What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 185

#185 Not Just Baker Street, But a Bakery (1)

“The Royal Consort wouldn’t risk your life unless he wanted war,” Emperor Frederica interjected abruptly.

I widened my eyes at the sudden mention of Werner Venetian.

It was an unkind remark to tack onto the imperial order to play detective, but I understood her meaning clearly.

After all, I had requested the title for him.

“You mean, because I’m a Margrave of the Empire, he can’t touch me carelessly?”

“Yes. He can no longer meddle and pretend he doesn’t know. The King has regained his senses, too,” she replied.

It meant that Royal Consort Werner was unlikely to be behind Madame Victoire’s attempt to kidnap me.

The Emperor seemed to believe that the series of thefts was the work of an attention-seeker within the Empire.

If so, that would be right.

I’d heard that her judgment was generally accurate, and she certainly had more information than I did. But…

“With all due respect, Your Majesty.”

“Why, are you not confident?” She smirked at me. Her cherry-colored eyes showed no hint of unease.

“It’s a waste for young ones of your age to stay only in the Imperial Palace and mansions. In my day, Alexandre and Aurelie roamed the country causing trouble.”

“Frederica, you and I were the troublemakers. Alexandre was in charge of cleaning up,” Cardinal Boutier whispered with a troubled look, setting down his coffee cup.

I thought I understood the Emperor’s psychology then.

She had been a monarch for too long.

There was too much at stake for her to run around the capital with friends, causing accidents or embarking on new adventures.

The duties and dignity of the throne held her back.

To her, we were just snot-nosed kids.

It seemed she wanted to vicariously enjoy the antics of her son and his friends.

Good heavens, really.

“If the princes don’t naively follow strangers, catching the culprit will be quick. Don’t you think so, Ervé?”

“…Prince Cédric was the first to witness Victoire up close and engage with him. We couldn’t even get a clue about the clown troupe in previous cases.”

As the Emperor and the Captain of the Guard finished their conversation, Christelle and the Crown Prince stared at me.

Sir Johann was also smiling. The tips of my ears heated up again.

Come on, people make mistakes in life.

“The heir to the throne, the kid who will inherit the Empire’s most prestigious family, and a royal paladin. Add to that a guy who learned the sword from the Border Count and a Cardinal-level holy knight. What do you lack that you can’t catch a single thief?”

“I’ll toast to Your Majesty’s wise words!” Marquis François D’Huem echoed, raising his teacup high.

His pink eyes sparkled as if he found it incredibly amusing.

If you’re not going to help, at least be quiet!

“…Hmm.”

Well, what she said was right.

We were a party equipped with divine power, wealth, physical strength, public authority, and even familial and regional ties.

I was fine, but I wondered if the other friends, who were busy, would be okay with this.

“……”

“……”

Christelle and Crown Prince Cédric’s eyes flashed with competitive spirit, provoked by her words.

They were like fraternal twins. I had worried needlessly.

“Then it’s decided.” The Emperor said cheerfully, lifting her teaspoon.

Her eyes looked straight at me.

“I formally commission you with the case, Detective Prince. Bring that criminal to justice.”

“…I will do my best.” I couldn’t refuse an imperial order.

I nodded and devoured the remaining bouchée à la reine [a puff pastry filled with chicken, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce] in one bite.

I would likely be using my body a lot for a while, so I had to eat diligently from now on.

I also wanted to catch the attempted kidnapper and make them pay.

I’ve been doing so many things here that I never would have in my old life, and now I’m even a detective.

I’ve never even seen one in real life!

*

…Still, I should do my best since I’ve taken it on.

I stood before the four men and women, feeling a great sense of responsibility.

Christelle, the Crown Prince, Lady Elisabeth, and Sir Johann had come to the Juliette Palace.

Gathered in the largest reception room, we decided to make a plan first.

Afterward, we would summon the clown troupe for questioning.

“Your Highness, there is something I would like to ask of you first.”

Orange eyes immediately turned to me.

