What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 262

#262

The Kidnapping of the Ice-Cold Archduke (1)

You have to come with me. That’s the only way to justify it. I can tell just by looking at you.

“The reason?”

The Crown Prince asked sharply. He really was just like his mother at times like this.

His beautiful orange eyes were piercing, as if trying to see right through me. I swallowed, my Adam’s apple bobbing.

I would have to tell Cristel and this guy the truth someday.

Because I had decided to tell my friends everything and leave.

I didn’t know when it would be, but I was determined to face them and ask for forgiveness.

But that time wasn’t now. I knew it wasn’t honorable, but it was the truth.

I found it hard to look him straight in the eye, so I shifted my gaze slightly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Sir Johann, sitting like a statue.

I lied, filling my voice with regret.

“…It’s the same as what I told His Majesty at the banquet yesterday.”

Behind my closed lips, countless sentences hid themselves away.

*The truth is, I want to see the Holy Grail.*

*I haven’t gotten any information that could help me get home yet.*

*I’m also a hostage, and I don’t know enough about Toegyeong [a region or kingdom in the story’s world].*

*I’ve had to dodge Werner Fenetian’s blade three times now.*

No… Actually, I did get it, but I don’t have the ability to do it twice.

If the gate opens, I’ll suffer the same pain that almost killed me, and maybe I’ll really die this time.

The Empire will fall into chaos and be put back on military alert.

Of course, that’s only if the Imperial Family sends me to where the Divine Objects are.

They know for sure now that something bad will happen if the four Divine Objects are gathered.

“Didn’t you say you’d explain later?”

Crown Prince Cedric’s voice was heavy.

He remembered me putting off answering at the banquet.

*Thump.* He closed the book he was reading. I calmly replied,

“Actually, more than anything, I want to see Princess Royal. I don’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings to arise between our two countries. I’m afraid this could lead to war. I think the surest way to prevent that is to let her know directly that I’m safe.”

“That’s not wrong, Cedric. We can’t even get in touch with Princess Royal.”

‘It would be good if His Majesty went, but if the Prince goes, it could be a fundamental solution.’

Dame Elisabeth, who had been listening silently, took my side. Ganael’s face brightened.

The Crown Prince glared at her and gave a sharp reply.

“I can’t leave the Imperial Palace at a time like this. Either His Majesty or I have to stay.”

“……”

“Then tomorrow is the only chance.”

He turned his gaze back to me. Tomorrow was February 22nd.

My real birthday.

“Are you urging me to defy His Majesty on the Great Feast Day?”

“……”

The Crown Prince, who couldn’t possibly know, was defensive. I understood perfectly.

Regardless of whether he trusted me, he was the heir to the throne, with many responsibilities.

He was the type to even sneak into a neutral country if his mother agreed, but this was an act that went directly against her will.

Besides, it wasn’t a minor matter, but a proposal to ‘secretly cross the border into a neutral zone.’

The day was what it was, and the matter was serious.

…But I couldn’t back down. I began with a determined tone.

Cristel’s gaze fell on Bodrai’s cheek.

“It’s all my fault, and say that I lured the Crown Prince with my outrageous claims. Because that’s the truth. After we return, I will gladly accept whatever punishment His Majesty gives me. Even if he tells me to stay in the palace for a month or a year, I will humbly,”

-Knock knock

At that moment,

“Your Highness, Your Royal Highness. Excuse me for interrupting.”

David knocked and entered through the open door.

He apologized politely and then whispered in the Crown Prince’s ear.

‘About the Vice-Chairman position in the Aristocratic Council…’ I couldn’t hear it clearly, but it seemed to be about state affairs.

If everything went as planned, the Crown Prince would have to handle the Empire’s affairs of state while Emperor Frederick was away from the palace.

I bit my lip. That’s how the world works, but nothing was easy.

“…Very well.”

“Yes. It’s all prepared.”

As David replied calmly, the Crown Prince stood up with a brusque attitude.

As always, he seemed to be leaving without warning.

My head went up at the same time, but he didn’t make eye contact with either of us.

Ganael hurriedly brought the Crown Prince’s fur cloak.

I was too nervous to think of anything to add.

“Your Highness, shouldn’t you be with your partner, since you’re supposed to be partners?”

Cristel suddenly asked. I turned to look at her in surprise.

Her beautiful hands, which had been doing word puzzles, were still holding a quill.

Her clear voice created an openly teasing tone.

