What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 198

Sub Male Lead’s Strike-198

#198

Purple Tulip (5)

I blinked blankly.

“Please, have a seat first.”

I brought the seemingly cold Lady Elisabeth into the room and offered her the sofa in front of the fireplace.

Ganael cautiously watched my expression and brewed a fresh Cornelian cherry tea.

Then, after serving cocoa to my fiancé, he quickly left the room.

He must have sensed the serious atmosphere. Once we were alone, I quickly whispered.

“What do you mean? That the fortune-teller grandmother doesn’t exist.”

The Deputy Commander’s gray eyes showed a hint of bewilderment.

He seemed at a loss as to where to begin explaining.

Not long ago, I had made a request to the Crown Prince.

It wasn’t related to the Phantom Thief, even though it was during the Madame Victoire incident.

Last summer, there was an old woman who left an ominous prophecy for the Prince.

‘The noble one will lose another connection. How unfortunate…’

I suddenly wondered how she was doing.

This was because I had heard the news of Modeste Bacardi, who had foreseen content not in the original story and had lost his entire memory.

Seeing the grandmothers selling goods on the street stalls reminded me of the fortune-teller I had met that day.

‘I would like to check on her condition as well.’

‘She is just a lowly swindler.’

Crown Prince Cedric showed blatant opposition to my suggestion.

In the end, it was Lady Elisabeth who granted my request.

‘Leave it to me, Your Highness. I will look into it.’

But then…

“It’s as if she never existed in the world; there isn’t even a trace of her.”

“Does that mean she no longer tells fortunes there? Still, there should be witnesses.”

I asked. The Vice Commander frowned.

“That’s exactly the problem, Your Highness. Even the witnesses don’t remember anything about the fortune-teller.”

What…?

“After much searching, we found the employee of the Le Goff General Trading Company who brought out the fortune-teller that day. But when the guards questioned him, he gave a strange statement. He remembers pushing an old woman in front of His Highness, the Crown Prince, Your Highness, and Lady Christel…”

Lady Elisabeth’s voice changed subtly. It was as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Who she was, when she appeared, when she disappeared, and even what she did. He tried desperately to recall her appearance, but the face in his mind blurred as if ink had been spilled on it… He says he can’t recognize her.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Is that…”

Possible? I swallowed the rest of my words with the tea. It was a chilling thought, but it might be possible.

If the mysterious fortune-teller old woman wasn’t just a passing cliché.

“You couldn’t find any family or friends either, I presume.”

“Yes. We searched the entire vicinity, but since no one knew the old woman, we couldn’t find any relatives either. When asked, they would answer, ‘Now that you mention it, I think I saw an old woman passing by.’ But that was it, and the subsequent statements were all the same. The face…”

“You can’t see it, right? Like it’s been painted black.”

“That’s right. It’s a bizarre situation.”

‘They even say they don’t recognize her voice,’ the Deputy Commander added heavily.

A silence fell over the lounge for a while.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional sips of cocoa from the Vice Commander and the crackling of the fireplace.

I wondered what it was like for me, so I calmly organized the drawers in my mind.

That was around the end of June, and we were about to get into the carriage after finishing shopping at the trading company.

Then, a commotion arose from over there…

‘Grandmother, are you feeling unwell?’

Christel’s voice. Followed by the appearance of the old woman.

A face that looked over ninety, and two cloudy, small eyes.

I reflexively swallowed hard and gripped the teacup tightly.

I know. My mind clearly remembered her.

‘You’re not from around here.’

The subtle tone was vivid in my ears. I, who came from outside the novel, was different from the others.

“…Thank you, Lady Elisabeth. Many of my questions have been answered.”

I managed to open my mouth. She tilted her head like a curious cat.

“Are you really alright? You were curious about the old woman’s whereabouts, but we found nothing. I apologize on behalf of the guards.”

“No, I am the one who should be thanking you for helping with my personal matter.”

As I said with a bright smile, the Deputy Commander smiled as if relieved.

He asked if I wanted any further investigation, but I politely declined.

Even if it wasn’t 100% accurate, I had a general sense of what was going on.

