What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 251

#251

The Peace of the Gods (5)

In that instant, a lightning-like thought flashed through my mind!

“Sant, could you come over here for a moment?”

I whispered urgently.

Sensing the seriousness in my tone, the priest who received the envelope blinked his gentle eyes and nodded.

Laurance was now holding the cake. As she began to explain the ingredients, Bakari-kun, who had been quiet the whole time, perked up.

We carefully watched our friends’ reactions as we moved towards the fireplace.

I didn’t want to spoil Ganael’s birthday celebration with a serious conversation.

The boy had been uneasy lately because of everything happening around us.

I wanted him to laugh without any worries, at least for today.

The lesser pandas, who were taking care of Tete by the cradle, stared at me.

Dduk-ssim and Herrit also tilted their heads.

“······.”

“Haha. The fireplace is nice and warm.”

Of course, I couldn’t escape the persistent gazes of my partners either.

I waved vaguely at the strangely following blue-gray and orange eyes, smiling awkwardly.

*It’s nothing, so just pretend you don’t notice for a moment. Good kids.*

“I’m sorry. I just read the writing on the envelope.”

“Ah. I see. It’s alright.”

As I whispered an apology, Sant shook his head with a good-natured expression.

It was as if it was nothing. I swallowed hard and began to speak.

“Then… are you going to the neutral zone? It says ‘Temple Pilgrimage Schedule’ on the envelope.”

Of course, it was highly likely that Sant would have difficulty leaving the country now without thorough identity verification.

But I wanted to grab at any straw, even if it was a small one.

And if it turned out to be a golden rope, even better!

“Ah.”

Then, his reddish-brown eyes, resembling sandalwood, widened slightly.

The priest couldn’t answer right away and hesitated, opening and closing his mouth with a troubled look.

Even if I was in a hurry, I felt bad for rudely prying into his personal life.

I quickly added,

“You don’t have to answer if you’re uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s alright. I trust you, Your Highness. I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

The young man replied kindly.

As he smiled and scratched his cheek, Ganael, realizing my absence, looked around.

I quickly grabbed a Piadon [a type of pastry] from the plate on the window table and took a bite.

The refreshing scent of lemon zest and lemon juice filled my mouth, along with the soft, rich flavor of sheep cheese.

The honey sprinkled like light snow added a thick sweetness.

I quickly handed two pieces to Sant, and as soon as I made eye contact with Ganael, I winked.

Instead of moving my lips, I didn’t forget to point at the cheesecake with my finger.

*I just came to get a snack because I was hungry. Keep playing.*

“Hehe.”

Then, the boy smiled brightly and nodded, starting to unwrap the gifts his friends had prepared one by one.

Finally, a moment to breathe! Gulp.

“It’s alright now. Please, enjoy.”

“Yes.”

Sant tilted his head, seemingly not understanding, but happily accepted the coffee I poured for him.

For reference, the Americano that Christel drank like water was eventually nicknamed ‘Cafe Chris.’

According to Marquis Francois, it was only a matter of time before the term became common in high society, as it was used in the Imperial Palace.

The young priest ate half of the cake, drank some Cafe Chris, and then whispered,

“Well… my family didn’t really like that I naturalized to the Empire. Actually, they still don’t.”

“I see.”

I sipped the warm Rooibos tea and listened attentively.

Sant had acquired Riester citizenship last fall, following Count Johan and his son.

I hadn’t heard the details, but I only knew that the Imperial Family had handled the matter swiftly.

I remember being surprised that naturalization for an ordinary foreigner was so easy.

The priest had told me about it at the last housewarming party.

He said that no one in his family accepted him as he was, so he ran away to the Papal States against his parents’ wishes.

He said that in the Empire, which he happened to reach, his ‘deficiencies’ became ‘normal,’ which he liked.

There were times when he struggled with the Holy Knights, but…

*‘I’m genuinely happy that no one expects great abilities from me, asks about my future aspirations, or asks burdensome questions… Now I feel lighthearted and can breathe easily.’*

Sant said with a smile.

The bi-weekly was also one of the reasons for his naturalization, but the most effective reason was that he felt comfortable here.

