What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 10

#010 The Hottest Instructor in the Imperial Palace (2)

Help a child, you say.

I was slightly taken aback, having conjured up grand themes like palace intrigue, power struggles, and the purification of the clergy in my mind.

“How… How do you wish me to help?”

Of course, helping a little one would be much easier than those things, so it was good for me.

I was actually quite confident when it came to children.

I practically raised Eunseo, who is nine years younger than me, with my brother.

I could confidently say that my unmarried brother and I had done everything that ordinary parents do, at least a few times over.

“You must be thirsty. Would you like something to drink?”

Cardinal Boutier abruptly changed the subject.

Puzzled, I tried to read her expression, but as a cardinal, she revealed very little.

She smiled faintly at me and summoned a servant to request refreshments.

“Coffee for Her Eminence the Cardinal, and ginger tea for Prince Yeseo.”

“Thank you.”

Soon, a teapot and teacups with steaming tea, and a coffee cup were set out.

Even the Cardinal drank coffee, so I understood why Benjamin was surprised on the first day when I mentioned herbal tea.

Whether he had been told outside or not, I was given a caffeine-free drink.

At home, I only drank ginger tea made with preserved ginger, but this seemed to be prepared differently.

The lemon slice gave it a refreshing finish.

The servant soon left us alone.

I wondered if I should bring up the ‘child’ topic again.

“I can’t tell you more just yet, I’m afraid. I’m sorry.”

The Cardinal, having moistened her lips with coffee, spoke first.

It seemed she wasn’t planning to drop the subject entirely.

“For now, just remember that there is a child who needs your help. It won’t harm you. I promise.”

“Is the child sick?”

“Something like that.”

“Can’t you even tell me their name or age?”

“No. Once you can use your divine power more stably, and we can trust each other completely… I intend to introduce you to the child then.”

She spoke softly. I simply nodded. Well, it wasn’t a bad deal.

If I received personal tutoring from the Cardinal, my divine power would grow stronger, and I would be able to protect myself properly, increasing my chances of survival.

The price was helping a child, and I had even received a promise that it wouldn’t harm me, so there seemed to be nothing to worry about right now.

Forming a kind of master-disciple relationship with the Cardinal would also ease any wariness the Emperor might have towards me, which was a bonus.

Ah, right. The Emperor. There was that to consider.

“Excuse me, Your Eminence.”

“Speak.”

“His Majesty the Emperor said he would grant me any convenience… or so I recall.”

“Yes, he did. Is there something you need?”

There wasn’t supposed to be, but something came up a few days ago.

“I heard that I might be attending the spring ball. If possible, I would like to not attend.”

“That’s unexpected.”

She widened her eyes slightly and then chuckled.

Everyone here, regardless of their status, treated me like a huge social butterfly, probably because everyone knew about my nickname, ‘The Playboy of the Holy Kingdom,’ which was published in the newspapers.

They were all surprised when I said I wouldn’t do something, and they stared at me with wide eyes when I said I would rather stay in my room and read.

“Do you have other plans that day?”

“Well, I plan to fulfill my duty here.”

Lady Christel de Sarnes, the protagonist of this novel, will surely be at the spring ball, and I don’t want to have any contact with her.

I’ll die if I do. I need to keep my head on my shoulders.

I couldn’t explain all that.

“Since I came as a confessor, I thought I would listen to the confessions of the people in the Imperial Palace.”

At my answer, the Cardinal’s beige eyes sparkled.

She looked very interested.

“Everyone will be lining up from dawn. We’ll have to issue queue numbers [numbered tickets].”

Elisabeth, the captain of the Imperial Guard, stopped cutting her steak and made a serious face.

I was feeding Ganael a piece of sirloin next to her and was startled.

“Will that many people come?”

“For commoners, confessing to an ordinary bishop-level confessor is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Most ordinary temples only have priests, and the bishops are too busy with their own infighting to show their faces. But Prince Yeseo himself will be hearing confessions, so if the news spreads, there will be people camping out tonight.”

She finished speaking and elegantly cut her meat.

Her dark green bob swayed gently.

“Then the Imperial Guard will have more work. I’m sorry.”

“No, there’s no need to be. It’s our job to receive a salary, and more importantly, this is an issue that Her Eminence the Cardinal is also promoting.”

Elisabeth smiled brightly.

Today’s lunch was also a hastily arranged meeting to coordinate the confession schedule that would begin tomorrow.

She added, ‘Many of the guards will probably go to confess, too.’

I smiled quietly and began to dismantle my third plate of steak.

As expected of a key figure from ‘Retired, Now a Duchy’s Daughter,’ Cardinal Orelly Boutier’s influence in the Liester Empire was enormous.

The fact that she was the only cardinal in the empire was a big reason, but even more decisive was her title as the ‘Emperor’s Religious Partner.’

Here, ‘partner’ meant a colleague rather than a spouse.

The Liester imperial family, especially those close to the throne, had to have a ‘political partner’ or a ‘religious partner.’ Political partners were joined through marriage, and religious partners were joined through, well, some kind of contract.