The Crown Prince sat comfortably as if the Juliette Palace was his own home, crossing his legs.

The Lesser Pandas, stuck to the fluffy carpet like scorched rice, perked up their tails at my voice.

Dduksoom was sprawled on the Crown Prince’s lap as usual, and Tete was dozing in Christelle’s arms.

“Sitting like that is bad for your back. Straighten your legs.”

“Is that the request?” He frowned, elegantly uncrossing his legs. *Is that what you think?*

“No. Do you remember the fortune teller we met in front of the Leugot General Trading Company last summer?”

“……”

His handsome face hardened terribly. I knew he would recall it immediately, but he still had a strong aversion to it.

Christelle raised her hand.

“I remember. Are you talking about the old woman who said I was ‘close to the center of the world’?”

“That’s right,” I replied. That was already five months ago.

At the time, I had wanted to connect Eva, who was then the Blanquer Duchess, with the main couple, and the Crown Prince had declared he wanted to go shopping for some reason.

He even committed the extravagance of renting out the entire trading company for the day.

Thanks to that, I received a gift from Eva and had a good time, but what concluded that day was a very unexpected person.

It was the so-called ‘fortune teller cliché.’

‘I am sorry, Your Highness. This person is an old woman who sets up a spot nearby and tells fortunes…’ The face of the trading company employee, who was embarrassed, flashed through my mind.

‘You are not from here.’

‘Yes?’

‘And the noble one will lose another connection. How unfortunate…’ The blind grandmother’s mysterious voice was also vivid.

The fortune teller spoke as if she knew I was from outside Toegye.

The Crown Prince dismissed her words as nonsense, but I couldn’t shake off the strange feeling.

I added, “I want to know how that grandmother is doing. Could you inquire about her?”

“The reason?”

“Because of Director Modeste Bakari.”

At my quick reply, the Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed.

It was unexpected, but it was a look that said, ‘Explain it to me.’

I sipped Laurence’s special tea, made by boiling apple juice with cinnamon, cloves, and sugar.

The sweet and warm energy cleared my head.

“It’s not related to this case. I had forgotten about it for a while, but yesterday, seeing the grandmothers selling things in the alley, I suddenly remembered. The fact that Director Bakari prophesied in the Blanquer Duchy and lost his memory also keeps bothering me. Besides, the only person who made a prediction like that in front of us was that grandmother, so I want to check on her condition as well.”

“That man is a lowly swindler.” The Crown Prince growled.

Christelle’s expression turned serious and she went to sit on the sofa, as if his ether [magical energy] had started to run wild.

She also soothed Tete, who was waking up and fussing, with water droplets.

It was true that the grandmother had left an unpleasant and rude prediction for the Crown Prince, so such a reaction was somewhat natural.

I worked hard to release ether into the air to calm him down. It was partner work time!

“I understand how you feel, Your Highness. It doesn’t mean that the grandmother’s words are correct. I’m just curious about her recent situation. If she’s saying such things to others without context, I won’t be interested anymore either. Because she’ll really be a quack.”

“……”

I said calmly. Then the man’s momentum subsided a little.

I couldn’t feel the holy knight’s power, but I could tell because Christelle sighed softly.

While we were exchanging glances for a while, the Vice Count opened his mouth.

“Please leave that to me, Your Highness. I will find out for you.”

“Elisabeth,” the Crown Prince called her name in a low voice. She was unmoved.

“You trying to sound tough doesn’t work on me. Inquiring is easy if you just deploy two or three guards. I’ll give you news soon.”

“Thank you, Lady Elisabeth,” I smiled. The Vice Count sipped the same tea as me, saying, ‘You’re welcome.’

The Crown Prince looked dissatisfied but didn’t add anything.

Sir Johann, who had been sitting quietly like a shadow, finally spoke.

“How do you plan to catch Victoire?”

“That’s… I have something in mind. I would like to seek your advice and cooperation,” I said carefully.

I had been racking my brain while coming from the Imperial Palace, but there weren’t many methods we could use against an elusive commoner thief.

