What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 71

#071 If It’s Not Me (1)

“Your Highness, I think we should find this little one’s nest first,” I replied calmly.

Demi wouldn’t do such a thing, but maybe he robbed someone’s house and brought back a wren. If it wasn’t hurt, it should be returned home.

Our protagonist, who is tone-deaf, rhythm-deaf, and boasts a terrible naming sense, finally nodded, saying, ‘Ah.’

“I guess that comes first. I was so excited because it was so cute.”

You think it’s cute and suggest the name Ddukbaegi [Korean word for pot or earthenware]?

“I admit it’s cute.”

I said, reaching out carefully to the wren.

It blinked its black eyes busily and opened and closed its yellow beak, but it was still wary of people.

There are no territory residents in Evelyn, so it wouldn’t be a bird someone was raising nearby.

“I’ll take you home.”

-Pirrrr, peep!

Surprisingly, the wren hopped onto my palm.

At this point, I wondered if Demi had caught this guy, or if they were just friends.

I asked Cardinal Boutier for permission and slowly got up from the mat.

Christel also got up.

Her blue-gray eyes sparkled like stars, as if she wasn’t tired at all.

-Pitter-patter

“Demi, where did you bring the wren from? Let’s go back.”

-Squeak

Demi, who understood me perfectly, slipped out of my arms like a strand of noodles.

Christel and I followed Demi, who was walking ahead.

I saw Prince Cedrick checking our movements.

The warmth on my palm was so small and soft that my whole body stiffened.

It felt like it would break if I squeezed it even a little. The wren didn’t seem worried at all.

It observed me and leaned its body, then changed direction and faced forward, as if the reverse direction was uncomfortable.

Smart.

-Squeak, squeak

“Here?”

The edge of the green meadow on the white cliff.

The place we arrived at without walking much was the bell tower, the hot topic of today.

Demi approached the bell tower bravely, as if worried I might be mistaken.

Then, supporting himself with his hind legs, he stood up and touched the outer wall of the bell tower with his front paw.

It seemed to mean that this was the place, so don’t even think about misunderstanding.

“Is he really a divine creature?”

I muttered, looking down at the wren. Of course, it could just be an ordinary bird living in the bell tower.

It wouldn’t be strange if it had built a nest under the pointed roof.

The problem was when Demi went up there and came back….

“We’ll have to check.”

A cool, low-pitched voice pierced my ears.

Christel didn’t seem surprised at all, as if she knew he was coming.

Only I, a very ordinary human, flinched again. Give me some warning before you appear.

“Is there a way to confirm it’s a divine creature?”

I asked the prince calmly.

He tilted his head slightly and made his orange eyes glow strangely.

I wondered what he was thinking, but he took off his glove without hesitation and reached out his left hand to the wren.

He was about to create a flame!

-Peep peep peep?

“Hey! The bird will die!”

I hid the wren in my arms with lightning speed. The prince opened his lips bluntly.

“If it’s a divine creature, it will be able to block the attack.”

“Why do you think about attacking first? If it’s just a wren, it will be seriously injured.”

At my words, he raised one eyebrow slightly and put his glove back on.

Is this guy really crazy?

Indeed, there was a valid reason why Eunseo Jeong cut ties with this human.

His appearance was like a sculpture, but his personality was shattered. Christel also looked quite shocked.

Your Grace, repent….

“But the bell tower is closed. No one can enter until the repairs are finished.”

He warned. That was also true.

Immediately after we came down from the bell tower, the prince ordered the bell tower to be closed under the authority of the Duke of Evelyn.

According to the cardinal’s explanation, the bell tower had undergone minor repairs since it was built, but it had never undergone a major construction.

It seemed that the divine object was causing problems and many places were broken, and it was time to repair it, so they were going to proceed with the reconstruction this time.

“Then what about Sir Haines?”

I asked.

Christel looked up at me, and the prince looked down at me and silently asked for an explanation.

