Reborn As An Extra : I'm gonna mess up everything

"What the hell is happening? Am I dreaming? Am I dead? This must be hell!" Maruti thought, her mind spinning in disbelief. Her surroundings didn't make sense, and Lortell's piercing gaze only made her feel more out of place. 

Lortell looked at Maruti with narrowed eyes, her expression cold yet sharp. "So, you're Maruti? Her new friend?" she asked, her tone laced with something unreadable—annoyance, perhaps. 

"Umm… yes?" Maruti replied hesitantly, her voice shaking. She had no idea what was going on and said the first thing that came to her mind without thinking. 

Lortell's face twisted slightly, a flicker of annoyance and jealousy passing through her usually composed features. Her pale, slender fingers twitched, and she muttered under her breath, "Her childhood friend is here, so now she doesn't need any external friends." 

Before Maruti could process those words, a glowing magic circle appeared beneath her feet, humming with energy. 

"C-childhood frien–?" she managed to blurt out, her eyes widening in panic. 

But before she could finish the sentence, swish! The magic circle activated, and in an instant, Maruti vanished, teleported somewhere far away within the academy. 

She turned her attention back to Esdeath, her entire demeanor shifting. The cold edge disappeared, replaced with warmth and concern. 

"Of course I was worried about you," Lortell said gently, offering a rare, soft smile. "Let's go eat something. You must be starving." 

Esdeath blinked, still reeling from everything that had just happened. "W-worried?" she muttered under her breath, her cheeks heating up. 

Then Lortell finally stood up straight, and Esdeath felt her breath catch in her throat. 

When Lortell had hugged her earlier, she had bent down slightly, their faces close as though they were equals. But now that she stood at her full height, Esdeath realized how *tall* she really was.  

Lortell towered over her with an elegant grace, her long legs and straight posture making her seem almost statuesque. Esdeath was considered an average height for a girl, but compared to Lortell, she barely reached her shoulders. 

When they had first met, Esdeath had been too overwhelmed by her emotions—by Lortell's beauty, by the intensity of the moment—to notice such details. She had assumed Lortell's height was similar to Maruti's. But standing here now, it was impossible not to see the difference. 

A strange mix of awe and embarrassment filled Esdeath. She didn't know whether to feel intimidated or flustered. "How can someone look this perfect?"

But love, they say, is blind. It doesn't care about who is tall and who is short. It doesn't care about anything but the connection between two hearts. 

Esdeath smiled shyly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Y-yes, let's go!" she stammered, her voice softer than she intended. 

Lortell's expression softened further, her calm mask slipping just a little as she gazed at Esdeath. Without any warning, she stepped forward, bent down, and effortlessly lifted Esdeath into her arms. 

"Wha–? Huh??" Esdeath's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice a squeak of surprise. Before she could protest, she found herself cradled like a princess—Lortell's arms steady and strong as if carrying her weight was nothing. 

Esdeath's already flushed face turned a deeper shade of crimson, her entire body going stiff. "W-what are you doing!?" she stammered, her voice cracking in embarrassment.