The Possessed Extra is a Scammer - Chapter 5

“Espin!”

A loud voice called my name from outside the drawing room, and the door burst open.
A woman with red hair and black eyes, sharp features, and cat-like upturned eyes entered.
It was none other than the villainess Flaria, whom I had seen in the novel.

She stormed in, opening the door fiercely, and strode toward me, seemingly angry.

‘What’s this? Is she here to hit me?’

I flinched, recalling how Flaria would always slap the female protagonist in the novel. I tightly shut my eyes.

“Why didn’t you contact me sooner!”

Flaria threw her arms wide and hugged me tightly.

“Oh, oh. Flaria. I’m sorry.”
“Have you been busy? Do you know how bored I’ve been?”

As I squirmed in the embrace of the taller Flaria, Haren, who had followed her in, intervened.

“Get off Espin. She looks uncomfortable.”
“I’m just so happy to see her!”
“Still, you shouldn’t. Espin looks troubled.”

Haren pulled Flaria away by her shoulders and stepped in front of me.

“Espin, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, Haren, it’s been a while.”

I grabbed Haren’s outstretched hand and shook it enthusiastically.

‘So you’re Haren Ameron.’

He was the older brother of Flaria, the villainess in the novel, and the heir to the Ameron Ducal Family.
In the original story, he had a good relationship with Flaria, but as her misdeeds escalated, he eventually sided with Chloe.

But none of that mattered right now. What mattered was that he was still Espin’s friend and that he worked for the Imperial Knights.

In this world, the Imperial Knights acted as both prosecutors and police.
Led by Grand Duke Holt, a male protagonist in the novel, the Imperial Knights were a terrifying force.
And the deputy commander of this group, as well as Holt’s right-hand man, was none other than Haren Ameron—the man standing in front of me.

“Espin, I feel hurt.”

Flaria, now seated, pouted her lips.

‘She’s a bit different from the novel.’

From her grumbling tone, she seemed quite different from the villainess I had read about in the story. It was hard to imagine this woman, who pouted her lips adorably, as the villainess who committed countless atrocities out of jealousy toward the female protagonist. In fact, she even looked cute.

“What are you upset about?”
“How could you not contact me? Not even once! It’s been a whole month. A month with no word from you.”
“Well, that’s because….”

I trailed off, lowering my head. Wrapping my arms around myself as though trembling in fear, I spoke.

“Did something happen? What’s wrong? Was it that Countess bullying you again?”

Flaria, who had been pouting cutely, immediately approached me with a worried expression.

“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it….”
“Did something happen, Espin?”

Even Haren spoke in a concerned tone, prompting me to finally speak slowly.

“Well… lately, someone has been following me, so I haven’t been able to go outside. I feel like I’m constantly being watched.”

“What? Who is it?”

Flaria’s large eyes widened even further.

“And that person keeps sending me strange letters. They claim I’m their lover and that we’ve promised a future together.”

“How dare they! Who’s the bastard?”

Flaria rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to beat someone up.

“Calm down, Flaria. Espin, I actually saw someone suspicious on my way here.”
“Someone suspicious?”
“Yes. There was a guy loitering around this estate on horseback. His face seemed shady, so I remembered it….”

‘As expected of Haren. I knew I could count on you.’

The deputy commander of the knights hadn’t earned his position through family connections alone.
With his keen observational skills, Haren might have even spotted Sebastian. That’s why I had deliberately invited them to arrive around the time Sebastian would be leaving.

“Do you still have any of the letters that man sent?”

‘Yes, keep going, Haren.’

Haren asked exactly the question I had hoped for.

“No, I was too scared to keep them, so I burned them.”

Knock, knock.

Right on cue, the butler knocked and entered the room.

“My lady, a letter has arrived….”

The butler handed me a letter, as I had instructed him to do at this time.
Feigning fear, I shook as I opened the letter.

“Another letter just arrived.”
“Let me see.”

Flaria snatched the letter from my hands and read it with wide eyes.

“To my beloved Espin. I’m always watching over you. Our love will last forever. Sebastian.”

“Let me see, Flaria.”

Haren took the letter from Flaria, who looked ready to rip it apart.