Modeste Bacardi predicted content that wasn’t in the original story and forgot that night.

The prediction was likely related to me.

And the old woman in question left behind an ambiguous revelation and then disappeared without a trace.

Saying she disappeared makes it seem like a simple disappearance, but that wasn’t the case.

She was closer to being ‘erased’ from the minds of the natives of this world.

It was enough to conclude that the grandmother, like Bacardi, had glimpsed content from outside the original story.

She even immediately recognized that I wasn’t from this place.

If so, who or what power erased her?

“A nonexistent person…”

I muttered, looking at the burning firewood.

Assuming it was the same power that erased Bacardi’s memories, was it the ‘author’ again?

Unlike the teenager who ended up with amnesia, the grandmother’s very existence vanished because…

Was it because she was a ‘less important character’ in the world? Well, it would be easier to erase a minor character than a supporting one.

-Knock knock

“Your Highness.”

If everything I’ve said so far is correct, then who is warning us of the future, even while resisting the author?

Or is it just a minor error or deviation?

My brother, who is a martial arts novelist, did say something like that.

Once you build the characters, the plot sometimes flows in a way that is unrelated to the author’s intention.

The characters have their own will and create their own future.

Referring to such experiences of Jung Hyun-seo, there were two main possibilities.

First, there is an external force resisting the author.

Second, the author belatedly corrected the sudden actions of some characters.

“Your Highness.”

…Huh? Wait a minute. Could all of this be the author’s plan?

The author gives the hints, and the author later deletes them with great significance?

“Prince Yeseo.”

I flinched. I woke up from my thoughts at the touch on my shoulder.

Benjamin was looking down at me with a kind gaze.

“I apologize for disturbing your thoughts. I called you several times, but you didn’t respond.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. What’s the matter?”

I asked, moistening my throat with tea. The middle-aged man replied as if it were nothing.

“They are calling for you from the Romero Palace, Your Highness.”

“Yes? Yes?”

I looked up at him with wide eyes.

“It’s the same business as usual. His Highness, the Crown Prince, desires an ether supply.”

Benjamin was calm. Lady Elisabeth, who was looking at us, was also calm.

Only I was restless.

There was no need to be like this, but perhaps because I had heard Cardinal Boutier’s ‘proposal’ last night, I felt strangely uneasy.

It wasn’t as if the Crown Prince had suddenly called for me, but my neck stiffened with tension.

I had been working hard to supply ether as his divine partner, regardless of whether it was a weekday or a weekend.

“That is…”

But I didn’t feel like seeing his face right now. Anyway, a little bit.

“Do you have any particular snacks you would like?”

“No, I… I’m not feeling well. If His Highness doesn’t mind, I would like to rest at the Juliette Palace. There is a tool that I used to put the ether in last time, so I would appreciate it if you could use that today.”

I tried to make the most pitiful and helpless expression I could.

I know I’m not good at acting, but I did my best. Then…

“Good Lord, have mercy.”

Benjamin became serious. He opened the door to the side room like lightning and summoned the servants, then,

“His Highness is unwell. Until he recovers, we will switch to an emergency duty system, so inform everyone. Tell Chef Laurence that he needs a special meal.”

After uttering such a tremendous order, he then,

“Ganael, bring Pierre and escort His Highness to the bedroom. His precious feet must not touch the ground.”

He dropped such a bombshell.

“Yes, Master Benjamin!”

That was the first time I had heard such an orderly answer since coming to Juliette.

Suddenly, the hallway became busy, the doors on all sides opened, and soldiers and servants outside were buzzing as if something terrible had happened.

‘Your Highness!’ Ganael approached with tears in his eyes and grabbed my hands. I was flustered and gaped.

I felt like the shepherd boy who had his lamb skewers stolen after his first lie.

The words ‘I was wrong, so please stop’ were rising to my throat.

When I turned to the side, the Vice Commander was holding a cup of cocoa and laughing heartily.

I was carried by the servants and looked at her pitifully.

I desperately moved my lips as well. Lady Elisabeth, it’s a secret from the Crown Prince!

“Yes, se, sob, secret… Sniff.”

