What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 166

#166 Exit (2)

I washed up, put on my pajamas, and stood in front of the designated bedroom, holding a pillow and Tete.

It was well past 1 a.m. due to the masquerade ball and the dungeon commotion.

Benjamin and Ganael were grinning from behind. I was a little nervous about what this was.

Knock, knock. I knocked on the door, and a cheerful voice called out, “Come in!” It was Christel.

I had camped with her before, but this was the first time we would be sleeping in the same room.

Umm… I carefully opened the door.

“Excuse me.”

-Creak

-Creeak

-Squeak

-Peep

As soon as I said a word, the troublemakers and Dduk-ssim all chimed in and ran into the room.

The four people sitting on the bed got up and bowed.

I wasn’t even from here, and meeting my friends in my pajamas made me feel embarrassed and shy.

Duchess Isabel de Sarnese laughed awkwardly as she began to speak after we exchanged greetings.

“It was my daughter’s idea, Your Highness. Thank you for coming.”

“Yes. Thank you for inviting me.”

I replied in a subdued voice.

Christel smiled mischievously, sensing my awkwardness.

Eva, held in Elizabeth’s arms, had a lively glint in her eyes despite the late hour.

She was so excited about becoming a duchess that she seemed ready to stay up all night.

The child declared loudly as she looked at me.

“Pajama parties are really fun. We’re all having one at our castle tonight!”

“I’m looking forward to it. Aren’t we, Your Highness?”

I flinched. The one who responded was Sir Johann, who was standing there shamelessly and smiling.

I was shocked to see the man who I didn’t know when he had arrived.

How dare he sit alone in a bedroom full of women!

*

And so, the space that Duke Cecil Blanquer had provided for the Sarnese couple, of all places, became the venue for our pajama party.

The gist of it was surprisingly simple.

The Sarnese duke had arrived just in time for the start of the ball and left as soon as the event was over, and Christel, who was furious about this, decided to stay with Isabel.

But when she thought about it, it was a waste to spend such a special day like this.

So she called all her friends and spread out several fluffy mattresses on the floor.

She asked the manor’s servants to prepare drinks and snacks and put plenty of firewood in the fireplace.

-Crack, crackle…

The sound of the firewood burning was nice. The candles that lit the place added to the cozy atmosphere.

I sat holding a warm cocoa in both hands, looking at the fireplace.

Beside me, my four divine beasts and the wren were huddled together, fast asleep.

“So, the founding ceremony could be pushed back to November?”

“Yeah. I hope you can come with us.”

“If His Highness accompanies the Crown Prince, you can go.”

Elizabeth and Ganael, sitting close together, whispered and smiled bashfully.

When I didn’t know, I just felt like they were close like siblings, but now that I think about it, their couple act was no joke.

When will our protagonists become such a lovely couple?

I glared intensely at the Crown Prince, who was already posing for a nightgown photoshoot next to me.

It’s commendable that he attended this kind of event without skipping it…

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“It’s nothing.”

Did he have eyes in the back of his head? I brushed off his words and grumbled inwardly.

Sir Johann was writing a letter to Herrit by the light of the fireplace.

Benjamin and David were also drinking wine and talking, and even though I only heard bits and pieces, it was about serving us, which made me smile wryly.

Christel, who had been whispering with Isabel on the bed, plopped down on my left.

“It’s Sarnese’s crest.”

Eva, who had been humming a waltz and stroking the divine beasts, was delighted and lay down on her lap.

Christel stroked the child’s curly hair with a smile. I asked quietly.

“Where is the duchess?”

“She’s asleep. She usually goes to bed early. She held out for a long time.”

I looked at the bed in the distance and nodded.

Christel spoke to Eva.

“Our little duchess. Aren’t you disappointed that it wasn’t announced in a more splendid atmosphere? Say a few words.”

“I didn’t expect anything. Strange things always happen when Prince Ye-seo is around.”

The young lady, no, our Blanquer duchess, pouted.

Then, she glanced around and tightly grabbed my pants leg.