The Emperor said she didn’t want to mobilize military force noisily to catch her.

Because she thought that such attention and topicality were what Victoire wanted.

I agreed to some extent.

It would be a lie if the phantom thief, who left a notice of the crime and showed magic at the scene, didn’t enjoy being noticed.

“…I wonder if I should reveal my face and come forward.”

“Yes?” Christelle asked back in a surprised voice. I vaguely raised the corners of my mouth and added.

“I know it’s hard to trust me. I followed the thief myself, so I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths. However, what is clear is that Victoire is targeting me and has even put it into action. Then, without massively deploying military force, the most reliable bait we can use is me. If we think about it the other way around.”

“……”

“I think it’s important to take the initiative away from the opponent first. If the fact that I’m walking around is known in the capital, the people will naturally pay attention to Victoire’s actions. She will be pressured to do something. If time passes without an incident even though she sent a notice, people will abandon their fantasies about her.”

The four were silent. I could hear the long breaths of Benjamin and David, who were standing by the door.

I already felt sorry for worrying the hardworking attendants.

I moistened my lips with tea and cleared my throat.

“It would be welcome if she appeared to catch me then. She might disguise herself as Lord Sarnese again, but I won’t be fooled twice. I thought it was strange from the beginning that day too.”

“Your Highness,” Christelle glared as if telling me not to lie. I smiled and explained.

“Lord Sarnese has never used such force on me. He doesn’t grab my arms or wrists for fear of hurting me, and he adjusts his strength even when he hits me with a smile.”

“……”

“I’ve never been hurt because of him. So when I saw the fake, I felt it was strange.”

Then Christelle’s expression changed very strangely.

She made a walnut on her chin, then gathered her lips like a chicken gizzard…

“Hehe.” Eventually, she laughed brightly as if she couldn’t stand it.

Tete in her arms also felt something and cried out happily, ‘Aeung!’

Christelle got up from the sofa and strode over, then plopped back down on the chair at the table.

It was the seat closest to me.

“I like it,” then she declared.

As if that was funny, Lady Elisabeth punched the Crown Prince’s shoulder and started giggling.

His expression was becoming more and more terrifying, and now he looked more like the main villain than the main lead.

I thought I had become quite close to him, but I didn’t understand him at times like this.

Only Sir Johann spoke calmly.

“If there is close protection, it’s not a bad strategy, but we’ll need a code. The opponent is skilled in disguise and conspiracy.”

“That’s a good point. That’s why I asked for something…” I turned around.

Ganael and Pierre, who had been waiting, approached us with wide wooden boards.

This is what I’ll be using as a chalkboard today.

“Thank you. I think it would be good to organize our own code here and briefly make a plan. I’ve also prepared writing utensils because I thought you might need them. Feel free to give your opinions.”

Benjamin handed out ink, quills, and paper to everyone.

The Vice Count was delighted, saying, ‘It reminds me of my tutor when I was young,’ and ‘I want to work at the Juliette Palace.’

I was dumbfounded and burst into laughter.

I don’t know how to be a real detective, but if it means putting our heads together and moving, I think we can do it.

“Shall I bring you more tea? It’s made with apples sold by the grandmothers on the street, and they’re carefully grown so they taste great. There’s also toast with pomegranate molasses.”

“Are you talking about the grandmothers you met in the alley?” At my words, Christelle’s eyes widened.

“Yes, I think they had to close their shop for a day because of me… So I bought all the vegetables and fruits they were selling.”

The Crown Prince let out a sigh, and Sir Johann shook his head as if he couldn’t stop me.

I quickly added, “With my own money. Of course, I had it all tested for poison before bringing it in, so you can eat it with confidence.”

Then the Deputy Captain of the Guard flopped down on the table.

Christelle, who was lying down with her, giggled while facing her.

Ganael stretched out her neck and excitedly asked, ‘Sir Mute, are you really going to apply for a position at Juliette?’

…Can we succeed in playing detective among ourselves? I guess we can?