What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 175

#175 Decoding (1)

-Squeak squeak!

-Squeak!

The excited lesser pandas scurried around the flower garden.

Dduk-shim was nowhere to be seen, off on some adventure, and Tete was with the butler, Pierre, at the seawater pool, so she wasn’t in the Juliette Palace.

I sternly cautioned the troublemakers.

“Don’t disturb them while they’re working. Play quietly.”

-Squeak.

Demi then rolled around on the ground like a panda, acting up.

It meant, ‘I don’t want to, I’ll do as I please.’ Herit clung to me, giggling.

A sigh and a smile involuntarily mixed on my lips.

The Juliette Palace garden in autumn was very beautiful.

Diligent gardeners were trimming trees here and there, and tending to newly bloomed flowers.

I was weak with flower names, but Benjamin was different.

Thanks to his explanations, Herit and I were able to learn a lot about new plants.

“That purple flower over there is a Magnolia liliiflora, and this colorful bouquet with patterns is a Dianthus barbatus [Sweet William]. The one in the back is a Rudbeckia [Coneflower].”

Outdoor tea time with butterflies and dragonflies was wonderful.

The weather was clear, the sky was high, and I was excited to have guests after a long time.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it? Should I ask for more?”

I asked Herit. The child, who was chewing on a snack, widened his eyes and nodded.

The Tarte Flambée [a thin, pizza-like tart from the Alsace region of France], loaded with lardons [small pieces of bacon], Emmental cheese, and mushrooms to my liking, was more like a pizza than a tart.

It suits the little one’s taste, so chef Laurence’s touch must have an irresistible magic.

“Ganael, please bring this and three plates of foie gras [fattened duck or goose liver] each. With orange confit [fruit preserved in sugar]. Herit likes it.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Ganael, who was serving by the table, stepped back with a brightened expression.

Herit looked at me, startled. It was a look that said he couldn’t eat that much.

I wiped the sauce from the child’s chin and smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. Uncle will help you.”

Then Herit visibly relaxed.

Come to think of it, I ate quite a bit when we went camping together last time. The first impression must have been strong.

I made sure the child was drinking warm milk and turned to the side.

Benjamin was carefully pouring tea on the side table.

Feeling my gaze, he immediately stopped what he was doing and handed Herit’s bag over. He really is quick-witted.

“Thank you. Herit, can I open it?”

Nod nod. The little Heins’ white hair, which resembled his father’s, fluttered in the breeze.

Sir Johann had taken Herit to the garden entrance earlier and entered Romero Palace.

Perhaps he was watching his son from the window the whole time.

The bag Herit was carrying was big enough to cover the child’s entire back and was bulging.

I carefully opened the bag. My lips naturally curled up at the contents.

“It’s full of letters. Herit was a postman.”

The child was delighted, making a ‘Hehehe’ sound.

There was also medicine for Herit to eat and a book to read, but the rest were all letters from friends to me.

I made eye contact with the little one as I took out the various cards and letters.

“Thank you so much. I was curious about my friends’ news. Wasn’t it heavy on the way?”

Shake shake.

“That’s a relief.”

After emptying the bag, I slowly reached out and tidied Herit’s hair.

The child smiled as if he felt good.

Kind Benjamin took Herit’s Heliotrope [a flowering plant] and started brewing tea.

I heard the medicine was quite bitter, but the little one waited without any sign of dislike, dangling his legs.

He was so kind and pure that it was heartbreaking.

“Let’s see.”

After that, a very peaceful time passed.

I happily looked through letters from my friends, including Christel, Lady Elisabeth, Eva, Marquis Dhiem, Sant, and Agnes.

There was also one from Chantal, the head maid of the Serenité manor.

It was even more fun as it felt like I could hear the sender’s voice in my ear.

Herit watched me read with interest.

‘······His Highness the Crown Prince keeps crossing the line. I almost had to challenge him to a duel yesterday because he wouldn’t listen. Still, I’m so glad that Your Highness woke up safely. I was so surprised to hear that you had bled that I broke the bed. My mother heard the noise and ran over barefoot.’