It seemed like she was doing this because she was worried that I might be upset. I chuckled and changed the subject.

“The duke didn’t mention that Eva received the blessing of the sacred object. That’s also precious news.”

“It’s probably because of his pride. My mother is the one who protects the sacred object, but if she didn’t even know who received the blessing of the sacred palace… his ‘image’? It wouldn’t look good.”

“Excuse me?”

I doubted my ears for a moment. I swear I never used that word in front of Eva.

I looked at Christel in bewilderment.

She quickly rubbed the top of Eva’s head with a flustered expression.

Stop it, what if she gets alopecia from that?

“Go to sleep now, little duchess. You need to sleep well to grow tall.”

Christel whispered. Eva closed her eyes as if she had been waiting for it.

Sir Johann put down his quill and covered the child with a blanket.

I was so dumbfounded that I let out a laugh, and seeing that made my eyelids feel heavy.

I buried my face in my knees and enjoyed a few minutes of silence.

When I woke up from a nap, Christel was quietly continuing her story.

“I want to become incredibly strong and protect the prince, but I don’t just want to protect the prince. I want my mother to be happy and my other friends to stay healthy. Just like now, without anything bad happening. But my father has been holed up in the lord’s castle since my investiture ceremony…”

-Rumble…

The ground rumbled in the distance. The dark night outside the window flashed like lightning.

On an autumn night without rain, the duke and his knights were exterminating a horde of monsters somewhere in the mountains.

I squinted and looked at Eva’s face.

She was only sixteen, but she seemed used to this situation and fell asleep quickly.

“It won’t be Uncle François. He’s not the type to harbor ulterior motives. There’s a reason why he left early today…”

Flash. The next thing I heard was Elizabeth’s voice.

The cocoa cup I had been holding was already far away.

Someone must have taken it away when they saw me dozing off.

Since an important conversation was taking place, I furrowed my brow.

There was no need to show that I wasn’t the protagonist in this situation. Just hold on a little longer, you commoner stamina…

“Then, could it be that Duke Sarnese met with Count Robert?”

Ganael whispered worriedly. I perked up in my sleep.

The thought that Duke Simon de Sarnese was at the center of a plot that might involve me made me feel uneasy and disturbed.

Christel’s eyes, which met mine, were endlessly sinking.

“He overestimates the Fleur-de-lis [a stylized lily used as a heraldic emblem].”

Crown Prince Cedric, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

Christel and I looked at him at the same time.

The orange eyes were overflowing with a light like the flames of the fireplace.

“The commander’s words may be false.”

“Ah, that’s right…”

Ganael nodded at the Crown Prince’s firm opinion.

That was true. The accuracy rate was 80%.

“For now, they say they’re interrogating Count Robert, so let’s wait for those results. The tulip-related question is a concern, but it’s possible that the count acted alone. It’s possible that he didn’t ‘follow’ someone onto the balcony, but it just looked that way…”

The viscount said seriously. I had thought about it once too, so I nodded my head involuntarily.

The face of Marquis Dhiem flashed in my hazy vision.

The look in his eyes towards his youngest sibling was very gentle, and there was no hesitation in his gaze as he evacuated me.

The marquis was a man of many words and flamboyant gestures, but he was basically a good person.

And Duke Sarnese is…

-Thud

“Ouch.”

I groaned, hitting my forehead on something.

This was almost like me on the subway on my way home after a late night at work.

I had danced a lot and walked and ran for a long time, so it was impossible to hold on any longer.

A low sigh was heard near the top of my head.

And the next moment, I was lying on a fluffy pillow, wrapped in a blanket.

Christel’s face was in front of me. Is this a dream?

“It’s not a dream. Everyone is lying down to sleep now.”

She whispered, reading my thoughts. It seemed like I had dozed off.

But why is she lying next to me?

“There’s no room on the bed. We did this during camping too, so what’s the big deal?”

Um, that’s true.

“Hehehe. Your Highness, you’re in a daze right now, so I feel like I can tell you everything. The things I’m hiding. The things I don’t say… You won’t even remember it in the morning.”

