What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 184

#184 The Woman Who Would Steal a Prince (4)

After that, we returned to our respective quarters.

The midnight commotion thankfully ended without any injuries.

I felt bad about not being able to help Sant with the dishes, but unfortunately, I was forcibly sent home.

I resolved to treat him to a generous serving of meat later.

*

The next day dawned. We were summoned to the Imperial Palace right after breakfast.

“The alleyway disturbance from last night has been quietly resolved. There are no eyewitness accounts of the Crown Prince or the Prince among the commoners,” Elisabeth reported, standing upright.

Her once gray eyes, now restored to their original color, sparkled with intelligence.

“The actor who was originally supposed to play the Pope in the parade was found tied up and asleep in his bed at the circus troupe’s lodgings.”

“Tsk,” Emperor Frederik clicked his tongue, looking displeased even as he sipped his lukewarm coffee.

“The name on the business card was ‘Victoire D’Andrésy.’ The signature matches those she has left behind. However, the name is likely made up without any real significance. The Andrésy family has denied any connection to her, stating that she is not listed in their family registry,” Ervé Duhem explained.

So, it’s written as D’Andrésy, but the family name is ‘Andrésy,’ so the preposition is attached before the name?

Then it’s like Sarnese, where the territory name and family name match.

French names were still difficult for me.

I listened attentively to the Imperial Guard’s information while observing my surroundings.

It was my first time in the Imperial Palace salon, and everything was predictably grand and extravagant.

The walls, adorned with gold and jewels, displayed portraits of past Liester Emperors.

If that’s the late Emperor Celine, then the one on the left is…

Romero Liester, the warlord of Claire Square.

The man was a striking beauty with bright yellow hair and blood-red eyes.

It seemed everyone in this family was good-looking. Well, what else would you expect from the family of a romance fantasy novel’s male lead?

“The first nobleman to claim damages from her was Baron Savanié, whose territory is next to Andrésy. The lord’s castle treasury was partially emptied, and the wealth was distributed to the poor commoners. The greatly angered baron sealed off his territory and searched it thoroughly, but the culprit was never caught. That was in May of this year.”

“Despicable,” Elisabeth commented, and the Emperor replied dryly.

Crack, crack. The sound of embers peacefully popping in the fireplace.

I carefully cut the bouchée à la reine [a small puff pastry filled with meat or seafood] that a servant had placed on my plate with a knife.

The crust, perfectly sized for dessert, crumbled softly like a blanket.

Pieces of truffle, mushrooms, chicken, and octopus, soaked in white sauce, slowly oozed out.

The smell is amazing. It looks so delicious.

“Several other places have been robbed since then. However, the time intervals between the incidents are quite significant, and the scale of the thefts has been increasing. Most recently, the Sisé Marquis family’s heirloom, the ‘Late Emperor’s Saddle,’ was stolen.”

‘A strange thief is rampant in the neighboring territory, but this place, true to its name, remains peaceful and serene.’

Chantal’s letter from the Serenite Marquisate flashed through my mind.

Even while researching the data last night, I realized that only the Imperial Capital had been calm so far.

“I heard that news too. The item hasn’t appeared on the black market either,” Cardinal Boutier added, sipping his coffee.

The Emperor glanced at her before retorting bluntly, “So, this time she’s targeting the Prince?”

“…It seems so,” the Captain of the Guard and the Deputy Captain replied simultaneously.

Then everyone around the table turned to look at me.

I froze, spoon halfway to my mouth. Kristel was grinning.

Am I not supposed to eat…?

“Eat plenty. Our chef has been eagerly awaiting the Prince’s arrival,” my mentor said kindly. I finally relaxed and devoured the snack.

I thought it was just octopus, but there were also plump shrimp pieces. The combination of seafood and meat was incredibly delicious.

The flaky pastry asserted its presence beyond the smooth but never greasy sauce.

Eating the bouchée lid separately was also a treat. I could easily eat at least five of these.

“…How did the search go?” Crown Prince Cédric, looking at me with utter disdain, took a sip of his espresso and asked.

Munching away, I internally criticized him.

He must have ruined his personality by drinking only that stuff.

“First, no traces of blood were found anywhere nearby. Sir Haynes merely fired a warning shot. The point of impact was not high either, so it’s unlikely she sustained serious injuries from the fall,” Duhem replied. I grinned at Sir Johan.

He curved his drooping eyes and nonchalantly said, “You’re welcome.”

Last night, his eyes were so fierce I thought he was really going to kill her, but indeed, Herrit’s father had a pure heart.

“Amazing. Considering she didn’t even have a dagger, it seems she’s not a swordsman, and I heard rumors she’s not a mage either. To be able to run across rooftops and disappear like smoke with just her bare hands…”

Kristel, drinking an iced Americano despite the chilly weather, exclaimed in admiration.

Last night, she had been very angry, worried about me, but after a day, she seemed a little more relaxed.

I cleared my palate with cherry blossom tea and began to speak.

“The culprit is probably a commoner. Most likely a member or associate of the troupe that the Crown Prince invited to the Juliette Palace. Or perhaps an acquaintance.”

Once again, all eyes were on me. I felt awkward and didn’t know where to look.

The Emperor opened her mouth.

“So, as you suggested, I’ve summoned the clowns to the Imperial Palace. You want to interview them one by one to confirm?”

“Yes.”

“It’s an efficient method. Explain.”

Her cherry-colored eyes gleamed sharply.

Since she had allowed outsiders into her palace at my request, an explanation was necessary.

I nodded and continued, “I’m not sure if the woman who tried to kidnap me was Victoire herself. It could have been one of her subordinates. But what’s clear is that she moved like an acrobat.”

I had given the same statement to Elisabeth before returning to the palace.

