Chapter 2
The problems of possessing an extra’s body were starting to show one by one.
Let’s put aside the fact that Vailleon, whom she thought would just be a slender handsome man, turned out to have exceptionally fine thighs.
Let’s also postpone thinking about how his soft, almond-colored hair had grown long enough to cover his eyes, perhaps because he had been too focused on work to trim it.
And that faint sigh as he brushed his hair back, his brows of the same color faintly furrowing.
Yes, it was hard, but she had to erase all that from her mind.
Because, as mentioned earlier, the problem of being an extra had just slammed into Marien Didi.
“Is the Third Secretary’s room supposed to be the size of my bathroom back home…? Is this normal?”
The Chancellor’s office was so spacious. The banquet hall she had glimpsed on her way in was massive, and the corridor was so long she thought it would never end.
“…This is my room, right?”
Not convinced, she checked again beside the door. The name and title clearly printed over the deep turquoise wallpaper erased her doubts.
A single bed, one desk, and a wardrobe—that was all. The only blessing was the presence of a large window.
“Wait… how do they heat this place?”
A big window with no heating meant she’d freeze to death in winter. In the world of Alliance Marriage, there was no magic. No Tower Lord, no communication spheres.
“I’ve scrubbed this room with my eyes, but there’s no heating system.”
She had hoped at least for something like a radiator, but it was just wishful thinking. What she found in the corner instead was a dust-covered hot water bottle. When she brushed the dust off carefully, crooked letters greeted her: Hello, Didi.
Judging by its size—just right for hugging—and its stopper, this seemed to be the Third Secretary’s only heating device.
“Before winter comes… I have to see the ending.”
Now was no time to relax. A sudden time limit had been set. Marien quickly rummaged through the desk drawers. Information about Marien Didi was scarce. That, indeed, was the fatal flaw of possessing an extra.
She knew nothing.
In Alliance Marriage, the heroine was the Fourth Princess, Odette Rose.
With pale silver hair and crimson rose-colored eyes, delicate little Odette was not the Empress’s child. Her real mother had died with her identity kept secret.
This fueled many rumors. If even dancers could enter the palace once they bore the Emperor’s child, why had her origins been hidden until the end? Most guessed her mother must have been a nun.
But there was a secret only a select few in the Imperial family knew. It was closely tied to Odette’s bid for the throne.
Anyway, while her half-siblings grew up comfortably in the palace, frail Odette had lived in a separate residence outside.
At that time, the one who became her companion was none other than the current Chancellor, Vailleon—her childhood friend, the gentle boy who read with her, with a melancholy smile, as little feelings quietly piled up inside someone’s heart.
“See? I can rattle off other people’s stories. I even know useless details, like how Odette pretends to like cookies with apricot jam, when she actually prefers strawberry.”
Because the novel mentioned it. Since Odette was the heroine, the story naturally focused on her.
By the same logic, Marien knew a lot about Duke Cain Blackwood, the iron-blooded duke, and about gentle sub-male lead Vailleon Beers. She could practically recite Vailleon’s lines.
But what did she know about Marien Didi?
“Hair color.”
And what else?
“Job.”
Asking and answering herself only made her laugh bitterly. At this point, she figured she should at least check her own face. She left her room in search of a mirror.
Not a single hand mirror in her cubbyhole of a room, but eventually she reached a hallway where an entire wall was covered in gold-framed mirrors.
“So this is what Marien looks like…”
The girl reflected in the large mirror was petite, not even 160 cm tall. Her neatly straight pink bangs contrasted strikingly with her dull sky-blue eyes.
“Murky sky-blue eyes. Pretty, but… I’m the only pastel-colored human around here.”
The color scheme felt oddly unrealistic. Marien thought the author hadn’t put much effort into designing extra characters.
“This is literally Rose Quartz and Serenity…”
Considering the serialization period of Alliance Marriage, it seemed the author just picked whatever looked trendy at the time. Still, the saving grace was that Marien Didi turned out to be quite cute.
Actually, not just “quite.”
She looked as innocent and adorable as a rabbit nibbling on grass. A little upturned nose, plump lips, fair skin, and lush pink hair falling to her mid-back even when tied once.
Even the gray three-piece uniform with balloon sleeves looked charming on her, though the color could have seemed stiff on anyone else.
“Honestly, she could wear rags and still sell out matches in ten minutes flat.”
Cheers to this world where extras may have random hair and eye colors but are never ugly!
Satisfied, she returned to her room—only to frown again at the pile of junk on her desk.
“This is more serious than I thought.”
What if she had a food allergy? She had only thought of this as a project to make her favorite male lead happy, but now she realized she had to secure her own survival first.
She combed through her belongings: checked her ID, the meeting records, everything the room offered. Then she opened a blank page in a notebook, dipped her quill in ink, and began writing.
◇ ◆ ◇
“Lord Beers.”
Vailleon greeted the subordinate who knocked and entered: Jen, the accounting officer. She usually came for routine reports, but today something about her demeanor was off.
He felt he ought to ask what was wrong. She seemed to be waiting for him to open the door for her.
“What is it? Speak freely.”
“Yes, Lord Beers. Well…”
Jen lowered her voice, looking uncomfortable. What could she be so cautious about?
“It’s about Secretary Didi.”
He nodded slightly, telling her to go on.
“Could it be that her circumstances have worsened recently? I wondered if you might know.”
“Secretary Didi’s… circumstances?”
“So you don’t know.”
Jen’s eyes flickered. After a moment of resolve, she continued.
“The truth is, she’s been acting strangely these past few days. I overheard her asking Secretary Phil to lend her money. Then that very day, she came to me asking if she could get her salary in advance.”
