What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 107

#107 Operation Verona (3)

“The justification?”

Prince Cedric whispered coldly. I hesitated.

“I’m sorry. I know you can’t easily forgive Sir Haines. I’m not asking you to do that. I just want to tell His Majesty. I thought about writing a letter, but I think it’s better to tell you in person.”

Like a cloud obscuring the moonlight, displeasure clouded his handsome features.

Leah and Perry circled around his feet, enjoying themselves innocently.

No wonder they didn’t come back from the garden; they must have made a vine for the Prince to climb up to the balcony.

With the Prince’s physical abilities, he wouldn’t need such a thing, but it was unexpected that he didn’t ignore their sincerity.

Demi curled up at my feet and began to doze off.

“So, ignoring my code was because of Johann Haines.”

“What code?”

“······.”

He silently swept back his black hair.

I’ve never seen him like this before; he seemed quite frustrated.

The Prince sent me a code? When?

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be in a position to forgive him.”

The man changed the subject. I answered immediately.

“I don’t think Sir Haines is innocent. Of course, he should be punished.”

The orange eyes stared at me.

The cool summer night breeze ruffled the curtains. An owl hooted in the distance.

“But I believe there are extenuating circumstances. Sir Haines has his reasons. His sick son has been taken hostage by the Royal Consort.”

I explained to the Prince the story of the knight that I hadn’t finished telling on the forest path that day.

I spoke specifically about the promise Sir Haines made to me and expressed my desire to meet the Crown Princess.

The Prince showed no reaction while listening to my story. That made me subtly anxious.

Coming all the way here at this late hour is clearly to help me, but······.

Even that was a grateful thing, and he had plenty of reasons to refuse my request.

I clenched and unclenched my fist and continued.

“I don’t think His Majesty must grant my request. I understand that His Majesty has his justification and important values to protect. I’m not arguing that my words are unconditionally right either. But······. I wanted to let you know that there are people who think like me.”

“······.”

“I wanted to convey that there is also an option to save Sir Haines. It’s completely different to not even be considered from the beginning and to have even a slight possibility.”

I finished the sentence, looking straight at him. The Prince stared at me with a sunken gaze.

Several tens of seconds, which felt like several tens of minutes, passed, and finally, he opened his mouth.

“The Sarnese Duchess was right.”

“Yes?”

“She said you’d be racking your brain to help Haines.”

“Did you meet the Duchess?”

My voice rose slightly. I glanced at the bedroom door and looked up at him again.

“Are you two meeting separately without me?”

“Is that a question with unpleasant implications?”

“I mean it in a good way.”

I barely held onto my rising lip corners. It was good news I’d heard in a while.

“When did you see her? Where?”

“······Today in Romero. I just accepted her request for an audience.”

My mouth opened slightly.

I heard that the Prince doesn’t allow outsiders into Romero Palace, but Cristelle has already entered twice.

The heavy heart due to Sir Haines and Princess Elissa’s problem was relieved by the news of the Prince and Cristelle.

It was a relief that the two were steadily getting closer. The Prince broached the subject.

“With that reason, I can’t let you meet His Majesty.”

“Yes? Wait a minute.”

I quickly erased the smile. But I couldn’t close my mouth at the Prince’s following words.

“Your confinement will only be lifted when the Crown Princess returns.”

“······.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

My eyes widened involuntarily.

This sounded like Emperor Frederick didn’t trust the Crown Princess.

And in context, the reason for the distrust wasn’t simply because she was the heir to an enemy country.

“Are you worried that the Crown Princess will harm me?”

“Even if not herself. Anyone from the Divine Kingdom accompanying her could target you.”

That’s, that’s right.

Of course, attacking me again at this point would be interpreted as a willingness to risk war.

It was literally insane, but theoretically not impossible, and I had actually almost died in the Imperial Palace before.

I thought the confinement was just to protect me while controlling the inside and outside of the Imperial Palace.