We only listened up to that point and didn’t delve any further.

The detailed story was clearly a family matter, and I thought it was right to wait until he told us himself.

I didn’t want to disrupt his peace.

*‘It’s a shame that Priest Sant can’t go. I heard it’s because his naturalization issue hasn’t been completely resolved.’*

*‘Count Johan, is the priest alright?’*

*‘Don’t worry, Your Highness. That family is originally famous for being fussy. But they’ll give up soon.’*

I remembered the conversation I had with my friends when we went down to the Berang Duchy last year.

In other words, the naturalization issue was not completely resolved because of the ‘fussy family.’

At that time, Count Johan said that Sant’s family would give up soon, but…

“Could it be that you have to withdraw your naturalization?”

“Ah, that’s not it!”

Sant’s voice grew louder. I was startled and looked around.

Demi flicked her tail.

Ganael, who was unwrapping Joan’s gift, stared at us with wide eyes.

I quickly grabbed three pieces of Sable [a type of shortbread].

Then, I shoved the cute, cog-shaped biscuits into my mouth all at once.

The sweet taste of the crumbly, crunchy texture made me smile.

This time, I explained the situation without saying a word, just using my fingers.

*Sant doesn’t want to dip Sable in his coffee. That’s why it got a little loud.*

‘Yes.’

Then, the boy moved his lips and nodded.

Everyone except the Holy Knights refocused on opening gifts.

In a flash, Francois winked at us. *Thank you, I’m counting on you.*

“Prince Kalamar, have you decided where to go for your honeymoon?”

“S, suddenly?”

“Uncle!”

…I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but there was no other way right now.

I glanced at the couple, who had turned as red as strawberries, and then turned back to Sant with a serious expression.

The priest quickly ate the Piadon and continued to speak in a whisper.

“It’s not that… my father wants to see my face. I haven’t seen him once since I ran away to the Papal States.”

“May I ask when you ran away?”

“I left as soon as I turned sixteen.”

Sant said sheepishly.

Even though he looked mature, he was still only nineteen, so he hadn’t seen his family for over three years.

As I sighed to myself, he nodded.

“Yes. I’m not close to my parents, but I thought it would be good to tell them that I’m doing well. But then my father offered to vouch for me… Hmm. The Great Descent Festival is the biggest festival on the continent. He said it wouldn’t be easy to come to the neutral zone around that time.”

His fingers, round to the very tips, fidgeted with the envelope.

To be honest, I had no idea how big the ‘Great Descent Festival’ was.

There was no Christmas here, and even during the New Year’s week, we were too busy with the Simon de Sarnese incident.

Because of the heavy snow, the interior of the Imperial Palace still had few decorations.

Just as there is no verse in the Bible that says, ‘December 25th is Christmas,’ there was no saying in the Jooshin religion’s scripture that said, ‘February 22nd is the Great Descent Festival, so let’s celebrate it in a big way.’

Did I skim through the commentary too much?

“I hope I can greet my parents. Then, what about this…”

I cautiously pointed to the envelope.

It was a question of how he received his father’s letter in a situation where the whole country was locked down.

Then, Sant smiled brightly.

“Isabelle-nim delivered it to me. To be exact, Isabelle-nim’s parents are famous caravanners who travel to and from the neutral zone… My father, who happened to be at the Papal States, requested it. This has also passed His Majesty’s quarantine, Your Highness.”

I widened my eyes.

“Isabelle?”

“Shall I bring her over?”

Ack! I desperately stopped myself from shouting.

I hunched my shoulders and turned around to see familiar toothpaste-colored eyes. Oh no, Herrit’s father!

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was wondering what interesting story you were talking about.”

Count Johan drooped his eyebrows as much as possible. His face was overflowing with apology.

“Since when…”

“I think I heard from ‘Could you come over here for a moment?’”

You followed me from the very beginning!

As my eyes showed resentment, he glossed over it with a soft smile and left his spot.

Then, he asked Isabelle for her understanding and quickly escorted her back.

Even though he didn’t walk stealthily, no one noticed his movements except for his two disciples.

Even though the carpet was laid out, there wasn’t even a sound of footsteps. Amazing.

