What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 132

#132 The Luncheon Table Under the Pale Moon (2)

That meant.

“Does this mean the Sarnese Princess will be joining us on our journey?”

“I believe that’s likely. We’re concerned about sending the Prince alone, so it would be good if the Duke’s family could accompany him on their way to meet the Asu Merchant Leader.”

Cardinal Boutier spoke softly.

I thought I knew why they were ‘concerned’ about sending me alone.

Heins’ assassination attempt was only last month, so even if I am an Archbishop, they must be anxious and worried.

I nodded, watching the dessert trolley being wheeled in by a servant of the Imperial Palace.

Looks delicious.

“Your Highness, we have prepared more varieties of pralines, which you enjoyed so much last time.”

“Thank you.”

The main course plates, which I had nearly licked clean, disappeared, and the table was filled with dainty desserts.

Looking at Dduk-sim, who was dozing off at the table, I renewed my resolve.

My path would cross with Christel’s again, but since I had bargained with the wren, I no longer intended to avoid getting involved with the main characters.

Hadn’t I already made up my mind on the day I made a deal with the Emperor?

If I couldn’t escape the main story no matter what, I would try to take the lead in the flow.

And gather information along the way.

“Will the Crown Prince be joining us as well?”

“My son will be busy for the time being.”

The Emperor replied sharply. This was a bit unexpected.

It was natural for him to be busy now that he had just become the Crown Prince, but the fact that he wouldn’t be accompanying Christel and me was…

Somehow surprising.

“You seem disappointed.”

“Not at all.”

I was so taken aback that I took the Emperor’s joke as a documentary [taking something literally].

A strange energy swirled in the cherry-colored eyes I met. I belatedly pursed my lips.

It seemed better to change the subject, so I quickly cleared my mouth with tea and began.

“If you both permit, I would like to attend the ball held by the Blanquer Ducal Family next month.”

“Finally, the Prince is going to dance.”

The Cardinal was openly delighted. It made me feel a bit shy.

It was the first time I had asked her for permission to go out since the polo match.

I recalled Eva’s eyes sparkling when she asked me during the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.

‘Have you decided? Will you be my dance partner?’

And the sharp look that followed. ‘How long are you going to think about it? I hate you!’

“I approve. I’m glad to see the Prince getting along well with the great nobles of the Empire. Are you trying to make an impression at the Blanquer Duchess’s debut into society?”

“Yes. I intend to be the Duchess’s dance partner.”

“Unexpected.”

My teacher said. The beige eyes under the monocle held a questioning light.

“Not Christel’s dance partner?”

“Me?”

I was bewildered. I turned my head to see the Emperor giving me the same look.

I wondered what this was all about.

Of course, Christel was the noble lady I was closest to, so it was understandable that they would think so, but wasn’t there someone else who was the obvious first choice?

“The Sarnese Princess will probably be partnering with the Crown Prince if she goes.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Both adults were taken aback at the same time.

Their expressions were so identical that I almost choked.

I cleared my throat and calmly continued.

I hadn’t expected to have this conversation today, but now that it had come up, it seemed like a good idea to emphasize the strong relationship between the two.

Just because an engagement announcement had been called off once didn’t mean it couldn’t happen a second time.

“Isn’t the Sarnese Princess the first outsider the Crown Prince brought into the Romero Palace? You even invited the two of them to Romero for a banquet to introduce the Princess.”

“That was acting. Do you think I wouldn’t have seen through those green youngsters’ antics?”

“No, it’s just that…”

Why was His Majesty suddenly angry?

I was flustered by the sharp retort and rubbed Dduk-sim’s back.

The little guy was happily making a ‘삐뽀 삐뽀’ [Korean onomatopoeia for a siren] sound in his sleep.

Seeing my embarrassment, the Cardinal interjected as if to mediate.

“The Prince has a good imagination, Frederick. Let’s call Laura in.”

“Tsk. It looks like only my child will suffer.”

The two exchanged incomprehensible words and then summoned Laura, the head chamberlain.

In any case, since the Emperor had not expressed any opposition, it seemed I would be able to watch Eva’s debut into society up close.

