Not-So an Extra

Now Adrian understood the source of her politeness, intelligence, and persistence, and what Nathaniel said he would benefit from marrying this young lady before him.

It turned out that she was a daughter of a Duke from the neutral faction; Duke of Florance. **

"You may rise."

With that, Adrian shifted his gaze to the guards who were engrossed in playing cards, not too far away from his cell.

Leticia straightened her back and settled into the seat on the cold floor next to him.

While it may have seemed appealing to have a partner from a powerful family, Adrian knew that the reality was far from simple. 

Both the Florence and Rosséria families had been the heads of the neutral faction for generations, making it difficult to bring either of them into his mother's faction.

Adrian had no interest in the throne, and therefore, marrying this little girl was unnecessary.

Also, he wished to marry someone he truly loved, not for political gain.

To hell with an arranged marriage.

Adrian refused to let societal norms or political pressures dictate his choices, and was determined to marry whoever he wanted, regardless of their background or social status.

"Your Highness."

Leticia's voice interrupted his reverie.

He begrudgingly glanced at her and she offered him a benign smile before continuing.

"I cannot express my gratitude enough for rescuing me once again. I am forever in your debt." 

Her voice was laced with genuine gratitude.

Adrian let out a weary sigh and returned his attention to the front.

"Make sure to train your body so you can defend yourself in the future."

After a brief silence, Leticia eventually responded.

"I will, Your Highness. I don't want to be a burden on anyone."

"I have faith in you."

Adrian answered flatly, his tone lacking any real emotion. 

Leticia couldn't help but click her tongue in irritation.

His indifference was exasperating, and for some reason, she felt a sudden urge to smack him on the head. 

It was like talking to a wall! 

No matter what she said, Adrian remained unmoved and uninterested.

Heaving out a deep breath to calm her rage, Leticia started again. 

"Your Highness, I'm terribly sorry for dragging you into this."

"Drag?" 

Adrian arched an eyebrow and turned to face her.

"What an interesting choice of words."

"That's…"

As she met his striking blue eyes, Leticia felt a sense of shame and averted his gaze.

"I get kidnapped a lot, so I want to apologize that you also got kidnapped because of me."

"I see."

That explained why she was able to smile and look so relaxed despite being kidnapped; she was used to situations like this.

Nevertheless, Adrian couldn't help but ask.

"How many times have you been kidnapped?"

To the extent of getting used to it, it seemed like it didn't happen two or three times.

Leticia shrugged, her expression nonchalant. 

"I've lost count, it happened more times than I care to remember."

Adrian was perplexed, he couldn't believe his ears.

How could someone be kidnapped so many times?

Nevertheless, he couldn't resist the urge to make a sarcastic comment.

"Well, your knights must be doing a fantastic job protecting you."

Leticia faced him, a scowl etched on her face.

"Don't blame them! It's just that I mostly run away from home when I get kidnapped."

Adrian raised an eyebrow in surprise. 

"You run away from home?"

Leticia nodded, her expression sheepish. 

"Yes, I get bored easily and I like to explore. But sometimes I get into trouble and end up getting kidnapped."

Adrian was dumbfounded by Leticia's confession.

He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the headache that was starting to form.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration towards her.

'So, in other words, she was nothing more than a troublemaker, huh?'

Adrian could imagine how their mansion was turned upside down when they found out that their young lady had disappeared.

The knights must have been frantic, searching every nook and cranny of the estate for her.

—Creak!

As the unoiled wooden door creaked open, all heads turned toward the source. 

The woman standing in the doorway had vermilion hair and was dressed in a tight black suit that hugged her curves. 

The deep V-cut of her suit revealed a tantalizing hint of cleavage, and a graceful smile graced her face.

It was none other than Annelise; that annoying organizational strategist.

 I think you should take a look at

Ah, how could he forget such a detail?

Didn't Adrian's memories and this place share the same environment?

And the fact that that woman was here, meant that he was kidnapped by that shitty organization.

Then—

Adrian glanced toward the kids inside the cages, knowing what their fate would be.

Shortly after, the two guards stood up and bowed respectfully, addressing Annelise.

"My lady."

Annelise acknowledged the guards' gesture with a nod before gracefully making her way toward Adrian's cage. 

Upon reaching there, she performed a curtsey. 

"I greet Highness the Second Prince of the Empire."

"…"

Nevertheless, even after seconds passed, Adrian didn't say a word.

One of the guards grew impatient and shouted at him.

"Say something you—"

Annelise intervened by raising her hand, signaling the guard to stop. 

After a moment of composure, Annelise stood tall and spoke up with a somber tone.

"Your Highness, I would be appreciated if you could respond."

Ignoring her complaint, Adrian spat his mind.

"What do you want from me?"

After settling into the chair prepared by the guard, she gestured for them to leave and once they had exited the room, she shrugged indifferently.

"I simply wish to meet the person who foiled my plan."

It seemed like she was referring to him barging into the conference room.

The fact that the enemy knew about it meant that they had likely planted spies inside the Sun Castle.

Looking back on the Refugee Camp, it was discovered that half of the stationed Knights were actually spies.

Like—damn.

Just how many spies were rooted in the Empire?

"But who would have thought that I would meet such a charming boy?"

"..."

Despite his silence, she continued her babble.

"Personally, I prefer you to your brother, that black-haired boy."

Adrian furrowed his brow. 

"You met my brother?"

"That's correct! I met him when we were at the refugee camp."

Adrian distinctly recalled that Nathaniel had mentioned meeting 'only one of them' and had referred to the attacker as 'he', not 'she'.

Adrian couldn't help but let out a wry scoff. 

That damn regressor—even in the presence of the Emperor, he still dared to lie.

Somehow, Adrian didn't understand how Nathaniel's brain worked.

What benefit did he gain by keeping the information to himself?

However, as a thought kicked in, Adrian spoke.

"The purple book—the void century. Do you know that book?"

"Ah! That book!"

Annelise clapped her hands merrily and continued.

"Yes, I know that book. Have you read it, by any chance?"

"Yes, I have."

"That's great. So, what are your thoughts on the book?"

Without bothering to answer, Adrian asked another question.

"Are the items written there true?"

Now that he had encountered her in person, there was no need for him to wait for the continuation of Adrian's memories.

"Yes. They are real."

Annelise nodded without hesitation.

Nevertheless, Adrian shook his head.

"I don't want hearsay. I need tangible proof."

She chuckled softly and tilted her head.

"I can't reveal our secret to an enemy, can I? But if you decide to join our society, I'll share everything with you."

"I see. So that's the reason why you kidnapped me, huh?"

Soon, the woman burst into laughter.

"Ah, as expected of the one who foiled my plan. You're quite sharp."

Seizing her laughter, Annelise continued.

"Since you already know, let me get straight to the point. Would you like to join us?"

After a brief silence, Adrian spoke.

"If I decline, will I end up like them?" 

He pointed to the cage filled with children next to him with his head.

Soon, the gentle smile on her lips vanished and her face was devoid of any expression.

"Oh my, you seem quite knowledgeable about us, don't you?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Chimera.

It was the name of the monster Nathaniel frequently fought in the novel.

At first, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it, until he later discovered that the Chimera were, in fact, humans who had been turned into monstrous creatures.

Yes, that damn organization was using human children as experiments to develop Chimera's drugs.