From what I gathered after skimming through the details, the former was an arranged marriage, and the latter was something like a soulmate.

As befitting a relationship where they shared their souls, what the Emperor knew, the Cardinal knew, and what the Cardinal didn’t know, the Emperor didn’t know either.

The Emperor always included the Cardinal’s opinion in his work, and what the Cardinal did was no different from what the Emperor condoned.

In other words, the background behind my becoming a confessor was the Cardinal’s support and the Emperor’s approval.

Since I had official permission not to go to the ball, I was already overflowing with motivation to work.

“The reason Her Eminence the Cardinal is supporting you is probably because she was also a confessor.”

“Is that so?”

I responded to Elisabeth’s words, cut another piece of meat, and put it in Ganael’s mouth.

Benjamin frowned, but I lightly ignored him.

Seeing him eat so well reminded me of Eunseo for a moment.

“Yes. Usually, the confessors in the Imperial Palace do nothing but loaf around. They are assigned to help the imperial family with their religious life, but there are few imperial family members residing in the Imperial Palace, and very few are willing to confide in a strange confessor. But Her Eminence the Cardinal entered the palace as a confessor when she was young and attended the temple every day without fail, waiting for confessions.”

“Even when no one came?”

“That’s right. That’s how she met the current Emperor and built a friendship.”

“That’s an amazing connection.”

To live diligently in a cushy job and meet the future Emperor, becoming lifelong friends, was a development that seemed straight out of a novel.

It is a novel, though.

“Perhaps she remembered that time? Maybe she saw you and was reminded of her younger days.”

“That could be.”

“Besides, you said you would receive confessions regardless of status, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Her Eminence seemed curious about people’s reactions and the results.”

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t feed the servant.”

Benjamin finally interrupted the conversation. I abruptly stopped the fork in my hand.

Still, I had something to say.

“You said he eats lunch at 3 PM. He’s still growing, so it’s too much to starve him until 3 PM.”

“Servants are used to this lifestyle. Your actions may have long-term negative effects on Ganael’s body and mind.”

“Okay, then this is really the last one.”

I smiled and moved the utensils.

Ganael, while watching Benjamin’s reaction, diligently ate every last bite.

Elisabeth burst out laughing at the sight.

“You have a good master, Ganael.”

“Don’t tease me, Lady Mute.”

Ganael’s face turned bright red as he muttered at Elisabeth’s words.

Come to think of it, were these two acquainted?

“Then, should we open the confessional in the morning?”

A clear voice scattered my stray thoughts.

I explained the detailed plan to Elisabeth.

“Yes, from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM, from 3 PM to 4 PM, and from 8 PM to 9 PM. I can’t stay in the temple all the time, so I’m planning to divide it into three sessions a day.”

“That sounds too tiring. There’s also the travel distance to the temple. Wouldn’t it be better to reduce it to two sessions?”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”

This was an issue that Benjamin had already mentioned.

I also wanted to do it only twice a day if possible, but knowing that there were many people waiting for me in the Imperial Palace, I hesitated to do as I pleased.

Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to hold morning confessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because I would be receiving guidance from the Cardinal.

Mixing with strangers was the thing I was least confident in, but when I thought of it as ‘listening,’ I felt a surge of confidence.

“For now, do as Your Highness wishes, and if you think it’s too much later, it would be good to change the times or frequency.”

Benjamin gave a neat answer.

Elisabeth raised her wine glass, saying it was an excellent idea.

The grape juice, filled to the brim, sloshed gently.

The next morning, what greeted me as I got out of the carriage was a long line stretching nearly 100 meters from the temple entrance.

Elisabeth’s words were not an exaggeration.

Those holding small pieces of paper were lined up, their faces flushed as they raised their voices.

Are those really queue numbers?

“It’s the Prince, the Prince is here!”

“What? Where, I can’t see!”

“Don’t push, please!”

“We greet the First Prince of the Holy Kingdom!”

“Hello, thank you for coming.”

As I awkwardly greeted them, those gathered from various parts of the Imperial Palace covered their mouths with their hands or repeatedly bowed, not knowing what to do.

I felt embarrassed and awkward.

Some elderly people reached out their hands, and I thought I should shake them, so I approached, but the guards quickly came forward and blocked my path.

Seeing signs that the line was about to collapse, some stretched out their arms to stop the crowd.

“Your Highness, please follow me.”

“Ah, yes.”

Elisabeth, who had ridden in the carriage with me, said in a firm voice.

Benjamin and Ganael diligently followed her steps.

Soon, knights in breastplates threw open the heavy main gate, and the interior of the temple slowly revealed itself to me.

The noise of the people faded behind me.

“Wow…”

It was my first time visiting a ‘temple’ since falling into the world of [the novel].

Everything felt new, and I quickly looked around.

The author was, after all, an average Earthling, so the temple’s overall style was something I had seen somewhere before.

The exterior resembled a temple from Greek mythology, and the interior was like a huge cathedral.