She raised her little finger and then buried her face in the cushion. I gritted my teeth.

Why is everyone being fooled except for Lady Elisabeth, who can’t act?!

*

In the end, the feigned illness didn’t last a day.

I humbly accepted my shortcomings.

Acting and glibness were not fields I could handle.

That was the specialty of the main character, Christel; it was a talent that a supporting character like me shouldn’t dare to covet.

Yesterday, I barely stopped them from calling the royal physician, but then,

‘Then I will bring His Eminence, the Cardinal.’

Benjamin posed an even greater threat to me.

At this point, I couldn’t tell if he was a caregiver or trying to get back at me.

I finally jumped out of bed and declared.

‘Actually, I think I’m just tired and my condition is a bit off. I’ll be fine if I get a good night’s sleep, so everyone, please don’t worry and just go about your usual business. Please.’

‘…As you command.’

I felt sorry that everyone was suffering because of my fake illness, so I couldn’t just lie there.

So, I became the guy who was briefly sick for one night and then got up.

But the challenge didn’t end there.

-Creak, creak

“Yeah, Demi. Hyung [older brother] is going out with you too. Don’t worry.”

Right now, I was at the forefront of the lesser pandas, diligently staring out the window.

Tete was in my arms, and Dduk-ssim was on my head.

I felt bad that I hadn’t played with the divine beasts lately because I was busy resolving the Victoire incident.

So today, I put on a thick coat and a sturdy robe.

I also wore thumb gloves with lining and winter boots with marten fur.

I was going to take the kids out for a walk, get some exercise myself, and cheer on Tete’s ice swimming in the seawater pool.

Benjamin was worried that I was going out in the cold air as soon as I got better, but I had never been sick, so it was fine.

That’s what I thought.

“Hey. Are you having a fan meeting?”

I grumbled.

The Crown Prince was out in the Juliette Palace garden.

I could also see the noble young ladies surrounding him in a circle.

I was a little wary, wondering if there was a lady among them who suited the Crown Prince well, but fortunately, there was no one who surpassed Christel. The Crown Prince was also indifferent.

The Grand Duke’s fur pelt, which I had seen in Yveline, was wrapped around his broad shoulders.

His sculpted cheeks had a somewhat pale glow under the winter sunlight.

Is that just because he has good skin?

Surely, I didn’t cause that just because I didn’t give him ether for a day.

“Your Highness, preparations for the walk are complete. You may go out immediately.”

Ganael approached with a large picnic basket.

The boy wearing earmuffs he had knitted himself looked like a sky-blue retriever.

I found inner peace for a moment looking at Ganael, but I became damp again looking beyond the window.

“Hmm.”

…Avoiding it again was not the answer after all.

Even so, I thought I should say hello since he was a friend.

The religious partner thing might just be the adults’ idea, and maybe he doesn’t have any plans, but I seemed to be overreacting alone.

Decisively, I had no intention of accepting the teacher’s proposal.

I didn’t want to, and I shouldn’t. It was absolutely impossible considering my goals.

I was very embarrassed yesterday, yes.

“Let’s go out and deal with him like an adult. I’m the older brother.”

-Beep beep beep!

Dduk-ssim urged me to please do so. It was then.

“Oh, look over there. It’s Sir Erbe D’heim!”

Ganael pointed to the corner of the window with a delighted expression.

The ever-handsome Imperial Guard Commander was leading unfamiliar soldiers out to a remote area.

It seemed like he was training new recruits.

He raised his thick arm and pointed to the Juliette Palace, then pointed to the Romero Palace.

In an instant, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind. It was exhilarating!

“That’s it, Ganael. We’ll use the guards as a shield.”

“Yes…?”

“They’ve arrived at the entrance. Let’s hide among them and run away to the pond!”

-Squeak!

I quickly ran down the hallway. The excited lesser pandas followed.

“Your Highness, wait!”

Ganael called out to me with a voice mixed with laughter and embarrassment.

I sent a heartfelt apology to the Crown Prince in my mind.

Sorry, I’ve thought it over carefully, but I don’t think I can do it today.

Hang in there with the necklace until Hyung [older brother] recovers his mental strength!