I really can’t get used to this composition.

“I’m sorry to ask again, but he would be able to check the inside or the top without touching the bell tower.”

He’s a person who can float pirate ships, so can’t he float himself?

If Sir Johann Haines, the teacher of the two, came forward, I thought I could find out where the wren came from.

If the nest was inside, I could help them move.

“……”

The two protagonists stared intently at Sir Haines, who was lying asleep on one side of the meadow.

They didn’t refute, so it seemed like they agreed with my opinion, but their faces looked somewhat dissatisfied.

*

It was dinner time.

“It’s an honor I’ll never have again in my life to have dinner at the summer palace,” Lady Elizabeth said with a slightly excited look, having changed into clean clothes.

Not only her, but everyone was scrubbed clean and wearing new clothes.

I looked at the members sitting around the circular table with a fresh feeling.

The emperor’s seat, the head seat, was empty, and Prince, Christel, Lady Elizabeth, and I were seated clockwise from there.

The cardinal was scheduled to sit between me and the emperor.

Among these people, everyone except me seemed to be in trouble.

That’s why Lady Elizabeth had a half-nervous expression.

Everyone was staying at the summer palace with the permission of Emperor Frederick and the Duke of Evelyn, but it was clearly a serious crime to dare to bring a pirate ship and dock it on the territory of the imperial family.

It was a problem even if the Duke himself was on board.

‘Cedrick was wrong for not actively stopping it.’

The cardinal said so on the way back to the palace.

Even if friends and acquaintances were on board, it was a rash decision to bring a ship into the territory without knowing its purpose.

I nodded because it was a criticism I could fully understand.

Yes, the protagonist and his companions caused an accident, so they should be punished.

“What would you like for an aperitif, Viscount?”

“Just water, please.”

Lady Elizabeth answered carefully to the summer palace attendant’s question.

She seemed to think that if she drank alcohol while she was already being scolded, she would be hated even more.

Then Christel also quickly asked for water.

The prince had been drinking water from the beginning, so he didn’t say anything else.

His eyes met mine for a moment.

The ‘suspicious letter’ immediately came to mind.

I should have grabbed Sadie that night and taken it away, but I couldn’t treat her carelessly when she was a child.

This was something I had learned throughout my life and couldn’t change.

The emperor didn’t seem to know about the existence of the letter yet, so I thought about coaxing him with ether the next time he came back small.

The fact that he didn’t tell his mother might mean that he was willing to make a deal with me.

“Prince, what about Ddukttagi?”

While I was drinking buckwheat tea alone and organizing my thoughts, Christel said something terrible in a lovely voice.

“If it’s Ddukttagi,”

“It’s the wren’s name.”

“……”

I couldn’t find a suitable answer and remained silent.

I had difficulty waking up Sir Haines during the day and asked him to look at the bell tower, but the wren’s nest could not be found anywhere.

I was worried that it might not be able to fly because of the shock of being in Demi’s mouth, but that wasn’t the case.

On the forest path leading down to the palace, it flew to the prince’s shoulder and pecked at his fur cloak.

Now it was playing tag with the Lesser Panda Trio in my room.

Just a runaway bird…. Is it a delinquent?

“Isn’t Ddukttagi a little lacking in loveliness? I saw it was very pretty earlier, so how about a name like Leticia or Emrick?” Lady Elizabeth suggested.

They were great candidates, but they seemed too long to call.

The eyes of the three of us naturally turned to the prince.

“What is it?” He frowned slightly. It was then.

-Click

“Emperor and Cardinal Boutier are here.”

We quickly moved and stood up.

Following the light sound of chairs being pushed back, a dignified footstep crossed the door.

I lowered my posture and bowed to the two adults.

Soon, the cardinal sat on my left, and the emperor took the head seat.

“Sit.”

The imperial order was issued. Everyone found their place without making a sound.

As a signal, the attendants began to bring out the meal busily.

