I Transmigrated as an Extra in a Trashy Dark Romance Game - Chapter 70

Volumes 1 - 3 of TETDRG is available uncensored on ko-fi!

※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

* * *

In the entire kingdom, swept up in festival fever, only one person wasn’t enjoying herself. Edith stared at Perry, seated across from her, as if demanding an explanation.

“…So, Mr. Kazan is the first-in-line prince, and Mr. Perry is… the Guardian of the Desert who protects the royal family? The captain?”

“I didn’t mean to deceive you, Edie. We had no choice but to hide it. During the coming-of-age rite, we must conceal our identities as much as possible, in case of emergency.”

Despite the desert heat, Perry rarely broke a sweat. Yet now he felt cold perspiration trickling down the back of his neck.

He wasn’t sure why he was the one who had to explain this, but seeing Edith’s sulking expression, it just felt like the right thing to do.

“It’s fine. I understand.”

After all, she hadn’t told them everything either.

‘Haa… I thought they were just ordinary people…’

She pressed a hand to her forehead, inwardly lamenting her fate of getting entangled with yet more extraordinary individuals. Seeing this, Perry suddenly bowed his head.

“To be honest, when you first made the offer, Edie, I suspected you might be an assassin. I apologize, using this belated opportunity.”

“What? An assassin? That’s a bit… absurd, but you don’t need to apologize, Mr. Perry.”

Edith waved her hands frantically, astonished at the thought. Being suspected was one thing, but an assassin? She’d never imagined that.

She’d probably live her whole life never knowing that it was Perry who had broken into her room that night.

Sipping tea with a sharp, spicy fragrance unique to this kingdom, she tried to calm her anxiety about how things would unfold from here. Suddenly, Kazan burst through the door.

His long legs carried him swiftly across the room. He flopped down onto a long, ornately decorated sofa-like seat.

“Did the prince’s council go well?”

“Returning is fine, but… from my father to the elders, fending off everyone’s meddling is exhausting.”

“Ah, I can imagine. But if I may say so, Your Highness, you are already quite late. Now that you’ve come of age, you should take one immediately.”

Within their conversation—full of circumstances only they understood—Edith found it difficult to get used to Perry’s sudden use of formal speech upon entering the kingdom.

Perry explained that as Kazan’s guardian since childhood, they were quite close. The casual speech between them was natural when alone, though during the rite it also served to hide their identities.

“Ugh, I don’t need this from you too, Perry. Anyway, there’s a banquet tonight celebrating my coming of age. You’ll attend, won’t you?”

“Mr. Kaz… I mean, Prince Kazaniel. As an outsider, wouldn’t it be difficult for me to attend such an event…?”

‘Was it never that he was shy or just ignoring me? Was it that he’s someone in a position of power all along?’

Kazan, who had spoken with a hint of arrogance, now showed a slight crease between his brows—clearly displeased with her answer.

“Call me Kazan. And you’re qualified enough to attend. If anything, with you there, I might actually be able to shut those meddlesome mouths…”

“But where exactly does that—?”

“Ha, do all Imperials nitpick like this? If you come to the banquet, there’ll be plenty of Sunlight Berries—the ones you said you wanted to try… Are you really not coming?”

She didn’t want to draw attention, and she wasn’t even a kingdom citizen. Attending a banquet when she couldn’t properly claim any status—it felt wrong.

But he dangled the very food she’d craved as bait. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Edith reluctantly nodded.

“Umm… Fine. I’ll just enjoy it from a corner for a little while, then. That’s okay, right?”

Contrary to her lighthearted intentions, the banquet refused to pass quietly.

* * *

Several female attendants rushed in to assist with her preparations. Soon, they were touching her hair, her face, her entire body.

They dressed Edith in a flowing gown of deep indigo silk layered with shimmering silver chiffon that sparkled like starlight against the night sky—matching the hue of her hair. Delicate embroidery traced constellations across the fabric, and a thin gold belt cinched her waist, lending an air of elegance and nobility.

The silver chiffon draped from her shoulders fluttered with each movement, like wind drifting across the desert sands.

As the attendants braided her hair in the final stages of preparation, a knock sounded at the door.

Hastily finishing their work, the attendants opened the door to admit the caller.

Edith turned her head toward the open doorway. Gone was the wanderer she once knew. In his place stood Kazan, exuding the authority and dignity befitting royalty.

He wore a long teal tunic embroidered with intricate golden thread in patterns unique to the desert kingdom. The hems and sleeves were trimmed with gold leaf. His belt, similar to Edith’s slender gold one but wider, added to the overall opulence.

‘How much must that outfit alone cost…?’

He seemed to misinterpret her stare. His expression stiffened slightly, and the tips of his ears and his neck flushed red.