What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 233

Side Story: Sak

“-Whoosh!”

I vividly remember my first encounter with her.

“No!”

-Thud!

“Ugh, kuh… …!”

The gruesome sound pierced the ears of the man and the Crown Prince simultaneously.

The other noises of the battlefield faded away from consciousness as if by magic.

Breath caught in my throat, and my vision plummeted in an instant.

The pain was more of a shock than actual pain.

A large hand reached out to me as I crumbled like a sandcastle.

-Thump!

The Sword Master’s grip, no longer wearing gloves.

“Summon the court physician from the barracks!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Ugh… …”

A groan escaped instead of a breath.

Red eyes loomed like the sun over my sprawled body.

Looking up at the flawlessly clear half of the sky, Yeseo Fenetian realized he had done something reckless.

It was a ridiculous thing.

A body with no athletic ability moved so quickly, yet the mind was so slow.

A hollow laugh escaped at the absurdity.

Thinking that far, everything suddenly felt futile.

So, this is how easy death is.

“Haha… …”

I’ve spent my whole life avoiding it.

“Quiet. You won’t laugh your way out of this one.”

The words he spat out seemed a little faster than usual.

Clang, clang! The sound of swords clashing nearby was sharp.

The shouts of soldiers echoed in the distance. Yeseo replied with difficulty.

“Is, that so.”

Then, his jewel-like, firm gaze became tinged with bewilderment.

Even his rival, who was known for his coldness, seemed to think his condition was serious.

The prince mustered all his strength to barely lift the corner of his lips.

Conversely, a frown creased Cedric Liester’s brow.

The shoulder he held burned as if on fire. The Crown Prince opened his mouth with a seething voice.

“What on earth were you thinking?”

“Sad, to see… …scared.”

Ugh. Instead of a complete sentence, blood gurgled up from his throat.

However, the prince’s meaning seemed to have reached him clearly.

If he wasn’t mistaken, if the angel of the Chief God wasn’t clouding his vision with the veil of death… …

“Kuh, cough.”

The Crown Prince’s face was turning white.

Yeseo realized for the first time that he could make such an expression.

A man with a more human face than ever before, covered in dirt and stained with the blood of the Shin-guk army.

“Cedric… …! Damn it, goddamn it!”

-Clang, clang, clash!

It was the voice of Elizabeth Mute.

Now that she had grasped the situation here, the swordswoman unleashed her sword energy with angry curses.

Whoosh, boom! Her rapier roared as it tore through the enemy.

‘Aaaagh!’, ‘Save me, please!’ Cries and screams dyed another part of the battlefield black.

No, perhaps it was his own vision that was turning gray.

“Don’t close your eyes.”

“Sleepy… …”

“That’s an order.”

The Crown Prince growled like a black panther. Yeseo curved his eyes.

There hadn’t been a day when he hadn’t truly growled at him, but this was the first time he felt so threatening.

Fine golden hair was getting soaked red.

“To Christel… …sorry, to, cough.”

“Shut up.”

The royal family didn’t even accept his last words. He was the worst notary.

Yeseo spat out blood and a bitter smile at the same time.

He remembered hearing similar words the day they first met.

A memory of a spring day flashed before his eyes like a panorama.

The lavishly decorated garden of Stroda Palace, and couples walking among the paired anemones.

A new spring ball where he didn’t know a single face.

The balcony where he watched the moon alone, with a glass of golden champagne as his companion.

The world slowed down, and a clear voice filled his ears.

‘Wow, crazy. There’s someone pushing for an engagement even though the daughter woke up after three years.’

Yeseo turned around with wide eyes.

The sound of music and boisterous voices leaked through the open door.

As a self-proclaimed ‘rogue of Shin-guk,’ he was familiar with the various vocabularies and secret gestures of high society.

There was nothing better than scandal to make the First Prince ‘uninterested in the throne and not even qualified for it.’

He wasn’t really a womanizer, but he had survived until now with the help of various noble ladies and young ladies.

That was precisely why the royal family doubted his ears.

It was the first time he had ever heard a young lady use such harsh words in such a beautiful voice. He had to check if she was a maid in the imperial palace.

But.

‘…Ah.’

