What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 99

#099 The Royal Family’s Counterattack (4)

“I will enjoy the meal, Your Highness.”

“Yes, I will enjoy it as well.”

Sir Haynes offered his greetings, and I responded with a smile.

The progress was remarkably smooth.

Yesterday, I listened to Cristel’s concerns and shared one of my own.

It was more like a tiny splinter under my fingernail than a real worry, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt for the protagonist to know.

Prince Cedrick was clearly wary of Sir Haynes.

However, he didn’t provide a proper answer when I asked what had happened.

That meant there was no hard evidence to support his suspicion.

Still, I couldn’t just ignore his warning.

The Prince was the ‘Main Male Lead’ of the novel.

I didn’t want to become a cliché minor character who gets sacrificed for ignoring the protagonist’s advice.

Sir Haynes had saved my life, but if he was hiding something, I needed to address it.

‘His Highness told me to distance myself from Sir Haynes.’

‘His Highness did?’

‘Yes. Hearing that makes me uneasy, but suddenly distancing myself from Sir Haynes is a bit… I feel sorry and awkward. He’s such a kind person.’

‘That’s true. I haven’t sensed anything strange from him either.’

Cristel replied. She and I quietly pondered in the middle of the flower garden.

How could we subtly draw out his true feelings…?

‘Let’s have a meal together.’

‘Shall we arrange a meal?’

Cristel and I spoke at the same time. We looked at each other and nodded solemnly.

Indeed, to open someone’s mouth, you must first put food in it.

“Madame Croque is excellent. This is the best sandwich I’ve ever had.”

“Laurent’s skill is unmatched. I’m glad you like it.”

At Sir Haynes’ words, I snapped back to reality and replied.

The Imperial Palace’s temple garden wasn’t as beautiful as the Juliette Palace’s garden.

But it was deserted and quiet, perfect for having a private conversation.

As requested in advance, Benjamin and Ganael were waiting inside the temple.

In the distance, I could see the temple knights guarding me.

“The weather is lovely today.”

“Yes. July in the Holy Nation is quite hot, but the Imperial Capital is bearable, except during the heatwave season. The air is dry, so it’s not too bad.”

Sir Haynes replied, crinkling the corners of his eyes.

The way he held his fork and knife, his neat eating habits—he was the epitome of an elegant noble knight.

A few strands of his white hair fluttered in the gentle breeze.

I chewed on the crispy bread, melted cheese, hot ham, and fried egg all at once, carefully choosing my words.

Gulp.

“Sir Johan Haynes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Um… May I ask how you started your mercenary life?”

His eyes widened slightly.

He didn’t lose his smile, but his face was a mix of embarrassment and apology.

“I haven’t talked much about myself, have I? To make you arrange a meeting like this…”

I steadied my mind with fragrant camellia tea and waited for Sir Haynes to continue.

He dabbed his lips with a napkin and began.

“I was a mercenary even before I awakened as a knight.”

I perked up. He tilted his head and continued.

“From a very young age. Mercenary work paid the most, and it was something I was good at. That’s why I didn’t quit even after being knighted.”

I was curious about why he needed so much money, but that would be a rude question.

Even though I knew I should press him, it was hard to bring it up.

There were many impoverished nobles in the Empire.

The children of the Berang baronial family, who were sacrificed to the twin assassins, also couldn’t afford to use portals and had to travel by carriage.

I silently gripped my teacup.

“I have a son to take care of.”

Sir Haynes seemed to have seen through me. Our eyes met.

“He needs to take medicine every day. I had no choice but to earn enough to pay for it.”

“…”

“It’s okay, Your Highness. It’s not a terminal illness.”

He said soothingly. I couldn’t tell what my expression was that made him say that.

I tried to see my face reflected in the tea, but the blood-red camellias obscured my view.

Sir Haynes’ tone was calm.

“He just gets sick and suffers if he doesn’t have the medicine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s natural to be curious. Even I would find it hard to trust someone like me easily.”