I was happily taking a bite of Gateau Basque [a traditional Basque cake] when Laura came in, placed a small wooden box on the table, and retreated.

What is this?

“This is why I invited you to lunch.”

The Emperor said gruffly.

I carefully chewed and swallowed the cake filled with sweet black cherries and straightened my posture.

It seemed that the story about Dduk-sim and the Marquisate was not the end of it.

I had heard that she valued efficiency, but I didn’t know she would cover so many topics in one meal.

“The Aitz Village where you stayed is imperial land. It is self-sufficient, with almost no outside access, and the territory itself has a small population.”

Silence flowed. My mouth slowly opened.

Then it was natural that Grandma Marlene and Grandpa Remy had never seen the lord and didn’t even know his name.

Their lord had been the Emperor for a very long time, and the taxes would have been collected directly by the country.

Wait. There were four Shinmus [likely a type of creature or guardian] in the forest path, but there were no monster attacks. Now that I think about it, it seemed that there was a barrier surrounding the Imperial Palace nearby.

As I blinked, the Cardinal smiled.

“They have taken care of the Imperial Family with great devotion, so the residents there will receive appropriate compensation.”

“The village will prosper before long.”

The Emperor added, opening the box. Familiar plants and minerals came into view.

One was the downy chick-shaped herb that Herrit and Eva had found, and the other was the transparent pebble that the two children had picked up.

Only this time, they were much larger. They seemed to be about the size of my fist.

“This is…”

“Do you know anything about it?”

The husky voice lowered. I looked at the Emperor and answered honestly.

“I saw both for the first time in Aitz. I heard that Herrit uses this as a medicine, and this one… has the property of trapping Ether [magical energy]. It was amazing.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

I answered immediately. The Emperor and the Cardinal exchanged meaningful glances.

It was my teacher who spoke first.

“Well… this is called ‘Sun Halo Herb.’ I heard that it rarely grows only in the border area, but for some reason, it is growing in Aitz.”

I was startled. That day, Heins’ voice, filled with pain, came to mind.

‘Moon Halo Herb is not poisonous. It’s just that when mixed with the essence of Sun Halo Herb, it has the side effect of disrupting Ether.’

‘That day, while touching the teacup, I applied the essence of Sun Halo Herb.’

I quickly lowered both hands under the table and clenched my fists.

Even though it was already in the past, my body remembered the fear and my fingertips trembled.

The Cardinal looked at me and drooped his eyebrows.

“Johann entrusted everything to Frederick’s decision. He said that Sun Halo Herb is his son’s medicine, but at the same time, it is the plant that tormented the Prince. He said that he couldn’t dare to ask to grow it in the Imperial Palace.”

“……”

“So Frederick wants to ask for the Prince’s opinion. Would that be alright?”

For a moment, I was speechless.

I couldn’t even imagine what he was feeling when he said that.

The Cardinal said understandingly.

“If the Prince doesn’t want it, without the support of the Imperial Palace…”

“No, please help Sir Johann and Herrit. I beg you.”

This was not something to think about. I frowned slightly and then relaxed.

“I only suffered side effects because I mixed and drank Moon Halo Herb, and that is a thing of the past. And Herrit is a young child who will have to suffer in pain for the rest of his life without medicine.”

Even if it was Herrit who attacked me, I would have said the same thing.

“It would be expensive and difficult to procure medicine from the border, but if Your Majesty allows it, we can grow many strong seedlings in the Imperial Palace greenhouse and garden.”

The Imperial Palace gardeners were skilled and diligent. I looked at the Emperor earnestly.

She, who had been staring at me, snorted briefly.

“That’s why that arrogant mercenary doesn’t give me his complete loyalty.”

“Yes?”

“Never mind, forget it.”

Instead of explaining to me, she pointed to the translucent ore.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re lying when you say you don’t know, so I’ll tell you. This is called ‘Holy Stone.’”

In an instant, a tingling shiver ran through my body as if I had been struck by lightning.

The Emperor tilted her head at my reaction.

“You know it.”

“That… If you call it Holy Stone, I can’t not know it. Isn’t it a material used as a weapon by the Divine Kingdom during the war era?”

