What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 194

#194

Purple Tulip (1)

The great nobles immediately buzzed with whispers.

“Good heavens.”

“The Count has finally crossed a line.”

“Why? Isn’t the Andregi family known for their devout faith?”

“That’s precisely the problem.”

Only the Emperor’s closest aides, such as Duke Simon de Sarnese and Marquis Francois Duhem, maintained their composure.

Most others wore shocked expressions.

Eva, attending in place of Duke Cecil Blanquer, also seemed surprised.

I subtly turned my head.

Beyond the Crown Prince’s perfectly sculpted profile, I saw Cardinal Boutier, seated to Emperor Frederick’s right.

‘Leave the rest to us from here.’

She mouthed the words to me. The sentence was a bit long, but that was the gist of it.

“The Emperor’s sinners, Count Gerald Andregi and the Countess!”

-Thud!

It was swift. Simultaneously with the attendant’s announcement, the large audience hall doors swung open.

Erve Duhem, the Captain of the Guard, dragged the Count in with his powerful arms.

The Countess walked about two steps behind, guarded by the Royal Guards.

I was inwardly surprised to see the couple. They were both dignified and elegant.

They didn’t seem like the kind of people who could abandon a child and live shamelessly.

The accused couple quickly reached the foot of the Emperor’s dais [a raised platform for a throne or speakers].

-Thump!

Lord Duhem practically threw the Count down.

The Captain of the Guard’s piercing eyes were filled with contempt as he looked at the man.

Of course, he seemed to know all about ‘Madame Victoire’s’ situation from the previous night.

“It’s been a while, Count Andregi.”

“I behold the sun descended upon the earth.”

The middle-aged man, kneeling, paid his respects calmly.

He didn’t suddenly bow deeply or tremble his voice.

It was truly a noble demeanor.

The Emperor’s cherry-colored eyes shone with a sharpness like a newly forged sword.

“You are well aware of your crimes.”

“…If Your Majesty deems it a crime, then it shall be a crime.”

“Goodness, Count! Get a grip!”

The room became noisy in an instant.

Christel, standing behind her father, made a disgusted face, and I bit my tongue in shock at the Count’s reply.

Did I understand correctly? He doesn’t think he did anything wrong?

“Do you wish to witness the Day of Durandal [likely a reference to a day of reckoning or judgment] firsthand?”

“Confess quickly and seek imperial grace!”

Some of the nobles rebuked loudly.

However, the Count simply stared straight ahead, unfazed.

It was a chillingly calm reaction. The Emperor began to speak.

“Twenty-five years ago, you abandoned your two-year-old daughter in the forest near your estate. That child grew up to be a thief.”

“…”

“‘Victoire.’ That was all that was written on the piece of paper the servant hid.”

‘Victoire Andregi. She’s the thief who tried to steal from Prince Yeser,’ Eva had pointed out.

The nobles who heard that gasped.

Some already knew, but many were unaware of the Count’s specific charges.

Some, now piecing together the puzzle in their heads, became greatly angered and pointed fingers.

“How could you abandon a baby in the mountains? Isn’t that as good as killing them!”

“You should have sent her for adoption. No, you shouldn’t have conceived in the first place! Is that what a child of the Lord should do?”

“That is why I did so, as a child of the Lord.”

The Count replied abruptly. The room fell silent as if doused with cold water.

The Emperor looked down at him with sunken eyes.

“Continue to speak.”

“…A strong vessel and an intact body. Lacking such basic things, how could one, as a child of the Lord, uphold and practice the divine will?”

What… What nonsense is that?

“I am not referring to superior intelligence or physical ability. I simply mean that one must at least meet the basics upon being born. If one cannot serve the Lord, wouldn’t it be that a deficient life is not worth continuing in the first place?”

That trashy bastard!

“Watch your mouth!”

I shouted abruptly, momentarily overwhelmed. The hall froze.

I was the only one fuming with anger.

“Who are you to arbitrarily judge the worth of a person and control their life? Choosing one’s path should be entirely up to them. And until their own will is established, everyone should be protected until they grow up. What does it matter if their body is impaired or their vessel is broken?”