Now that I see it, the Emperor doesn’t seem to have any plans to expose me to the Crown Princess either.

Damn it. What should I do?

-Wheeet!

It was then.

From the Juliet Palace flower garden outside the balcony, a small whistle sounded. Only I flinched.

The Prince calmly looked down.

“It’s time to go.”

“Who’s there?”

I slipped out and looked down, and a familiar bobbed hair came into view.

The cat-like eyes curved slightly towards me in the darkness.

I stared alternately at the Prince and his friend in astonishment.

Still, I didn’t forget to wave to her.

“I wondered why you came here so quietly······. You brought in Lady Elizabeth.”

The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard must have given a plausible excuse to move the guards away for a moment.

The man ignored my words and put one leg on the balcony railing and sat down.

He was about to leave.

“Become naturalized.”

He said lowly, looking at me.

At the same time, the clouds receded, and bright moonlight illuminated the balcony.

Even though he said he wasn’t a Prince or Liester right now, the man was wearing all sorts of decorations and medals signifying his noble status.

“If you give up your right to the throne, the Royal Consort won’t target you anymore.”

“That might be true.”

I affirmed. And I half-confessed my worries to him.

“But at least I should ask the Crown Princess for her opinion. Usually, such matters······ are discussed with family.”

“Even if you’re not Venetian, you’re still you.”

That’s what I mean, but the real prince’s position might be different.

I smiled bitterly. Besides, I had to consider the repercussions that naturalization would bring.

From the perspective of an possessor [someone who has taken over another person’s body] who doesn’t know what will happen, everything is a risk factor.

Let’s think about what happened when I went to see Duke Diem’s kiss cam [a device that records kisses].

I almost said goodbye to the world before the war even started.

“I’ll keep thinking about it. I can’t reject such an offer outright.”

I said.

He met my gaze silently, then jumped off the balcony without any other answer.

Only then did I realize I had forgotten to say goodbye.

“Um,”

I hurriedly grabbed the railing and whispered downwards.

“Thank you for coming.”

Then I smiled.

Although he was just a flashy item and wouldn’t take me to the Emperor, he seemed to have played the role of a pretty good friend today.

The young sun that rose in the night flickered once in the darkness and then disappeared.

Fifth day of confinement, afternoon.

“Prince, I’ve delivered the letters you sent to Duchess Blanquer and Priest Sant.”

“Good job, Ganael.”

At my gesture, the boy sat across the table.

“The first-floor terrace is nice too. The shade of the trees is wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it. Would you like to use the terrace on the west side tomorrow? You can see part of the garden, so it’s prettier.”

Ganael chattered brightly.

I was getting a little bored with the scenery of the bedroom balcony and the reception room, so I came out to the terrace at the back of the first floor.

I thought I was more confident than anyone in being confined, but perhaps it was the influence of spending months with the protagonists that made me feel a little stuffy.

I was also curious about what the two were doing.

The empty outdoor training ground was too visible, which seemed to be the reason. For reference, that place was also closed.

The Prince is originally a busy person, so he’ll probably be the same today, but what about Cristelle?

She said she would become stronger, so she might be badgering the knights of the Duke’s residence to teach her.

She might have gone to a luxurious tea house with Eva.

I spaced out for a moment and checked the notebook again. It was full of checklists and doodles.

“I think I’ve done everything I can.”

A sigh was mixed in with my mutterings.

Ganael nodded and placed a Jesuit [a type of pastry] on the empty plate.

I took a big bite of the warm pastry.

“It’s delicious, but I’m troubled.”

“Prince, don’t say that. Everyone is worried because you’ve only been eating two servings per meal these days.”

Ganael hurriedly poured amaranth flower tea into the teacup.

I took the cup, saying, ‘It’s okay, thank you.’ I also put a mille-feuille [a French pastry] on Ganael’s plate.

I just wanted to take care of the people around me like this.

