Extras Are The First To Be Abandoned - Chapter 35

 

 

Clyde stared blankly at Stella for quite a while. As if he didn’t expect her to remember the promise.

 

“In return, I’ll meet you once a week.”

 

Yeah, that’s what she said to him.

 

“You have to give me a chance.”

 

And she promised. He would meet her every Monday.

 

Even at that moment, blood was still dripping from his hands.

 

Stella carefully took Clyde’s hand and looked at it with a surprised look.

 

Those eyes which were twinkling like brown beads in the warm sun carefully examined his wounds.

 

“How did you get hurt again?”

 

When Stella said so, he suddenly felt a stinging and painful pain in his hands that he had not felt earlier.

 

This woman never failed to make him aware of the pain.

 

Wherever her fingertips reached seemed to revive his dead sense.

 

She gave colors to his dull life the moment she decided to approach and touch him.

 

His heart pounded without knowing boundaries as he once again realized that fact.

 

***

 

“There’s a piece of wood stuck in the wound.”

 

Clyde thought that if getting himself hurt could eventually result with this, he would be willing to get hurt every day.

 

Stella was concentrating solely on treating his wounds as she held his hand.

 

“…oh, this will hurt a little.”

 

Stella picked out the small piece of wood with a pinset and put it on top of the white gauze.

 

As the hot blood leaked out, Stella bit her lower lip when the hot blood leaked out and he was hurting even more. Clyde had a hard time controlling his feelings because of her charming appearance.

His other hand that had already been treated and wrapped in bandages was trembling.

 

His heart was tickling for no solid reason at the same time when her breath reached his stinging wound.

 

“It must hurt a lot.”

 

“……”

 

“I’ll blow it for you before disinfecting it.”

 

She blew out a small puff of breath to the wound and quickly followed by coating the medicinal herbs at the gauze.

 

“It must’ve hurt…”

 

She muttered in a small voice, but he was too engrossed in looking at her profile without showing any signs of hurting.

 

How could there be such a beautiful person? She seemed like a person who gathered up all of the hopes around the world.

 

Being with her made him feel at ease. He felt this pleasant aura was coming out of her.

 

“It stings a little.”

 

He was at loss and looked away after she flashed a smile at his gaze.

 

His ears turned red.

 

“I’m going to put on the bandage now.”

 

She rummaged through the first aid kit box and pulled out a bandage.

 

He stared at Stella’s face while she wrapped the bandage around his hand.

 

How can her lips look so lovely and pretty curved up like that?

 

He looked at her intensely as he counted each of her breaths.

 

She was finally done.

 

Stella noticed Clyde’s gaze when she raised her head while saying so.

 

They looked at each other like that for quite a while without saying any words.

 

***

 

‘Huff.’

 

The Duke’s aide, Peter Gilworth, watched the restoration of the duke’s office which was suffering from utter disrepair from his rage earlier.

 

He couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

 

“Suddenly, as soon as the Princess came…”

 

Not knowing how to deal with anger, the wild beast became docile in less than a few minutes after not knowing how to deal with his master’s anger.

 

The aide couldn’t forget the duke’s calm expression as he held Stella’s hand while entering the mansion.

 

The duke absolutely entrusted himself in her hands and looked at her with an affectionate look, he looked like a giant wolf wagging its tail enthusiastically in front of a woman.

 

‘Yeah, the owner of the leash simply had to show up.’

 

So that was the way…

 

He murmured forlornly.

 

As a person who gave a huge contribution to the effort of keeping him alive, Gilworth realized that the answer he had been searching everywhere was actually not far off.

 

“His Grace has conveyed that he wanted to go out. The carriage has been prepared.”

 

Gilworth nodded at the head servant’s words.

 

‘Thank you….’

 

Then his legs gave out and sank in his spot.

 

The sky must have known how grateful he was to Stella, and he was deeply moved by her visit.

 

***

 

When I finished wrapping the bandage around Clyde’s hand, I thought I have been seeing him up close.

 

At that time, our eyes met each other for quite a while.

 

So, perhaps I was expecting just for a bit.

 

Don’t tell me he wouldn’t ever ask me? Aren’t we going to the debutante together?

 

If he was going about becoming my partner, there wouldn’t be a better time than now.

 

But he didn’t ask that. He just asked me about one thing.

 

Would I not like to see my family a lot?

 

He stroked my cheek using the back of his trembling hand.

 

He carefully raised my chin with the tip of his finger and made me look at him.

 

“…would you like to go see them with me?”

 

His face looked like he was about to tumble down at any moment.

 

I nodded my head. I don’t think anyone would try to deceive me with such a face.

 

I would have patted his back if only he lowered his head and leaned it against my shoulder.