Then, the Countess, who had been silent until now, raised her head.

She had a very aggrieved expression.

“Your Highness was born as a noble royal priest. You would not understand the feelings of commoners like us…”

“Shut up. I am the same as you. I bleed when stabbed, and I grieve when hurt.”

I snapped. My anger caused words to burst out endlessly.

“You didn’t do such a thing out of pure faith. You hid behind the facade of faith, indulged in the superiority of being chosen, and arbitrarily judged the weak. You played God. Against your own bloodline!”

“…”

“If you think I’m anything special because I’m a royal priest, then I’ll say one thing: I hope you suffer from guilt until you die. And I hope you are never forgiven by anyone. Because those who have the right to forgive you are already gone!”

Huh, huh. I was breathless. I gasped for air and looked around.

Only then did I realize that everyone’s eyes were fixed on me.

Christel stared at me blankly. I felt a pang of regret, and my lips involuntarily dried.

My cheeks flushed instantly, and even my neck seemed to turn red.

I felt so ashamed that even my eyelids trembled.

Crown Prince Cedric silently looked at me, then gave a short nod to the Emperor’s palace attendants.

“Your Highness, excuse me.”

“Yes, yes.”

In an instant, a chair was brought for me to sit on, and warm hands placed an apple ade [a sweet, sparkling apple drink] with mint leaves and ice in my hands.

I stared blankly, replying and looking up at the Crown Prince standing on the next step.

…The only people seated now are your mother and godmother. Is it okay for me to sit?

…Is the apple ade a substitute for cider?

“The Prince lightens my burden,” the Emperor said calmly.

I gulped down the sweet and cool ade, rolling my eyes.

The Count and Countess’s faces were turning red and blue.

Because I exposed their true nature, they couldn’t refute it and were just seething with shame.

Such low and wicked people. Go to hell.

“The silk clothes you dressed the child in when you abandoned her, and the diamond necklace from the Count’s family that the child stole, are evidence. The fact that it is a 120-year-old genuine article was confirmed by the imperial appraiser at dawn.”

“…”

My teacher spoke softly.

Beneath the golden monocle, his beige eyes blinked emotionlessly.

I felt a sudden chill.

“The crime is not just child abandonment. The Countess’s carriage hit the child, causing her death, yet you silenced the bereaved family with money without reporting or going through the trial process. Prince Yeser has confirmed that this testimony is true, and there are four witnesses, including the Crown Prince.”

“Filthy bastards.”

Baroness Carolin Mutte, who had come down to the capital after a long time, cursed in front of the Emperor.

But no one dared to give her, a Sword Master, a disapproving look.

Rather, everyone looked disgusted by the Count’s family’s cruelty.

Eva covered her mouth with both hands and looked up at me. I nodded slightly.

Because it was all true.

“I’m sure you know that this is clear manslaughter and concealment. You two seem to have remarkably blessed brains [sarcastic way of saying they are foolish].”

“…”

“You also know that this is not the end.”

At the Cardinal’s words, the Count raised his eyes sharply. His eyes gleamed.

“Your Eminence, no. Please do not disgrace our family. My father and grandmother made extremely rational decisions…!”

“They abandoned children. For three generations. Maybe even before that.”

I sighed softly. As expected, the Emperor and her companion knew.

The nobles standing behind raised their voices, denouncing the Count’s family’s sins.

Even so, the Count did not lose heart. The man’s eyes gleamed with madness.

“It is for the sake of the continent’s proud God. We served Him with perfect minds and bodies!”

“The Lord does not desire human tyranny. There is no such passage in the Bible.”

Then, the Count leaped from his seat.

The Captain of the Guard quickly pressed down on his shoulder, subduing him. The man spat as he shouted.

“Humans must be flawless. Don’t you know that! Your Eminence the Cardinal!”

“Enough.”

She cut him off. Her voice was as cold as ice.

“I will not vouch for your family’s faith.”

“Ah! Why… How could this be…”

The Countess began to sob mournfully.