I’m an ignorant extra and don’t have the great power to stop the war, but I wanted to help those who caught my eye as much as I could.

I thought it had been going well so far, but this one was very difficult.

It involved not only two countries but also the Vatican, and Sir Haines’ child was across the continent.

Frustrated, I chewed on the amaranth flowers in the tea.

It was the first time I felt powerless since I possessed this body.

The original Cristelle wasn’t a knight, and the Prince was definitely set as a Sword Master.

So, the author might not have welcomed the appearance of Sir Haines, the knight teacher.

Maybe he’s just a character who brushes past the protagonists once.

Maybe it’s his fate to leave like this.

“Hoo······.”

To be honest, it would be good for me if I didn’t see the Crown Princess.

It’s a perfect opportunity for me, who doesn’t know what expression to make in front of her or what tone to use, to hide completely.

Still······. This wasn’t it. I felt uncomfortable.

I couldn’t finish the Jesuit and put it down. Ganael gently grabbed my wrist.

“You did your best, Prince.”

“······.”

“The Lord will look upon you kindly and surely give you a gift.”

The boy’s golden eyes shone resolutely. I gave a vague smile.

Well, I thought I had obtained a precious item yesterday, but it wasn’t.

“Perry, sleep. Where are your friends?”

-Squeak

Perry pricked up his black ears and ran to me.

I hugged him and hummed a Liester lullaby I learned from Benjamin.

Just because I’m having trouble sleeping doesn’t mean the lesser pandas or Ttuksimi [a type of magical creature] should too.

After gently stroking the forehead of the wren sitting on the armrest of the chair, I moved to the balcony.

The plan was to bring Demi and Leah in to sleep early and come up with other ideas tomorrow.

Right. Let’s not give up yet when the Crown Princess hasn’t even entered the palace.

Ganael and Benjamin are cheering me on,

“Ugh.”

I hugged Perry and made a choking sound.

My legs lost strength, and I almost collapsed.

I didn’t want to see the opponent who was flashing his eyes in the darkness anymore.

It’s July, but it’s not like I’m filming a summer special!

“Prince!”

Cristelle, hanging on the balcony railing of Juliet Palace, smiled brightly, her beautiful water-colored eyes sparkling.

Demi and Leah, who had crawled up her back, looked very proud.

Looking closely, this vine was terraced and full of flowers everywhere.

Should I praise this?

“Duchess Sarnese, what are you doing here?”

I quickly whispered, holding the divine beasts.

Then Cristelle made a very serious face.

“I am not Sarnese.”

No······. Why do the people who come here all abandon their families?

“I’m not Blanquer either!”

“Eva?”

I was shocked to see the head that popped up next to Cristelle.

I was about to ask why she brought the kid, but our protagonist delivered her lines in a more serious voice than ever.

“Operation Verona has begun. We’re here to help you, Prince. This lady’s codename is ‘Tybalt.’ For reference, the Prince is ‘Montague’.”

Even if the operation name is Verona because of the balcony, it was strange that the tenant was Montague [referencing Romeo and Juliet].

Besides, doesn’t Tybalt die to Montague?

“Duchess, it will be troublesome if you get caught. Even if the Prince doesn’t, the two of you don’t reside in the Imperial Palace, so at this time······.”

“I don’t know who the Prince is, but there is a ‘Capulet’.”

Cristelle lowered her voice and gestured with her chin.

I blankly looked in the direction she was pointing.

In front of the flower bed below, the Prince was standing with a fierce look in his eyes.

Next to him, Lady Elizabeth was waving her hand in the same pose as yesterday.

The crazy bastard, he said he couldn’t let me meet the Emperor, but he came with more people?

“Is the Prince Capulet?”

“Yes, he’s Tybalt’s cousin. The person next to him is his friend ‘Mercutio’.”

He’s being faithful to the setting, but also unfaithful······.

“Then the Duchess is,”

“I’m the one who directs this operation.”

Is it Shakespeare after all?