What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 195

Sub Male Lead’s Strike – Episode 195

#195

Purple Tulips (2)

Anyway, this worked out well. There was something I wanted to ask Emperor Frederick as well.

“I will escort you.”

A servant assisting Chief of Staff Laura bowed and said.

I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one invited by the Emperor, and I was right.

Christel, the Crown Prince, Lady Elisabeth, me, and even Eva followed behind.

Just before leaving the audience chamber, I saw Marquis François D’Huem and Duke Simon de Sarnese.

They were talking with very serious expressions.

“How shameless.”

Christel muttered. I turned to her, wondering what she meant.

She looked back and forth between her father and the servant walking ahead.

“That woman is someone who used to meet with my father separately.”

She whispered. I was startled and looked at the servant.

There were so many people working in the Imperial Palace that I couldn’t remember her quickly. Now that I looked, she seemed familiar.

The woman who was caught having a secret meeting with Duke Sarnese in Laura’s office on the day of Christel and Crown Prince Cedric’s investiture.

She was now leading us under the orders of the Chief of Staff.

“She’s said to be in charge of accounting at the Imperial Palace. She’s twenty-nine years old. She’s the daughter of a well-regarded Baron. She hasn’t married because she hasn’t been interested, but maybe that’s changed recently.”

Christel gritted her teeth and whispered. I was taken aback and gaped.

The Crown Prince must have heard, but he didn’t even flinch.

“That’s…”

“Yes, I looked into it all. I’m just too annoyed and angry to let it go. I couldn’t even sleep that night. What’s so great about noble ladies?”

Christel genuinely liked Isabel de Sarnese, the Duchess, and cherished her like a sister.

I could fully understand her feelings.

After that, the conversation was cut short as we got into the carriage.

We rode in one compartment, while Benjamin, David, and the other servants rode in another carriage.

Click. As soon as the coachman closed the door…

“It’s annoying. I know I have to see her because of work, but I still don’t want to see her face. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my father, but I’m still angry.”

Christel burst out. Only Eva, who didn’t know what was going on, tilted her head.

Lady Elisabeth seemed to know the story.

Thinking it wasn’t a good topic for the young Grand Duke’s education, the Countess softly changed the subject.

“This is my first time sponsoring the tulips. I don’t know if we’ll be able to go inside, but I’m excited.”

“Ah, yes. It’ll be beautiful!”

Eva quickly fluttered her sleeves and replied.

Christel also didn’t want to mention her father’s affair any further, so she smiled and nodded.

She must be going through a lot, but since it was a very personal family matter, there wasn’t much I could do to help.

-Thump, thump.

The carriage moved slowly. The five of us swayed our heads in the same direction.

After some thought, I released Aether [a type of magical energy] for Christel.

Then she looked at me and gently folded her blue-gray eyes.

‘Thank you.’ Her lips also moved.

The Crown Prince, sitting by the window, immediately glared at me.

“…”

Ugh, is he jealous? I had no choice but to release Aether towards him as well.

As if he wasn’t the main character, he couldn’t stand seeing his friends interacting.

The orange eyes that met mine instantly calmed down. Yeah, it’s an unlimited refill, so eat a lot.

“What exactly is the tulip sponsorship?”

I swallowed a sigh and asked. The Imperial Palace was the residence of the Imperial Family.

There was no way there would be a map for outsiders, and I was a hostage, so the spaces I could go to were even more limited.

The Countess smiled and replied.

“It’s the only place on the continent where purple tulips, blessed by the Main God, grow. They say that unlike ordinary tulips, they bloom until late winter. The gardeners will be very happy to know that the Prince is watching.”

My eyes widened.

I wondered why they were asking me to come to the garden in this weather, but it really was the place where ‘that’ flower was.

The story of the purple tulips and the Empire was something everyone knew.

Every history book I’ve skimmed through has described it without fail.

So, that’s roughly… a thousand years ago.

A long time ago, the Liester Empire and the Venetian Divine Nation were one country.