He concluded.

His tone was no different from when he praised, ‘Princess Cristel’s reflexes are getting better and better.’

His face was as languid as usual as he put whipped cream on his croissant.

Whether he was lying or not, I still couldn’t tell due to the difference in our divine power.

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

Sir Haynes asked first.

It was true that my heart was weakening, but if I acted too weak, I would just be taken advantage of.

Since we had made this arrangement, I needed to get a clear answer at once.

I carefully moved my lips.

“You said you came to protect me at the request of the Crown Princess. You also delivered a letter.”

“Yes.”

The letter probably wasn’t Sir Haynes’ fabrication.

After he revealed his identity to me, I had come up with several scenarios.

One of them was that Sir Haynes wrote the letter himself, reassured me that it was the Crown Princess’ message, and then stabbed me in the back later.

But ‘Saydi’s’ words bothered me when considering this route.

‘I’ve seen that handwriting before.’

The boy said that the handwriting in the note looked familiar on the night he snatched the note from my hand.

The Crown Princess was the one who directly negotiated the hostage agreement for Prince Yeseo.

If the Prince had seen her handwriting in the negotiation documents exchanged between the Empire and the Holy Nation, it was no wonder that the writing was familiar.

The note was likely a personal letter from the Crown Princess.

“Is part of the request false?”

I asked. Sir Haynes put down his croissant on the plate.

“What part are you referring to?”

“Did the Crown Princess order you to kill me after delivering the letter?”

“No.”

The answer was firm. I drank my tea and organized my thoughts.

I wondered if the Crown Princess was trying to make me lower my guard and then assassinate me, but looking back, it was a far-fetched assumption.

If she really wanted to kill me, there was no reason to send a letter and remind me of her existence.

It would be more effective to strike without warning, like when the Foreign Minister of Berner sent a young assassin.

If so.

“Do you have any other requests that you haven’t told me about?”

“For example?”

“I’m asking if you also received money from Foreign Minister Berner.”

My voice was calmer than I expected. I met his gaze directly.

Sir Haynes was the first to look away.

[Let’s make a covenant.]

“Pardon? Wait,”

His voice turned into a divine message. I was flustered and raised my voice.

A knight could not make a ‘covenant’ [a binding oath with divine consequences].

No, to be precise, no knight would risk such a thing.

A priest who broke a covenant would receive the divine punishment of ‘loss.’ The scope of loss was broad and deep.

Some lost family or lovers, while others lost small amounts of money or trivial memories.

But the loss for a knight was only one thing.

A knight who broke a covenant would face the ‘sealing of power.’

That was why covenants had become obsolete among knights.

[I have never received money from Foreign Minister. He is not my employer.]

Sir Haynes’ gentle voice echoed in the temple garden.

He was now swearing to me, staking all his ether [spiritual energy].

A cool breeze ruffled my hair once and moved away.

[The Crown Princess only requested me to deliver the letter and protect Prince. I promise.]

Since he was a knight and not a priest, there was no circle illuminating his feet.

Instead, the silver-white ether that poured out of his heart soaked his white hair and spilled onto the floor.

If the covenant were broken, he would lose his power forever for swearing falsely in the name of the gods.

He would be stripped of his knightly honor and position and live the rest of his life being pointed at.

-Swoosh…

Soon, the man’s ether disappeared. He slowly lifted his eyelids.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“…I’m hearing a knight’s divine message.”

“Hahaha.”

My voice faltered. He laughed briefly.

According to the scriptures, there were only two cases in which a knight could deliver a divine message.

One was when making a covenant, as just happened, and the other was when a cardinal-level knight revealed a ‘stigmata’ [visible marks of divine favor or suffering].

No sane knight would do the former.

Since there were only six cardinal-level knights on the continent, the latter was also unlikely to be heard.

“You’ll be able to see a stigmata soon.”

“I suppose so.”

I replied. Two cardinals were said to be arriving in the Empire the week after next.