She immediately arrested all the clowns from the parade and even apprehended the street vendors and the lovers who were canoodling in the alley that I had encountered.

The rumor that they even interrogated the stray cat that meowed at me was… quite astonishing.

The Imperial Guards were truly incredibly thorough people.

“Of course, a noble lady could have learned such movements. But she directly imitated Sir Sarnese’s voice with her own vocal cords. If she had used a magical tool, she could have perfectly replicated his voice, but she didn’t. Although she was covered by a robe, upon reflection, her clothes and boots didn’t seem like high-end items either.”

I continued, organizing my thoughts as I spoke.

Kristel seemed very interested in the fact that the culprit had imitated her voice.

“She doesn’t have enough money or status to buy magical tools and expensive clothes to disguise herself. She’s just imitating Sir Sarnese to the best of her ability. Even though she stole a precious heirloom, she’s too vulnerable to high-level information to put it on the black market.”

Marquis François Duhem, sitting across from me, also raised the corner of his lips.

It seemed he was fond of this kind of case.

“Furthermore, nobles of the Empire leave traces whenever they travel. If they take a carriage, there will be a record of crossing the territory border, and the same goes for using a portal. If Victoire were a noble, her travel routes and theft records would be similar, and she would have been caught quickly. But in reality, the thief has traveled all over the country, yet her whereabouts are vague. She probably paid for a ride on a cargo wagon or postal carriage, or traveled in a group. That way, the ‘individual’ can hide. It’s a method that a noble wouldn’t choose. They usually can’t even imagine riding in a carriage with commoners.”

“Ha.”

The Emperor laughed out loud. The way she looked at me seemed to say, ‘Not bad.’

She supported her cheek with one hand and tapped the table with the other, saying,

“I’m glad that my young Marquis seems to have no problems with his head.”

“…Thank you.”

Then the Crown Prince looked back and forth between his mother and me with a strange gaze. Why?

“But there’s a flaw in your logic.”

The smile vanished from her lips. I reflexively straightened my back.

“Not putting the stolen goods on the black market could simply mean she’s waiting for public opinion to calm down. And while it’s true that the nobles of the Empire value face and authority, there are also many eccentric individuals. Like you.”

The Emperor’s index finger pointed at me. I quickly grasped her meaning.

“Are you saying that Victoire could be a bastard or abandoned child of a noble?”

“Yes. The population is large, and the land is vast. But statistically, you’re probably right.”

I nodded.

“There’s one more thing. The fact that I would be watching the parade on the last day of the Harvest Festival was only known to some people in the Imperial Palace and my friends. But come to think of it…”

I trailed off, glancing at Benjamin, who was standing behind me.

He sighed as if the ground was sinking beneath him and reluctantly opened his mouth with a look that said he didn’t even want to say this much.

“When the clown troupe came to Juliette, the attendants were in the middle of a betting game. They were wagering on whether the Prince would be able to watch the Harvest Festival parade.”

“…”

“…”

The room fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it.

In short, the attendants, who had developed a taste for squandering their emergency funds on ‘Imperial Palace Toto’ [a form of gambling], were enjoying themselves by betting on when the Crown Prince would release my pension.

The Emperor and the Cardinal stared silently at Benjamin for a while.

Then they turned their gaze to their son and grandson.

But the Crown Prince simply raised one eyebrow with a ‘So what?’ expression.

That fire-attribute unfilial bastard.

“The palace was somewhat noisy, so anyone with keen ears could have heard. That was the only opportunity for an outsider to know about the Prince’s outing plans… Please kill me, Your Majesty,” the pitiful middle-aged man bowed his head. The Emperor let out a long sigh. Then,

“…All Juliette Palace staff will have their salaries reduced for six months,” she declared. My heart sank, but there was nothing I could do this time.

Even my mentor sternly scolded me.

“Prince, you shouldn’t let your subordinates be too lax. You must show a dignified attitude as a royal and a Marquis. How could you allow the attendants to be so careless when there are outsiders in the palace?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try my best,” I apologized.

Everything she said was absolutely right, but I had never had subordinates in my life.

Most of the attendants were very young.

Playing the role of a proper ‘Prince’ was still not easy. I needed to improve.

“Anyway, that reason is understandable. They knew you might come to the parade if you had the chance, but they didn’t hear that you and your party would be in disguise. So, they boldly disguised themselves as the Sarnese kid.”

“Yes. They only knew one thing and not the other,” I agreed with the Emperor. Then Kristel tilted her head.

“Prince, I’m just genuinely curious, but how could you have followed them so willingly? I had Elisabeth’s hair color. And my eye color was different too.”

I bit the inside of my cheek slightly. My neck instantly felt hot.

I thought I was doing well in my company life, but why am I making so many mistakes here?

I was embarrassed.

“Well… I guess I’m so used to seeing pink that I made a mistake in judgment for a moment. It was also a very chaotic situation. But I did realize their identity on the way.”

“So, if I hadn’t disguised myself, you wouldn’t have known until the end? Because the color is the same?”

…My price has increased by 2,000 won. Is the Liester inflation rate really okay?

I was so battered by the facts that I felt dizzy.

Even the Crown Prince and Sir Johan were looking at me as if demanding an answer.

I covered part of my face with the cherry blossom tea.

Anything I say now will seem bland, so I decided to exercise my right to remain silent.

“The conclusion is one. I have no intention of giving that wretch the attention she wants,” the Emperor declared, looking around at us.

“Confining the Prince to the palace or publicly mobilizing the Imperial Guard or the Imperial Army would only contribute to increasing the criminal’s fame and fulfilling her desires.”

It seemed like an important story was about to unfold. I put down my teacup and looked at her.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed like those of a predator who had found a delightful toy.

“So, you all will play detective yourselves.”

…Why the sudden conclusion? Huh?