The country’s name was ‘Únio’.

Únio went through a long religious conflict and was divided into two, which are today’s Empire and Divine Nation.

At the time, the Empire was rife with ethnic minorities and feudal lords, so it took nearly 50 years to find stability.

On the other hand, the Venetian succeeded in uniting as one immediately after the separation.

The Divine Nation’s royal family argued for the legitimacy of their country, citing the fact that no Holy Knight was born in Liester, and that the number of priests in the Empire was smaller than in the Divine Nation despite the overwhelming population difference.

They believed they were chosen by the Main God, and strengthened their internal unity by proclaiming that the Empire would destroy itself.

Then, a hero appeared in the Empire. It was the great unifying monarch, Arian Liester.

According to the book, she was a cardinal… I forgot the name.

Anyway, she joined hands with someone and succeeded in unifying the Empire based on his religious support and her leadership.

When the country entered a period of peace, the late Emperor Arian proposed to the cardinal that he become her ‘second consort’ [a secondary spouse, often of lower status].

She understood the influence of religion on the state and judged that it would be difficult to maintain the good times with just her politically married husband.

However, the cardinal did not easily accept her opinion.

He wanted to remain a man who had nothing to do with Arian, rather than becoming a concubine-like existence that only existed in feudal states.

Because he was in love with her.

This is the part where I realize that this is a ‘romance’ fantasy.

“…So, His Eminence Cardinal Philippe presented a tulip bulb to the late Emperor one day.”

Lady Elisabeth continued the explanation.

That’s right, the name of the man who had a crush on Arian was Philippe.

“Then he said, ‘I am already Your Majesty’s ally. But if Your Majesty desperately wants me…'”

‘And if the Main God blesses our union, a purple tulip will grow from this bulb.’

The name of the old country ‘Únio’ was said to mean ‘bulb’.

Purple was the symbolic color of the Main God’s religion, and tulips were also flowers with important religious significance.

However, the purple tulip was only an imaginary existence until then.

It had never bloomed anywhere.

Arian accepted the bulb and returned to the Imperial Palace, where she carefully buried it in the garden herself.

However, she did not expect it to bloom in purple.

She just thought that her friend had indirectly rejected her suggestion.

But the following spring, a purple tulip bloomed.

Everyone said it was a miracle of God.

“In the end, His Eminence Philippe received the will of the Main God and became a companion to Her Majesty Arian. The late Emperor respected him and gave this spiritual union the name ‘religious consort’.”

I nodded. Eva blushed and whispered, ‘How romantic.’

That’s how Philippe loved only Arian forever.

By the time the two men and women became old, the purple tulips had formed a colony and became a symbol of the Empire’s favor from the Main God.

The late Emperor, who didn’t know anything, wanted the cardinal to have a family and be happy.

But he remained single in the Imperial Palace until his death.

You could say he’s the original ‘sub male lead’ in this neighborhood…

“Whoa, whoa.”

At that moment, the coachman made a sound to stop the horse. I quickly leaned towards the window.

The Crown Prince happened to be leaning back. I caught a glimpse of purple, but that was it.

The trees blocked the view, so I couldn’t see the garden well.

The stems and trunks were long and thick, even though the leaves were dormant.

“Let’s get down and take a look.”

“We should.”

The Crown Prince snapped. I answered unconsciously and quickly got out of the carriage.

It was my first time coming to this side of the Imperial Palace, so my heart was pounding.

On the one hand, I was nervous about what the Emperor wanted to say by calling me all the way here.

At the arch-shaped entrance to the garden, her sword, Sir Johann, was waiting for us.

“Welcome, Your Highness. You were wonderful in the audience chamber.”

“…Thank you.”

He smiled, his drooping eyes curving, and I barely managed to laugh it off.

My tendency to become talkative when I’m upset came out at that moment.

I don’t regret it, but it seemed to have attracted too much attention.

“The servants can wait in the carriage. There was an imperial order to only bring the Crown Prince’s party.”