‘Hello, Mademoiselle.’

At his greeting, bright sky-blue eyes widened.

The woman was a beauty that anyone could fall in love with at first sight. Rosy cheeks and lips resembling cherry blossoms were beautiful.

Rare pink hair flowed like silk under the moonlight, and long eyelashes fluttered like butterflies out for a night stroll.

The light purple dress, which looked luxurious at first glance, was not the kind that a servant could wear.

For a moment, he had a thought. Maybe he would come to like light purple… …

Such a ridiculous sentiment.

‘Hello. Would it be okay if I came out here?’

The young lady asked for permission from him, who had already taken over the balcony. She also gave a neat imperial bow.

He had expected her to be a tomboy because she used such shocking vocabulary, but this time she was polite again.

Yeseo was intrigued by the young lady who defied his expectations.

After hearing the answer she wanted, she smiled brightly, locked the balcony door, and walked briskly towards the railing.

-Whoosh!

‘Oh, shit.’

No, that’s what she was going to do. The surprised prince gaped.

He almost dropped his champagne glass. What did she just say… …

‘Oh my. Did you hear that?’

The young lady, standing tall, stammered with half a smile and half embarrassment.

A torn petticoat stuck out from under her dress. He didn’t know how to answer.

To be honest, it would be like admitting that he knew the lady’s secret (although he had already witnessed something even worse), and his conscience pricked him to lie.

In the end, Yeseo decided to do what he could.

‘…I know this is very rude upon first meeting you, but if you allow me, I will fix that for you.’

He calmly pointed to the petticoat.

The woman hesitated for a moment, looked at the closed entrance once, and nodded.

She didn’t seem to want to go out like this and attract attention.

She would probably hear a lot of nagging from her parents or chaperones.

He didn’t know whose daughter she was.

‘Um, thank you. Then I’ll ask you to do it.’

The answer came right away. The prince chuckled and knelt down in front of her on one knee.

The champagne glass was placed on the railing.

-Rustle, rustle… …

And he carefully lifted the dress.

He tried to maintain the most businesslike expression possible so that the young lady would not feel embarrassed.

He folded the long, torn hem of the petticoat like a string and tied a simple but sturdy ribbon.

That was all.

‘It’s over. It won’t come undone until you get home.’

The prince stood up.

‘Oh, already? Thank you. It’s really seamless!’

She was happy. The part that had been sticking out was no longer visible. It was nothing.

The prince’s lovely younger sister, little Cornelise, often stepped on her skirt.

She would often come to him with torn ribbons or laces.

She insisted on wearing dresses even though she could wear pants, because she liked the bell-like shape.

If there was a sewing kit, Yeseo would sew it up, but the results from entrusting it to the sewing room were the best.

So, he temporarily tied and fixed the cloth to prevent the child from tripping.

Then, no matter how much she ran around, it wouldn’t show until she changed into her nightgown at night.

‘… ….’

The prince smiled as he thought of his older sister and younger sister he had left in his home country.

The young lady, who had been staring blankly at his face, said.

‘My name is Christel Olivier de Sarnese. What is your name, sir?’

He flinched. Yeseo was surprised once again. To be exact, he was surprised three times.

First of all, middle names were very precious.

You shouldn’t carelessly tell them to someone you just met, and that was the same in Liester.

But what was even more amazing was that she didn’t recognize him.

Blonde hair and purple eyes were synonymous with Yeseo Fenetian, and he had never been out of the public eye since coming to the Empire.

Besides, the formal dress he was wearing now was also in the Shin-guk style.

Could it be that she was pretending not to know him to attract his attention?

‘…Hahaha.’

She didn’t seem like that kind of person. Christel frowned slightly as he laughed.

Lastly, she was the daughter of the Sarnese Duchy, who was quite famous in Shin-guk society.

He had heard rumors that she was ill, but she looked healthy now.

Should he be happy to meet her like this?

‘I’m sorry. My name is Yeseo Fenetian.’

He really was. He felt joy for the first time since coming to the Empire.

‘Yeseo Fenetian, sir.’

Christel rolled the prince’s name in her mouth.

She also praised the name for being unique and pretty.

It was his first time having such an experience, so he let out a hollow laugh.