“Prince Yeser?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, Isabelle. I have something I’d like to ask you if it’s not too much trouble.”

I apologized politely first. She looked back at her daughter and blinked.

She seemed to be wondering why I was looking for her instead of Christel.

I sent Count Johan back to his friends (“Please stop Francois. There are children here, and the progress is a bit too stimulating.” “Leave it to me, Your Highness.”) and immediately got to the point.

I heard that the Rambouillet Baron and his wife received a letter from Sant’s father in the neutral zone. I wanted to know if they could travel there anytime.

Whether it was true that it was easier to leave the country during the Great Descent Festival. What exactly was the ‘Temple Pilgrimage’? And…

“You’re very curious, Your Highness.”

“I’m sorry. I have too many questions.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s nice to see you always working so hard.”

*‘It must be one of the reasons why my daughter admires you, Your Highness.’* Isabelle smiled beautifully.

Then, she answered my questions one by one in a gentle tone.

Sant, who used to be affiliated with the Papal States, kindly supplemented the details she didn’t know well.

So…

“Originally, during the Great Descent Festival, the border that touches the neutral zone is completely opened. The same goes for Venetian.”

“That’s right.”

The priest nodded. Everyone now assumed that I didn’t know the situation in the Shin-guk [a region or country] well.

The ‘abused, promiscuous bastard’ position was very convenient at times like this.

The Great Descent Festival was said to be celebrated for two weeks before and after.

However, it was said that it never went into March.

“The Temple Pilgrimage that starts at this time is open to anyone, regardless of their status, and the temple buildings are fully opened. The Vicar General, who oversees the neutral zone diocese, gives baptisms and sermons to commemorate the Great Descent Festival. But this year, it will be difficult to depart from Riester because of the situation. Still, the Baron and his wife lead the largest caravan in the Empire, so they steadily travel there under His Majesty’s protection.”

“That’s correct.”

Isabelle affirmed elegantly. I fell into deep thought.

If it was such a big religious event that the borders of both countries were opened, I might be able to talk to Emperor Frederick about it.

Should I ask my teacher first?

If I said that I would accompany the Rambouillet Baron’s caravan, and that Sant and the Holy Knights, who have a guarantor, would go with me, would he allow it?

I would promise to come back right away if Elysee wasn’t there…

“Your Highness, it will be difficult for His Highness the Crown Prince to clear his schedule.”

Suddenly, David’s voice rang in my ear. I was startled awake again!

“…Erasing your presence is truly at the Holy Knight level. I thought so last time, too.”

“It’s a habit I’ve developed to avoid disturbing your precious sleep.”

The middle-aged man smiled gently, cleared the empty plates, and refilled our teacups.

Even the acting to avoid ruining Ganael’s party was perfect.

While Isabelle and Sant were sharing a pretzel amicably, I only took a sip of the warm tea and looked at David.

I secretly observed the Crown Prince over his shoulder.

I quickly lowered my eyelids just before our eyes met. *It was difficult to clear his schedule…*

“Well, he’s the Crown Prince, so he must have a lot of work to do.”

It would be troublesome if I suddenly asked him to go. He might have to cram all his official duties like last time.

“Hahaha. You could say that.”

The attendant seemed rather cheerful.

As a puzzled look crossed my face, he coughed a few times and carefully approached me.

“David?”

“As Your Highness knows well, His Highness Cedrick is in his prime. He is a youthful twenty-five years old. His body is healthy and full of energy day and night, and his beauty is unmatched in the Empire.”

“Oh my.”

“Yes, well…”

Isabelle seemed to have already noticed something, and I affirmed the fact awkwardly.

*What are you trying to say?*

“Shouldn’t he be thinking about an heir soon?”

*Already?* I opened my jaw like a broken doll.

My eyes instinctively searched for Christel.

The pink hair, resembling a long-tailed tit’s belly, was swaying.

The tone of her laughter was clear and high as always.

Even though her soul was that of an office worker, ‘Christel’ was too young to have a child!

However, I was the only one looking at her. Even Isabelle didn’t point to her daughter.

David’s indifferent voice pierced my eardrums.