Holy Stone was a mineral that appeared in every history book I had ever read.

It was famous for being mined only in the Divine Kingdom, and the Divine Kingdom army cut it into appropriate sizes and then dropped it like bombs, imbued with the four powers of the Main God.

Some ore exploded as soon as it touched the ground, killing hundreds of Imperial soldiers, and some ore froze and necrotized the skin of thousands of Imperial soldiers nearby.

Even though the Empire’s numbers were overwhelming, the war did not end quickly because the Divine Kingdom’s counterattacks were quite effective.

The Emperor replied with a sunken gaze.

“That’s right.”

“How did that get to the Empire…”

I trailed off. I couldn’t understand why this was found on the Emperor’s land now.

The portal that was used during the war was still there, moving the main characters and me to another neighborhood, and now it felt like a kind of foreshadowing.

Suddenly, my spine felt cold. It was clear that the author of Toegye Gong [likely the author of the story] had not forgotten the ‘war’ keyword.

“Well, I don’t know either. Don’t you know better that the Main God is capricious and fickle, since you are from the Divine Kingdom?”

“……”

“But it is a welcome thing that the Empire has a new resource. Even if I can’t find a use for it.”

Strangely, that sounded like she would definitely find a use for it someday.

Even though she didn’t exert the pressure of a Sword Master [a powerful warrior], my palms were naturally getting wet.

“Cedric tried to imbue it with flames as a test, but it couldn’t withstand it for long and shattered. The wind blown in by the Grand Preceptor also leaked out quickly. It seems that only a priest’s pure Ether can be contained. It seems that a special trick is needed to stabilize it as a weapon.”

I swallowed hard. The Emperor’s red eyes were clearly aimed at me.

The next question was so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.

“Do you know that method?”

“……I don’t know.”

-Paaat!

At the same time as my answer, the Cardinal’s Sanctuary [a magical barrier or spell] brightly illuminated the luncheon hall.

As if drawing in air from another world, a subtle current flowed out from the circle, tickling our hair.

The Cardinal recited the oracle without hesitation.

[May the Main God forgive this child’s lie.]

“……”

The Sanctuary rotated slowly clockwise without any reaction.

Only then did I exhale the breath I had been holding in.

Even though I told the truth, and even though I sensed that my teacher would test me, I was really nervous for a few seconds.

When it was revealed that I had told the truth, the Cardinal released the Sanctuary and got up from his seat and approached me.

I hurriedly got up.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I had to check once.”

“It’s alright. I understand.”

I was sincere.

I was the prince of an enemy country, so there was plenty of room to interpret it as knowing a secret but pretending not to know.

But the Cardinal only stroked my cheek with a pitiful face.

As I smiled slightly at the affection, the Emperor grumbled.

“Stop it, Aurelius. You’re making me look like a villain.”

“You are a villain.”

“Ha.”

She brushed back her silver hair, exhaling a sigh.

“I didn’t expect to reveal military secrets to the second son, who isn’t even taught imperial studies. Besides, you’ve been constantly checked by the Fatherland, so… It would be strange if you knew.”

Then she gestured towards the Holy Stone.

“Take this and experiment with it. The Crown Prince, the Grand Preceptor, and the Sarnese brat will also cooperate.”

“If it’s an experiment…”

“It means to find a secret plan to stabilize the Holy Stone. There’s no rush, but it would be more comfortable to know the method, wouldn’t it?”

It was an imperial order.

As I nodded without being able to refuse, an idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

A mineral that cannot withstand special Ether and only contains pure Ether.

I urgently asked a question.

“Your Majesty, may I cut off a part of this and use it privately?”

“Privately?”

The Cardinal asked back with a puzzled voice.

As I gave my answer with a slight feeling of embarrassment, the Emperor laughed out loud.

I endured the gazes of the two adults, which seemed to say, ‘What a strange guy,’ and succeeded in obtaining a large Holy Stone from the luncheon hall.

I also left a request not to reveal my plan to anyone.

I’ll use only a third for experiments, and have the rest crafted…

If I do well, it might make a good gift. Hmm.