“I’d follow the Prince anywhere he goes. Conversely, I firmly believe that the Prince would come to wherever I go. But I think someone living somewhere isn’t being sincere enough about their divine partner. What do you think, Sir Johann?”

“……”

She blinked her large eyes and tilted her head.

It was an innocent expression, as if she didn’t know anything.

I bit my lip, trying not to make a sound.

Dame Elisabeth and her partner quickly bent down and started coloring in the puzzle squares.

Eva often called Sir Johann a white fox, but in my eyes, Cristel was the silver fox.

Soon, the young Cardinal smiled gently.

“I would do anything.”

“Ah, as expected. The educated are different.”

The protagonist reacted cheerfully to Sir Johann’s answer.

The Crown Prince glared at his teacher and senior disciple as if he wanted to cut them down,

“……”

Finally, he glanced at me and turned away.

His large cloak fluttered like a flag as he followed him.

David gave us a regretful look and left the room.

I took a deep breath. Demi, wearing Dduk-ssim [a type of headwear] on her head, whined and clung to my calf.

Only then did a bitter smile flow out, like a burst dam.

Yeah, I failed again this time. Does begging require talent?

Your brother is a hopeless liar.

*

Johann Haines quietly observed the room.

In fact, it wasn’t an unusual action.

He had a habit of sensing his surroundings wherever he and Herritt stayed.

Whether it was indoors or outdoors, in the Empire or the Holy Nation, it didn’t matter.

After having someone to give his life for, the man’s ether became even more alert and sharp.

‘Paaaa!’ All sorts of noises were amplified, reaching his ears and then fading away.

“……”

Cristel and Elisabeth had already put aside their word puzzles and were engrossed in gossiping about their friend.

In between, the sound of burning firewood, the cries of the Divine Beasts, and the rocking of the cradle spread out in small fragments.

The Holy Knight pretended to be lost in thought as he looked at the tea.

It was easier than moving a weather vane.

“Bad guy. The Prince is clinging to him, and his ether is going wild, and he’s so happy he could die. He’s ditching him because he’s busy? What a jerk. If it were me, I would have scored big points at a time like this.”

“Dame Cristel. The Prince might hear you.”

“Hmm. He’s a little slow. When he’s absorbed in a book like that, he usually can’t hear anything.”

“Ugh…”

The young Countess sobbed before she could finish stirring her Mus O Cafe [a type of drink].

Cristel bit her spoon instead.

Johann slowly raised his eyes and looked at Yeser Fenetian.

The Prince was reading a fairy tale to Tete’s cradle, which was far away.

His face was as gentle as usual, but the reason why Johann’s disciple was angry was clear.

Her divine partner had been lacking energy in his ether since yesterday.

He didn’t seem to realize it himself, but the energy flowing out of him was filled with gloom and even a hint of sadness.

The number of people who could help with matters involving the Prince’s family was limited.

But neither of the two Imperial Family members would send him.

“…I wonder if they reported me missing.”

The Holy Knight skillfully captured the Prince’s murmur, which even the Divine Beast under his chin couldn’t have heard.

Within a certain range, Johann could even grasp the other person’s breathing as if it were his own.

The air attribute could do more than one might think.

A shadow fell over the man’s mint-colored eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be okay to just kidnap him?”

“Did I hear you wrong?”

Cristel spat out, and the young Countess widened her eyes.

Ganael, who had been dutifully serving her master’s snacks, stopped abruptly.

Johann turned to look at his disciple. Her blue-gray eyes were shining seriously.

It meant she wasn’t joking.

“It’s not that the Crown Prince doesn’t want to go right now. From what I felt, from what I was made to feel, that’s how it is. He’s absolutely determined to leave, but he’s doing this because he has a duty.”

“That’s true. Cedric has always been a good son to His Majesty. He’s worked hard since he was young.”

‘He has a habit of enduring everything.’ The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard agreed.

Cristel whispered spiritedly.

“So someone has to push him. If we create an unavoidable situation, he’ll pretend to hate it but willingly be dragged along. In this case, kidnapping is the perfect solution.”

“……”

It was clearly a stretch, but it was strangely persuasive.

Elisabeth was a born soldier.

If Cedric was enduring something, she always chose to endure it with him.

She had never even imagined resisting her superiors or giving up halfway.

But their new friend Cristel was suggesting a completely new direction.

This was almost a new civilization, close to incitement.

“How long are you going to live oppressed? Rise up while you’re still young. This is a revolution!”

“Wow…!”

