Extra in a Romance Fantasy

17 – Estelle von Reinberg

“…”

A rare sight of silver hair, even rarer, purple eyes.

I recognized her identity at a glance.

Hence, I promptly closed the door.

“Senior, something urgent came up. I might have to skip the club activities for today.”

“Is that so? Well, it can’t be helped then.”

Senior Lunnia nodded with a smile.

“But what about the guest? They’ve been waiting for Wade-hoobae.”

“…It’s fine.”

In reality, it might not be fine.

Nevertheless, even if it were, I had no desire to step into the building with my own feet.

“Then, I’ll see you next time.”

I hastily bid farewell to Senior Lunia and turned away.

But before I could properly lift my foot.

Creak—

The door of the building opened.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’ve been waiting for you to come until my throat gets dry.”

And the voice.

Certainly, it was a thin and delicate female voice, but it carried an unknown weight and dignity.

Upon hearing that voice, I immediately stopped in my tracks.

In my heart, I wanted to ignore it, run away as fast as possible, but I didn’t have a clue about how to handle the aftermath.

In the end, with a truly unwilling heart, I turned my body.

“…What brings you here?”

“Oh.”

Instead of answering my question, the woman examined me with interest.

Her violet eyes truly held a captivating light, but for me, it was nothing more than a gaze I wanted to avoid.

“Do you know me?”

“…Yes.”

How could one not?

Inside the academy, there wouldn’t be a single person who didn’t know her.

Students, teachers, staff.

Everyone would know her name and face.

She was the president of one of the student councils within the academy.

The princess of the Rainberg Empire, one of the two empires on the continent, and a woman almost certain to become the next empress.

Estelle von Rainberg.

***

“So, why have you come to find me…?”

I eventually found myself sitting across from Estelle, with a shaky table between us.

I had no desire to get involved with her, and if possible, I didn’t want to exchange a single word. However, given the circumstances, I had no choice but to abandon such options.

If she set her mind to it, she could make not only my academy life but my entire existence difficult.

… Well, there was a close threat looming, not that far away.

“……”

A woman stood behind Estelle, glaring at me with cold eyes.

Judging by her actions and demeanor, she was probably Estelle’s bodyguard. I didn’t know her name.

She seemed displeased, likely due to my attempt to escape reality a while ago.

If this weren’t the academy, she might have drawn her sword and threatened me without hesitation.

“What are your thoughts?”

Instead of giving a direct answer again, Inel threw a question back at me.

She seemed indifferent to conversational etiquette required for smooth human relationships.

“…I really have no idea.”

Yeah, that was the problem.

I had no clue why she had come looking for me.

Honestly, I couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Hmm. That’s what you say.”

Estelle silently stared at me.

While most men would appreciate the alluring gaze of a beauty, all I felt was a dry mouth.

After gazing at me for a while, Estelle suddenly smiled.

“Well, it’s nothing special. I just came to see your face.”

“…What?”

What was she talking about?

“Just as I said. Your name has been echoing everywhere these days. Since I heard that the crazy guy who seems strangely sane is you, I got curious about what kind of face you’re putting on.”

“……”

So, my reputation had reached Estelle’s ears.

Well, considering that people recognized me wherever I went, it wasn’t that strange.

I hadn’t expected her to become interested in me after hearing that.

I wanted to sigh deeply, but I resisted.

I could endure this much.

Whether it was in her words or in any other way, it seemed that she only held a piece of interest for me.

“Then, is the matter finished?”

There was no element that could deepen her interest in me.

I am an ordinary human being, and in her eyes, I must only be at the level of a stone on the street.

She must have realized that through our series of conversations, and it was clear that the spark of faint interest she had shown towards me would now completely extinguish.

“Alright. This should be enough.”

As I expected, Estelle immediately stood up from her seat.

Then she began walking towards the exit of the shabby room.

Her escort knight followed behind her.

If Estelle leaves like this, it will be the end.

There will be no more encounters with her.

I thought as I watched her retreating figure.

But then she suddenly stopped in front of the door.

“You said your name is Wade Hebron.”

“…Yes.”

I replied with an anxious feeling.

It would be better to just let it go like this, but what else does she want to say?

Estelle slowly turned her body.