Christel’s handwriting was full of anger and excitement.

Eva, who was in the Imperial City, wrote down everything she had been doing lately, and I was relieved that there seemed to be no difficult or bad things.

Lady Elisabeth calmly conveyed the situation outside the Imperial Palace.

‘The Imperial City, as well as the entire Empire, is buzzing. As you may have seen in the , the reaction is actually much hotter than that. The military readiness posture was lifted after a week, but the people on the streets are still talking about the sky and the golems’ rampage at the time. While some make ominous noises, many consider it a blessing from the Main God.’

I pondered the young count’s explanation.

The golems’ rampage itself was a very dangerous event, but there was a record that the Empire had a great harvest every time it appeared, about once every few hundred years.

It was no surprise that there were mixed reactions.

Lady Elisabeth’s parents, the Margrave and Margravine Mutte of Carolin, also sent kind greeting cards.

In particular, Sir Michel’s letter was long.

‘Thanks to the magic stone sprinkler that Your Highness gifted last summer, the flowers and trees in our greenhouse are growing healthily. I hope that Your Highness will also take care of your health.

(Omitted)

I heard that Your Highness requested His Majesty to allow Heliotrope to be grown in the Imperial Palace. It was truly a wise decision. The Heliotrope’s miraculous detoxification and infinite regenerative power are a very interesting research subject for me as a botanist and doctor. His benevolent Majesty called me to the Imperial Palace and allowed me to directly observe the roots and leaves, and to dry and store the flowers. Currently, I am exploring in relation to the symptoms of Heins’ son, Herit······.’

I stopped reading Sir Michel’s letter and glanced at Herit.

The child, who had already received a cup from Benjamin, was drinking the medicinal tea with dignity.

I heard that he had been taking the same medicine since he was a baby, but his small brow was furrowed as if he couldn’t get used to the bitter taste.

I silently waited, holding a piece of marmelo jelly [a type of fruit preserve] with a fork.

I’ll feed it to him as soon as he finishes drinking.

It was then.

“Huh?”

Herit blinked his big eyes a few times and suddenly handed me the teacup he was drinking from.

There were about two sips left. I tilted my head.

“Did you drink it all?”

The child shook his head at my question. Then he stretched the cup even closer to me.

I was a little embarrassed.

“Are you giving it to Uncle?”

The little head moved up and down.

Ganael, who had brought a pile of bread and desserts that had been ordered, gasped in surprise.

In an instant, Benjamin also looked troubled.

Those around me, including the two close aides, clearly remembered how Heliotrope and Dalmuricho [a poisonous plant] had affected me.

Sir Heins had applied Heliotrope essence to my teacup, and then had me drink tea boiled with Dalmuricho, causing ether disruption.

And he tried to kill me using him.

“······Thank you, Herit. But Uncle is not sick, so it’s okay. It’s your medicine, so you don’t have to give it to me.”

I carefully chose my words. The mint-colored eyes shook greatly.

The child seemed to be trying to say something, but no voice came out.

Perhaps it was because he was sad, his white face was soon filled with tears. Oh dear.

“It’s true. Uncle is fine. So let’s have Herit drink it all. Dad would want that too.”

“Heu······.”

A moan resembling a sob flowed from the young mouth.

I was so startled that I covered the child’s hands holding the cup with my hands.

Herit was looking at me with an earnest look.

“Your Highness, you don’t have to drink it.”

“Yes.”

Benjamin said quietly, and I immediately nodded my chin.

The pale tea water smelled of the unique bitter scent of medicinal tea.

It was the mixture of Heliotrope ‘essence’ and Dalmuricho that caused ether disruption.

I knew in my head that tea made by drying and brewing Heliotrope would not have any adverse effects on me.

So the Crown Prince must have allowed the child to bring in the medicine.

“······.”

The surface of the tea was vibrating slightly.

It was only after a long time that I realized it was because of the trembling of my hands.

I’m still scared, aren’t I?

“Herit must have heard that Uncle collapsed. That’s why he’s giving me the medicine, right?”

Fortunately, my voice was casual.

The little one looked at me with tearful eyes and nodded.

