there was also a slightly troubling issue for him.

* * *

Two years had passed since Theo became an adult. His shoulders were broad and well-defined, his upper body formed a perfect frame with well-defined muscles. His hair, once casually left unkempt, was now neatly combed and organized, giving him a quite knightly appearance. It was likely that he would receive his knighthood ceremony sometime this year.

However, whether it was due to the long years of being a squire or Theo’s exceptional skills, offers to join various knightly orders were coming in. Some even promised a quick promotion to the rank of captain.

“Well, I have no intention of going to such places.”

After spending seven years in Maynerd, Theo had no plans to leave just to earn a little more money. Theo was grateful. More than anything, he cherished Maynerd, where he had become familiar with Lillian and other senior knights.

However, there was one problem: knights were required to go on regular campaigns. Theo hadn’t gone on any campaigns yet, as he was still a squire, but once he became a full-fledged knight, he would be obligated to join the expeditions.

“The first campaign was after four years, and the second after six. Knights follow this cycle.”

Certainly, gaining practical experience was expected, but it was a challenging profession when it came to returning to one’s hometown.

“I thought this would be inevitable when I joined the Maynerd knights.”

Theo had no fear of going on expeditions. However…

The well-being of the orphanage children worried him. For Theo, who considered these children as good as family, they were precious in a different way than Lillian.

If anything happened to any of the children while he was away?

Theo felt he couldn’t bear to leave them just with the support of the orphanage.

“Is there any way to delay my knighthood until all the kids become adults?”

While contemplating such concerns, a moment later, someone came to see Theo.

A man in priestly attire.

“Theodore, would you not consider joining the Order of the Holy Knights?”

“Me? But don’t you need some qualifications to join the Holy Knights?”

“Oh, indeed. But you possess the qualifications. If you accept the divine sword, I can offer you an opportunity to stand at the forefront.”

Theo couldn’t believe it. He had never undergone a formal examination, and he couldn’t trust that he had the qualifications to become a Holy Knight.

However, the priestly attire was real, and the inscription on the priest’s temple was also genuine.

“If you ever consider it, please come to the temple. The arms of the divine are always open to everyone.”

Theo couldn’t believe it. It seemed impossible for him to join the Holy Knights, a prospect he had considered impossible.

However, it wasn’t an entirely joyous occasion.

If he accepted, it would mean leaving Maynerd.

Furthermore, becoming a Holy Knight was essentially no different from becoming a priest. Like priests, Holy Knights also had to go through the process of swearing vows in the temple. It meant that, unlike ordinary people, he couldn’t have a normal love life or a family.

‘How should I consult with Lillian about this?’

Lillian seemed indifferent to Theo’s issues. She was already immersed in devouring one book after another.

Thinking about it, Theo realized he hadn’t heard how Lillian dealt with the situation when Damien gave her the bracelet.

Since the banquet turned out the way it did, even if she had worn the bracelet, she probably wouldn’t have danced anyway.

“Hey, Lillian.”

“What?”

“Did you wear the bracelet?”

“No, I didn’t. Why are you asking when you already know?”

“I asked because I didn’t know. Just because I didn’t know.”

Theo quickly buried his nose in the bookshelf. A strange laugh escaped him for no apparent reason.