It was the face of someone persecuted by the whole world.

I sat still, speechless. It was terrible.

The couple had already reached a point where they could not repent.

The dead Henriette was their own daughter.

Yet their sorrow stemmed solely from not having their family’s faith recognized by the ‘Princess of Faith.’

Isn’t this beyond the realm of normal people?

“The old woman who took care of that child was the daughter abandoned by the great-great-grandfather. Probably for the same reason as you.”

“Ha, ha…”

The Emperor said. Count Andregi’s face now repeatedly turned blue and yellow.

A dry breath escaped from his parched lips.

He seemed deeply ashamed that his ‘religious life’ would be cut off in his generation.

But there was no mercy. The Emperor’s command fell from her stern lips.

“From today, I strip Count Gerald Andregi of his title and reclaim his territory. There will be no commemoration of the achievements of the previous Counts and this man in the imperial records. The Count and his spouse are sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes of child abandonment and abuse, manslaughter, and concealment. Because the nature of their crimes is heinous and they show no remorse, I will not grant them the opportunity for bail. The servants who committed crimes under their orders will also not escape my will.”

“Your Majesty! This is unfair!”

“Silence!”

Someone shouted, and someone pointed fingers. I saw Eva clenching her small fists.

I wanted to stand by her side. Marquis Duhem also had his eyes closed.

Duke Sarnese looked at the Count and Countess with a calm gaze.

“Your children are still minors, so I judge that they have not committed the same crimes. Therefore, I will confiscate the remaining assets, excluding a small amount of cash to be used for their independence, and deposit them into the national treasury. This will be used to build orphanages and train doctors in the imperial territories.”

“No, that can’t be! My son!”

The Countess shouted shrilly. The Emperor’s steely attitude did not waver.

She gestured lightly.

“Get up.”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please listen to me!”

“Your Eminence!”

Lord Duhem and the Royal Guards roughly grabbed the two and dragged them out through the side door.

I held onto the glass tightly, staring at them until the couple completely disappeared.

Suffer in prison for the rest of your lives.

No matter how miserable you are, it won’t be as heartbreaking as it was for Grandma Form and Henriette.

“You saw it clearly.”

The Emperor said. Her head was consistently facing forward.

Everyone’s gaze gathered on the throne.

“I respect your autonomy. I have no hobby of pressuring those who do well on their own.”

“…”

“But do not think that you can commit crimes while evading the eyes of the imperial family and remain safe.”

It was a husky and ominous warning.

“Do not expect that I will overlook the sins that my mother and grandfather missed.”

It was scary. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I felt chills.

The old phrase ‘Confess and find the light’ flashed through my mind.

Everyone seemed to have similar feelings, as they tried to avoid making eye contact with the Emperor.

Only Marquis Duhem smiled handsomely and shot a finger arrow towards us.

You must be happy to be a proud member of the imperial family’s collateral line….

“Next.”

But that wasn’t all. I flinched and turned my gaze.

At the Emperor’s words, Lady Elizabeth, who had been standing upright, moved promptly.

She walked to the entrance and opened the door without hesitation.

-Thud!

Soon, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared.

Several bound nobles were waiting outside.

That person was definitely the one who beat up a twenty-year-old in a bar….

“From now on, we will deal with those who have violated imperial orders and threatened the lives of commoners by excessively collecting taxes.”

The Emperor said, grinding her teeth.

I bit into the apple slices in the ade, staring blankly at her.

I think I’m falling in love.

*

Some time passed since then.

The sun began to set outside the Imperial Palace, the sinners were dragged away in droves, and I thought today’s judgment was all over.

But….

“Prince Yeser, Her Majesty has invited you to the Tulip Garden.”

Chief Secretary Laura bowed to me and said.

I slowly put down the sixth piece of vignes [a type of pastry or sweet] I was eating as a snack.

The Emperor and my teacher had already left the audience hall, and the other nobles were also hurrying to leave.

From afar, Benjamin and Ganael were approaching with robes and gloves.

I first wiped my mouth with a napkin and nodded.

…But do tulips bloom in December?