The emperor hated the conversation being cut off because the course was long, so all the food except for some main dishes and desserts was placed on the table at once.

A silence that seemed to weigh down the stomach continued.

Everyone was vaguely looking at somewhere on the tablecloth.

“I hope you have a pleasant time. If you need anything, please ring the bell at any time.”

No one looked happy, but the head of the summer palace made such a greeting on behalf of everyone and stepped back.

When the emperor gestured, her attendant Laura and the cardinal’s attendant Natalie also left their seats.

Soon, only six people remained in the dining room.

“Eat.”

The emperor picked up a spoon.

Starting with her and the cardinal, everyone slowly moved their cutlery.

I picked up a canapé first and ate it.

When I boldly bit into the cracker, the mascarpone [an Italian cream cheese] and sprouts piled up gently mixed on the tip of my tongue.

It was the height of freshness.

The roasted sesame seeds and pickled onions that adorned the top cutely added a savory and sour flavor.

I wondered what the fragrant and salty taste was, so I looked at another canapé and it seemed to be wine salt.

My appetite was naturally stimulated.

“It’s delicious.”

“Eat a lot.”

The cardinal said kindly. I smiled and put the second canapé in my mouth.

“Cedrick. Your judgment today was reckless.”

-Crunch, crunch

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I stopped my jaw abruptly. The sound of chewing the canapé was too loud.

“Would you have made the same judgment if there were territory residents on the coast? Elizabeth and the Sarnez kid are trustworthy children, but if you are to become emperor in the future, you should have considered the worst-case scenario.”

“……”

It wasn’t easy to eat using only my tongue.

I quietly stopped moving and waited for the conversation to end.

“It was also imprudent to board a pirate ship as a prince. Your body is not yours, but the empire’s.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

The prince answered in a low voice. The cardinal, who looked at me, whispered, ‘You can eat comfortably.’

I nodded.

“And Sarnez kid.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

-Crunch

“I said I would sponsor you to become a paladin [a heroic champion or paragon of knightly virtue], but I never said I would sponsor you to become a pirate. Do you remember?”

“I remember.”

-Crunch, crunch

I stopped eating again. This didn’t seem right at all.

The person being scolded was someone else, but even I was on pins and needles.

Even if it was part of the punishment, my cultural values could not accept doing this at the dinner table.

The kids only had snacks for lunch, so shouldn’t you feed them first and then scold them?

“Elizabeth.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I told you this during the day, but I will ask you again. As the successor of the Margrave [a hereditary title of nobility]….”

Looking roughly at the table, none of them had eaten anything so far.

I felt sorry for them and took some of my share of duck breast.

This was a safe food that didn’t make any noise.

The meat was so tender that the knife didn’t scrape against the plate.

“I didn’t want to say this, but you guys are too energetic. Is it because it’s time to get married?”

The emperor clicked his tongue. Wow, we’ve finally reached the holiday atmosphere.

I expressed my deep regret to the three troublemakers in my heart and took a big bite of the duck.

Usually, you would respond to such stories with ‘So are you going to give me a wedding gift?’ or ‘Are you going to help me buy a house?’, but the problem was that the emperor could solve both.

“Orelly is very busy. You know that the Riester Bishopric’s annual prayer meeting is next month.”

-Crunch, crunch

Ha… It was almond sauce on top of the duck.

I deeply lamented and stopped moving my mouth.

Each almond piece was bittersweet, and it seemed like it was slightly burnt with a sugar coating.

It was so delicious, but I couldn’t eat it deliciously, so I felt a little sad.

“Cedrick, kid. The two of you should attend the prayer meeting and find a good match. Elizabeth, I will entrust you with the security of the event. That’s your punishment.”

“Mother.”

“Yes?”

“Your Majesty, please just kill me.”

The prince and Christel hardened their faces.

Lady Elizabeth turned pale as if the bisque [a rich cream soup] in front of her was poison.

The situation seemed serious.

-Crunch

Well, it’s not my business.