 

Just like when he put me in his arms and patted my back. But when he heard that, he got up from his seat.

 

He said he would get the carriage to be prepared.

 

That was all.

 

After that, we didn’t do much.

 

We just looked at the inn from afar. I saw the inn door open and then close again.

 

It was just a simple thing, but it brought a great comfort to me because I knew that my family was safe.

 

Did he know that I thought I was really lucky to come here with him?

 

He didn’t say anything on the way back. He didn’t ask anything regarding the debutante either.

 

‘I thought he would ask about it….’

 

Sometimes I think I know him, but at times like this, I feel like I don’t know him completely.

 

I thought of him as a person who I could trust, and I would ruminate on the fact that I intentionally forgot so suddenly.

 

This person was the ‘Guardian of Heaven’ and the revolutionary leader who restored the Imperial Family.

 

He was my childhood friend, but that fact also couldn’t be ignored either.

 

Well. Should I try to give my father or my brother a chance to be my partner?

 

‘means that I’m going to prioritize those who would become the master.’

 

Then I suddenly thought. I was the one who would leave in less than six months.

 

He knew about it, so I thought he might be trying to distance himself from me while doing the least favor because I was a member of the Imperial Family and his childhood friend.

 

Even though sometimes the warmth he gave me was so comforting, I know that I shouldn’t have expected it and trusted him completely.

 

Like this, I get used to his warmth like a fool. I got used to him and ended up expecting it.

 

The sky and the weather that I thought was good, as well as the noisy streets no longer felt beautiful when I realized that.

 

It was something like that.

 

Then, he halted on the street and I looked up at him with curious eyes.

 

“…jewel, do you like it?”

 

He pointed to the accessories on the display stand.

 

I liked it because it was one of the stores on the commoners’ street, so it wasn’t filled with luxurious things that nobles would often wear.

 

“I don’t like luxurious things.”

 

“……”

 

“It doesn’t suit me, so I don’t feel like wearing it.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

I thought it was right to turn down his intention and let him pass by the store.

 

After all, we have to say goodbye later.

 

It seemed necessary not to get used to each other’s warmth by keeping the distance between us.

 

I wanted to leave for another place and live a better life where I could breathe easily without having to be in contact with the Imperial Family in six months.

 

If he joined me, who had become the revolutionary leader for the Imperial Family, their shadow would follow him wherever he went.

 

So it was the right decision to let him go.

 

I said out of impulse.

 

“But those look pretty.”

 

“……..”

“Eunje’s accessories… I want to have it. Back when I used to be Ethel, I usually  spent my day cleaning the silver cups of the nobles and silver candlesticks.”

 

Then I shut my mouth because I thought I shouldn’t have said that.

 

“…if you have said it. Let’s go in now.”

 

Then he walked into the store and heard a jingle, a clear sound of the bell which had just rang.

 

What he chose was earrings. I was waiting outside because I didn’t wish for the store owner to see my face, and then he handed me a small box once he came out of the store.

 

“Thank you.”

 

I meant it.

 

This gift was more valuable and precious to me than Jason Evanders’ countless amounts of money and an invaluable emerald necklace he had given me.

 

“I’ll wear and keep it with great care.”

 

He seemed to hesitate for quite a while, but then he spoke while avoiding my eyes.

 

“It is not as good as the emerald necklace Your Highness had received but…”

 

“Oh, that necklace.”

 

I said while fiddling with the wooden case he gave me.

 

“I returned it.”

 

Clyde looked at me with a little surprise look, perhaps not yet hearing the news.

 

Maybe the corrected news didn’t reach him.

 

“It was a gift that didn’t even suit me in the first place.”

 

“…I-”

 

He frowned, but quickly controlled his expression and spoke carefully.

 

“I think that necklace looks good on Your Highness.”

 

“……”

 

“I think it’s much better than my gift.”

 

Had it been my illusion when I thought that the man’s eyes when he spit out those words were shaking and hurting?

 

He walked without saying a word after that. I stood next to him doing the same thing.

 

There was still a long way to reach the carriage, our destination.

 

I had to walk a little longer because I couldn’t put the extravagant duke’s carriage in the middle of the common people’s residence.

 

Was it because of that?

 

I opened my mouth.

 

“But if it’s given by that person.”

 

Of course, I was talking about Jason Evanders.

 

“…I would have not received anything from him.”

 

“Why?”

 

I told him when he asked that.

 

“Because he’s not the person I want to go to the ball with.”

 

When I said so, his face changed. It was a really small change, but fortunately I didn’t miss that.

 

Then I, being reckless and blunt.

 

I mustered up the courage to speak up.

 

“I want to go to the ball with you. With me.”