If there was a knight among them, I might get to see a rare spectacle.

“So, do I pass?”

“Pass or fail, what’s there to even say? You even made a covenant…”

I scooped up a generous portion of scrambled eggs with truffle oil and put it in my mouth. I was troubled.

A man with a son to care for swore to me, risking his stable job and the blessing of the gods.

Now I had no choice but to trust Sir Haynes. Why on earth did Saydi say such a thing?

“Still, be careful of Foreign Minister Berner. As Prince knows better than I do…”

Sir Haynes smiled bitterly.

“He’s a scary person. He doesn’t care about methods or means.”

*

At the same time, the royal castle of the Venetian Holy Nation was in turmoil.

The precious Second Princess had refused to eat for two days.

“Your Highness, please take just one bite for this old servant’s sake.”

“No. Brother isn’t here…”

The child, sitting alone at the huge table, shook her head.

Tears welled up in her large, light green eyes. She held a pig figurine in her hand.

The attendants scurried around the princess, wringing their hands.

Cornelise had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse and was only seven years old.

If she continued to refuse to eat, it would seriously harm her health.

The princess’s chief attendant swallowed a sigh.

She didn’t want to say harsh words to the one she had raised like a daughter.

But it was better than letting her starve again.

The Foreign Minister was attending a party of a royal priest and didn’t even look in on the princess today.

So, the Crown Princess would surely support her as well.

“Then shall we go to His Majesty? Shall we ask him to have dinner with us?”

“No. Mother is sick, and if I go, it will only make it worse…”

The child’s small face contorted.

King Christana had recently become increasingly manic and didn’t even recognize his beloved daughters.

To be precise, he was tormented because he saw the Foreign Minister superimposed on his daughter’s face.

Cornelise was young, but she knew that her mother struggled when she saw her.

Even if she wanted to whine about not wanting to eat alone or that her brother had broken his promise, she had to endure it.

Her sister was very busy today. So, she would be alone until late at night.

“Then just one bite…”

“That’s a good decision, Your Highness.”

The attendants quickly moved the dishes and tore the bread in place of the princess’s small hands.

She must be hungry, having only drunk water and juice, but the child couldn’t swallow the food quickly.

It was unclear whether it was because she was sad or because her stomach had shrunk. Probably both.

“Why hasn’t Brother come even after 100 days?”

“If Your Highness eats well and sleeps well, he will surely come. He never breaks his promises with Your Highness.”

“But… it’s getting close to 120 days now. I can count numbers well.”

The standing attendants praised the princess, saying, ‘Excellent, Your Highness.’

It had already been four months since Prince Yeseo left the royal castle.

The princess, who had struggled with arithmetic until last year, was now able to calculate the dates accurately on her own.

If he saw this, he would surely be happy and lift his sister high in his arms.

But the cruel him had not returned to the Holy Nation even after the promised 100 nights had passed.

Because he had become a hostage of the Empire.

“Can’t I just go?”

“Pardon?”

The attendants were surprised and questioned the princess’s words.

“Since Brother can’t come, can’t I go to the Empire?”

“There’s no need for that.”

At that moment, a low voice echoed through the dining hall.

The attendants surrounding the princess turned in unison and bowed to the visitor.

There was no need to reconfirm who the person was or why they were here.

The deep golden hair and bright blue eyes that reached the floor were dazzling.

“My youngest.”

“Sister!”

Cornelise quickly jumped off the chair and hugged Eliser.

She was happy to see her sister, who had said she would be late but had come several hours early.

The Crown Princess’s face, as she hugged her sister tightly, was unusually filled with joy.

She was out of breath as if she had run, and there was a faint sweat on her forehead.

“I have been assigned to oversee the Prince’s examination. So, I will go myself.”

“Huh?”

The youngest tilted her head. Eliser grabbed the child’s cheeks and whispered, filled with joy.

“I will go to the Empire and meet Yeseo.”