Sir Johann explained.

Ganael seemed a little disappointed but said it was an honor just to have come this far.

After telling them to rest comfortably, we followed the white-haired Holy Knight.

As soon as we passed through the gate, my jaw dropped.

“Wow, it’s all purple…”

“Oh my gosh. It’s so pretty. It’s crazy.”

Christel exclaimed enthusiastically.

The thousand-year-old garden, surrounded by a circular white birch forest, was all purple.

The miracle tulips shook their leaves and greeted us on both sides of the promenade paved with white tiles.

In the direction of the horizon, there was a large, elegant pond, and beyond it, I could see an unknown palace.

The crimson sunset hanging like curtains on all sides created a wonderful picture.

Unlike Eva, who was looking around with a very moved expression, the Crown Prince had a look of indifference.

“Have you been here before?”

When I asked, he nodded as if it were obvious. Well, this is his home.

“The two of them are waiting. Shall we go?”

Sir Johann gestured. Only then did we find the pergola [an open structure with a roof of horizontal slats supported by posts or columns] and table in the middle of the garden.

The Emperor and the Cardinal were sitting face to face, enjoying coffee.

Chief of Staff Laura was serving them.

Christel and I hurriedly took the lead and walked.

It was absurd to make adults wait in the chilly weather.

“I greet the Sun who descended to earth, and His Eminence the Cardinal.”

“Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

We bowed in unison, and the Crown Prince added briefly.

The Emperor put down her cup and smirked.

“Sir Haynes, hurry. There’s a rabbit!”

“Grand Duke Blanquer. Won’t we be punished if we catch a rabbit in the Imperial Palace?”

“I’m not catching it, Bangtung. I’m going to hug it.”

“I didn’t realize your deep intentions.”

Sir Johann and Eva were bickering near the pond.

I chuckled as I drank warm lemon verbena tea under the pergola.

I thought it would be cold, but it was warm enough to take off my gloves.

‘The pergola has warming magic on it. Thanks to that, it’s mild even in the middle of winter,’ My teacher explained kindly.

“…”

Everyone quietly held their cups and admired the sunset-colored flower garden of the Main God.

I subtly watched the Emperor’s expression.

She didn’t seem to be about to talk, so I wondered if I could ask first.

“Don’t you think it’s pathetic?”

I flinched. I was startled by the Emperor’s sudden question and trembled.

She slowly turned her head and looked at us.

Her cherry-colored eyes were shining languidly.

“I knew.”

“…”

“My grandfather also knew. About the rumors that the Andreji family abandons their children.”

She said. I felt goosebumps all over. I swallowed a sigh and gripped my teacup tightly.

“But the Count’s family protected the central region throughout the war. In the end, my grandfather turned a blind eye to their sins.”

“Goodness.”

Christel whispered. The Emperor continued.

“The same rumors flowed into the Imperial Palace during my mother’s reign. But the problem this time was that the war era was over.”

“Why…”

“My mother was busy taking care of and rebuilding the wounded Empire. She judged that she shouldn’t shake the hearts of the people by arresting a Count called a hero, punishing the family, and punishing the family in such a time. There was no proper evidence either.”

In short, the two late Emperors did not look into the situation for ideological reasons, even though they knew the rumors.

The Countess lowered her gaze. Her expression was complicated.

“I don’t think the two of them are right. I even arrogantly think that I would have made a different decision if I had been on the throne.”

The husky voice was self-deprecating.

My teacher looked back at her consort with pitiful eyes. The two women’s eyes met.

“But what can I do even if it’s stained with blood? This is the position I inherited.”

“…”

“Correcting the mistakes of my ancestors, and not doing things that my son will have to correct in the future. That’s my task.”

The Emperor said calmly. The winter sun had already set and was not visible.

The purple color of the tulips spread bluishly into the sky.

Laura, who had been standing quietly, lit the lights all over the pergola.

Her red gaze looked at the Crown Prince for a long time.