Herit is ten years old, but because he has been weak since he was a baby, his physique is small and slender like a seven-year-old.

I smiled at the child and······.

“Your Highness!”

Gulp, gulp. I drank the Heliotrope medicinal tea.

Ganael was restless as if I had swallowed poison, but Herit’s fingers wriggled with joy and relief.

As soon as I put the empty cup on the table, the child quickly put a marmelo jelly in my mouth.

The soft and sweet taste melted in my mouth, erasing the bitter taste.

This time, a hearty laugh burst out.

“Thanks to Herit, Uncle will get stronger. Isn’t my ether coming back tomorrow?”

I put a purple Berlingot candy [a boiled sweet] in Herit’s mouth.

The little postman and doctor smiled brightly and nodded.

As if what I said was true.

*

That night.

“Lady Christel de Sarnese, I have always respected you very much. It is an infinite honor to meet you. You fought against the Golem······. You are as brave as your ancestors.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.”

A high-end bar in the heart of the Imperial City, the Rgo district, was crowded without a place to set foot.

Christel smiled brightly and accepted the greeting of a noble young lady.

Then the other person blushed and didn’t know what to do, kissed her hand, and stepped back.

She had already had a similar experience for the fifth time this evening alone.

“I’m happy that my daughter is so popular.”

“Yes, I’m not bad either.”

Christel responded to Isabel’s whisper with a smile.

In reality, the two mothers and daughters of similar ages clinked glasses and giggled.

The young paladin tried not to recall the scene of Korea she had seen that day.

It only made her feel disturbed.

The method to make a hole in the sky again, and the way to reach that place, were not certain.

She didn’t want to be tortured by the futile hope that she might be able to return to her original world.

It was better to forget.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers!”

The sweet and bitter taste of the wine carried the memory and passed over the back of her throat.

Until two weeks ago, when the Imperial Army entered military preparedness, the city was empty.

Knights belonging to the Imperial City Garrison patrolled the streets day and night, and ordinary nobles and commoners who had no talent for magic or swordsmanship were stuck at home.

But it was different now. The entire Empire, except for the border areas, had returned to peacetime.

Rather, it seemed even more lively than before the hole was made in the sky and the Golem appeared.

Christel entrusted her ears to the wave of chatter that was rushing in from nearby.

“The harvest festival is next month already. I’m looking forward to how much will be collected from the territory.”

“Oh, my manor’s vault was robbed last month. I’ll have to fill it this time.”

“Goodness, Baron. Was it really that thief?”

Her blue-gray gaze indifferently scanned the inside of the bar. Then it stopped abruptly at one place.

Although he was wearing a robe, the man sitting at the corner table was clearly a face Christel knew.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen him or exchanged greetings since she last saw him at the Blanquer manor. A strange curiosity and playfulness arose.

Christel called a waiter and said that she would like to treat that gentleman to a drink, and then requested paper and a pen.

Then she cheerfully scribbled.

‘If you can’t do a one-shot, you can’t get married [a Korean slang referring to doing something right the first time]. Ah, you hateful person.

What happened to the prophecy you made in the Blanquer Duchy?

– C. S.’

While the waiter quickly delivered the champagne and note to Modest Bacari, Christel curled up her lips and watched the other person’s face.

The young prophet had a bewildered expression at the sudden favor.

Christel was not close to Bacari, but she knew that he was the one who glared at the prince terribly at the Crown Prince’s appointment ceremony.

She also clearly heard the story that he had left eerie prophecies to the prince and his friends at the masquerade ball.

As someone who had cooperated in the search of the ballroom after receiving his warning, she felt that she deserved to hear the behind-the-scenes story.

But the other person showed a strange reaction.

Bacari looked at Christel once from afar, then called the waiter and began to write his reply.

This was another interesting development.

Christel calmly read the prophet’s note that the waiter had delivered.

‘Thank you for the drink.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lady Sarnese.

Unfortunately, I have lost my memory of that night.

– M. B.’

“······What is this?”

Then she hardened her expression coldly.

Did the memory of the prophecy disappear entirely?