‘Wait, Fenetian? That’s a neighboring country… …’

‘May I ask the lady for a dance?’

It seemed that the contents of the history book came to mind belatedly. Yeseo gently changed the subject.

He didn’t want to feel awkward because of his status or situation.

If he danced one song with the interesting young lady and returned to Juliet Palace, that alone would make him feel cheerful for several days.

So, he bowed politely.

Christel looked down at his hand, glanced at the inside of the room, and obediently took his hand.

The music flowing softly from the palace was enough.

Instead of a splendid chandelier, a simple piece of the moon hung above the heads of the man and woman.

-♬♩♪… …

For the next ten minutes or so, the two had a lot of fun.

It was perhaps the most pleasant moment Yeseo Fenetian had spent in Liester.

‘Ugh.’

He was often stepped on. It was only after returning to his residence that day that the prince confirmed that his instep was bruised.

‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I don’t do it on purpose, but I’m not very good at dancing… …’

‘It’s okay. Everyone has a first time.’

‘Actually, I practiced this too.’

He couldn’t help but burst into laughter at such an answer.

Christel shouted that it was real as he folded the corners of his eyes.

The moments that shone like stars quickly passed.

Soon the music stopped, and the two bowed politely to each other.

They had been shaking with laughter for a long time, but they were satisfied with the formality anyway.

‘Oh, I got a good workout. Can I just take a sip of this?’

The young lady, whose next move was unpredictable, finally dropped a bombshell.

She was even aiming for the champagne that a strange man had been drinking.

The prince didn’t have the strength to giggle anymore, so he gestured for her to do so.

Even though she clearly said one sip, the young lady gulped down the alcohol.

Then, only after emptying the glass, did she let out a unique exclamation, ‘Oh my!’ Her face was aghast at her own shamelessness.

Yeseo smiled and brushed her chin.

‘You spilled a drop here.’

‘… ….’

Champagne was on his thumb. Only then did he realize that they were too close.

Two pairs of eyes intertwined long and deeply. Yeseo parted his lips.

-Knock knock knock!

At that moment, someone knocked urgently on the balcony door. The man and woman startled and turned their eyes.

A woman who appeared to be a nanny was anxiously staring at them.

‘Young lady… …! Your father is looking for you, hurry!’

‘Ah, I know. I’ll go!’

Christel hurriedly left the balcony.

The two were so embarrassed that they barely said goodbye.

The nanny also disappeared after bowing without properly looking at the prince.

‘… ….’

At that moment, Yeseo discovered a man standing in the center of the ballroom. It was a strange thing.

Even when he had unfortunately encountered him in the garden a few days ago, the Crown Prince’s irises were clearly orange.

‘Now they’re like rubies.’

A gaze as dark red as a pigeon’s blood was shooting at him.

At the time, he didn’t know why he looked angry about everything.

-Grasp!

“Don’t lose your mind.”

A rough hand pressed against his collar. Keuheok, Yeseo opened his eyes while spitting out blood.

‘Kwaaaang!’, ‘Kkeuaaagh!’ Horrific and ominous war cries struck his eardrums one after another.

All he could see was him.

The Crown Prince, who had been wary of him while dancing the waltz with Christel on a magical spring day… …

“If you have anything to say, say it directly in the Empire.”

He had also learned to say such things. The prince thought it was fortunate.

That he had changed because of her. That he was slowly becoming a better person.

And that Christel, who had given him happiness, would have even happier days in the future.

“Cornelise, ugh. Ugh.”

Yeseo thought of his small, young sister.

He was sorry that his brother couldn’t keep his promise. That they would only meet after repeating 100 days of night for countless eons… …

He had to apologize.

“Physician!”

“Your Highness, the physician has been hit by an arrow!”

It didn’t hurt anymore. The prince barely turned his head.

Beyond the golden spear that had pierced his abdomen, a light purple meteor shower was pouring down from the sky.

Like the dress that day.

“Yeseo! No… …! Aaaagh!”

From a very distant place, he heard his sister’s hallucination. Yeseo slowly parted his lips.

“It’s okay… …”

And he couldn’t finish his words.

It was a moonless day.”

– From