A sweet, beautiful voice landed like a butterfly in my ear. I blinked slowly. Maybe so.

“My eyes are strange. I don’t even know if it’s a problem with my eyes or my brain. It’s easiest to just say that some people look like they’re in 4K [high resolution] and some people look like they’re in 480p [low resolution]… But there’s a difference. It’s not just a matter of what I see, but the presence that touches my heart? The vividness? Something like that is different. It’s strange, right?”

It’s okay…

“I knew you’d say that. I tried not to think about it deeply either… But I’m worried about it these days. Could this also be a kind of blessing? The ‘Blessing of the Sea’?”

Ruffling, ruffling. Someone stirred by the window. Christel held her breath.

This time, she pulled the blanket over her head and whispered.

“Anyway, my father and Marquis Dhiem, their vitality suddenly became clearer. The marquis always shone, but he looks even more so today. There may be other reasons, but it’s bothering me for no reason… Your Highness is a special being. Others may not know, but I know.”

…

“Still. Don’t worry. Because I’m here.”

A cool finger tapped the tip of my nose and moved away. Soon, her voice faded into the distance.

*

-Gurgle, gurgle!

“Oh dear. Wake up, wake up…”

I woke up, hugging Demi, who was pressing down on my stomach.

Lea and Perry were tugging at my pajama sleeves.

I must have slept for a long time, as the bright sunlight streamed in through the curtains.

I thought my back would hurt since I slept on the floor, but surprisingly, I was fine. The duke’s family has good bedding.

“Where did everyone go?”

I muttered, looking around.

Judging by the fact that the fireplace was still crackling, it seemed like someone had come in the morning and put in firewood, but all the mattresses were empty. Did they not clean up because they were afraid of waking me up?

It felt like I had slept overnight at a training camp and was the only one who woke up late.

That was already more than 10 years ago, but that’s how it felt as an analogy. What time is it now?

-Awoo

Tete was talking in his sleep over there.

I got up unsteadily and checked the bed, and Eva was sound asleep, hugging her divine beast.

One more sleepyhead added.

“You’re going to kick them all off and catch a cold.”

I carefully covered the two little ones with blankets and headed towards the door.

Dduk-ssim flew from the window and sat on my shoulder.

I slowly turned the doorknob, and I had a strange feeling.

It was natural that it was quiet since no one was there, but somehow, it felt eerily desolate.

-Click

“Oh, Your Highness. You’re awake?”

Ganael greeted me right away from beyond the door. It seemed like he was on his way to wake me up.

When I said, ‘Good morning,’ the boy replied, ‘Yes,’ anxiously.

I tilted my head. This child couldn’t act, and if he was uncomfortable, it showed on his face.

“Ganael, what’s wrong? What’s the matter? Where’s Benjamin?”

“Sir Benjamin is bringing in Your Highness’s breakfast. And, well…”

That’s when it happened.

-Koo-oo-oong!

A ground tremor several times larger than last night shook the lord’s castle.

I immediately hid Ganael’s head in my arms and crawled under a nearby table.

“Demi, go to Eva! You guys protect Benjamin!”

-Kieung!

-Kiee!

The lesser pandas quickly ran to the bed and the hallway.

I heard the sound of dirt falling, and the magical lights and candlesticks on the ceiling twisted and turned.

Clang! The sound of pottery breaking was loud in the distance.

‘Aaaagh!’ Someone screamed outside the window. I was chilled by the midday disaster.

I held Dduk-ssim close and gritted my teeth.

Fortunately, the terrible vibration didn’t last long.

It felt like two hours of terror, but it probably only lasted about two minutes.

“Ha…”

The surroundings were eerily quiet. Ganael’s golden eyes were flickering ominously.

“Your Highness, Duke Blanquer failed to seal the dungeon last night. They’re still fighting.”

…What?

“The magic tower and the knights’ abilities were not enough. Crown Prince and Sir Sarnese went into the mountain valley before sunrise. Sir Mute and the Royal Guards too…”

The boy’s voice trembled at the end of his words. I felt my blood run cold.