“What the hell is this Sebastian guy? Who is this nobody? Just let me catch him, and I’ll XXX his XXXXX! That XXXX!”

Flaria cursed furiously, pounding a cushion on the sofa.

‘This is strange.’

In the novel, she was described as hot-tempered, but she hadn’t been this openly emotional.
Flaria, who now resembled a foul-mouthed grandmother, was still fuming.

Haren, accustomed to her behavior, ignored her outburst.

“Espin, don’t worry too much. I’ll catch this stalker. For now, I’ll keep this letter as evidence.”
“Yes, please. Thank you, Haren.”

Thank you for playing into my plans, Haren and Flaria.
I sent them a genuinely grateful look.

***

The next day, early in the morning.
Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Oh, has the money finally arrived?”

When I opened the door, there was a black bag sitting in front of it.
After checking my surroundings, I brought the bag inside with an excited heart and opened it.

Inside were 100 bills of 100 litas each.
I took the money out and hid it securely in my room.

“Alright, now it’s time to move on to the next plan.”

I rang the bell to summon the maid, and Jane promptly entered the room, almost as though she had been waiting.

“Did you call for me?”
“I need to go somewhere far away, so help me get ready.”
“Yes.”

“Hmm… I’ll need to wear something inconspicuous.”
“Yes, that would be best.”

Jane nodded in agreement, seemingly collaborating on a plan with Sebastian. Her expression showed no awareness that her actions blatantly revealed she was complicit with him.

“Today’s outing is a secret, okay? Don’t tell anyone.”
Jane nodded at my words.
There was a glimmer of expectation in her eyes.

***

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

The oldest and most worn-out carriage of the Leon Count Family stopped at the gate terminal entrance.

The terminal was filled with many gates leading from the capital to other regions.
It was similar to a bus terminal in our world. The difference was that gate usage was strictly regulated, and one needed a ticket to enter.

‘But noble families with annual contracts can enter without tickets.’

Having already investigated various details through the butler, I confidently stepped out of the carriage with a smile.

“Then I’ll be back in four hours. Wait for me here.”
“Yes, Miss. Please be careful.”

The coachman’s gaze lingered on me as I walked away.

“Phew… Let’s at least pretend to go inside.”

I had no intention of actually using the gate. What I needed was a fake alibi to deceive Sebastian into thinking, ‘Espin used the gate.’

From Sebastian’s perspective, since he had given me a large sum of money, he would undoubtedly check whether I went to use the gate. Most likely, the person acting as his eyes would be Charles, the coachman who had brought me here.

‘All I need to do is kill time at the terminal and then return.’

I thought this would be enough to fool Sebastian.
Scamming someone wasn’t as hard as I had thought.

I confidently walked into the gate terminal. No one stopped me as I passed through without a ticket inspection.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Espin!”

Someone called out to me, and when I turned my head, there stood Haren.

“Haren…?”
“Espin. What are you doing at the gate terminal?”
“Huh? Why are you here, Haren?”

‘Why does it have to be Haren?’

I hadn’t expected to run into anyone I knew here, let alone Haren.

Then, I noticed the outfit he was wearing.

‘Now that I think about it, isn’t that the Knights’ uniform?’

A clean black uniform adorned with gold embellishments in various places.
It was the Knights’ uniform I had seen in the novel.

‘So… does that mean the Knights are here?’

Like a thief caught red-handed, my heart began to race at the realization that the Knights had arrived.

“I’m here on Knights’ business. What about you? Are you here alone?”

When the word “Knights” came out of Haren’s mouth, my heart started pounding even faster.

‘Stay calm. I haven’t done anything wrong. Not yet….’

All I had done so far was retrieve the money Sebastian had given me. This wasn’t a crime.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself, reassuring myself internally.

‘But if the Knights are here… could that man be here too?’

With a sinking feeling, I glanced behind Haren.

There, I saw a man standing.

He was a full head taller than most people, with neatly combed black hair and a cold expression that screamed, ‘I am the male protagonist.’

It was none other than Grand Duke Travis Holt, the walking embodiment of both a prosecutor’s office and a police department in this world.