And she looked at me with shining eyes.

“You, you are more interesting than I thought.”

…Yes?

***

“You came.”

“You’re a bit late today.”

“Hm? Surprisingly early.”

…After that day, Estelle started to visit me quite frequently.

To the point where I had the thought that she would come every day when there was club activity.

Honestly, it felt like my blood was drying up day by day.

The feeling of someone I didn’t want to meet, someone I didn’t want to be involved with, coming to find me on their own.

Although we didn’t have any particularly meaningful conversations when she visited, I actually found it more difficult.

Even her frequent visits had a ripple effect on the surroundings.

“Chairwoman Estelle seems quite interested in Mr. Wade.”

“Well, she… she comes almost every day…”

Rachel and Ayla’s states had also become oddly affected.

For some reason, they seemed considerably bothered by Estelle’s presence, a feeling they couldn’t quite place but didn’t particularly favor.

Though they didn’t openly show it in each other’s presence, the club’s atmosphere was unmistakably becoming strained.

All of these combined moments left me breathless, suffocated by the circumstances.

At times like these, thoughts of earnestly transferring clubs crossed my mind.

Knowing well it wasn’t a fundamental solution, I refrained from acting upon it.

Amidst such days, I struggled to forcibly adopt a positive outlook.

Yes, club activities were barely a few days a week.

Even that wasn’t for an extended period, so I could endure it sufficiently.

Eventually, Estelle’s interest would surely wane.

With such a positive mindset, I resolved to live on.

However.

“Oh, it’s Wade Hebron.”

“…”

In the end, Estelle began not only to approach me but also initiated conversations even outside.

Whenever our paths crossed, she would inevitably strike up a conversation; we even shared tables at cafes and restaurants.

Regardless of the fact that conversations with her were an unbroken sequence of tension, this was a rather unfavorable development.

Engaging in dialogue outside meant inevitably attracting witnesses.

Sure enough, recently, the gazes towards me, which had started to adjust, intensified noticeably.

It was only natural.

The most famous and noble figure at the academy showing consistent interest in me.

It was inevitable that everyone’s attention would gather.

“What on earth have you done?”

Jack wasn’t an exception either.

“What are you talking about?”

What was this guy trying to say?

“No, logically, unless you’ve done something, why would that person keep following you around like that?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Without lying, I really didn’t do anything.

We just had an ordinary conversation, and that was the end of it.

“Hey, it’s probably just something you don’t know. That person must have done something to catch your attention for no reason.”

…I had never heard of Estelle showing a friendly side to anyone.

No, she probably didn’t even show interest in anyone.

So, it was even more puzzling.

Why did Estelle become interested in me? I couldn’t even begin to guess.

If I could, I would have wanted to ask someone.

“Well, I don’t know about the details, but isn’t it a good thing? The future Empress seems to like you.”

“Good thing?…”

“Yeah. If you just maintain this status well, when you eventually ascend to the throne, she’ll probably take care of you. That’s life, buddy.”

“…”

I looked at Jack in disbelief.

What kind of nonsense was he spouting?

“Oh, come to think of it, it might not be that simple.”

However, Jack seemed to have thought of something, and he quickly changed the subject.

“If you consider the reputation of that princess, losing your head might be faster than success.”

“…”

I immediately shut my mouth at Jack’s words.

It seemed Jack had something in mind.

“She might not just be called the future tyrant for no reason.”

That’s right. The topic was about Estelle.

A likely candidate to become the next Empress, with undeniable abilities, but her temperament was too violent, and she lacked empathy.

If you didn’t please her, she’d cut you down without hesitation, even loyal subordinates could lose their heads overnight.

A princess without blood or tears. That was Estelle von Reineberg.

“But even considering all that, with that face…”

Although Jack continued talking, I didn’t pay any more attention.

Estelle von Reineberg.

The prospect of becoming a tyrant.

People fear her.

They hold their breath, not knowing when or how sparks might fly, making every effort not to catch her attention.

It’s only natural to react that way when faced with someone whose power includes the ability to twist your neck at any moment with a violent temperament.

But my reason for avoiding her isn’t because of that.

There’s a more fundamental and important reason.

The reason I don’t want to get involved with her is because…

She is the ‘antagonist’ in this world.