Ganael’s golden eyes sparkled, and Elisabeth felt a thrilling sense of guilt.

Johann raised the corners of his lips and looked around the room again.

The Chief Steward Benjamin was away preparing for the Great Feast Day event tomorrow.

Fortunately, one usable card caught his eye.

After finishing his calculations, he called his lord in a low voice.

“Your Highness.”

His head perked up. The purple gaze that had been caring for the Divine Beast showed him mercy.

Johann deliberately raised his voice. The barrier for soundproofing had been removed long ago.

“Dame Cristel is plotting to kidnap the Crown Prince. If you add Your Highness’s ‘already prepared method,’ it will be perfect.”

“……Yes?!”

He was dumbfounded and opened his mouth wide.

The Prince looked around to see who might have heard, and when he met the eyes of the attendant, he flinched and picked up Tete.

Then, he hurriedly made excuses, saying, ‘It’s a joke, Pierre. Go and rest. I had Nonette [a type of snack] stacked in the next room for you to eat.’

It was acting as transparent as a clear lake.

While the other three giggled, Johann thought, making his throat vibrate.

‘Yes, Yes. Your Royal Highness!’

Fulfilling that person’s wish might be easier than expected.

*

Half an hour later.

“…Is that really true?”

Orelly widened her eyes.

Pierre, the Juliette Palace attendant standing in front of her, nodded his head vigorously, even though he was restless.

The boy was the same age as Ganael and liked Prince Yeser very much.

Pierre was the first to help the Prince whenever he was short of hands.

And….

“Yes, Great Aunt. I saw it clearly with my own two eyes!”

“Oh my.”

He was the great-nephew of the only Cardinal-level divine official in the Empire.

Orelly, who had been busy preparing for the journey, drooped her eyebrows as if she was in trouble.

A strange silence flowed through the office.

It was true that she had planted a relative in Juliette last spring to gather information.

But so far, the only information Pierre had given her was, ‘The Prince’s heart is as beautiful as gold brocade,’ and ‘The Prince sewed on a fallen button for me.’

The boy was suited to being an attendant and had quite a bit of motivation, but he was too pure-hearted to be good at playing the role of a spy.

So Orelly let the child grow up that way.

In any case, Prince Yeser tended to tell her most of the news first.

However, Pierre still occasionally sent her notes these days.

‘The Prince and Dame Cristel are a truly well-matched couple. Ganael says that the two of them have even held hands and run away to hide! It’s exciting.’

‘The Prince muttered ‘pig’ at Crown Prince. His Highness doesn’t have an ant’s tear of fat, so it’s a mysterious thing.’

…So how much of what her young cousin said should she believe?

No, how should she accept it? She was at a loss.

“You’re saying that the Prince and his friends are plotting to kidnap Cedric?”

“That’s right.”

“Could it have been Elisabeth and Cristel?”

She asked lightly, tidying up the documents. There was laughter in her words.

The desk, as wide as a bed, was messy for the first time in a long time.

On this side, the official documents to be seen in the neutral zone were classified, and on that side, diplomatic documents and related articles from the reign of the late Emperor Celine….

“It’s not just those two. Ganael and Sir Haines were there too. As soon as His Highness stormed out of his seat, the atmosphere became scary, and my ears went ‘pop.’ And Sir Haines called the Prince…”

“Johann was there?”

She immediately raised her head. Pierre nodded his head.

Orelly exchanged glances with Natali, who was standing by.

If Johann Haines was on the scene, the situation was completely different.

There was a high probability that he knew that Pierre was Orelly’s relative, and he would have even thought of using him with a higher probability than that.

The mercenary was that kind of person by nature.

“…I see.”

The fact that the child had heard the story about the kidnapping was proof of that.

The man could block the hearing of all living things within a radius of 500m if he wanted to.

He had deliberately ‘let’ Pierre hear it.

“He was trying to tell me.”

“Of course! I came all the way from Juliette in one breath.”

The boy smiled brightly. It was a face that was not tainted in the slightest.

Orelly quietly looked at the child and then found a scrap that had slipped out of her fingertips.

It was an old article fragment that had been published during the reign of the late Emperor.

‘The Kidnapping of Prince Alexandre Blanquer!’

‘Courtly Love at a Crossroads’

‘Amidst rumors that Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Frederick, who knows no fear, kidnapped Prince Blanquer, who was scheduled to become the head of the Blanquer family, and brought him into Romero Palace….’

*Pfft.* A small laugh burst out. Perhaps this was the karma of her partner.