“And?”
“I told her the regulation—only up to half. She immediately took half of next month’s pay.”
Vailleon pondered this. Salary advances were allowed. Had she broken the rules, it would’ve been an issue, but she had followed procedure.
Still, borrowing money from colleagues could cause problems later.
“That wasn’t all. She stopped me and asked how far an aide’s expenses are covered.”
Expenses. Again, money.
“I thought explaining would be too long, so I showed her the manual. Yesterday, she handed me a bundle of receipts. Lord Beers, what I mean is… Secretary Didi has never once asked about her duties since joining three months ago. She’s never shown interest.”
“That’s true.”
“So honestly, I was surprised she even uttered the word ‘expenses.’”
Perhaps Jen underestimated her too much—but Vailleon held his tongue. As someone known for competence, Jen likely didn’t appreciate Marien’s lack of initiative.
“But when I looked at the receipts, they were all recent purchases. And what worried me most was…”
Jen fell silent, then pulled out a large paper tucked among her files. She placed it on his desk.
“She went to a gynecologist.”
Words swam into focus before Vailleon’s eyes.
“As you see, it was to confirm pregnancy.”
His head spun. Vailleon Beers was famed as the Empire’s sharpest mind, but it still took him a moment to process this. What reaction should he show?
Should he reprimand Jen for revealing private information?
But since Secretary Didi had submitted the receipts for reimbursement, Vailleon was entitled to know.
Still, pregnancy confirmation and a need for money…
“Do you understand what I mean?”
Jen asked softly, worry faint on her face.
She might dislike Didi’s passivity, but this was different. As a colleague, as a fellow woman, she was concerned. Her message was clear.
“There’s no result here?”
“Confirmation papers only state that an exam was done.”
“…Right.”
He felt foolish for asking. Vailleon mulled over what to do. Regardless, Marien Didi was part of the Chancellor’s staff.
Knock, knock.
Someone else rapped on the door.
“Lord Beers, I urgently need to consult with you.”
The first thing he noticed about her was that soft pink hair. Anyone would.
“Oh, Manager Jen is here too.”
Marien smiled brightly. Jen returned an awkward smile. Perhaps because of the prior conversation, both their eyes drifted—unintentionally—to Marien’s stomach.
No, not unintentionally. Because Marien herself had placed her hand on her belly.
“May I consult with you?”
She rubbed her stomach meaningfully. Vailleon returned the confirmation slip to Jen without taking his eyes off Marien. Jen slipped it quickly back into her papers.
“Yes, um, I’ll be going then.”
“Please.”
As she reached the door, Vailleon asked,
“Would you be more comfortable if Manager Jen stayed with us?”
Marien blinked innocently.
“Since she’s also, well, a woman.”
Marien blinked a few more times, then shook her head briskly.
Was it okay to just let her refuse? It didn’t seem she understood his implication.
“No, thank you. It’ll be easier for you if it’s just us.”
“…Will it?”
The nuance was odd. Jen, awaiting his signal, turned and left. Just before closing the door, she glanced inside again—at her superior, not Marien.
Vailleon Beers, twenty-six years old. The Empire’s youngest, most brilliant Chancellor. Yet at this moment, he hesitated, unsure how to begin.
“Aren’t you going to eat that?”
Marien pointed. Following her gaze, he saw the plate of pastries. Her eyes were so fixated he couldn’t refuse.
“Would you like one? They’re pastries with lemon curd.”
“Lemon curd! I love tangy things.”
She quickly took a pastry. After one bite, her expression turned shocked—yet before even swallowing, she took another bite.
“Butter! Sugar! I love it.”
The small pastry vanished instantly.
“This can’t even compare with the rye bread we get at meals. Not that our meals are bad, but… You must get a different menu from us, right, Lord Beers?”
“Slow down.”
“It’s so strange. The portions are big, but my stomach empties again so quickly. Is that what group meals are like?”
Craving sour things. Always hungry even after eating. A gynecologist’s visit. That belly rub.
Vailleon calmly added another piece of evidence in his mind.
“Um, Lord Beers.”
Finally, the main point? Marien was twenty-two. As far as he knew, she had no partner. Which would mean, unfortunately, a one-night…
“I’ve been agonizing over this a lot.”
Yes, of course she had.
“Would you consider dyeing your hair?”
“…Dyeing my hair?”
Prepared to respond calmly to anything, Vailleon went blank at this nonsensical remark.
“My thought is—if hair color’s the problem, then dyeing it solves it.”
“……”
“I already bought dye for my room. I thought of a wig, but it seemed too flimsy. If you use the dye, I’ll submit the receipt to Manager Jen for reimbursement.”
“……”
“How about black? I specifically asked for the darkest shade.”
Where on earth should he begin? Vailleon frowned faintly.
“You don’t like black hair, do you. Me neither. To take such beautiful brown hair, that shimmering almond under the sun, and turn it jet-black—it’s tragic.”
Marien shut her eyes tight in agony, then opened them again.
“But sometimes, one must sacrifice for the greater good.”
“Sorry to cut you off, Secretary Didi, but…”
If he let her continue, who knew where this would go. He raised a hand to stop her.
“Why, all of a sudden, should I dye my hair black?”
Marien looked at him as if he were truly clueless.
“Because it’s the only way to end your long unrequited love.”
And she immediately added,
“You love the Fourth Princess, don’t you? Soon-to-be fiancée of Duke Cain Blackwood.”
At the sudden attack from his fluffy pink-rabbit-like aide, Chancellor Vailleon Beers was instantly sunk.
